The Channels of Acupuncture

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6 Pathways of the main channels 81 7 Channel symptoms 97 8 Treatment of main channels 107 9 The Five Transporting (Shu) points 141 10 Categories of points 157 11 The combination of acupuncture points 177 Part 2 of the book deals with the Main channels: their pathways, symptoms and treatment. Besides discussing the Main channels, this part will also discuss the nature and action of the various categories of points. This Part ends with a discussion of the principles governing the combination of points in a treatment. PART 2 THE MAIN CHANNELS F07491-Ch06.qxd 3/21/06 5:07 PM Page 79

Transcript of The Channels of Acupuncture

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6 Pathways of the main channels 817 Channel symptoms 978 Treatment of main channels 1079 The Five Transporting (Shu) points 141

10 Categories of points 15711 The combination of acupuncture points 177

Part 2 of the book deals with the Main channels: their pathways, symptoms and treatment. Besidesdiscussing the Main channels, this part will alsodiscuss the nature and action of the various categoriesof points. This Part ends with a discussion of theprinciples governing the combination of points in atreatment.

PART 2

THE MAIN CHANNELS

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LUNG CHANNEL PATHWAY 81LARGE INTESTINE CHANNEL PATHWAY 82STOMACH CHANNEL PATHWAY 84SPLEEN CHANNEL PATHWAY 84HEART CHANNEL PATHWAY 86SMALL INTESTINE CHANNEL PATHWAY 87BLADDER CHANNEL PATHWAY 88KIDNEY CHANNEL PATHWAY 90PERICARDIUM CHANNEL PATHWAY 90TRIPLE BURNER CHANNEL PATHWAY 92GALL BLADDER CHANNEL PATHWAY 92LIVER CHANNEL PATHWAY 94

The internal trajectories of the Main channels aredescribed in Chapter 10 of the ‘Spiritual Axis’. ModernChinese books tend to describe the pathways of thechannels in an anatomically detailed way that theancient texts did not have. Acupuncture books in the English language also tend to do the same. Forexample, the ‘Manual of Acupuncture’ says that theLung channel ‘ascends one rib space to Yunmen LU-2 inthe centre of the hollow of the delto-pectoral triangle’;1

obviously the ‘delto-pectoral triangle’ is a modernanatomical description and Chapter 10 of the ‘SpiritualAxis’ describes this part of the Lung channel pathwaysimply as ‘it descends to the inner side of the shoulder’.2

I shall try and follow, as much as possible, thedescription of the pathways from Chapter 10 of the‘Spiritual Axis’, except in cases where it would be toovague: in such cases, I will integrate the sourcematerial from the ‘Spiritual Axis’ with that frommodern Chinese books, putting the text from modernChinese books in square brackets.

The four best English-language sources for thepathways of the channels are the ‘Manual of Acupunc-ture’ (Deadman & Al Khafaji 1998),3 ‘Acupuncture – aComprehensive Text’ (Bensky & O’Connor 1981),4

‘Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion’ (Qiu, 1993)5

and ‘Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion’ (Chen1987).6

Each channel has two pathways: one superficial andthe other deep. The superficial pathway is the section ofthe channel that flows under the skin and in betweenmuscles and tendons: acupuncture points are locatedon this part of the channel. The channel’s deeppathway flows in the interior of the body and into the Internal Organs themselves. Thus, although it is through the superficial part of the pathway that wecan affect Qi and Blood, it is only through the deeppathways that we can affect the Internal Organs.

For example, the Kidney superficial pathway flowsfrom under the little toe, up the medial side of the leg from the points KI-1 Yongquan to KI-10 Yingu,through the lower abdomen from the points KI-11Henggu to KI-21 Youmen, and finally to the chest fromKI-22 Bulang to KI-27 Shufu. This is the section of thechannel where the points are situated and wheretreatment is applied. By contrast, the deep pathway of the Kidney channel flows internally into the spine,the bladder, the kidneys, the liver and the lungs. It is by virtue of the deep part of the channel that we canaffect the Internal Organs. See Figure 6.8.

On the figures, the superficial pathways are indi-cated with a solid line while the deep pathways areindicated with a dotted line.

