Bloodletting in Master Tung’s Acupuncture
Bloodletting a central technique used
in Master Tung’s acupuncture
Bloodletting is a central technique used in Master Tung’s acupuncture. It reduces the number of treatments needed and improves the results. Master Tung often said:
“In long-term diseases, there must be blood stagnation; in rare diseases, there must be blood stagnation; in painful diseases, there must be blood stagnation; in severe diseases, there must be blood stagnation.”
He believed that Blood stagnation necessarily plays a role in chronic, rare, painful, and severe diseases. In Master Tung’s acupuncture, practitioners look for signs of Blood stagnation on the surface of the body, which is another aspect of the external expression of the disease.
Bloodletting regions are identified through palpation and visual examination. Palpation may reveal tissue hardening and the presence of nodules, while visual examination is used to seek out Luo channels – dark or red blood vessels on the skin’s surface. These can appear as dark veins 1 to 3 cm long or as spider angiomas, which are accumulations of blood vessels beneath the skin resembling spiderwebs, and are black-purple or red. In addition to dark blood vessels, stains on the skin’s surface are also considered Luo channels.
Bloodletting is performed using a bloodletting needle in the identified regions. Master Tung originally used a sharp-edged needle, Feng Zhen [鋒針], but today, hypodermic needles are more commonly used. Hypodermic needles are hollow needles used to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from the body, such as blood from a vein. These are modern, sharper needles with a diameter between G21 and G18.
Bloodletting treatments can be divided into three categories: bleeding points instead of needling them, bloodletting regions, and local bloodletting.
Bloodletting Master Tung’s Acupuncture Points
This technique involves pinching the point, performing bloodletting, and squeezing out a few drops of blood.
Bloodletting Points
If a Luo channel is present in the area, it should be bled. Some points can be needled or bled, while others, particularly those on the neck and trunk (the VT and DT zones), are only bled. Master Tung said:
“The points of the upper back treat diseases of the four limbs and Bladder channel, while the points of the lower back treat gynecological diseases. Both areas are treated by bloodletting”
In addition to treating disorders of the four limbs, the main use of the VT and DT zones is for treating internal organ disorders. When Master Tung stated that these points treat the Leg Taiyang channel, he was referring to their effect on the internal organs, because the Shu points are located on the Leg Taiyang channel on the back and are significant for treating the internal organs. Similarly, points in Zone VT (the front of the trunk) also treat the internal organs, and thus, we can extend Master Tung’s analogy by saying they are similar to alarm points, situated on the front of the trunk. The bloodletting technique in this area is simple: pinch the point using the thumb and index finger and bleed the area. Due to the superficial nature of bloodletting, some sources claim that Master Tung bled these points instead of needling them to avoid harming the internal organs.
According to Du Ren Chen’s clinical notes, Master Tung performed bloodletting freely on the back without specifying the names and precise locations of the points. For example, in one case, Master Tung bled the Leg Taiyin channel on the back as part of his treatment for a man with knee pain (Chen, 1964). The location and point names were not specified. However, Master Tung’s later book (Tung, 1973) includes point names and their precise locations. For instance, DT.07 San Jin, located 3 cun from the center line, near the medial side of the scapula on the Leg Taiyang channel, treats knee disorders.
Although points in the DT and VT zones have precise locations, clinical practice requires examining the area, looking for Luo channels (blood vessels) or changes in tissue color, and palpating the area to determine where to perform bloodletting. Bloodletting in Master Tung’s acupuncture is performed according to Huo Wen Zhi’s rule:
“Non-existing points without a location are superior to existing points with a location.”
The points’ textbook location serves as a guide for where to search. For example, the Shu points of the Leg Taiyang channel are located at the same height as the organs, but unlike the Shu points, they cover a broad area.
