Wei syndrome — lower limb
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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Stomach point at the top of the thigh; opens yangming where it enters the leg
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He-Sea of the Stomach; strengthens qi and blood to nourish the sinews
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Jing-River of the Stomach at the ankle; carries yangming down to the foot
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Gallbladder point at the hip; frees the lateral leg from above
- ⚠ Nerve
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Influential point of the sinews; strengthens the tendons
- ⚠ Nerve
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Influential point of the marrow; strengthens the bones
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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GB30 Huantiao
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⚠ Nerve injury has been reported after needling this point. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 3 (Peripheral nerve injury)
-
-
GB34 Yanglingquan
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⚠ Nerve injury has been reported after needling this point. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 3 (Peripheral nerve injury)
-
Treatment Principle
Promote the flow of qi in the yangming channels so the sinews and bones are nourished, clearing heat or tonifying according to the type.
Indications
Method
Reduce for lung heat and damp-heat, without moxibustion; reinforce for liver and kidney deficiency. Usually only the affected side is needled, but because the course is long the book allows needling both sides in turn, the healthy side before the affected one.
⚠ Cautions
Acute flaccid weakness is a medical emergency until shown otherwise (Guillain-Barré syndrome, transverse myelitis, spinal cord compression, stroke): it needs urgent diagnosis before or alongside acupuncture. Moxibustion is contraindicated while heat is present. GB30 lies near the sciatic nerve.
About
The book's prescription for wei (flaccid paralysis or atrophy) affecting the leg, built on yangming points with two influential points added.
Rationale
ST31, ST36 and ST41 trace the stomach channel from hip to ankle, applying the classical rule of selecting yangming for wei. GB34 and GB39, the influential points of sinew and marrow, are added to reinforce the nourishment of tendon and bone, and GB30 opens the hip on the same side of the leg.
Clinical Notes
Add points by type: LU5 and BL13 to clear lung heat; BL20 and SP9 for damp-heat; BL18 and BL23 to tonify the liver and kidney. Moxibustion, alone or with needles, is brought in only once heat has cleared. Treatment is long, so the book stresses winning the patient's trust; tapping-needle work along the channels or over the weak area is an option. It lists myasthenia gravis, acute myelitis, hysterical and periodic paralysis, and progressive muscular atrophy as Western equivalents. For infantile paralysis (poliomyelitis) the same approach applies, with the matching Huatuo Jiaji points added; for weak extensors use yang-channel points on the extensor aspect and for weak flexors yin-channel points on the flexor aspect, with light, shallow needling in convalescence and moxa if wished.
Sources
- Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Wei Syndrome (Paralysis), p. 371–373.
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