LUNG CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Lung channel of the arm Greater Yin startsin the Middle Burner

• It descends to connect with the large intestine

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PATHWAYS OF THE MAINCHANNELS

PART 2

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• It goes along the ‘mouth’ [cardiac orifice] of thestomach

• It traverses the diaphragm and enters the lungto which it belongs

• It emerges from the lung ‘system’ and goessideways to the area below the axilla, [it emergesfrom the lung and rises to the larynx in thethroat area then to go downwards sideways tothe area below the axilla]

• Running in front of the Pericardium channel, itenters the elbow

• Going continuously downward along theanterior border of the bone [radius] on themedial side of the arm, it enters the area of theradial pulse [LU-9 Taiyuan]

• It goes up to LU-10 Yuji• It goes along the edge of LU-10 Yuji• It ends at the tip of the thumb [medial side of

the thumb]. See Figure 6.1. LARGE INTESTINE CHANNELPATHWAY

• The Large Intestine channel of the arm BrightYang starts from the tip of the index finger

• It then runs along the [radial] side of the indexfinger to emerge at L.I.-4 Hegu in between twobones [first and second metacarpals]

• It goes up dipping in between two tendons[tendons of m. extensor pollicis longus andbrevis]

• It enters the lateral side of the elbow• It flows up the lateral–anterior aspect of the arm• It then reaches the shoulder at the point L.I.-15

Jianyu• From L.I.-15, it goes to the 7th cervical vertebra

[connects with Du-14 Dazhui]• It descends to the supraclavicular fossa to enter

the lung• It penetrates the diaphragm downwards to reach

the large intestine• From the supraclavicular fossa a branch ascends

along the neck [along the sternocleidomastoidmuscle] to the cheek and enters the gums of thelower teeth

• It then curves around the mouth and crossesDu-26 Renzhong

• From Du-26 the left channel goes to the rightside, and vice versa, to end at the side of the

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Fig. 6.1 Lung channel.

CLINICAL NOTEIt is interesting to note that the Lung channel startsin the Middle Burner, from the Stomach. Moreover,on its way up, the Lung channel goes through the‘mouth’ of the Stomach. This has an importantclinical relevance because this connection betweenthe Stomach and the Lung channel confirms thefunctional relationship between Lungs (Metal) andStomach (Earth). Earth is the Mother of Metal and,indeed the Stomach and Spleen are frequentlyreinforced to tonify the Lungs. I personally use Ren-12 Zhongwan very frequently to tonify theLungs, especially because that is the area fromwhich the Lung channel starts.

The pathway of the Lung channel over the larynxconfirms the influence of the Lungs on the voice.

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nose [where it links with the Stomach channel].See Figure 6.2.

PATHWAYS OF THE MAIN CHANNELS 83

Fig. 6.2 Large Intestine channel.

!

The expression ‘it goes up dipping in betweentwo tendons’ is interesting as it shows that thechannels frequently change depth during theirtrajectory ‘dipping’ into joints and otherstructures or ‘emerging’ from them. When wedraw the channels, we tend to think of them aspathways with a uniform depth throughout butthis is not the case.

CLINICAL NOTENote that the Large Intestine channel flows to thelower teeth: it is therefore used clinically forproblems of teeth and/or gums of the lower jaw; forthe upper jaw, the Stomach channel is used.

CLINICAL NOTENote that the ‘Spiritual Axis’ says specifically that‘from Du-26 the left channel goes to the right side,and vice versa, to end at the side of the nose’.7 Thismeans that, to treat problems of the face, teeth andgums, the point L.I.-4 Hegu should be usedcontralaterally, i.e. on the opposite side to thelocation of the problem.

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STOMACH CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Stomach channel of leg Bright Yang startsfrom the lateral side of ala nasi [at L.I.-20Yingxiang ]

• It ascends along the nose and meets the Bladderchannel [at BL-1 Jingming]

• It then descends along the outside of the noseand enters the upper teeth

• It curves around the lips and crosses with Ren-24 Chengjiang

• It then runs along the posterior side of the cheekreaching ST-5 Daying

• Winding along the jaw at ST-6 Jiache, it ascendsin front of the ear

• It traverses G.B.-3 Shangguan• It follows the anterior hairline and reaches the

forehead at Du-24 Shenting• From ST-5 Daying a branch goes downward

along ST-9 Renying, along the throat and to thesupraclavicular fossa

• It then passes through the diaphragm• It enters the stomach, to which it belongs, and

connects with the spleen• From the supraclavicular fossa, a branch flows

down to below the breast and abdomen on theside of the umbilicus to enter ST-30 Qichong

