Ciliao and Baohuang
Star次髎、胞肓 (Cìliáo, Bāohuāng)
Modern Chinese point-pair (对穴) teaching, as compiled by Guo Changqing and colleagues at the School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Points
-
Second of the Eight Bone-Holes (Ba Liao); regulates the uterus and clears damp-heat from the lower burner.
Prone. In the second posterior sacral foramen, medial and slightly inferior to the posterior superior iliac spine. Needle straight into the foramen to 0.8–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue and the erector spinae (sacrospinalis). An aching numbness should spread into the lower limbs.
- Pregnancy: contraindicated
-
Outer Bladder-line point on the buttock (Bladder's Vitals); regulates the lower burner and promotes urination.
Prone. On the buttock, level with the second posterior sacral foramen, 3 cun lateral to the median sacral crest. Insert obliquely 0.8–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue into the gluteal muscles (the source names gluteus medius). An aching numbness should spread to the lower abdomen and hip.
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
No cited needling data yet for BL53. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Support original qi, clear heat and resolve dampness, and free the flow in the channel and collaterals.
Indications
Method
Patient prone. BL32 is needled perpendicularly into the foramen 0.8–1.0 cun until the sensation reaches the lower limbs; BL53 is needled obliquely 0.8–1.0 cun until it spreads to the lower abdomen and hip.
⚠ Cautions
Many texts avoid the sacral-foramen (Ba Liao) points, BL32 included, in pregnancy.
About
A horizontal pairing at the level of the second sacral foramen that supports original qi, clears damp-heat and frees the channel. It treats lumbosacral pain together with pelvic disorders — irregular periods, spermatorrhoea, impotence, painful urination and constipation.
Rationale
BL32 lies in the second sacral foramen on the inner Bladder line and is the most used of the Ba Liao (Eight Bone-Holes) for the uterus and lower burner; BL53 lies level with it on the outer Bladder line. Together they cover the sacrum and buttock at the same segment, treating the lower burner and the lumbosacral channels at once.
Sources
- Guo Changqing (ed.). Acupuncture of Acupoint Combinations: Quick Lookups. Daylesford: Heart Space Publications, 2020 (English edition; © China Science and Technology Press). ISBN 978-0-6489215-5-4. Chapter 3, combination 19.
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