Lingtai, Shendao and Xinshu
Star靈台、神道、心俞 (Língtái, Shéndào, Xīnshū)
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
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Du Mai point below T6 (Spirit Tower); opens the chest and descends Lung qi.
Prone. In the hollow below the T6 spinous process. Insert obliquely (angled upwards) to 0.5–1.0 cun, using twirling (rotating) manipulation. The needle crosses the subcutaneous tissue, the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments and reaches the ligamentum flavum (interarcuate ligament); the spinal canal lies immediately beyond, so that ligament marks the limit of insertion. An aching numbness should spread across the back and through to the chest. Do not go deeper than stated, to protect the spinal cord.
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
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Du Mai point below T5 (Spirit Pathway); calms the spirit and regulates the Heart.
Prone. In the hollow below the T5 spinous process. Insert 0.5–1.0 cun, straight in or at an oblique angle; an upward oblique angle follows the slope of the thoracic spinous processes and is the standard choice. The needle crosses the subcutaneous tissue, the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments and reaches the ligamentum flavum, which should not be pierced. An aching numbness should spread across the back and chest. Do not go deeper than stated, to protect the spinal cord.
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
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Back-Shu point of the Heart; tonifies the Heart, nourishes blood and settles the spirit.
Prone. 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the T5 spinous process. Angle the needle medially towards the spine, 0.5–0.8 cun deep, through the subcutaneous tissue, trapezius and rhomboid into the erector spinae. An aching numbness should run out along the intercostal space. The lung lies beneath — do not needle deeply or perpendicularly.
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
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GV10 Lingtai
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⚠ Spinal cord / medulla risk: deep or misdirected insertion can enter the spinal canal. World Health Organization 1999, Section II §5.2 (Central nervous system), p. 25
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GV11 Shendao
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⚠ Spinal cord / medulla risk: deep or misdirected insertion can enter the spinal canal. World Health Organization 1999, Section II §5.2 (Central nervous system), p. 25
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BL15 Xinshu
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⚠ Pneumothorax risk: too deep an insertion can puncture the pleura. World Health Organization 1999, Section II §5.2 (Lung and pleura), p. 25
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Treatment Principle
Regulate qi and blood, free the flow in the channel, supplement the Heart and calm the spirit.
Indications
Method
Patient prone. GV10 is needled obliquely 0.5–1.0 cun with twirling manipulation and GV11 perpendicularly or obliquely 0.5–1.0 cun, each until an aching numbness spreads over the back and into the chest; BL15 is needled obliquely towards the spine 0.5–0.8 cun until the sensation runs along the intercostal space.
⚠ Cautions
BL15 overlies the lung: deep or perpendicular needling risks pneumothorax. At GV10 and GV11 the spinal cord lies beneath — keep within the stated depth and do not pass the ligamentum flavum; the source warns against deep insertion at both.
About
Three points on the upper back at the level of the Heart, used to regulate qi and blood, free the channel, supplement the Heart and settle the spirit. The indications join Heart and spirit disorders — palpitations, cardiac pain, insomnia, poor memory, a tendency to fright, night sweats and nocturnal emissions — with local stiffness of the neck and back, and wheezing.
Rationale
BL15 is the Back-Shu point of the Heart. GV11 lies on the Du Mai at the same vertebral level (below T5) and GV10 one segment lower; both carry spirit names (Spirit Pathway and Spirit Tower) and are traditionally used for the Heart and shen. The Du Mai points move the yang qi of the back and chest, while the Back-Shu point supplements the Heart itself.
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 10.
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