• Another branch from the orifice of the stomachdescends inside the abdomen and joins theprevious portion of the channel at ST-30Qichong

• From this point it runs downwards and traversesST-31 Biguan and ST-32 Futu

• It reaches the knee• From here it continues downwards along the

anterior border of the lateral aspect of the tibia• It passes through the dorsum of the foot and

reaches the medial side of the middle toe [lateralside of the second toe]8

• A branch starting 3 cun below the knee goesdown to reach the lateral side of the middle toe

• Another branch from the dorsum of the footgoes to the big toe [where it links with the Spleenchannel]. See Figure 6.3.

SPLEEN CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Spleen channel of the leg Greater Yin startsfrom the tip of the big toe

• It runs along the medial aspect of the foot at theborder with the white flesh [at the junction ofthe red and white skin]

• It ascends in front of the medial malleolus, upthe inside [medial aspect] of the leg

• It follows the back [posterior aspect] of the tibia• It crosses and goes in front of the Liver channel

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CLINICAL NOTEPlease note that the ‘Spiritual Axis’ says that theStomach channel ‘passes through the dorsum of thefoot and reaches the medial side of the middle toe’.This is interesting: all modern books and charts havethe Stomach channel ending at the second toe.Clinically, this discrepancy is not that important asthe Stomach channel in fact affects both the secondand the third toe.

CLINICAL NOTETwo branches of the Stomach channel flow to thepoint ST-30 Qichong: one goes from the clavicularfossa down to below the breast and abdomen onthe side of the umbilicus to enter ST-30 Qichong;the other goes from the orifice of the stomachdown inside the abdomen and joins the previousportion of the channel at ST-30 Qichong. Thisexplains the important and dynamic function of ST-30 Qichong.

CLINICAL NOTEIt is interesting to note that the Stomach channel(Bright Yang) meanders all over the face andconnects with the Lesser Yang channels at G.B.-3Shangguan and the Greater Yang channels at BL-1Jingming. This means that, when treating problemsof the face, the Stomach channel is extremelyimportant because through it we can treat all threeYang channels, i.e. Bright Yang, Lesser Yang andGreater Yang.

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PATHWAYS OF THE MAIN CHANNELS 85

Fig. 6.3 Stomach channel.

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• It goes up the medial aspect of the knee andthigh to enter the abdomen

• It enters the spleen, to which it belongs, andconnects with the stomach

• From the stomach, it ascends traversing thediaphragm and reaching the oesophagus

• It reaches the root of the tongue and scatters onthe underside of the tongue

• From the stomach, a branch goes through thediaphragm and links with the heart. See Figure 6.4.

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Fig. 6.4 Spleen channel.

HEART CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Heart channel of the arm Lesser Yinoriginates from the heart

• It emerges through the ‘heart system’ [the tissuesconnecting the heart with other Internal Organs]

• It goes downwards through the diaphragm toconnect with the small intestine

• A branch from the heart system ascends to thethroat and eye

• Another branch from the heart system entersthe lung and emerges at the axilla

• From the axilla, it flows down the inside-back ofthe arm [posterior border of the medial aspect ofthe upper arm] medial to the Lung andPericardium channels down to the cubital fossaand pisiform bone

• It enters the palm and follows the medial aspectof the little finger to end at the medial side of itstip. See Figure 6.5.

CLINICAL NOTEIt is very interesting that the Spleen channel goes tothe heart starting from the stomach. This channelconnection confirms and further explains thephysiological connection between the Stomach andSpleen and the Heart. I personally always use theStomach and Spleen channels to support the Heartin case of heart pathology such as tachycardia orarrhythmia. Interestingly, if we place the Five-Element diagram with the Earth in the centre andthe other four Elements in a cross, the Earth isbelow Fire.

