Jinmen and Pucan

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金門、僕參 (Jīnmén, Púcān)

Point Pairs (对穴) Pain — Lower Limb

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

  1. BL63 Jinmen affected side, or both sides

    Xi-Cleft point of the Bladder and meeting point with the Yang Wei Mai; relieves acute pain and settles convulsions.

    Patient supine: on the lateral foot below the front edge of the lateral malleolus, beneath the lower border of the cuboid bone, about 0.5 cun in front of and below BL62. Insert perpendicularly 0.3–0.5 cun down to the bone, seeking a local aching numbness that spreads over the dorsum of the foot.

  2. BL61 Pucan affected side, or both sides

    Heel point of the Bladder channel; relaxes the sinews and frees the channel.

    Patient seated with the foot flat on the floor: behind and below the lateral malleolus, directly below BL60, on the lateral side of the calcaneus where the dorsal and plantar skin meet. Insert perpendicularly 0.3–0.5 cun through the calcaneofibular ligament, seeking a local aching, numb feeling.

Treatment Principle

Relax the sinews and free the channel; calm the spirit.

Indications

HeadacheInfantile convulsionsWeakness of the lower limbsHeel painSprained foot or ankle

Method

Both points on the lateral foot are needled perpendicularly 0.3–0.5 cun — BL63 with the patient lying supine, BL61 with the foot resting on the floor. The book gives no retention time or moxibustion instructions for this pair.

About

Two points on the lateral foot below the outer ankle, for heel pain, foot sprain and weakness of the legs, and — via the Bladder channel's course to the head — for headache and convulsions in children.

Rationale

BL63 is the Xi-Cleft point of the Bladder channel, where acute, painful conditions of the channel are treated, and a meeting point with the Yang Wei Mai; BL61 lies just behind it at the heel. Together they cover the lateral heel and foot locally, while the Bladder channel's route up the back to the vertex carries their effect to the head and to convulsive disorders.

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 4, combination 11.

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