Acupuncture

Master Tung's Beside Three Miles & Lower Beside Three Miles are primary points for treating one-sided (Shao Yang) migraine headaches, spasm or pain, which often includes TMJ, the sternocleidomastoid muscle, GB20 Feng Chi and GB21 Jian Jing. Because the Gallbladder channel wraps around the ear, Beside Three Miles points are also excellent for otitis media and ear pain...

We are celebrating women's health and the fabulous contributions that women are making in traditional Chinese medicine! Check out our interviews with Yvonne Charles of Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, Valerie Hobbs, L.Ac., specializing in women's health and former midwife, Susan Johnson, L.Ac., respected author and instructor of Master Tung's points, Sally Rappeport, L.Ac., acupuncturist and co-founder of the Shen Nong Society, and Ravyn Stanfield, Executive Director of Acupuncturists Without Borders.

The classic writings I quote are taken from the Zhubing Yuanhuo Lun, the Mawangdui, and Sun Si Miao. They will offer you the ability to contemplate the first three of the ten lunar months of pregnancy, interpreted and practiced by the leading physicians of that time. In studying the ancients on their thoughts regarding pregnancy, we must realize that these teachings came from the astute observations and witnessing of nature in all its glory and violence. The lessons the ancients learned originated from watching the power and influence of the moon, sun and stars, the weather, seasons, elements, the sowing, cultivating, and harvesting of crops, the language of plants and animals, and bottom line, the interdependence of all these factors as they affect everything on earth. These lessons influenced the religion, culture, philosophy, politics, and wars waged during those venerable times.

Fu zhang refers to a sense of fullness, discomfort, blockage or obstruction across the either the upper or lower abdomen, or across the abdomen as a whole. Pi man is distension specifically in the epigastric area. As a general rule, abdominal distension is due to an obstruction to the correct movement of Spleen and Stomach qi. The obstruction itself may be due to the presence of some pathogen, internal or external or due to weakness or stagnation of qi.

Fevers are nature’s way of fighting off organisms that cause sickness by creating an environment that is inhospitable to pathogenic life forms. Fevers are also instrumental in developing and fine-tuning the immune system to deal with future illnesses. Even though seeing a child fever is hard to watch, it is foolish to silence it, because unless the system is challenged, the child will not develop strength and resistance.

Susan presents her needling notes for these important paired points, along with tips on when to use them and combinations to use with different presentations, in this excerpt from her upcoming Master Tung’s Magic Points book.

Insomnia (bù mèi 不寐, shī mián 失眠) is difficulty sleeping. Insomnia includes inability to sleep, difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, restlessness at night, a disordered sleep cycle and dream disturbed sleep. In Chinese medicine, insomnia is primarily associated with instability or agitation of the anima, the shén and hún.

Autumn is the season of metal, and pertains to the Lung and Large Intestine organs. It is the season of dryness in Chinese medicine, and as we have recently experienced here in California, it is also the season of wildfires. Although the fires here are now contained, with colder weather coming, burning leaves and smoking chimneys can cause patients here and across the country to react to the change in air quality.

CHECK BOOK LINK Coughing, in the language of TCM, is simply a failure of the natural descent of Lung qi, or a rebellion of Lung qi upwards. There are two general mechanisms: Lung qi which is too weak to descend, and simply ‘floats’ upward or blockage of Lung qi’s downward movement by a pathogen.

Acupuncturists Without Borders has never been called upon to respond to so many disasters as we have this fall. Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the shooting in Las Vegas, and the fires in California have left millions of people in the United States without homes, power, medicine, communication resources, or a semblance of safety. Many of our neighbors are traumatized and are facing long recovery periods – in their external circumstances and internally on an emotional level.