Bleeding Peripheral Points

7/25/2019 Bleeding Peripheral Points

1/28

BLEEDING PERIPHERAL POINTS:

An Acupuncture Technique

Piercing a vein or small artery at the tip of the body-finger tips,

toes, or top of the ears-is a technique well-known among

acupuncturists. To the uninitiated Westerner, this therapy may

seem even stranger than standard needling that is explained as a

method of adjusting the flow of qi in the vessels. In this case, a few

drops of blood let out from one or more peripheral points by quicklystabbing the skin with a lance is said to have significant effects. As

mentioned in Fundamentals of Chinese Acupuncture (1), "The

procedure should be thoroughly explained to the patient before it is

performed to allay his or her fears."

Letting out blood is among the oldest of acupuncture techniques.Indeed, it has been speculated that acupuncture started as a

method of pricking boils, then expanded to letting out "bad blood"

that was generated by injuries or fevers, and finally allowing

invisible evil spirits and perverse atmospheric qi (most notably

"wind") escape from the body (2). Only later, perhaps as the needles

became more refined and as scholars developed of a more subtle

theoretical framework, were thin filiform needles used as the

primary acupuncture tools for the purpose of adjusting the flow of

qi and blood, without necessarily releasing something from the

body.


2/28

The Lingshu (Spiritual Pivot) and its companion volume, the Suwen

(Simple Questions), written around 100 B.C., established the

fundamentals of traditional Chinese medical ideas and acupuncture

therapy (3, 4). Originally, there was a set of 9 acupuncture needles,which included the triangular lance, sword-like flat needles, and

fairly large needles (see Figure 1). In the Lingshu (3) these ancient

needles are numbered and the needle designs and qualities are

associated with what the numbers represent. Regarding the fourth

needle, which has a tubular body and lance-like tip, the text states:

"This can be used to drain fevers, to draw blood, and to exhaust

chronic diseases." The seventh needle is described as being hair fine(corresponding in form to the most common of the current needles);

it is said to "control fever and chills and painful rheumatism in the

luo channels." In modern practice, using the lance as a means to

treat chronic diseases has been marginalized (except to treat acute

flare-ups of chronic ailments), while the applications of the hair-fine

needle has been greatly expanded beyond malarial fevers and

muscle and joint pain.

The Lingshu has several references to the use of blood-letting. In

the chapter on hot diseases, it states:

For a hot disease with frequent frights, convulsions, and madness,

treat the blood channels. Use the number four lance needle.

Quickly disperse when there is an excess. When there is insanity

and a loss of hair, treat the blood and the heart.


3/28

The use of the lance needle to treat the blood channels is a

reference to blood-letting. The indications of blood-letting for

alleviating heat, convulsions, and mental distress has persisted to

modern times. For example, when treating the jing (well) points atthe beginning or end of the meridians, the general indication that

has come down to us today is for fevers and mental illness.

The lance needle is also recommended, in the same chapter of the

Lingshu, for treatment of a hot disease where the whole body feels

heavy and the center of the intestines is hot, and when there are

spasms around the navel, and the chest and ribs are full. Among

the points suggested to be bled are "those points on the cracks of

the toes." Drawing blood, which is mentioned repeatedly in this

chapter of the Lingshu, is usually accompanied by instructions that

one should drain it from the luo vessels, which are described in this

text as visible vessels, apparently corresponding to veins. For

example, it is said that one should examine above the anklebone to

see if the luo channels are full; if so, drain until blood is seen.

An entire chapter of the Lingshu is devoted to the luo vessels in

which questions are answered about blood-letting therapy. It is said

that: "When the blood and qi are both abundant and the yin qi is

plentiful, the blood will be slippery so that needling will cause it to

shoot out." On the other hand, "When much bleeding takes place

with needling, but the color does not change and there are

palpitations and depression, it is because needling the luo channel

causes the channel to empty." The change in color that is


4/28

anticipated occurs when the bad blood, which is described as thick

and black, has been eliminated and normal red blood appears.

The Suwen (4) also has a chapter on treating the luo vessels. It

makes three references to blood-letting, all in association with the

point ranggu (KI-2); in general, the ranggu point is needled, and

then the capillary in front of the point is to be bled. This is used in

treatment of swollen throat and for abdominal swelling and fullness

that accompanies either heart pain or injury. Similarly, in the

Lingshu chapter on water swelling, a case of abdominal swelling-

where the skin is tight like a drum-is described; the therapy

recommended is to draw blood from the luo channels. The location

of blood-letting is not specified, though it is stated that the problem

should be treated in the lower part of the body.

