陶道 (Táodào) — Kiln Path
Du (Governing) channel · point 13
Traditionally used for
- Headaches
- Colds & fever
- Mood & calm
- Pain & joints
Location
On the upper back, on the posterior midline, in the depression below the spinous process of T1.
How to locate: Find C7, the most prominent spinous process at the base of the neck, and move down to the next one (T1); the point is in the depression below T1, level with BL11.
Distances are in cun, a proportional unit — how to measure.
Needling hazard — see Needling safety
3D view
The 3D view is not available on this device. The 2D maps above show the same point.
Drag, or focus the model and use the arrow keys, to rotate; + and − to zoom; 0 to reset; Esc to close.
Needle diagram for the marked point — a schematic section through the skin, not the model.
3D anatomy: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (licence). Subset, simplified and recoloured by Verscienta — changes and licence details.
Approximate placement, carried over from our 2D body map onto a single adult male model (BodyParts3D) and checked against the point's location text. Shown on one side of the body. Locate the point on your patient by the location text and palpation, not by this model.
- Cun on this part of the body
- Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun (WHO 2008, General Guidelines, Proportional Bone (Skeletal) Measurements, p. 12).
- Needle angle and depth
-
- Perpendicular-oblique (about 70° to the skin), 0.5–1 cun, superior. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 544
- The spinal cord is not drawn: the anatomical model used here does not include it as a surface. This is a limit of the model, not of the anatomy. The spinal cord / medulla risk above still applies.
3D anatomy: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (licence). Subset, simplified and recoloured by Verscienta — changes and licence details.
Needling
Cited needling
- ⚠ Spinal cord / medulla
-
Perpendicular-oblique insertion — superiorDepth 0.5–1 cunskindeeper
| Underweight | Normal | Overweight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 46.6 | 52.4 | 63.5 |
| Women | 41.3 | 49.7 | 60.1 |
CT-measured mean safe needling depths from Taiwanese adults, by sex and body size (Lin et al. 2013); population-specific and a guide only — adjust to the patient in front of you.
Depths describe average adult habitus in the cited population, never a single safe number for the patient in front of you. Palpate and adjust.
Sources (3)
- Lin JG, Chou PC, Chu HY. An exploration of the needling depth in acupuncture: the safe needling depth and the needling depth of clinical efficacy. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:740508 — Tables 9 (male) and 10 (female), back acupoints Supports: safe depth (measured)
- World Health Organization. Guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture. Geneva: WHO; 1999. WHO/EDM/TRM/99.1 — Section II §5.2 (Central nervous system), p. 25 Supports: spinal cord / medulla (names this region)
- Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 544 Supports: techniques (names this point)
Site notes · not cited
Functions
- Releases the exterior and clears heat
- Regulates the Du Mai and calms the spirit
- Activates the channel and its luo-connecting vessels
Indications
Sources
- World Health Organization. WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008. (Location.)
- Focks C, ed. Atlas of Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2008. (Locating method and actions.)
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