Ling Gu and Da Bai
Star靈骨大白 (Líng Gǔ Dà Bái)
Master Tung Ching Chang (董景昌, 1916–1975), Tung's Extraordinary Points.
Points
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The principal point; moves qi through the whole body
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The assisting point of the Dao Ma pair
Treatment Principle
Move qi and blood through the affected side by needling its image on the opposite hand, in the territory the Lung and Large Intestine share.
Indications
Method
Needle Ling Gu deeply, angled proximally along the second metacarpal toward the wrist, then Da Bai. Both on the hand opposite the affected side. Retain 30 to 45 minutes while the patient walks or moves the affected leg.
⚠ Cautions
Contraindicated in pregnancy — a strongly qi-moving combination. Use reduced stimulation in very weak or depleted patients; Tung's texts warn that the qi-moving action can be excessive in the frail. Not a substitute for assessment of red-flag back pain.
About
Dao Ma (倒馬, 'toppling horse') is Tung's term for needling two or three points along the same line so that they brace one another, as a pair of horses steadies a cart. Ling Gu and Da Bai are the pairing the system is famous for.
Rationale
Both points sit in the web and first-interosseous territory of the hand, which in Tung's mapping images the hip and sacrum. Tung regarded Ling Gu as acting on the whole body rather than a segment — his own writing describes it as moving qi everywhere — which is why its indications run well beyond sciatica into fatigue, amenorrhoea and stroke recovery.
Clinical Notes
The movement is not optional. Have the patient stand and walk with the needles retained; where local treatment would prevent that, this pairing depends on it. Effect is often apparent within the first minute, and a pairing that does nothing in five is usually the wrong side or the wrong depth — Ling Gu needs to reach the junction of the metacarpals.
Sources
- Tung Ching Chang. Tung's Acupuncture (董氏鍼灸正經奇穴學). Taipei, 1973.
- Young, Wei-Chieh. Lectures on Tung's Acupuncture: Points Study. Blue Poppy Press.
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