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SMALL INTESTINE CHANNELPATHWAY

• The Small Intestine channel of the arm GreaterYang starts at the [ulnar side of the] tip of thelittle finger

• Following the outside [ulnar side] of the dorsumof the hand it reaches the wrist

• It emerges from the wrist bone [styloid process ofthe ulna]

• It ascends along the arm below the bone [alongthe posterior aspect of the forearm]

• It emerges at the elbow in between two tendons[between the olecranon of the ulna and themedial epicondyle of the humerus]

• It ascends the back [posterior aspect] of the armand emerges at the shoulder joint

• Circling around the scapula, it rises to theshoulder [connects with Du-14 Dazhui] andgoes forward to the supraclavicular fossa toconnect with the heart

• From the heart, it descends to the oesophagus• It passes through the diaphragm• It reaches the stomach and finally enters the

small intestine to which it belongs• A branch from the supraclavicular fossa ascends

to the neck and the cheek• It goes through the outer canthus of the eye and

then enters the ear• From the neck, a branch goes to the infra-orbital

region and to the lateral side of the nose

PATHWAYS OF THE MAIN CHANNELS 87

CLINICAL NOTEIt is interesting that a branch from the heart systemascends to the eye: this confirms the influence ofHeart pathology on eye problems.

CLINICAL NOTEThe coursing of the Heart channel to the throatconfirms the influence that this channel (and organ)has on the throat. Some throat symptoms (e.g.feeling of constriction of the throat) may be due toQi stagnation in the Heart channel; this is especiallylikely when the symptom is caused by emotionalstress.

Fig. 6.5 Heart channel.

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• It then reaches the inner canthus to link withthe Bladder channel and goes sideways to thezygoma. See Figure 6.6.

BLADDER CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Bladder channel of leg Greater Yang startsat the inner canthus of the eye

• It ascends the forehead and reaches the vertex[joins the Governing Vessel at the point Du-20Baihui on the vertex]

• From here a branch goes to the area above theear

• From the vertex, the channel enters the brain tore-emerge and bifurcate at the nape of the neck

• From the nape of the neck, it flows down theocciput and all the way down the back runningmedially to the scapulae and outside the spine

• From the lumbar area, it enters the backbone• It connects with the kidney and reaches the

bladder to which it belongs• The branch from the lumbar region runs down

the gluteus to reach the popliteal fossa• The branch from the back of the neck goes

straight down along the medial border of thescapulae

• It passes through the gluteal region• It proceeds downwards along the lateral aspect

of the thigh where it meets the previous branch[descending from the lumbar region] in thepopliteal fossa

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CLINICAL NOTEIt is interesting that a branch of the Small Intestinechannel enters the ear: this explains the SmallIntestine’s involvement in some ear pathologies.

Fig. 6.6 Small Intestine channel.

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• It runs along the posterior aspect of the leg tothe posterior aspect of the external malleolus

• It then runs along the fifth metatarsal bone toend at the lateral aspect of the fifth toe where itlinks with the Kidney channel. See Figure 6.7.

PATHWAYS OF THE MAIN CHANNELS 89

Fig. 6.7 Bladder channel.

CLINICAL NOTEThe Bladder channel enters the brain: this explainsthe important influence of this channel in thepathology of headaches.

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KIDNEY CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Kidney channel of the leg Lesser Yin startsunder the fifth toe

• It runs to the sole of the foot [at KI-1 Yongquan]• Running under the [navicular] bone at KI-2

Rangu, it goes behind the medial malleolus• It ascends the medial side of the leg up to the

inner aspect of the thigh• It then goes towards the spine [at Du-1

Changqiang]• It ascends along the lumbar spine and enters the

kidney and the urinary bladder• It then goes forward to enter the liver• It passes through the diaphragm and enters the

lung• From here it ascends to the throat and

terminates at the root of the tongue• From the lung, a branch joins the heart and

flows to the chest [to connect with thePericardium channel]. See Figure 6.8.

PERICARDIUM CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Pericardium channel of the arm TerminalYin originates in the centre of the chestemerging from the pericardium to which itbelongs

• It then descends through the diaphragm to theabdomen to communicate with the Upper,Middle and Lower Burner

• A branch from the centre of the chest emergeslaterally from the costal region 3 cun below theaxilla

• It ascends to the axilla and then descends on theinside [medial aspect] of the arm between theLung and Heart channels

• It enters the elbow• It then descends on the forearm in between two

tendons [of m. palmaris longus and m. flexorcarpi radialis]

• It enters the palm and ends at the tip [medialside] of the middle finger

• A branch from the centre of the palm [P-8 Laogong] runs along the ring finger to its tip [linking with the Triple Burner channel at the point T.B.-1 Guanchong]. See Figure 6.9.