Bloodletting Regions
The bloodletting regions are located in Zones 66 and 77 (the foot and lower leg). There are four main bloodletting regions: the first is on the anterior aspect of the lower leg and dorsal aspect of the foot; the second is on the lateral aspect of the lower leg and foot; the third is on the medial aspect of the lower leg and foot; and the fourth is on the posterior aspect of the lower leg. When treating these areas, first scan the region for a Luo channel. Next, palpate the area to detect any changes in the tissue, and perform bloodletting in the identified regions.
Bloodletting Region 1
The anterior aspect of the lower leg.
Heart
Some sources refer to this area as Leg Yangming.
Location: Between the knee and 2 cun above the ankle.
Indications
- Weakness of the heart, heart failure, chest oppression (chest tightness), palpitations, arrhythmia, dyspnea (shortness of breath), hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), hyperlipidemia (high lipids)..
- Blood stagnation.
- Lung diseases, pneumonia, asthma.
- Eye diseases.
Liver
Location: 2 cun inferior to the knee (overlaps with part of the Heart region).
Indications
- Pain above the eye.
- Pain in the hypochondrium and ribs due to Liver Qi stagnation.
Stomach
Location: Between the Heart region and the frontal region of the head in Zone 66.
Indications
- Stomach pain, stomach distention, gastric hyperacidity (stomach acid excess), gastric ulcers (stomach ulcer), duodenal ulcer.
- Esophageal spasm, esophagitis, Hiatal hernia.
- Digestive disorders.
- Pharyngeal neoplasms (throat tumors), Globus hystericus, plum pit qi.
- Gastric masses.
- Wheezing.
Frontal Region of the Head
Location: The dorsal aspect of the foot.
Indications
- Frontal headache, vertex headache, headache of any kind.
- Dizziness, vertigo, light-headedness, hypertension (lower blood presure).
- Neurasthenia (anxiety disorder).
- Gastric ulcers (stomach ulcer), duodenal ulcer.
- Forgetfulness, dementia.
Bloodletting Region 2
Location: The lateral aspect of the leg.
Mouth and Teeth
Location: From the crease of the knee to just below 77.08 Si Hua Shang.
Indications
- Diseases of the oral cavity, lips, teeth, and gums.
- Cheilalgia (lip pain), labial vitiligo (lips vitiligo).
- Labial ulceration (lip ulcers), Herpes labialis (cold sores) on the mouth and genitalia.
- Oral candidiasis (oral thrush), aphthous ulcers (mouth ulcers), recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).
- Oral tumors.
- Toothache.
Lungs
Location: Inferior to the mouth and teeth area, up to 3 cun above the lateral malleolus.
Indications
- Chest pain (Pleurodynia), pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung cirrhosis.
- Thoracalgia (middle back pain), shoulder pain.
- Endocarditis, pericarditis, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
Ears
Location: 3 cun superior to the lateral ankle, extending up.
Indications
- Ear pain.
- Otitis externa (outer ear inflammation), otitis media (middle ear inflammation), labyrinthitis (inner ear inflammation)
- Deafness.
The Temporal Region of the Head
Location: On the lateral aspect of the leg, above the lateral ankle (overlapping with the ear region).
Indications
- Migraine, temple headache, tension headache.
- Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).
- Dizziness, hypertension (lower blood presure).
Chest
Location: On the lateral side above the malleolus, in the region of points 77.26 Qi Hu.
Indications
- Shoulder pain, clavicle pain, clavicle swelling.
- Rib pain.
- Ankle sprain.
Bloodletting Region 3
Location: The medial aspect of the leg.
Kidneys and Bladder
Location: From the crease of the knee to the medial malleolus.
Indications
Lower abdomen pain, hypogastric pressure (lower abdominal pressure).
Female reproductive disorders, male reproductive disorders.
- Tumors in the uterus (improvement in symptoms), metritis (uterus inflammation), menstrual Irregular menstrael cycles, genital itching.
- Obstruction in the fallopian tubes, oophoritis (ovarian inflammation).
- Amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea (Menstrual pain).
- Vaginitis, vaginal Pruritus (Vaginal itching).
