Failure of the voice to sound. Distinction is made between vacuity and repletion.
Patterns
External contraction (外感 wài gǎn): When loss of voice due to externally contracted wind-cold or wind-heat (sometimes exacerbated by food damage), or to obstruction of the qì paths in the latter stages of pregnancy, it is mostly a repletion pattern, as observed in what Western medicine calls laryngitis, and when is sudden in onset, as is usually the case, it is called sudden loss of voice.
Medicinal therapy: Course wind and disperse cold; diffuse the lung and open the voice. Use Rough and Ready Three Decoction (三拗汤sān ào tāng)
Acumoxatherapy: For wind-cold, base treatment mainly on GV, LU, and LI. Select GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), LU-8 (Channel Ditch, 经渠 jīng qú), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), CV-22 (Celestial Chimney, 天突 tiān tú), and CV-23 (Ridge Spring, 廉泉 lián quán); needle with even supplementation and drainage, and for exuberant cold, add moxa. For wind-heat, base treatment mainly on GV and LU. Select GV-14 (Great Hammer, 大椎 dà zhuī), LU-7 (Broken Sequence, 列缺 liè quē), LU-5 (Cubit Marsh, 尺泽 chǐ zé), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), CV-23 (Ridge Spring, 廉泉 lián quán), and LU-9 (Great Abyss, 太渊 tài yuān); needle with drainage.
Damage to kidney-lung qì and yīn (肺肾气阴两伤 fèi shèn qì yīn liǎng shāng): Dual damage to the qì and yīn of the kidney and lung is a vacuity pattern.
Medicinal therapy: Moisten the lung and enrich the kidney. Use Lily Bulb Metal-Securing Decoction (百合固金汤bǎi hé gù jīn tāng) or Rehmannia Drink (地黄饮子dì huáng yǐn zǐ).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, LU, and KI. Select BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), LU-9 (Great Abyss, 太渊 tài yuān), KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), CV-23 (Ridge Spring, 廉泉 lián quán), and GV-15 (Mute’s Gate, 哑门 yǎ mén); needle with supplementation. See hoarse voice.