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CLINICAL NOTEThe Bladder channel flows all along the spine fromthe occiput to the sacrum and then down to thelegs: this explains the important influence of theBladder channel in back pathologies.

CLINICAL NOTEThe channel connection between the Kidneychannel and the heart and pericardium is clinicallyimportant as it reflects the influence of the Kidneysin Heart pathologies. Moreover, it confirms theimportance of the proper communication betweenKidney and Heart particularly for the health of thegynaecological and sexual systems. Finally, thecommunication between Kidneys and Heart isessential also for our mental and emotional healthas it is the physical aspect of the communicationbetween the Mind (Shen) of the Heart and the Will-power (Zhi) of the Kidneys.

CLINICAL NOTEIt is interesting to note that a branch of thePericardium channel emerges laterally from thecostal region 3 cun below the axilla. This explainsthe good effect the point P-6 Neiguan has on ribpain; when I use this point to treat rib pain, I usuallycombine it with ST-40 Fenglong on the oppositeside.

CLINICAL NOTEIt is clinically significant that the Kidney channelflows to the liver, lungs, heart and pericardium:influencing so many organs; it confirms theimportant role of the Kidneys as the foundation ofthe Yin and the Yang of the other Yin organs.

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PATHWAYS OF THE MAIN CHANNELS 91

Fig. 6.8 Kidney channel.

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TRIPLE BURNER CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Triple Burner channel of the arm LesserYang starts at the tip of the ring finger

• It runs up the hand between two fingers [fourthand fifth metacarpal bones]

• It flows to the wrist and up the lateral aspect ofthe arm between two bones [the radius andulna]

• It flows to the elbow and up the outside of theshoulder [passing through the olecranon andalong the lateral aspect of the upper arm] whereit runs across and passes behind the Gall Bladderchannel

• It winds over to the supraclavicular fossa fromwhere it spreads in the chest to connect with thepericardium

• It then descends through the diaphragm to theabdomen to reach the Three Burners, to which itbelongs

• From the chest, a branch goes up to thesupraclavicular fossa from where it ascends tothe neck, the region behind the ear and to thecorner of the anterior hairline

• It then turns downwards to the cheek and goesto the infra-orbital region

• From behind the ear, a branch enters the ear• It re-emerges in front of the ear• It crosses the previous branch in the cheek and

reaches the outer canthus to link with the GallBladder channel. See Figure 6.10.

GALL BLADDER CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Gall Bladder channel of the leg Lesser Yangstarts at the outer canthus of the eye

• It ascends to the corner of the forehead• It curves downwards to the region behind the

ear [at G.B.-20 Fengchi]• From behind the ear, it runs down the neck in

front of the Triple Burner channel• Turning back, it traverses and passes behind the

Triple Burner channel and then down to thesupraclavicular fossa

• A branch from the region behind the ear entersthe ear

• It then comes out in front of the ear and goes tothe outer canthus

• The branch arising from the outer canthus runsdown to ST-5 Daying and meets the TripleBurner channel in the infra-orbital region

• It then descends to the neck and thesupraclavicular fossa where it meets the mainbranch

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Fig. 6.9 Pericardium channel.

CLINICAL NOTEThe pathway of the Triple Burner confirms theimportant influence that this channel has on theears: in fact, from the chest, a branch goes ‘behindthe ear’; another a branch ‘enters the ear’ frombehind the ear; it re-emerges ‘in front of the ear’.

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• From the supraclavicular fossa, it descends tothe chest

• Passing through the diaphragm, it enters theliver and gall bladder to which it belongs

• It then runs down the hypochondrial region

• It comes out from the lateral side of theabdomen and exits at the point Qijie [ST-30Qichong]

• From here, it goes to the margin of the pubichair and then sideways to the hip

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Fig. 6.10 Triple Burner channel.

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• The main portion of the channel from thesupraclavicular fossa goes in front of the axillaand the lateral side of the chest to the free endsof the floating ribs

• It flows to the hip where it meets the previousbranch

• It then descends along the lateral aspect of thethigh and knee

• It goes further down in front of the bone [alongthe anterior aspect of the fibula] all the way toits lower end

• It reaches the area in front of the externalmalleolus

• It then follows the dorsum of the foot to thelateral side of the tip of the 4th toe

• A branch separates from the dorsum of the foot[from G.B.-41 Zulinqi], enters the big toe, runsalong the inner [medial] side of the bone of thebig toe, turns around to pass through the big toenail and then finally goes to the dorsal hairysurface of the big toe. See Figure 6.11.