In the Suwen chapter about needling of the channels properly, it is

said that:

When one administers acupuncture during the spring, it is

appropriate to needle shu (stream) points. In fact, bloodletting is a

preferred technique....In the summer, one can also practice

bloodletting, but it is preferable to use superficial luo points. Allow

the bleeding to stop by itself, so that the pathogen will be

completely eliminated."


5/28

In the Suwen chapter on seasonal organ pathology, blood-letting is

mentioned for excess conditions, and the key therapeutic technique

is usually to address an entire channel, which is sometimes done at

or near its peripheral points. Thus, it says, for excess of the liver,bleed the jueyin and shaoyang channels; for excess of the spleen,

one is instructed to bleed points of the taiyin, yangming, and

shaoyin; for excess of the lung, bleed the shaoyin channel; for

excess of the kidney, bleed the shaoyin and taiyin channels. Only

the excess of the heart is treated somewhat differently: one is

instructed to needle and bleed points under the tongue (jinjin and

yuye) and at yinxi (HT-6).

The Suwen chapter on malaria-like illnesses has an interesting

instruction for needling the finger tips:

When malaria begins to flare-up, it will start at the extremities. If

the yang has already been injured, the yin will be affected as well.

Before the flare-up, therefore, one should tie the ten fingers with

string. This way, the pathogen cannot enter more deeply and the yin

cannot come out. After tying the fingers, observe the luo channels.

Where purple stagnation appears in the channels, perform blood-

letting.

Thus, one looks for those specific veins that are congested in order

to apply this therapy, rather than picking certain points or channels

theoretically. The particular practice described here, of trying to

avert the flare-up by locating the stagnation and draining the blood


6/28

is described as "ambushing the enemy before being confronted."

The approach to making the veins stand out is one that is still

mimicked today, with massaging and pressing to assure that when

the vein is lanced blood will flow out, though the original purposewas also diagnostic-determining which vessel had the pathogen to

be let out.

The most comprehensive traditional text on acupuncture is the Jia

Yi jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture), published in 1601,

though attributed to work originally done by Mi Huangfu in the 3rd

century (5). It includes an extensive explanation of the #4 needle

used for blood-letting:

The number four pertains to the four seasons. When a person, after

having been struck by one of the winds of the eight directions and

four seasons, develops a chronic illness where the evil has invaded

and penetrated the channels and connecting vessels [luo], then this

condition is treated by the sharp needle....It has a cylindrical body

and a pointed end of three blades and is one cun and six fen in

length. It is used to drain heat and let out blood to dissipate and

drain chronic diseases. Accordingly, it is said that, if the disease is

securely housed within the five viscera, the sharp needle should be

selected and draining technique applied to the well [jing] and brook

[shu] points according to the seasons.

As with the earlier texts, blood-letting is mainly recommended in Jia

Yi jing for conditions of abdominal swelling, malarial-type diseases


7/28

with alternating fever and chills (Chinese: nue), and certain painful

conditions, particularly lower back pain. The main idea is to

eliminate bad blood, as in this case of treating an injury:

The unraveled vessel causes people to suffer from splitting lower

back pain with irascibility....Needle the unraveled vessel at weizhong

(BL-40), pricking the binding connecting vessel there which is like a

millet grain. Upon being pricked, the vessel will ejaculate black

blood and, once the blood turns red, the treatment may be stopped.

In sum, for excess type syndromes, bleeding is recommended

because it can drain the excess, alleviate congestion and stasis, and

remove the pathogens. As described in Fundamentals of Chinese

Acupuncture, the function of blood-letting therapy is "to drain heat

or quicken the blood and qi and relieve local congestion." The

method of carrying out blood-letting is described:

This procedure is done by first applying pressure to restrict the

blood flow of the area, to increase the visibility of the veins and to

cause the blood to flow out more easily when the vein is pricked.

The point is then swiftly and decisively pricked to a superficial

depth of about 0.1 cun and a few drops of blood are allowed to

escape. Lastly, the point is pressed with sterile cotton until the

bleeding ceases.


