Master Tung’s Acupuncture Points During Pregnancy

By: Keren Zelicha

Chinese medicine is an effective and safe tool that can relieve various pains in pregnancy. The following is an example taken from my private clinic:

Shirley came to me during her 36th weeks of pregnancy, with severe back pain radiating to her buttocks on the right side along the bladder meridian. This happened after a prolonged two-hour driving session. Shirley entered the clinic with a great pain and difficulty while walking, she mentioned that since her back pain appeared she also suffers from swollen painful hemorrhoids.

Shirley’s pulse was deep and wiry, the tongue was pink and a little dry. Shirley’s body structure was wide, she seems to have a vital and a strong constitution but now she looked exhausted and tired due to the radiating pain. She was at 36th week, nearly at the end of pregnancy. As the uterus and baby grows, a large belly can shift the center of gravity and the body balance upward and forward. This shift contributes to the feeling of mid thoracic and lower back pains experienced by many pregnant women.

In advanced stages of pregnancy, many women report having external hemorrhoids due to uterine pressure on blood veins in the pelvic and rectal area. Shirley was asked to come to my clinic twice a week for acupuncture treatments since her pain was extreme and needed a quick improvement.

The acupuncture performed included points of master Tung such as:

Dao Ma 33-10: A combination of three points 33.01 + 33.02 + 33.03 on the yang ming large intestine meridian which are very effective for the treatment of hemorrhoids.

Point location:

33.01 (Qi Men- This Gate): On the lateral border of the radius, 2 cun proximal to the wrist on the line between Li 5 and Li 11.

33.02 (Qi Jiao- This Horn): On the lateral border of the radius, 4 cun proximal to the wrist on the line between Li 5 and Li 11. 2 cun proximal to 33.01 ( Qi Men).

33.03 (Qi Zheng- This Upright): On the lateral border of the radius, 6 cun proximal to the wrist on the line between Li 5 and Li 11. 2 cun proximal to 33.02 ( Qi Jiao)

Reaction area: Lung

points indications: Leucorrhea, anal prolapse, hemorrhoids, irregular menstruation

These points are located on the Large intestine meridian, near the Luo connecting point LI 6 and the Xi cleft accumulation point LI 7. This Dao ma shares functions similar to these points as they move blood stagnation and regulate the liver qi – both pathologies can cause irregular menstruation and hemorrhoids. According to the Zang Fu Bei Tong theory, the Yang ming– Large intestine meridian regulates the Jue Yin– Liver meridian. Therefore, this system can treat symptoms involving Liver qi stagnation in the lower Jiao.

Master Tung acupuncture 33.01 + 33.02 +33.03

One of the most common treatments for hemorrhoids is blood letting of BL40 acupuncture point region, but this treatment is in my opinion too drastic during pregnancy. Tung’s 33-10 Dao ma combination, in my experience is very good for relieving hemorrhoids pain, especially if combined with local rectal ointment and nutritional guidelines accordingly.

In addition to 33-10 Dao ma, I added two acupuncture points that address both the hemorrhoids and the lower back pain: BL 40+ BL 57. Local acupuncture points on the right sacro Iliac were needled to relieve lower back pain. On the sacro Iliac joint I looked for sensitive and stiff points. On the needles punctured, I used Moxa cones to warm the sacrum area and to move qi and blood. In addition, both BL 23 (Shen Shu) were chosen with Moxa cones on the needle. BL 65 (Shu Gu) was needled on the right as a spring- wood point that opens the channels, and alleviates pain from the lower back. Master Tung’s on the opposite side of the pain- Ling Gu (22.05) was also chosen, although it is considered a “forbidden” acupuncture point during pregnancy.

22.05 (Ling Gu) Acupuncture Point Location:

On the dorsal area of the hand, at the junction of the first and second metacarpal bones. On the Large Intestine channel. Usually needled on the opposite side of the pain. This Point according to master Tung is forbidden to use in pregnancy!

Point indications: Migraine, low back pain, sciatica, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, tinnitus, irregular menstruation, scanty or profuse bleeding, dysmenorrhea, difficult labor.

Reaction area: Lung

According to body mirroring theory, the thumb refers to the lower Jiao, this can explain why Ling gu (22.05) is good for back and genital problems. Since it is on the Large intestine meridian, it improves the kidneys (Large intestine and kidney are reversed in the Chinese clock). This point will benefit lower back pain, Uro- genital symptoms, tinnitus from kidney qi deficiency. In addition, according to the theory of Zang fu bei tong Yang Ming-Large intestine regulates Jue yin– Liver, this point has a strong effect on moving and regulating qi movement. The Large intestine is also connected with the lung meridian, explaining why this point can be used for respiratory symptoms such as common cold, sinusitis. 22.05 (Ling gu) can also balance the bladder meridian through Zang fu bei tong system Tai Yin– Tai yang, that explains the indication to treat back pain and urinary problems.

Can we use 22.05 (Ling gu) point during pregnancy?

The use of this point in pregnancy is in my opinion limited to pregnancies without any complications, with no background of miscarriages or bleeding during the whole period.The manipulation of the point should be gentle, there is no need to get a strong De qi sensation in the area. The manipulation I usually do is by moving the needle handle to achieve only a slight vibration. The reason for choosing Ling Gu (22.05) was due to the severity of the patient’s condition: difficulty in walking, foot-dragging and difficulty in bending forward. In this case we see that the main pathology was qi stagnation, Shirley’s pain began after she sat down for two hours in the car without moving. Her constitution as a whole was good, so acupuncture in Ling gu (22.05) on the opposite side of the pain along with bL 65 as a leading point on the painful side was effective in dispersing and regulating Qi in the Bladder meridian.

The treatment was very effective, after one treatment her back pain was relieved and pain along the leg was reduced significantly. This improvement made her decide to drive again for two hours to a distant place in a static position without movement, therefore the pain appeared again. Shirley came for another two acupuncture treatments which relieved her pain, at the end of each treatment she also received a light Twina massage on her whole back and sacral area to calm her down and reduce the pain. Her hemorrhoids pain disappeared after three meeting (a week and a half). She was asked not to exert herself or stay in a static position for a long time.

There is a frequent debate on whether there are or aren’t “forbidden” acupuncture points during pregnancy. In my experience the patient’s constitution/ symptoms / pathologies and the type of manipulation are the most important keys to decide whether to use them or not.

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