Tag Archives: xi-cleft points

Openings

Agitation, Anxiety, Fire Element, Heart problems, Insomnia, Joy, Relationship, xi-cleft points, , , ,

Summer is upon us in the southern hemisphere, the season hurtling with open arms towards its rendezvous with the solstice next week.

Time then to open the box of xi-cleft points once again to discover what the Fire Element can provide us in the way of acupoints to ease our path through the summer.

(Northern Hemisphere readers can find their season-appropriate Water points here:
Kidney 5 and Bladder 63

Fire is the most yang and expansive of the Elements, so it is fitting that it has four meridians rather than the usual two. Three of these are, in a way, in service of the fourth, namely the Heart. In this blog post, we look at the meridians of the “outer” Fire, Triple Heater (Sanjiao) and Heart Protector (Pericardium), while in the later part of summer we’ll have a look at the “inner” Fire of Small Intestine and Heart.

Triple Heater 7 –Huizong – Ancestral Meeting

What a wonderful name this is, suggesting a point that connects to ancient wisdom.

The character Hui means a meeting, but also refers to the words that people say when they meet: a greeting. The meeting suggested is of a reunion.

The character Zong means an ancestral hall, from which emanates the wisdom of deceased ancestors. It was also the name given in ancient China to the meeting of government ministers that took place in the summer, season of the Fire Element.

Together these characters suggest a convergence and communication of accumulated wisdom. This is appropriate for the xi-cleft point where the Qi of the meridian accumulates before diving deeper into the energetic body. And the meaning echoes the nature of Triple Heater as a harmoniser of all the meridians, keeping peace and balance among all the other organ officials.

The point moves stagnation in the three burners, namely the lower belly, upper belly and chest which together encompass all the internal organs. It will also regulate the thermostat of the body so can be used for excesses of heat and cold.

As is the remit of these xi-cleft points, Huizong treats conditions along the channel: pain in the arms, shoulders, ears, temples and eyebrows as well as pain in the skin, epilepsy, tinnitus and deafness.

Triple Heater also governs the Wei Qi at the surface of the body and so is closely associated with defence against the external pathogens of cold, heat, damp, dry and wind. In other words, it comprises part of the immune system. Huizong is therefore ideally suited to protecting us from invasions from the outer world.

These functions also extend to the psycho-emotional level. Triple Heater is responsible for regulating and mediating our relationships in social contexts: colleagues at work, acquaintances, people we meet briefly in our day. Therefore this point can help to smooth such social interactions when we are feeling cut off from the world. In short, Ancestral Meeting harmonises the inner and outer realms.

Heart Protector 4 – Ximen – Xi-Cleft Gate

The Heart Protector official is responsible for mediating closer relationships such as those with partners, family and close friends. It protects the Heart from the shock of emotional disturbances like personal attacks, breakups, divorce, betrayal and abuse. We know that xi-cleft points treat acute conditions, so Ximen would be useful treatment in the early stages of such invasions upon the heart. But it is also known for its capacity to help resolve stagnation caused by past heartbreaks which have caused the emotional heart to close down and shut the gates against further assaults to the heart.

A healthy Heart Protector official has the emotional intelligence to know when a person is loving and supportive and to open appropriately; it also senses when someone poses a danger or means us harm, and screens the heart from hurt. When the official is out of balance, these functions can be impaired, resulting in closing to love or opening to harm, or both. In such situations Xi-cleft gate can be used in conjunction with other points such as HP 7 and CV 17.

Xi-cleft points of the yin meridians such as this are also known to treat conditions of the blood. This is particularly true of Heart Protector, one of whose functions is the smooth operation of the blood vessels of the circulatory system. Ximen is therefore known to treat bleeding, especially nosebleed. It calms the heart and mind, so treats palpitations, arrhythmia, chest pain and heart pain at the physical level, while at the emotional level it addresses agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, melancholy and fear of other people.

The point clears stagnation in the channel, in other words from the breast, along the inside of the upper arm, the middle of the anterior forearm and to the middle finger. More locally it will address pain or paralysis of the anterior forearm and fingers.

As we move into the holiday season and extended families meet to celebrate, it can be a time of joyful reunion. However, many people are faced with relationship challenges posed by the resurfacing of old issues and hurts. The dynamics of families rarely change much, and family gatherings can sometimes transform strong adults back into the small children they once were, reacting out of old patterns rather than from a place of understanding. These two points, Ancestral Meeting and Xi-cleft gate, can be utilised to strengthen the capacity to relate with open-hearted wisdom.