8/28


9/28

said to be useful for emergency treatment for stroke or for

numbness of the toes, also for redness, swelling, and pain of the

instep of the foot. Near the toe webbing, there is another set of

points, the bafeng (eight wind) points, four on each foot (see Figure2). These can be needled either by standard procedure with shallow

oblique insertion, or they can be pricked to cause bleeding. The

points are indicated for swelling of the legs, toe pain, snake bite to

the foot or lower leg, and swelling and pain of the dorsum of the

foot.

Similarly, at the tips of the fingers are the shixuan points, located

0.1 cun behind the nails (see Figure 3). Pricking these points to let

out blood is said to be useful for coma, epilepsy, high fever, and sore

throat. A little further down, at the finger creases (the lower of the

two creases along the finger joints), are the sifeng points (four wind

points; the thumb, which has only the one crease, is not included;

see see Figure 4). Pricking these to let out plasma fluid that is

yellowish white, is said to treat malnutrition and indigestion in

children and whooping cough. Finally, points between each pair of

fingers, at the top of the webbing joining the fingers, are the baxie

points (see Figure 5). These can be acupunctured with shallow

insertion of 0.5-0.8 cun depth or pricked to cause bleeding, used to

treat snakebite of the hand.

The terminal jing points, known by some as ting points, are also

pricked to let out blood. These "well" points, of which there are 12,

are mainly located at the tips of the fingers and toes (the exception

is KI-1); below are some of the indications for bleeding these points:


10/28

Shaoshang ) LU-11: thumb, radial side): sore throat, epistaxis, pain

of fingers, febrile disease, mental disorders, loss of consciousness.

Shangyang (LI-1: index finger, radial side): toothache, sore throat,

numbness of fingers, febrile disease, loss of consciousness.

Zhongchong (PC-9: middle finger, at fingertip): cardiac pain,

irritability, loss of consciousness, aphasia with tongue stiffness,

febrile disease, heat stroke, infantile convulsions, feverish sensation

of the palm.

Guanchong (TB-1: ring finger, ulnar side): headache, redness of

eyes, sore throat, stiffness of the tongue, febrile disease, irritability.

Shaochong (HT-9: little finger, radial side): cardiac pain, pain in

chest, mental disorder, febrile disease, loss of consciousness.

Shaoze (SI-1: little finger, ulnar side): febrile disease, loss of

consciousness, sore throat, corneal disease.

Yinbai (SP-1 : big toe, medial side): abdominal distention, uterine

bleeding, mental disorder, dream disturbed sleep, convulsions.

Dadin (LV-1: big toe, lateral side): prolapse of uterus, hernia,

uterine bleeding, enuresis.

Lidui (ST-45: 2nd toe, lateral side): facial swelling, toothache,

distending sensation of chest and abdomen, cold in leg and foot,febrile disease, dream disturbed sleep, mental confusion.

Yonguqan (KI-1: sole of foot, between metatarsals 2-3): pain in

vertex of the head, dizziness, blurring of vision, sore throat,


11/28

aphonia, dysuria, dyschesia, infantile convulsion, loss of

consciousness, feverish sensation in the sole.

Qiaoyin (GB-44: 4th toe, lateral side): one-sided headache,

ophthalmalgia, deafness, pain in the hypochondriac region, dream

disturbed sleep, febrile disease

Zhiyin (BL-67: little toe, lateral side): headache, nasal obstruction,

epistaxis, ophthalmalgia, feverish sensation in the sole.

Finally, there is pricking of the ear apex (tubercle) to let out blood,

as a similar basic technique. All these peripheral point bleeding

treatments are used for heat and excess syndromes. As an example,treating the ear apex by bloodletting has been recommended to treat

hordeolum, an eye infection (8).

Peripheral blood-letting is distinguished from a practice of pricking

the skin to release blood prior to applying cups, that provide an

additional stimulus to the area and cause more blood to beextracted. However, like the peripheral point bleeding, it is used to

let out pathogens and heat. A report on treatment of acute diseases

with blood-letting followed by cupping suggested that the technique

would remove toxic heat from the interior (9). In general, the author

believed that:

The combination of bleeding and cupping aims at eliminating the

toxic factors and removing stagnation, promoting resuscitation, and

clearing heat, activating qi and blood circulation in the meridians


12/28

and collaterals, relieving swelling and pain in order to facilitate the

elimination of pathogenic qi and the restoration of good health.

