Cough — lung yin deficiency
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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Back-Shu of the Lung; with LU1, regulates the airways
Shallow needling; no moxibustion.
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
-
Front-Mu of the Lung; Shu–Mu pair with BL13
Shallow needling; no moxibustion.
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
-
Confluent point of the Ren Mai; with KI6, nourishes yin and eases the throat
Shallow needling; no moxibustion.
- Pregnancy: contraindicated
-
Confluent point of the Yin Qiao Mai; pairs with LU7 to nourish yin
Shallow needling; no moxibustion.
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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BL13 Feishu
-
⚠ 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)
-
-
LU1 Zhongfu
-
⚠ Pneumothorax risk: too deep an insertion can puncture the pleura. World Health Organization 1999, Section II §5.2 (Lung and pleura), p. 25
-
Treatment Principle
Nourish yin and restore the lung's descending function, centred on the lung's Back-Shu and Front-Mu points.
Indications
Method
Needle superficially. Moxibustion is not advised.
⚠ Cautions
Coughing blood, weight loss, night sweats or fever in the afternoons need medical investigation to exclude tuberculosis and lung cancer. BL13 and LU1 overlie the lung: needle obliquely and shallowly (as the book also directs) to avoid pneumothorax.
About
The textbook's prescription for internally generated cough from dryness of the lung due to yin deficiency.
Rationale
BL13 and LU1 are the lung's Back-Shu and Front-Mu points and together regulate the airways. LU7 and KI6 are one of the Eight Confluent pairs; the book uses them to moisten the throat by nourishing yin and helping lung qi descend.
Clinical Notes
For coughing of blood, add LU6 (Xi-Cleft point of the Lung channel) and BL17, the Influential point of blood, to stop the bleeding.
Sources
- Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Cough, p. 345–347.
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