Five Element Acupressure

It has seemed a colder winter than usual in the Adelaide Hills. So it was a surprise when I looked at past records for July and discovered that the mean temperature in this area has been a degree warmer than last year, and indeed warmer than most previous years. It must be that my years are catching up with me, since a person’s Kidney Qi declines with age, and that is a factor in one’s resilience to the cold. Indeed, when I rug up to out walking and see young people in shorts and tee shirts, I am reminded that cold is a relative condition.

One of the best acupoints for expelling cold invasion in the body is Governor Vessel 4, Ming Men, Gate of Life. I wrote about this point in The Way of the Five Elements and that article can be accessed here. It revitalises and reinvigorates by strengthening Kidney Qi. It can open the gate to reconnect with our real reservoir of energy, the Jing or Essence.

I’ve been using this point a lot in clinic over the course of the winter in combination with other points. In keeping with the theme for the year, I share here some of my point combinations with Governor Vessel 4.

The first is to combine with Conception Vessel 5, Shimen, Stone Gate. This is the front mu point of the Triple Heater (San Jiao), a place where Qi collects and stagnates if there is an acute imbalance in that channel/organ. One of the functions of Triple Heater is to regulate the heating system and the defensive Qi of the body. In this way it mirrors some of the features of Mingmen. This combination also illustrates a key principle of point combining in Five Element Acupressure, that of holding points that are in the same segment of the body, both front and back. In this case the focus is on the lower abdomen. Gentle pressure on the front pushes towards the back, and pressure in the back pushes towards the front, creating an effect on the fascia of the region, softening and loosening all of the fascial structures and facilitating the flow of Qi throughout the segment, not only in the points themselves.

The second combination is to hold GV 4 with Bladder 40 behind the knee, first on the left side, then on the right. The reasoning behind this combination is that the Divergent Channel of the Bladder meridian breaks off at Bladder 40 and moves up the back very close to the centre of the spine. Treating the Bladder also treats cold in the body. By holding this combination, you can facilitate the movement of Qi through both the Bladder meridian and Governor Vessel, strengthening resistance to the cold.

The third combination I learned very early on in my career and its sources have been lost to memory. With one hand you hold GV 4, while with the other you hold, in sequence, Bladder 62 on the left ankle, Kidney 6 on the left ankle, Kidney 6 on the right ankle, and finally Bladder 62 on the right ankle. Usually, when this final point combination is completed, it feels like a circuit has been connected and there is a rise in the perceptible level of Qi. Bladder 62 and Kidney 6 are important points on channels that treat cold. Furthermore, they are the master points of the Qiao Vessels which support movement, grounding and balance. Here is another article referencing these points.

These three combinations provide a nice off-the-shelf protocol for supporting a person (like me) who is feeling the winter cold more keenly.

Location of Governor Vessel 4

On the spine in the junction between the 2nd & 3rd lumbar vertebrae. It is level with the navel.

Location of Conception Vessel 5

Conception Vessel 5 is 2 cun below the navel, or two-fifths of the distance from the centre of the navel to the top of the pubic bone.

Location of Bladder 40

Bladder 40 is in the middle of the posterior knee crease.

Location of Bladder 62 & Kidney 6

Bladder 62 is half an inch (cun) below the base of the outer ankle bone. Kidney 6 in one inch below the tip of the inner ankle bone.

In my street in the Adelaide Hills the deciduous trees have almost finished shedding their leaves, forming glorious, multi-coloured piles to line the footpaths. Autumn is drawing to a close. Jut time to squeeze in a Metal blog, a treatment for congestion in the distal end of the Lung channel.

A fairly common complaint in clinic is pain in the thumb that arises from overuse. This may be, for example, a massage therapist who is doing a lot of deep tissue work, a rock climber who is using a lot of hand strength, a gardener who’s been doing a lot of pruning, or a sheep farmer who has been crutching several hundred sheep. Sometimes the pain arises spontaneously and may be related to emotional issues. And then there is arthritis, an inflammation of the joints which typically affects the thumbs first.

The meridian that passes through the thumb is that of the Lung. It begins at the outside of the upper chest, passes down the arm near the biceps muscle, along the inside of the radius bone, through the pad of the thumb, and finishes at the nail bed of the thumb. The exit point of this channel is Lung 7, quite some distance from the end. (See below for point locations and illustrations.) The Qi flows from there into the entry point of its partner meridian at Large Intestine 4 in the webbing of the hand. One might expect these exit and entry points to be the first and last points of a meridian, but this is not always so. In this case, neither the exit point of Lung nor the entry point of Large Intestine is the end point. (The end points are Lung 11 and Large Intestine 1 respectively.)

The only authority I can find who offers any discussion of this is Felix Mann in his 1962 book “Acupuncture: the ancient Chinese art of healing”. He implies that, where the points are not the last or first, there is a secondary connection between the last and first points. Nonetheless, I have noted a tendency in these cases for a stagnation to occur in the sections of the meridian distal to the exit points.

Let’s look at these points on the Lung channel that are distal to the exit point, namely Lung 8, 9, 10 and 11, for these are the points I’m interested in treating when there is pain in the thumb.

The first thing I look for is a block between Lung 7 and Large Intestine 4 which are the true exit and entry points between these Metal meridians. Hold the two points together for about 3 minutes or until there is a feeling of flow and balance between the two points. Then continue to hold Lung 7 with one hand and with the other hand, hold in succession Lung 9, Lung 10 and Lung 11 , feeling for a sense of blockage in the points. (I’ve excluded Lung 8 here because it is so close to Lung 7.) Often Lung 10 will be the most tight, sore and blocked.

A further technique that can be employed is to add a gentle stretch to the thumb. This is not acupressure but works at the level of the fascia. * Gently grasp the thumb and apply a slight traction while you hold each point in succession from Lung 7 to Lung 10. Maintain these holds for up to 3 minutes each or until you feel the Qi move and the fascia begin to soften. It can feel like something opening, flowing, spreading or rushing under your fingers.

Finally, check the “secondary” exit and entry points that Mann suggested by holding Lung 11 and Large Intestine 1 together.

For those clients who continue to place strain on the thumbs, and probably for arthritis sufferers too, the effects of this technique will likely be short term but should offer relief. And for those for whom the issue is acute, there is a good chance of resolving the case.

It may also be worthwhile to investigate at the emotional level. Is the person carrying long-term grief? Is there difficulty letting go of a person, object, idea or belief that is no longer serving? If so, then working with other Lung-related points such as Lung 1, Bladder 13 and Bladder 42 can help. It’s interesting to note how the notion of holding on with the mind is reflected in the clenching of the hand, and how the thumb places the cap on the clenching.

The falling autumn energy in Nature demonstrates that letting go is a natural phase of all existence. It may be a good time to take her hint and shed some of the things that you’ve been hanging on to.

* A review of the recent research into the connection between meridians and the fascial network can be seen here in my article How Does Acupressure Work? Exploring the connection between meridians and fascia (PDF)