Illustrated Chinese Moxibustion Techniques and Methods. Xiaorong Chang

This method is summarized based on the symmetrical distribution of the 12 channels and the left-right intersection of certain channels. For example, in treating stomach pain, bilateral Zu San Li (ST-36) and Liang Qiu (ST-34) are chosen. However, combining left and right points does not only mean choosing symmetrical points, for example in treating left-side hemi lateral headache, Tai Yang (M-HN-9) and Tou Wei (ST-8) on the affected side are combined with Wai Guan (SJ-5) and Zu Lin Qi (GB-41) on the opposite side; in paralysis of the left side of the face, Tai Yang (M-HN-9), Xia Che (ST-6) and Di Cang (ST-4) on the affected side are combined with He Gu (LI-4) on the opposite side. Besides this, the point selection principles of ‘when the disease is on the left, choose the right’ and ‘when the disease is on the right, choose the left’ are also associated with this method.

      2.Point Combination According to Channel: In this method, the combinations of points is based on the relationship between channel. The different methods include same channel point combination, interior-exterior channel point combination, same-name channel point combination, and mother-child point combination.

      Same Channel Point Combination: In the case of pathology of a particular organ or channel, points on that organ’s channel or on the affected channel itself are chosen to form a treatment. For example: for toothache caused by stomach fire traveling up the channel and harassing the upper body, points on the Foot-Yangming Stomach channel such as Xia Che (ST-6) (local) and Nei Ting (ST-44) (distal; brook point) are chosen; in the case of posterior headache, the local points Nao Hu (DU-17) and Tian Zhu (BL-10) are combined with the distal channel point Kun Lun (BL-60).

      Interior-Exterior Channel Point Combination: In this case, the yin-yang and interior-exterior relationship between organs and channels are used as the basis for point combinations. When pathology occurs in a certain organ or channel, points from that channel can be combined with points from its interior-exterior-related channel. For example, in the case of common cold and cough due to wind-heat assailing the lung, Chi Ze (LU-5) on the lung channel and Qu Chi (LI-11) and He Gu (LI-4) from the large intestine channel are chosen.

      Same-Name Channel Point Combination: Based on the theory of combining ‘same qi-mutual flow’ points on the hand and foot channels with the same name. For example, in the case of Yangming headache He Gu (LI-4) (Hand-Yangming) and Nei Ting (ST-44) (Foot-Yangming) are combined; in the case of Shaoyang type scapulo-humeral periarthritis Jian Liao (SJ-14) (Hand-Shaoyang) and Yang Ling Quan (GB-34) (Foot-Shaoyang) are combined.

      Mother-Child Channel Point Combination: Based on the theory of ‘in vacuity, supplement the mother’ and ‘in repletion, drain the child’, the five phase association of organs and channels are used to make point combinations. For example, in the case of lung vacuity cough, besides points on the lung channel like Fei Shu (BL-13), points on the spleen and stomach channels like Tai Bai (SP-3) and Zu San Li (ST-36) are chosen.