Point combination

The application of acumoxatherapy stimulus simultaneously at multiple acupoints. The main combination methods are as follows:

Point Combination

• Local and distant point combination
• Front alarm and back transport point combination
• Same-name channel point combination
• Source and network point combination
• Cleft and meeting point combination
• Upper and lower body point combination
• Eight confluence point combination
• Left and right point combination
• Transport point combination

Local and Distant Point Combination 远近配穴法 ( yuǎn jìn pèi xué fǎ)

A combination of local points (or adjacent points) and distant points is mostly commonly chosen.

Local points are those located at the site of the symptom experienced or the bowel or viscus being treated. For this reason, any point can be employed as a local point.

Adjacent points are points near to the symptom or disease site. They can replace local points for the treatment of acute disorders, or they can strengthen the effects of local and distant points. Though any point can function as an adjacent point, points that have a salient location are usually chosen.

Distant points are points far away from the disease site that are related the affected area of the body either directly or indirectly through the channel system. GB-37 (guāng míng,Bright Light), for example, treats eye disorders because the liver opens at the eye and because the liver and gallbladder stand in exterior-interior relationship. ST-6 (jiá chē, Cheek Carriage) is suitable for the treatment of stomach ailments because it is a prominent point on the stomach channel. TB-5 (wài guān,Outer Pass) is especially useful for treating headaches that involve the lesser yáng (shào yáng) channel of the hand and foot (gallbladder and triple burner) because it is located on the triple burner channel.

The Nèi Jīng recommends treating disease that affects the upper body with points from the lower body and vice versa and treating disease on one side of the body with points on the other side and vice versa.

In practice, distant points are considered especially useful for acute disorders but are also used for more chronic ones. A strong stimulus is usually applied to these points.

Clinicians memorize which points on the body are employed as distant points or adjacent points and which ones are applied only to treat local disorders. The table below lists local, adjacent, and distant points used to treat various conditions.

Front Alarm (mù) and Back Transport (shù) Point Combination (俞募配穴法 shū mù pèi xué fǎ)

Simultaneous stimulation of alarm (mù) on the front of the body and the back transport (bèi shù) points increases the efficacy of both.

• Lung: BL-13 (肺俞 fèi shù,Lung Transport) is combined with LU-1 (zhōng fǔ,Central Treasury) for lung problems such as cough, panting, fullness and distension in the chest.
• Pericardium: BL-14 (厥阴俞 jué yīn shù,Reverting yīn (jué yīn) Transport) is combined with CV-17 (膻中 dàn zhōng,Chest Center) for heart diseases such as heart pain and heart palpitation.
• Heart: BL-15 (心俞 xīn shù,Heart Transport) is combined with CV-14 (巨阙 jù què,Great Tower Gate) for heart and stomach disorders such as heart palpitation and stomach pain.
• Liver: BL-18 (肝俞 gān shù,Liver Transport) is combined with LR-14 (期门 qī mén,Cycle Gate) for liver and stomach disorders such as liver region pain, vomiting and regurgitation of acid fluid.
• Gallbladder: BL-19 (胆俞 dǎn shù,Gallbladder Transport) is combined with GB-24 (日月 rì yuè,Sun and Moon) for liver and gallbladder disorders such as pain in the area of GB-24 and jaundice.
• Spleen: BL-20 (脾俞 pí shù,Spleen Transport) is combined with LR-13 (章门 zhāng mén,Camphorwood Gate) for liver and spleen disorders such as enlargement or pain in either organ, abdominal pain or distension, and poor digestion.
• Stomach: BL-21 (胃俞 wèi shù,Stomach Transport) is combined with CV-12 (中脘 zhōng wǎn,Central Stomach Duct) for stomach region disorders such as stomach pain or distension and lack of appetite.
• Triple burner: BL-22 (三焦俞 sān jiāo shù,Triple Burner Transport) is combined with CV-5 (石门 shí mén,Stone Gate) for water metabolism dysfunctions such as water swelling, ascites, and diarrhea.
• Kidney: BL-23 (肾俞 shèn shù) is combined with GB-25 (京门 jīng mén,Capital Gate) for kidney and genitourinary disorders, lumbar pain or soreness, seminal loss, and premature ejaculation.
• Large intestine: BL-25 (大肠俞 dà cháng shù,Large Intestine Transport) is combined with ST-25 (tiān shū,Celestial Pivot) for large intestine disorders such as constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
• Small intestine: BL-27 (小肠俞 xiǎo cháng shù,Small Intestine Transport) is combined with CV-4 (关元 guān yuán,Pass Head) for small intestine, bladder and genitourinary disorders such as gripping intestinal pain, mounting qì (shàn qì, hernia), enuresis, urinary block, and seminal loss.
• Bladder: BL-28 (膀胱俞 páng guāng shù,Bladder Transport) is combined with CV-3 (zhōng jí, Central Pole) for bladder and genitourinary disorders such as enuresis, urinary block, seminal loss, and menstrual irregularities.

Same-Name Channel Point Combination (同名经配穴法 tóng míng jīng pèi xué fǎ)

Coupling a yīn channel point with one on the corresponding yáng channel can include the effectiveness of both. Combining points from yīn and yáng channels is exemplified by, but not limited to, the application of source (yuán) and network (luò) points.

