Foxlike mounting

Also vulpine mounting (Obs.). A disease first mentioned in The Magic Pivot (灵枢 líng shū, běn zàng), characterized protrusion of the small intestine into the scrotum. The intestine retracts periodically of its own accord and can be drawn back in by the patient himself in lying posture. It is usually attributed to cold qì congealing in the reverting yīn (jué yīn) channel. Confucian Filiality (儒门事亲 rú mén shì qīn) describes this condition as follows: In foxlike mounting.... when lying, [it] goes into the smaller abdomen; when walking or standing, it comes out of the smaller abdomen and goes into the [yin] sac.

Biomedical correspondence: Inguinal hernia.

Medicinal therapy: Use Qì-Abducting Decoction (导气汤 dǎo qì tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on CV, ST, and the three yīn channels of the foot. CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán), Qì Gate (气门 qì mén), ST-29 (Return, 归来 guī lái), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi), LR-1 (Large Pile, 大敦 dà dūn), and Moxibustion Triangle (三角灸 sān jiǎo jiǔ); needle with supplementation and add moxa.

Point selection according to signs: For acute lesser abdominal pain, add SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo) and LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng). For lesser abdominal pain with painful distension of the scrotum, add CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi) and LR-8 (Spring at the Bend, 曲泉 qū quán).

Etymology

Chinese: 狐 hú, fox; 疝 shàn, mounting disease. The name derives from the sly, unpredictable way in which the intestine slides in and out of the scrotum, resembling the way in which a fox slyly slips in and out of its lair.