He gave examples of blood-letting and cupping at dazhui (GV-14),

taiyang (Extra-2), and weizhong (BL-40). Weizhong, at the back of

the knee, is probably the most frequently mentioned non-peripheral

point for bleeding therapy, with or without cupping; quze (PC-3), at

the corresponding point in the crease of the elbow, is next most

frequently used. Dazhui (GV-14), the meeting point of all six yang

channels with the governing vessel, is treated for many acute heat

syndromes, with standard acupuncture, blood-letting, and cupping.

Some of the peripheral blood-letting applications are easy to

understand, at least theoretically, from the basic concept of letting

out tainted blood; for example, to treat a poisonous snake bite

where venom has been injected into the nearby portion of the limb.

Similarly, swelling and pain of the foot by letting out blood at the

toes is conceptually understandable within this paradigm. The

treatment of stroke (apoplexy), coma, mental dysfunctions, and

epilepsy by this method may be related to the concept that a vicious

wind penetrates to the center and causes severe disruption to the

normal brain function; the wind turbulence generates heat in the

blood; alternatively, a disease with high fever can cause these

damaging sequelae. This heat may be released by causing bleeding

from these points, under the concept that the blood is a vehicle for

carrying out the excess heat. In the English-Chinese Encyclopedia

of Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine (10) under the condition

called wind-stroke, in addition to several acupuncture points to be


13/28

treated by standard needling, the authors mention using a three-

edged needle to cause bleeding at the jing-well points. The

Encyclopedia states that "pricking the 12 jing-well points helps to

eliminate heat and bring resuscitation."

The problems of high fever, bleeding, sore throat, and headache

might also be understood in terms of being treated by letting out

heat via the removal of bad blood or excess blood. In the English-

Chinese Encyclopedia, pricking the jing-well point shaoshang (LU-

11), is mentioned as one of the treatments for severe cough due to

wind-heat affecting the lungs; the jing-well point zhongchong (PC-

9), as well as the non-peripheral points at the limb joints, quze (PC-

3) and weizhong (BL-40), are indicated for pricking to release blood

for treatment of high fever with heat in the ying and blood levels.

shixuan points at the fingertips, as well as PC-3 should be pricked,

the book suggests, for treatment of heat stroke (summer heat

disturbing the heart and requiring resuscitation). Bleeding at the

jing-well point zhongchong (PC-9) is also suggested for treatment of

syncope of the excess type, while pricking of the 12 jing-well points

is part of the therapy for severe sun stroke. Another

recommendation for treating sunstroke is the combination of quze

(PC-3), weizhong (BL-40), and dazhui (GV-14) as well as the 12 jing-

well points all being pricked to cause bleeding.

MODERN VIEWS

Blood-letting is a method of therapy that is difficult to explain in

modern terms. Aside from the traditional theoretical basis for these


14/28

treatments in letting out heat and excess factors, a key issue is

whether it actually produces the claimed effects. Many Western

acupuncturists have stated informally that they get dramatic

results from this treatment method, but, unfortunately, there is noevidence presented to support such contentions. Despite the

frequent mention of treating peripheral points by blood-letting in

both ancient and modern Chinese medical texts, there is little

reference to this technique in Chinese medical journal reports. Very

few articles focus specifically on use of this technique. Further,

descriptions of therapies for the disorders that peripheral blood-

letting is supposed to successfully treat rarely include that method.Instead, standard acupuncture techniques without blood-letting, as

well as herbal therapies, are described. Therefore, the effectiveness

of the technique must be questioned, at least until further evidence

has accumulated.

When the method of peripheral blood-letting is used, it is usually

combined with other therapies (e.g., standard acupuncture or even

Western drugs) that might be sufficient to explain the claimed

beneficial effects. In a report on treating hordeolum by bleeding the

ear tubercle mentioned in the previous section, the eyes were also

treated with antibiotics. In an article on treatment of patients with

persistent hiccup (1 to 15 days) with bleeding of jing-well points, the

treatment was accompanied by standard acupuncture at several

points (BL-13, BL-17, BL-21, ST-44, ST-45, LI-1, and LI-4). It was

reported that 95 out of 131 patients were cured after one treatment

(9). It is difficult to know how much of a contribution was made by

the peripheral blood-letting.