Source (yuán) and Network (luò) Point Combination (原络配穴法 yuán luò pèi xué fǎ)

Source (yuán) points and network (luò) points are often employed together to treat diseases that exterior-interior pairs of bowels and viscera. The general rule is that the source point of the more seriously or more chronically affected organ is coupled with the network point of the less affected organ. For example, severe panting with mild constipation can be treated by needling the source point of the lung, LU-9 (tài yuān,Great Abyss) and the network point of the large intestine, LI-6 (piān lì, Veering Passageway).

This method of treatment is sometimes called the guest-host method, the mainly affected organ being the host and the less-affected organ being the guest.

The indications of dual use of source and network points are as follows:

This is also called guest and host point combination (主客配穴法 zhǔ kè pèi xué fǎ).

• LU: Source point LU-9 (host) is combined with network point LI-6 (guest) treats sore throat, cough, panting, shortness of breath, copious phlegm, generalized sweating, heat in the palms and soles, breast pain, pain supraclavicular fossa, shoulder pain that follows the lung channel.
• LI: Source point LI-4 (host) is combined with network point LU-7 (guest) to treat throat and gum diseases, swollen cheeks, sore throat, dry mouth, yellow eyes, clear nasal mucus, nosebleed, and large intestine channel shoulder pain.
• SP: Source point SP-3 (host) is combined with network point ST-40 (guest) to treats stiff tongue, abdominal pain, generalized weakness or heaviness, constipation, jaundice, leg pain along the spleen channel, malaria.
• ST: Source point ST-42 (host) is combined with network point SP-4 (guest) to treat nosebleed, facial numbness, stomach channel leg pain, malaria, abdominal distension, general weakness.
• HT: Source point HT-7 (host) is combined with network point SI-7 (guest) to treat heart pain, heart palpitation, fearful throbbing, dry mouth, yellow eyes, heart channel arm pain.
• SI: Source point SI-4 (host) is combined with network point HT-5 (guest) to treat submandibular swelling and pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, deafness, arm pain along the small intestine channel.
• KI: Source point KI-3 (host) is combined with network point BL-58 (guest) to treat lassitude of spirit and lack of strength, poor appetite, unclear vision, aching lumbus, limp lower limbs, grey facial complexion.
• BL: Source point BL-64 (host) is combined with network point KI-4 (guest) to treat eye pain, pain in the supraorbital ridge, neck pain, back pain, lumbar pain, leg pain, arched-back rigidity, epilepsy, mania and withdrawal, nosebleed, diarrhea, prolapse of the rectum, hemorrhoids, malaria.
• TB: Source point TB-4 (host) is combined with network point PC-6 (guest) to treat deafness, sore throat, painful red eyes, shoulder and back pain, constipation, urinary block, enuresis.
• PC: Source point PC-7 (host) is combined with network point TB-5 (guest) to treat hypertonicity or pain in the forearm or hand, chest pain, heart palpitation, nausea, heart vexation, heat in the palms, incessant laughter.
• LR: Source point LR-3 (host) is combined with network point GB-37 (guest) to treat testicular pain and swelling, mounting qì (shàn qì, hernia) pain, fullness in the chest, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, enuresis, urinary block.
• GB: Source point GB-40 (host) is combined with network point LR-5 (guest) to treat chest and rib-side pain, headache, eye pain, inability to lift the legs, malarial disease, goiter, malarial disease, swelling of the supraclavicular fossa or armpits.

Cleft (xī) and Meeting (huì) Point Combination ( 郄会配穴法)

Meeting (会 huì) points are often combined with cleft (郄 xī) points. For example, an acute case of coughing blood may be treated by combining BL-17 (gé shù,Diaphragm Transport), the meeting point of the blood, with LU-6 (kǒng zuì,Collection Hole), the cleft point of the lung. Acute stomach pain may be alleviated by using the cleft point of the stomach, ST-34 (liáng qiū,Beam Hill), with the meeting point of the bowels, CV-12 (zhōng wǎn,Central Stomach duct).

Upper and Lower Body Point Combination (上下配穴法 shàng xià pèi xué fǎ)

Points on the upper body (arms) are frequently combined with those on the lower body (legs). This is an example of the use of the principle of yīn and yáng and may be applied to any relevant points in two regions. In practice, this term refers to the eight confluences point combination method described below.

Eight Confluences Point Combination (八脉八穴配穴法 bā mài bā xuè pèi xuè fǎ)

A point combination method from the zhēn jiǔ zhǐ nán (针灸指南) that uses eight points on the eight extraordinary vessels (bā mài jiāo huì xué) in pairs, as shown in the accompanying table.

Left and Right Point Combination (左右配穴法 zuǒ yòu pèi xué fǎ)

Combining the corresponding points on either side of the body. For example, bilateral ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ) points can be needled for stomach pain; bilateral Greater yáng (tài yáng) (太阳 tài yáng) or LU-7 (Broken Sequence, 列缺 liè quē) points can be needled for headache; and bilateral SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo) points can be needled for some women’s problems. See point combination.

Five Transport Point Combination (五输配穴法 wǔ shū pèi xué fǎ)

Combined use of two of the five transport points in accordance with the opposite-channel point selection method. For example, in large intestinal channel vacuity, because the large intestine belongs to metal and the mother of metal is earth (earth engenders metal), the earth point (uniting point) of the large intestine channel, LI-11 (Pool at the Bend, 曲池 qū chí), can be used in combination the earth point (uniting point) of the stomach channel, ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ)., in accordance with the opposite-channel point selection method.