Purulent ear

Also kidney gān; wind ear. A disease characterized by the leaking of pus or pus-like yellow discharge from the ear. Purulent ear is attributed to taxation damage to qì and blood, and to evils following blood into the ear causing heat qì to gather and produce pus.

Biomedical correspondence: suppurative otitis media. A distinction is made between vacuity and repletion patterns.

Patterns

Repletion (实 shí) patterns are attributed to depressed liver-gallbladder fire and triple-burner damp-heatand are characterized by pain in the ear, discharge of sticky yellow pus, green-blue facial complexion, oppression in the stomach duct and constipation, yellow tongue fur, and stringlike rapid.

Medicinal therapy: Treat with variations of Gentian Liver-Draining Decoction (龙胆泻肝汤 lóng dǎn xiè gān tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: For repletion patterns, base treatment on the TB and GB. Select GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), GB-2 (Auditory Convergence, 听会 tīng huì), TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ), GB-41 (Foot Overlooking Tears, 足临泣 zú lín qì), TB-21 (Ear Gate, 耳门 ěr mén), TB-5 (Outer Pass, 外关 wài guān), and GV-14 (Great Hammer, 大椎 dà zhuī); needle with drainage.

Vacuity (虚 xū) patterns are ascribed to kidney yīn depletion and vacuity fire flaming upwardand are characterized by discharge of clear thin pus that continues for months.

Medicinal therapy: Enrich yīn and downbear fire with formulas such as Anemarrhena, Phellodendron, and Rehmannia Pill (知柏地黄丸 zhī bǎi dì huáng wán). In addition to oral medication, coptis (Coptidis Rhizoma, 黄连 huáng lián) and aconite (Aconiti Radix Lateralis Praeparata, 附子 fù zǐ) can be ground to a powder and insufflated into the ear after wiping the area clean of discharge.

Acumoxatherapy: For vacuity patterns, base treatment 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), and TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ); needle with supplementation.