15/28

A Chinese physician who has used the blood-letting at the hand

jing-well points extensively for emergency cases wrote a report on

his experience (see Appendix 1). In his general analysis of treatment

strategies and in two case presentations, he described use of

standard acupuncture therapy, particularly needling of LI-4, along

with bleeding the hand jing-well points bilaterally. It was not

possible to tell whether the same results could have been attained

without the blood-letting portion of the treatment. One of the claims

commonly made by Western acupuncturists is that blood-letting at

the jing-well points or at the ear can rapidly decrease blood

pressure. Yet, in a clinical study conducted in Beijing with patients

carefully monitored for responses to acupuncture therapy for

hypertension, blood-letting was not a technique employed (10). The

author claimed a good effect with standard acupuncture, using

such points as LI-4, LI-11, GB-20, LV-3 and BL-17. In all these

cases, hegu (LI-4) was needled; it is possible that this is the most

effective point. Blood-letting at the ear apex was mentioned only inpassing as one ear acupuncture technique in the book Traditional

Chinese Treatment of Hypertension (14), but was reported to be

highly effective for hypertension in a single case report (15).

Today, we know that the peripheral blood has the same content as

the rest of the blood that circulates in the body, and that there is noreason to expect that the blood let out by this method is "bad

blood," other than in a purely symbolic role. While standard

acupuncture therapy is depicted as being effective, in part, by

releasing various transmitter substances (e.g., endorphins), by


16/28

stimulating local blood flow (e.g., by dilating vessels), and by

producing changes in the brain that may have both systemic and

highly specific effects, letting out a small amount of blood (usually

just a few drops) remains without a suitable explanation for thepotent effects claimed. The technique used to let out the blood is

one of quick and light pricking to pierce the skin and vein. Unlike

standard acupuncture, this method does not involve getting a qi

reaction or other evidence that the body is responding on a deep

level.

Blood-letting occurs in numerous contexts in the modern world.

Millions of people donate a pint of blood, sometimes regularly;

millions more prick fingertips every day to get a blood sample for

diabetes testing. While these experiences are not as specific as

aiming for certain acupoints to release blood, the large number of

points at the periphery indicated for blood-letting in the Chinese

literature, often with overlapping indications, suggests that the

technique does not necessarily require a high degree of specificity

for the location. Do diabetics and blood donors suffer substantially

less from syndromes of heat and excess?

Therefore, acupuncturists should be somewhat cautious in making

claims of effectiveness and should request clinical trials to evaluate

the method, especially now that funding for acupuncture trials is

being provided in the U.S. Since many of the applications of this

method are for acute syndromes or disorders easily measurable, it

should be possible to compare the effects of blood-letting at

acupoints versus non-acupoints, or blood-letting by pricking versus


17/28

pricking without releasing blood, as well as to compare standard

acupuncture to blood-letting for treating a particular disorder.

SUMMARY

Blood-letting is an ancient therapy that was an essential part of

traditional acupuncture practice described in the original texts and

which persists today, particularly for treatment of emergency cases,

such as loss of consciousness, high fever, and swellings. Most of the

blood-letting therapy relies on treating peripheral points of the

fingers and toes. Its purpose is to alleviate excess conditions,particularly heat syndromes and fluid swelling, and to promote

resuscitation. A traditional concept was that the release of blood

would draw out the excess. This therapy is somewhat difficult to

explain in modern terms, and, therefore, requires some

investigation and research before any substantial claims of

effectiveness can be made. Practitioners often note what appear to

be prompt and dramatic results from the therapy, suggesting thatits efficacy should be easy to confirm using short-term trials. In

most cases, peripheral blood-letting (or other blood-letting therapy)

is accompanied by standard acupuncture, especially with points

that are not far from the blood-letting points, such as the

hand/wrist points LI-4, LU-7, and PC-6 and the foot/ankle points

LV-2, LV-3, and KI-3, suggesting that these other points may

contribute significantly to the observed therapeutic outcome. As asymbolic therapy-of letting out excess, bad blood, toxins, or heat-

blood-letting is a potent technique for both the practitioner and the

patient, and its use represents a continuation of the earliest

traditions of acupuncture.


18/28

APPENDIX 1. Clinical Application of Twelve Well Points by Duan

Gongbao.

