Sunstroke — mild type
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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Governing Vessel point below C7; clears heat
Reducing method.
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
-
Yuan-Source of the Pericardium; drains heart fire
Reducing method.
-
He-Sea of the Bladder behind the knee; bled to dispel summer heat
Pricked to bleed.
-
Yuan-Source of the Large Intestine; a main point for bringing down fever
Reducing method.
- Pregnancy: contraindicated
-
He-Sea of the Large Intestine; with LI4, a main antipyretic point
Reducing method.
-
Extra point on the vein under the tongue (left); bled to relieve dry mouth and thirst
Pricked to bleed.
-
Extra point on the vein under the tongue (right); bled with Jinjin for thirst
Pricked to bleed.
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
-
GV14 Dazhui
-
⚠ 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)
-
No cited needling data yet for EX-HN12, EX-HN13. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Clear summer heat with reducing method on points of the Du, Pericardium and Large Intestine channels.
Indications
Method
Reducing method; BL40 and Jinjin–Yuye are pricked to let blood.
⚠ Cautions
Heatstroke is a medical emergency: call emergency services, move the patient to shade and start active cooling immediately; acupuncture must not delay this. Mild heat illness still needs rest, cooling and fluids, and escalates quickly in the elderly and the very young. LI4 is contraindicated in pregnancy. Avoid bleeding over varicose veins at BL40; use sterile lancets.
About
The textbook's prescription for the mild form of sunstroke, where summer heat has damaged qi and yin after long exertion in hot sun.
Rationale
GV14 clears heat generally and PC7 brings down the fire of the heart. Bleeding BL40 lets summer heat out, while LI4 and LI11 are the book's two principal points for reducing fever. Bleeding Jinjin and Yuye under the tongue is aimed at the dry mouth and thirst.
Sources
- Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Sunstroke, p. 342–343.
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