Common cold — wind-cold

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Textbook Prescriptions Respiratory

Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture (Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1980) — the standard prescriptions of the Chinese colleges.

Points

GV16 Fengfu midline

Governing Vessel point below the occiput; expels wind and eases headache

Reducing method.
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
BL12 Fengmen bilateral

Bladder point beside T2, the 'wind gate'; expels wind and releases the exterior

Reducing method.
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
GB20 Fengchi bilateral

Gall Bladder point below the occiput; expels wind from the head

Reducing method.
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
LU7 Lieque bilateral

Luo point of the Lung; treats head and neck and clears the nose

Reducing method.
- Pregnancy: contraindicated
LI4 Hegu bilateral

Yuan-Source of the Large Intestine; with KI7, induces sweating to release the exterior

Reducing method.
- Pregnancy: contraindicated
KI7 Fuliu bilateral

Jing-River of the Kidney; with LI4, promotes sweating

Reducing method.

Needling Safety

Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.

GV16 Fengfu
- ⚠ 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)
BL12 Fengmen
- ⚠ 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)
GB20 Fengchi
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla risk: deep or misdirected insertion can enter the spinal canal. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 2 (Central nervous system injury associated with acupuncture); World Health Organization 1999, Section II §5.2 (Central nervous system), p. 25

Treatment Principle

Expel wind and release the exterior with reducing method on Du, Taiyang and Shaoyang points.

Indications

Chills and feverno sweatingheadacheblocked, runny noseaching jointspossible itchy throat and coughthin white tongue coatingpulse superficial and tight

Method

Reducing method.

⚠ Cautions

Seek medical care for high fever, breathlessness, chest pain, or symptoms that worsen after a few days. GV16 lies over the medulla and must not be needled deeply or upward; angle GB20 toward the nose. BL12 overlies the lung: needle obliquely to avoid pneumothorax. LI4 is contraindicated in pregnancy.

About

The textbook's prescription for the common cold from wind-cold, which blocks the lung's dispersing function at the surface.

Rationale

The three 'wind' points at the back of the head and upper back — GV16, BL12 and GB20 — expel wind, release the exterior and ease the headache. LU7 treats the head and neck and opens the nose. LI4 and KI7 together bring on a sweat that helps throw off the exterior pathogen.

Clinical Notes

For headache add Taiyang; for nasal blockage add LI20 — both local points for wind in the head and face. As prevention during outbreaks, the book suggests daily moxibustion at BL12 or ST36.

Sources

Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Common cold, p. 344–345.

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