Syncope
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 at the philtrum; revives the patient
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Jing-Well of the Pericardium; resuscitation point that clears the mind
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Yuan-Source of the Large Intestine; with LV3, releases a clenched jaw and moves qi and blood
- Pregnancy: contraindicated
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Yuan-Source of the Liver; with LI4, clears mental clouding and moves qi and blood
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
Treatment Principle
Restore consciousness and clear the mind, working mainly through the Governing Vessel and the Pericardium channel.
Indications
Method
Reducing method for the excess type and reinforcing method for the deficient type. In the deficient type the added points are treated with needling plus moxibustion.
⚠ Cautions
An acute medical emergency: call emergency services and arrange hospital care first; acupuncture is at most an adjunct and must never delay it. Fainting can signal arrhythmia, haemorrhage, hypoglycaemia or other serious disease: lay the patient flat, check airway, breathing and pulse, and get medical assessment for any unexplained or recurrent syncope. LI4 is contraindicated in pregnancy, and heavy moxibustion at CV6 should be avoided in pregnancy.
About
The textbook's single base prescription for fainting, with extra points chosen according to whether the collapse is of the deficient or the excess type.
Rationale
GV26 and PC9 are the reviving points. LI4 and LV3 together release the jaw, lift mental clouding and get qi and blood moving again. In the book's account, PC8 and KI1 add clarity and disperse heat in excess cases, while GV20, ST36 and CV6 bring back qi and yang in deficient ones.
Clinical Notes
Additions by type: for the deficient type, add GV20, CV6 and ST36 with needling and moxibustion; for the excess type, add PC8 and KI1. The book equates the condition with simple fainting, postural hypotension, sunstroke, hypoglycaemia and hysteria. It also gives an ear-acupuncture option with strong stimulation.
Sources
- Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Syncope, p. 335–336.
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