I wish you a truly heart-felt holiday season.

Location of Triple Heater 7
3 cun above (proximal to) the outer wrist crease, slightly toward the ulnar (little finger) side in a depression between the ulna bone and tendon.
Location of Heart Protector 4
5 cun above (proximal to) the inner wrist crease, in the middle of the forearm between two tendons.

Outer Mound

Anger, Decision Making, Detoxification, Gall Bladder pain, GB 36, Headache, Hip pain, Neck pain, Pain Relief, Tendons & Ligaments, Wood Element, xi-cleft points, , , , , , , ,

Gall Bladder 36 ~ Waiqiu ~ Outer Mound

Here in the Adelaide Hills spring is waiting impatiently in the wings, itching to leap into action. After our long, cold, wet winter, South Australians too are ready. Last week the maximum temperature was 11 degrees at my place. This week it’s predicted to jump to 30. That’s spring for you. Sudden growth and movement.

Last week my body told me it was spring when my gall bladder decided to complain forcefully about the chocolate brownie I ate, something I know is not good for me. The thing about spring is that its rising Wood energy puts pressure on any aspect of Wood that is out of balance, whether that is the organs of liver and gall bladder, the tendons and ligaments, the eyes, the emotion of anger or any of the other resonances of that Element.

The Gall Bladder point we are examining today is perfect for acute conditions of the gall bladder organ. Very timely for me. Once again, I am offered an opportunity to live the writing.

Gall Bladder 36 is the xi-cleft point of the channel. As we saw when we looked at Bladder 63, the xi-cleft points of the yang meridians are used for acute conditions and for pain. They are also used to address the emotion associated with the channel when the emotion has become overwhelming.

The name Outer Mound refers to the location of the point at the outside of the mound of muscle that is the calf. There are other mounds on the Gall Bladder channel in the leg: Yang Mound Spring (GB 34) and Mound of Ruins (GB 40). Outer Mound makes me think of the pitcher’s mound in baseball, a raised place which offers a good view of the batter and from where the pitcher can throw fast and direct. All of these are qualities which echo Wood’s resonances. As far as I know the ancient Chinese weren’t into baseball, but I thought I’d offer this whimsical, modern interpretation.

The point can be used to treat acute conditions of the organ of gall bladder, like the sudden spasms and nausea that can accompany a gall bladder attack. But it is best known for its effectiveness in treating pain along the channel pathway. The Gall Bladder pathway is the most complicated of all of the meridians as it zig-zags its way down the body, starting at the outside corner of the eye, crossing over the head twice and around the ears before passing through the neck and shoulders, down the sides of the ribcage, passing through the front and back of the pelvis, before straightening out down the side of the leg and ending at the fourth toe. The wandering nature of the pathway means that pain in many otherwise unrelated locations could offer a unified picture of imbalance. Of all of these places along the pathway, Gall Bladder 36 is particularly known for treating neck pain and stiffness.

Another of the point’s uses is in relaxing the sinews, the tendons and ligaments, and tissue of the Wood Element. In addition, it treats invasion of Wind, the climate resonance of Wood. Symptoms of Wind include occipital headaches and neck pain, jerky or shaky conditions such as restless legs, migratory pain, or an intense aversion to being outside in windy conditions. Gall Bladder 36 is also known for treating skin conditions and clearing toxins due to its capacity to clear heat from the body.

At the emotional level, Gall Bladder is associated with anger which can turn into judgement of others or just as easily, into anger at oneself as self-attack. A healthy Gall Bladder official is able to see the big picture clearly, make sound decisions, and move swiftly to action. Stagnation in this official often leads to lack of clarity, poor judgements, hesitation and vacillation. Waiqiu can support the clarity of mind that is needed to act wisely in the world.

If the rising energy of Spring is causing some niggling problems in your liver or gall bladder organs; if it is causing irritability or frustration, making you short-tempered and swift to judge others; or if you are having trouble making decisions and seeing clearly how to move ahead with your plans, Waiqiu can support you with clarity and ease of movement.

Location of Gall Bladder 36

The point is located on the outside of the lower leg. It is 7 cun above (superior to) the tip of the outer ankle bone, and lies at the anterior border of the fibula in the cleft between the fibula and tibia.

Begin by finding the midpoint between the knee crease and the outer ankle bone. Go down (inferior) by 1 cun (body inch) and at that level, first find the back of the fibula bone, then roll forward (anterior) until you feel the cleft between the bones.