Appendicitis
StarEssentials of Chinese Acupuncture (Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1980) — the standard prescriptions of the Chinese colleges.
Points
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Extra point that becomes tender in appendicitis; used empirically
Reduce; alternative to ST37 (the book gives one or the other).
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Lower He-Sea of the Large Intestine; a tender point in appendicitis
Reduce; alternative to Lanweixue.
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He-Sea of the Large Intestine; clears heat
Reduce.
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Front-Mu of the Large Intestine; clears damp-heat and obstruction from the bowel to ease pain
Reduce.
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 EX-LE7. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Disperse damp-heat from the intestines, using mainly yangming points with reducing technique.
Indications
Method
Reduce, retaining the needles from half an hour up to two hours and manipulating every ten minutes; repeat every 6 to 8 hours. Once symptoms ease, treat once a day with 30-minute retention. In chronic cases treat daily or on alternate days; moxibustion may be applied to local points.
⚠ Cautions
Acute appendicitis is a surgical emergency: the patient needs medical assessment first, and acupuncture is never a substitute for surgical review. The book itself limits the method to acute simple appendicitis and says other measures are needed if perforation is suspected; peritonism, rising fever or worsening pain call for immediate referral. Do not needle ST25 deeply in a distended abdomen. If added, LI4 is contraindicated in pregnancy.
About
The college prescription for appendicitis, seen as damp-heat from food retained in the bowel or qi and blood stagnation after exposure to extreme heat or cold.
Rationale
Lanweixue and ST37 are both points that become tender in appendicitis, and ST37 is the lower sea point of the large intestine. ST25, its front-mu point, clears obstruction and damp-heat from the intestines to relieve the pain, and LI11 adds heat clearance through the He-Sea point of the channel.
Clinical Notes
For fever add GV14 and LI4. For vomiting add PC6 and CV12. The book says the prescription also works well in chronic appendicitis, treated daily or on alternate days. It also gives an ear-acupuncture option.
Sources
- Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Appendicitis, p. 387–388.
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