Dazhui, Fengmen and Feishu
Star大椎、風門、肺俞 (Dàzhuī, Fēngmén, Fèishū)
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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Meeting point of the Du Mai with all six yang channels; releases the exterior and clears fever.
Seated or prone with the neck bent forward. In the hollow below the C7 spinous process. Insert obliquely, angled upwards, to 0.5–1.0 cun. 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 form locally and spread to the shoulder and arm. (The source gives 0.8–1.2 cun perpendicular; the standard, shallower oblique insertion is given here because the spinal cord lies beneath.)
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
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Meeting point of the Bladder channel with the Du Mai (Wind Gate); expels wind and firms the defensive qi.
Prone or seated. 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the T2 spinous process. Insert obliquely towards the spine 0.5–0.8 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue into the erector spinae (sacrospinalis). An aching numbness should run out along the intercostal space. The lung lies beneath — do not needle deeply or perpendicularly.
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
-
Back-Shu point of the Lung; restores the Lung's dispersing and descending functions.
Prone or seated. 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the T3 spinous process. Insert obliquely towards the spine 0.5–0.8 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue into the erector spinae (sacrospinalis). An aching numbness should run out along the intercostal space. Keep the insertion shallow to avoid pneumothorax.
- ⚠ 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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GV14 Dazhui
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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; Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 2 (Central nervous system injury associated with acupuncture)
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-
BL12 Fengmen
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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; Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 1 (Pneumothorax associated with acupuncture)
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BL13 Feishu
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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; Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 1 (Pneumothorax associated with acupuncture)
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Treatment Principle
Expel wind and strengthen the exterior, and help the Lung qi to disperse and descend.
Indications
Method
Patient seated with the head bowed, or prone. GV14 is needled obliquely upwards 0.5–1.0 cun until an aching numbness spreads to the shoulder and arm; BL12 and BL13 are angled medially towards the spine to 0.5–0.8 cun until an aching numbness runs along the intercostal space.
⚠ Cautions
BL12 and BL13 overlie the lung: deep or perpendicular needling risks pneumothorax, and the source warns against deep insertion at BL13. At GV14 the spinal cord lies beneath — never needle deeply or perpendicularly, and do not pass the ligamentum flavum.
About
An upper-back set for wind invading the exterior and the Lung: fever and headache with aching across the shoulders and back, and cough or wheezing. It expels wind, firms the exterior and restores the Lung's dispersing and descending movement.
Rationale
GV14 is where the Du Mai meets all six yang channels, making it the principal point for releasing the exterior and clearing fever. BL12, the Wind Gate, is a meeting point of the Bladder channel with the Du Mai and expels wind while firming the defensive qi; BL13 is the Back-Shu point of the Lung. The three points sit together over the upper thoracic spine, where wind first lodges, and link the yang exterior to the Lung.
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 9.
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