- Urinary tract infection (UTI), cystitis (urinary bladder inflammation), bladder painful syndrome (Interstitial cystitis), urinary retention., urinary tract obstruction.
- Premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction (impotence).
- Oligospermia (sperm count low), teratozoospermia (sperm morphology abnormal).
Medial Temporal Region of the Head
Location: The medial aspect of the foot, below the medial ankle.
Indications
- Migraine, temple headache, tension headache.
- Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).
- Dizziness.
- Hypertension.
Bloodletting Region 4
Location: The posterior side of the leg.
The Occipital Region
Location: 4 cun above and below the crease of the knee.
Indications
- Occipital headache, stiff neck.
- Lower back pain, sciatica.
- Spondylosis (degenerative changes in the spine), Herniated disc.
- Enteritis (intestinal inflammation).
- Hydrocephalus.
- Hypertension.
- Stroke, hemiplegia.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Rheumatism of the lower limbs.
- Dysuria (urinating difficulty).
Local Bloodletting
The third category of bloodletting therapy is local bloodletting. For disorders of the four limbs, the affected area is bled. For example, in the case of a shoulder problem, the practitioner will search for Blood stagnation by palpating and visually examining the shoulder area, then bleeding the identified regions.
To treat internal organs using local bloodletting, we bleed the region corresponding to the organ on the back or front of the body. For instance, for Lung diseases, we bleed VT.03 Jin Wu and VT.02 Shier Hou; for Stomach diseases, we bleed VT.04 Wei Mao Qi; and for Kidney and Intestine diseases, we bleed VT.05 Fu Chao Ershisan.
Bloodletting Regions of the Internal Organs on the Back
The bloodletting regions for the internal organs on the back are located on the surface of the back, covering a broad area above the organ. There are five bloodletting regions for internal organs, which can be identified relative to the spinous processes. These areas overlap with the VT points.
In each area, bloodletting regions are found through palpation and visual examination. We check for hardening of the connective tissue via palpation, and visually search for Luo channels.
The Lung and Heart Region
Height: T2-T5
Indications
- Common cold, fever, chills, chest pain (pleurodynia), chest tightness, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma.
- Cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction.
- Thoracalgia (upper back pain), scapula pain, pain between the scapula and the spine, spine osteophytes (bone spurs).
Liver Region
Height: T6-T10
Indications
- Hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation), cholelithiasis (gallstones).
- Splenomegaly (enlarged spleen).
- Vomiting, gastritis.
- Rib pain.
- Thoracalgia (middle back pain), spine osteophytes.
Spleen and Stomach Region
Height: T11-L1
Indications
- Dyspepsia (digestive difficulties), flatulence (gas), abdominal bloating, gastritis, gastric ulcers (stomach ulcer), duodenal ulcers, abdominal pain.
- Anorexia (loss of appetite).
- Emesis (vomiting).
- Diarrhea.
- Splenomegaly (enlarged spleen).
- Dorsalgia (back pain).
- Spine osteophytes (bone spurs).
kidney
Height: L2-L5
Indications
- Nephritis, proteinuria (protein in urine), cystitis (urinary bladder inflammation), urinary urgency, edema.
- Metritis (uterine inflammation), oophoritis (ovarian inflammation).
- Vaginal discharge.
- Nocturnal emission, impotence.
- Constipation, enteritis (intestinal inflammation).
- Lower back pain, sciatica, spine osteophytes.
Sacrum
Height: Sacrum and coccyx
Indications
- Back pain, sacrum pain, buttock pain, sciatica.
- Sacroiliac pain syndrome (SI joint pain), sacroiliitis (sacroiliac joint inflammation).
- Coccyx pain.
- Irregular menstruation, oophoritis (ovarian inflammation), metritis (uterine inflammation).
- Prostatic Hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).
- Occipital headache.
- Lower limbs pain.
Continue reding: Post-Bloodletting Care I Tung’s 72 severing absolute and 32 relieving points