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All lessons   Module 6: Points   Lesson 16

Module 6   Lesson 16   Shou Jueyin, Shou Shaoyang

Pericardium and Triple Burner: the channels and their points

Why does an acupuncturist choose PC-6 for nausea and a tight chest and TE-5 for a fever with a sore throat, and how are these two points connected?

After this lesson you can draw both channels as a line, you know all 32 points by name and category, you can work out PC-6 and TE-5 as key points, and you can explain why the Inner Pass and the Outer Pass mirror each other.

Pericardium, Shou Jueyin: from the chest to the middle finger chest PC-1 PC-2 PC-3 PC-4 PC-5 PC-6 PC-7 PC-8 PC-9 Window He-Sea Xi River Luo, Yin Wei Yuan Ying Well chest, upper arm elbow forearm wrist palm middle finger internal: Pericardium, through the diaphragm to the three Jiao via the ring finger Triple Burner, Shou Shaoyang: from the ring finger to the eyebrow TE-1 TE-2 TE-3 TE-4 TE-5 TE-6 TE-7 8, 9 TE-10 TE-11 to 15 TE-16 TE-17 to 22 TE-23 Well Ying Shu Yuan Luo, Yang Wei River Xi He-Sea Window ring finger, hand wrist, forearm elbow shoulder neck around the ear eyebrow internal: Pericardium and the three Jiao; lower He-Sea BL-39; link to GB-1
Schematic, not a location guide: order and rough regions. Circled in green: the key points PC-6 and TE-5. Window: Window of Heaven point (PC-1 in the wider list, TE-16 in the classical list of five; textbook knowledge). Course of the channels: textbook knowledge, after Ling Shu 10.

Know by heart

  • The course. Pericardium: from the chest via the armpit along the middle of the inner arm to the middle finger. Triple Burner: from the ring finger along the middle of the outer arm, over the shoulder, around the ear to the eyebrow; link to GB-1. mnemonic: the middle of the inside is Jueyin, the middle of the outside is Shaoyang.
  • Pericardium in order. PC-9 Jing-Well, PC-8 Ying-Spring, PC-7 Shu-Stream and Yuan, PC-6 Luo, PC-5 Jing-River, PC-4 Xi, PC-3 He-Sea. Back-Shu BL-14, Front-Mu CV-17. mnemonic: back from the finger, 9, 8, 7 in a row, then 6 bridge, 5 river, 4 cleft, 3 sea.
  • PC-6 Neiguan, Inner Pass. Luo; opening point of the Yin Wei, partner SP-4; chest, nausea, calm the Shen, make Stomach-Qi descend.
  • TE-5 Waiguan, Outer Pass. Luo; opening point of the Yang Wei, partner GB-41; Wind-Heat, Exterior, side of the head. mnemonic: the Inner Pass and the Outer Pass lie opposite each other.
  • Triple Burner in order. TE-1 Jing-Well, TE-2 Ying-Spring, TE-3 Shu-Stream, TE-4 Yuan, TE-5 Luo, TE-6 Jing-River, TE-7 Xi, TE-10 He-Sea; lower He-Sea BL-39. Back-Shu BL-22, Front-Mu CV-5. mnemonic: count from 1 to 7, then jump to 10.
  • Working points. PC-7 Daling: calm the Shen, Heart-Heat. PC-8 Laogong: Heart-Fire, mouth ulcers. TE-6 Zhigou: hypochondrium and constipation, in pattern 1. TE-17 Yifeng and TE-21 Ermen: the ear.
  • Red flag. Chest pain (emergency services: 112 in Europe, 999 in the UK, 911 in North America); vomiting blood or coffee-ground material; sudden deafness; a sudden drooping mouth: a doctor first.

The rest of this lesson is reference.

Pericardium and Triple Burner: Why does an acupuncturist choose PC-6 for nausea and a tight chest and TE-5 for a fever with a sore throat, and how are these two points connected?
The chart as an image, to save or share

Three practice questions from this lesson

Which Pericardium point is the Yuan point?
  1. PC-6 Neiguan
  2. PC-7 Daling
  3. PC-8 Laogong

Answer: PC-7 Daling. PC-7, Shu-Stream and Yuan. PC-6 is Luo, PC-8 Ying-Spring.

PC-6 opens which vessel, and with which point does it form a pair?
  1. Ren Mai; with KI-6 (Yin Qiao)
  2. Yin Wei; with SP-4 (Chong Mai)
  3. Yang Wei; with GB-41 (Dai Mai)

Answer: Yin Wei; with SP-4 (Chong Mai). PC-6 opens the Yin Wei, SP-4 the Chong Mai. TE-5 opens the Yang Wei with GB-41 (Dai Mai); LU-7 opens the Ren Mai with KI-6 (Yin Qiao).

TE-5 opens which vessel?
  1. Du Mai
  2. Yang Qiao
  3. Yang Wei

Answer: Yang Wei. TE-5 opens the Yang Wei, partner GB-41 (Dai Mai). BL-62 opens the Yang Qiao, SI-3 the Du.

The rest of this lesson

In the course you get the step-by-step explanation, 16 case-based practice questions, 16 spaced-repetition flashcards, the pitfalls and the bridge to physiology with evidence grades. This lesson belongs to module 6: Points.

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