The following brief report (12) was edited slightly for readability and

to avoid repetition:

In many years' clinical practice, I used blood-letting method of

"Twelve Well-Points" to treat emergencies such as coma, syncope,

acute infantile convulsion, wind-stroke syndrome, hysteria,

epilepsy, etc., and have achieved immediate results. Twelve Well-

Points refer to bilateral hand well points: shaoshang (LU-11),

shangyang (LI-1), zhongchong (PC-9), guanchong (TB-1), shaochong

(HT-9) and shaozhe (S-I 1) which belong to the three yin and three

yang meridians of the hand and are located at the finger tips. The 6

well-points of the yang meridians belong to metal and are the

beginning points of the three yang meridians of the hand, while the

other 6 well-points of the yin-meridians belong to wood and are the

ending points of the three-yin meridians of the hand.

The indications of the Twelve Well-Points are acute febrile diseases,

cerebrovascular diseases, wind-stroke syndrome, syncope, acute

infantile convulsion, manic and depressive psychosis, etc. The

Twelve Well-Points can be used for eliminating heat, resolving

phlegm, restoring consciousness, and promoting resuscitation. It is

recorded in the classic book Lingshu that psychiatric diseases are

related to the five zang-organs, so, the well-points are often used. It

also says that blood diseases are related to the heart, thus, blood-


19/28

letting can eliminate pathogenic heat and cause resuscitation.

Therefore, pricking for bleeding and twirling-reducing or twirling-

pricking of the well-points can be used to treat mental disorder,

excess type of wind-stroke syndrome, acute infantile convulsionresulting from attack of pericardium by heat, heart disturbed by

phlegm-fire, or mental confusion due to phlegm, syncope due to

high fever, etc. After routine sterilization with 75% alcohol, hold a

sterilized three-edge needle to prick these well-points rapidly, then

squeeze the local point forcefully to let a few drops of blood out.

When the patient falls into sudden mental changes, loss of

consciousness or mental disorder, the Twelve Well-Points are treated

to induce resuscitation, as follows:

Accumulation of phlegm-heat in the lung and heart confused by

phlegm: in case of invasion of the pericardium by pathogenic

factors, it is treated by ventilating the lung and resolving phlegm,

clearing away pathogenic heat from the heart to causeresuscitation. The 12 well-points are used in combination with

chize (LU-5), shenmen (HT-7) and daling (PC-7), which are

punctured and stimulated with the reducing method.

Attack of the pericardium by pathogenic summer-heat: in case of

heatstroke due to accumulation of pathogenic heat to block qi flow,

it is treated by clearing away pathogenic heat from the heart to

cause resuscitation, restoring the consciousness. The well-points

are selected in combination with reducing shenmen (HT-7) and

pricking quze (PC-3) to let a bit blood out.


20/28

Wind-stroke: in case of excess syndrome of stroke, it is treated by

clearing away heat, inducing resuscitation and waking up the

patient from unconsciousness. The 12 well-points are punctured in

combination with needling by the reducing method yongquan (KI-1)and hegu (LI-4).

Interior heat-syndrome: in case of acute infantile convulsion due to

high fever and wind stirring inside, it is treated by clearing away

heat and toxic materials, eliminating pathogenic heat from the

heart, calming the liver to stop the wind, and by using well-points

combined with needling by the reducing method hegu (LI-4) and

taichong (LV-3).

As an example, Mr Wang, aged 58 years, a farmer, suddenly fell into

coma; he had flushed complexion, lockjaw, deviation of the eyes,

rigidity of both hands, rattling sound in the throat due to phlegm,

full and taut pulse. His syndrome was heart stirred by phlegm-fire,

producing an excess type of wind-stroke syndrome. Therapeutic

principles applied were eliminating heat, resolving phlegm, causing

resuscitation, and restoring consciousness. Acupoint selection

included the Twelve Well-Points pricked to let a bit of blood out;

hegu (LI-4) and taichong (LV-3) were punctured and stimulated with

reducing method (needles retained for 10 minutes). After treatment,

the patient was restored to consciousness immediately,

accompanied with slight deviation of the mouth and eyes, weakness

of the upper and lower limbs on the left side. Thereafter, acupoints

on the face and limbs were punctured continuously. Half a month

later, he returned to normal.


21/28

As another case, a male baby, aged 2 1/2 years, experienced high

fever, convulsion, lockjaw, muscular spasm of the four limbs, and

loss of consciousness. Differentiation of syndromes indicated acute

infantile convulsion due to excessive interior heat and wind stirringinside. Therapeutic principles applied were dispelling wind and

removing heat, calming the internal wind and relieving convulsion

and spasm. Acupoint selection included the Twelve Well-Points

which were pricked to let a bit of blood out, combined with

puncturing and stimulating hegu (LI-4), taichong (LV-3), and jiexi

(ST-41) with the reducing method. After treatment, the baby was

restored to consciousness immediately. Half an hour later, his feverabated and he spoke and laughed as usual.

