Twelve cutaneous regions

Areas of the skin lying on and corresponding to the each of the twelve channels.

Each of these the twelve cutaneous regions is the surface extension of a channel and its related bowel or viscus. Each is nourished by superficial network vessels of the related channels. Close relationships are observed between the cutaneous regions and their associated channel and bowel or viscus in pathology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Disease evils can enter the body through the skin and penetrate the network vessels and channels to the bowels and viscera, while interior evils can thrust out to the fleshy exterior.

In diagnosis, discoloration of the skin can be a diagnostic indication of the organ-channel system:

• A blue-green coloration accompanies pain.
• A dull color indicates obstruction.
• Yellow or red indicates heat.
• A pale color indicates cold or vacuity.

In therapy, interior disease may be treated by applying acumoxatherapy to the associated cutaneous region, just as exterior disease can be treated by applying acumoxatherapy to the associated organ-channel system.