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Ear pain

耳痛 ěr 〔耳痛〕ěr tòng

Pain within the ear, usually associated with reduced hearing ability. Ear pain patterns are identified by attending signs. The main patterns are liver-gallbladder wind-heat, wind with damp-heat, vacuity fire, and qì-blood stasis obstruction.

Patterns

Liver-gallbladder wind-heat (肝胆风热 gān dǎn fēng rè) ear pain is attended by itching. Concurrence of intense triple burner and ministerial fire is characterized by swelling and distension.

Medicinal therapy: Treat by coursing wind and clearing heat with formulas such as Diaphragm-Cooling Powder (凉膈散 liáng gé sǎn). Intense triple burner and ministerial fire is treated by clearing and discharging liver, gallbladder, and triple burner fire, using formulas like Gentian Liver-Draining Decoction (龙胆泻肝汤 lóng dǎn xiè gān tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on GB, TB, and LI. Select GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), TB-5 (Outer Pass, 外关 wài guān), TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), GB-2 (Auditory Convergence, 听会 tīng huì), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), GV-14 (Great Hammer, 大椎 dà zhuī), and GB-34 (Yáng Mound Spring, 阳陵泉 yáng líng quán); needle with drainage. For concurrent intense triple burner and ministerial fire, add TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ) and prick TB-1 (Passage Hub, 关冲 guān chōng) to bleed.

Wind evil with damp-heat (风邪兼挟湿热 fēng xié jiān jiā shī rè) causes pain accompanied by erosion and watery discharge.

Medicinal therapy: Dispel wind, eliminate dampness, and clear heat with formulas such as Sweet Dew Toxin-Dispersing Elixir (甘露消毒丹 gān lù xiāo dú dān), minus cardamom (Amomi Fructus Rotundus, 白豆蔻 bái dòu kòu) and patchouli (Pogostemonis Herba, 藿香 huò xiāng) plus large gentian (Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix, 秦艽 qín jiāo), saposhnikovia (Saposhnikoviae Radix, 防风 fáng fēng), and silkworm (Bombyx Batryticatus, 白僵蚕 bái jiāng cán).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on GB, TB, LI, SP, and ST. Select GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), TB-5 (Outer Pass, 外关 wài guān), TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), SI-19 (Auditory Palace, 听宫 tīng gōng), TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ), LI-11 (Pool at the Bend, 曲池 qū chí), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), SP-9 (Yīn Mound Spring, 阴陵泉 yīn líng quán), and GB-34 (Yáng Mound Spring, 阳陵泉 yáng líng quán); needle with drainage.

Vacuity fire (虚火 xū huǒ) ear pain is characterized by mild pain and dizziness upon standing up after crouching.

Medicinal therapy: Nourish the blood and enrich yīn with Anemarrhena, Phellodendron, and Rehmannia Pill (知柏地黄丸 zhī bǎi dì huáng wán).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on KI and TB. Select BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), TB-21 (Ear Gate, 耳门 ěr mén), and TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ); needle with even supplementation and drainage.

Qì-blood stasis obstruction (气血瘀阻 qì xuè yū zǔ) is characterized by a pulling pain in the ear with clouded head and tinnitus, thin tongue fur, dark tongue, and a fine rough pulse.

Medicinal therapy: Clear and drain liver heat; quicken the network vessels and free the orifices. Use Gentian Liver-Draining Decoction (龙胆泻肝汤 lóng dǎn xiè gān tāng) combined with Four Agents Decoction (四物汤 sì wù tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on TB, LR, and SP. Select TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ), SP-10 (Sea of Blood, 血海 xuè hǎi), LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng), and SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo) as the main points. For gallbladder heat evil, add GB-2 (Auditory Convergence, 听会 tīng huì), GB-43 (Pinched Ravine, 侠溪 xiá xī), and LR-2 (Moving Between, 行间 xíng jiān), needling with drainage. For external injury with congealing qì and blood, add TB-21 (Ear Gate, 耳门 ěr mén) and LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ); needle with even supplementation and drainage and if necessary prick to bleed with a three-edged needle.

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