LIVER CHANNEL PATHWAY

• The Liver channel of the leg Terminal Yin startson the hairy dorsal surface of the big toe

• It runs upwards on the dorsum of the foot 1 cunin front of the medial malleolus

• It rises 8 cun up the medial aspect of the leg whereit runs across and behind the Spleen channel

• It goes further up inside the knee and thigh• When it reaches the pubic hair margin, it curves

around the genitalia• It goes up to the lower abdomen• Proceeding further up, it curves around the

stomach and enters the liver to which it pertainsand links with the Gall Bladder

• It then continues to ascend, passes through thediaphragm and branches out in thehypochondrial and costal region

• From here, it ascends behind the throat[through the nasopharynx] to the forehead andreaches the Eye System (Mu Xi)

• Running further upwards, it goes to the top ofthe head to meet the Governing Vessel [at Du-20Baihui]

• From the eye, a branch goes down to the cheekand curves around the lips. See Figure 6.12.

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CLINICAL NOTEA branch of the Gall Bladder channel arising fromthe outer canthus runs down to ST-5 Daying; thisconfirms the important role of the Stomach channelon the face because it intersects so many otherchannels, i.e. Gall Bladder, Bladder and DirectingVessel.

CLINICAL NOTEThe Gall Bladder channel descends to the chestfrom the supraclavicular fossa: this explains the useof G.B.-41 Zulinqi for problems of the breast inwomen.

CLINICAL NOTEThe main portion of the Gall Bladder channel fromthe supraclavicular fossa goes in front of the axillaand the lateral side of the chest to the free ends ofthe floating ribs: the Gall Bladder channel has aparamount influence on the hypochondrial regionand I personally use G.B.-34 Yanglingquan toinfluence this region.

CLINICAL NOTEThe Liver channel starts on the hairy dorsal surfaceof the big toe: this is an interesting statement fromthe ‘Spiritual Axis’ as most books say that thechannel starts on the lateral side of the angle of thebig toe nail. The fact that the channel starts on thedorsal surface of the big toe itself, explains the useof this channel for problems of the big toe, e.g. fungal infections.

CLINICAL NOTEThe Liver channel curves around the genitalia; this isa very important section of this channel’s pathwaythat explains the frequent use of the Liver channelfor problems of the genitals (e.g. penis and testiclesin men and vulva and vagina in women). For thisfunction, I especially use the point LIV-5 Ligou.

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PATHWAYS OF THE MAIN CHANNELS 95

Fig. 6.11 Gall Bladder channel.

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NOTES

1. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M 1998 A Manual of Acupuncture, Journalof Chinese Medicine Publications, Hove, England, p. 73.

2. 1981 Spiritual Axis (Ling Shu Jing ). People’s HealthPublishing House, Beijing, first published c. 100 BC, p. 30.

3. A Manual of Acupuncture. 4. Bensky D, O’Connor J 1981 ‘Acupuncture, a Comprehensive Text’.

Eastland, Seattle.5. Qiu Mao Liang 1993 Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion,

Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. 6. Chen Xin Nong 1987 Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

Foreign Languages Press, Beijing.7, Spiritual Axis, p. 31.8. Although all books show the Stomach channel ending at the second

toe, Chapter 10 of the ‘Spiritual Axis’ actually says that it ends at the‘middle toe’, i.e. the third one. It is interesting to note that theStomach channel affects both the second and third toe.

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Fig. 6.12 Liver channel.

CLINICAL NOTEThe Liver channel curves around the stomach: this isinteresting as it explains the important influence ofthe Liver in epigastric pain and distension (Liverinvading the Stomach). To affect this function of theLiver, I tend to use G.B.-34 Yanglingquan incombination with Ren-12 Zhongwan.

CLINICAL NOTEThe Liver channel goes to the top of the head tomeet the Governing Vessel [at Du-20 Baihui]; thisexplains the frequent use of Liver points (especiallyLIV-3 Taichong) to treat headaches.

CLINICAL NOTEFrom the eye, a branch of the Liver channel goesdown to the cheek and curves around the lips: thisaspect of the Liver channel has a particular clinicalsignificance in facial diagnosis. In fact, in Liver-Qistagnation, the area around the lips may begreenish.

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