The effects of the Twelve Well-Points in causing resuscitation,

clearing away heat from the heart and tranquilizing the spirit,

ventilating the lung, and regulating yin and yang are derived mainly

from the combined application of the Three Yin and Three Yang

Meridians of the hand. Shaoshang (LU-11) and shangyang (LI-1)

serve to ventilate the lung, remove heat from the throat, regulate

the wei qi to relieve the exterior syndrome, and reduce fever.

Zhongchong (PC-9) can function in clearing away heart-fire and

accumulated heat of the pericardium, tranquilizing, inducing

resuscitation and restoring consciousness. Guanchong (TB-1) can

clear away the pathogenic fire of the upper-jiao and remove the

accumulated heat in the shaoyang meridian. Shaochong (HT-9) is

used to clear away heart fire, tranquilize, and regulate heart qi.

Shaozhe (SI-1) serves to remove heart fire, ease mental anxiety, and

eliminate accumulation of heat in the taiyang meridian. The

aforementioned acupoints are only suitable for recuperating


22/28

depleted yang and rescuing the patient from collapse, rather than

for prostration (deficiency) syndrome due to sudden exhaustion of

yang of emergence or due to exhaustion of qi from chronic disease

because of excessive weakness of the primordial qi. Therefore, theTwelve Well-Points should be used according to differentiation of

syndromes. Otherwise, erroneous application of these acupoints

will bring the patient with unfavorable influence and even miss the

opportunity for emergency treatment because of delay.

APPENDIX 2. Clinical Application of Blood-Letting Therapy by Yang

Haixia

The following report (15) includes the full text of the physician's

instructions on treatment, and then his case reports, which are

shortened considerably for presentation here.

The operator needs to massage the determined area for blood-lettingto cause local congestion, and clean the skin area for disinfection

according to the routine procedure. Fix the acupuncture point or

vein in the blood-letting area with one hand, and hold a sterilized

three-edged needle with the other hand to prick the point or vein 1-

3 mm deep quickly and then remove the needle immediately. Press

and squeeze the muscle around the pricked point or vein to cause

bleeding. The amount of bleeding caused for each treatment variesfrom a few drops to several milliliters of blood according to the

individual cases, the areas for blood-letting, and the patients'

conditions. Clinical practice has proved that this therapy has the

functions of inducing resuscitation, reducing heat, invigorating


23/28

blood, removing stagnation and obstruction in the channels, and

can be mainly applied to treat excess, heat, and acute syndromes.

Case 1. Chronic headache caused by hyperactivity of yang. Extra

points taiyang and yintang were pricked to let out a few drops of

blood. Shortly after treatment, the pain disappeared suddenly,

without relapse.

Case 2. Apparent small stroke, causing sudden deviation of mouth,

left eye being closed, and chewing dysfunction. An obviously

distended vein in the mouth was pricked to cause bleeding, once

per week. Body acupuncture with electric stimulation was used

additionally, every other day. After 30 days treatment, facial muscles

returned to near normal.

Case 3. Apparent small stroke with rigidity, pain, and numbness of

tongue accompanied by dysphasia. Extra points jinjin and yuye of

the lingual vein were pricked for bleeding. Two treatments resolved

the disorder.

Case 4. Intermittent dizziness, tinnitus, and heaviness of the head

due to hypertension. Blood-letting was done on the ear apex on

both sides and the groove on the back of the ears to let out a few

drops of blood. After five treatments, the blood pressure was

stabilized at a lower level with relief of symptoms.


24/28


25/28


26/28

Baihui (GV-20) anastomotic network of the left and right

superficial temporal artery and vein and occipital artery and vein

fever, tonsillitis, red and swollen eyes, hypertension

jinjin and yuye lingual vein apoplexy, stiff tongue, and

stuttering

he qiduan and bafeng points.

The shixuan points

Figure2: The shixuan points.


27/28

The sifeng points

Figure3: The sifeng points.


28/28

The baxie points

Bleeding Peripheral Points

Documents

Transcript of Bleeding Peripheral Points