Acupuncture & Fatigue
abstracted & translated by
Honora Lee Wolfe, L.Ac., FNAAOM (USA)
Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, fatigue
In Chinese medicine, somnolence or fatigue is due to some dysfunction of the spleen, lungs, and/or kidneys. These are the three viscera in Chinese medicine which engender and transform the qi, and wakefulness is a function of the qi. If there is abundant qi and that qi is unobscured, then the person is wide awake, has abundant energy, and their mind is clear. In particular, the spleen is the so-called latter heaven root of the engenderment and transformation of qi. Therefore, according to Chinese medical theory, in clinical practice, all fatigue or somnolence involves some degree of spleen vacuity. On pages 285-286 of issue #4, 2006 of the Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Journal of Chinese Medicine), Feng Shou-feng and Li Xiao-hua published an article titled, “The Acupuncture-moxibustion Treatment of 38 Cases of Somnolence.” A summary of this article is presented below.
Cohort description:
All 38 patients enrolled in this study were seen as out-patients in the Acupuncture-moxibustion Department of People’s Hospital in Liao Cheng, Shandong. Among them, there were 21 males and 17 females aged 36-72 years, with an average age of 45.6. This patients had suffered from excessive fatigue for from two months to 21 years, with an average disease duration of 18 months.
Treatment method:
The main points used in this protocol consisted of:
San Yin Jiao (Sp 6)
Nei Guan (Per 6)
Lie Que (Lu 7)
Bai Hui (GV 20)
Si Shen Cong (M-HN-1)
Feng Chi (GB 20)
If there was spleen vacuity with damp encumbrance, Pi Shu (Bl 20), Zu San Li (St 36), and Feng Long (St 40) were added.
If there was liver-kidney debility and vacuity with lack of filling of the sea of marrow, Shen Shu (Bl 23) was added.
Each of these points was needled using a two-inch, 30-gauge needle. After disinfection, Feng Chi was needled to a depth of 1-1.5 inches and twisting-turning supplementing hand technique was used for one minute. Next, Nei Guan was needled to a depth of 0.5-1 inches with twisting-turning even supplementing-even draining hand technique for one minute. San Yin Jiao was needled perpendicularly to a depth of 0.5-1 inches and also stimulated with twisting-turning hand technique for one minute. Si Shen Cong was needled transversely at 30E angle to a depth of one inch. Small amplitude twisting-turning hand technique was then applied at each of these points for two minutes. The needling technique for Lie Que and Bai Hui was not described. These points were needled once per day, with 12 days equaling one course of treatment. Outcomes were analyzed after two such courses.
Study outcomes:
Cure was defined as complete disappearance of the symptom of somnolence with the patient sleeping less than eight hours per day, a marked improvement in the patient’s affect, and no recurrence on follow-up after one year. Marked effect was defined as a decrease in symptoms, sleeping 8-12 hours per day, improvement in affect, and easier arousal from sleep. No effect was defined as no obvious improvement in symptoms. Based on these criteria, 18 cases were judged cured, 12 got a marked effect, and eight got no effect, for a total effectiveness rate of 78.9%.
Representative case history:
The patient was a 56-year-old male who was initially examined on June 11, 2003. This patient had been somnolent for six months. He had also suffered from hypertension for nine years. In the last six months, the man had been sleeping for longer each night. By the time he sought treatment at the authors’ acupuncture department, he was sleeping 12 hours per night. After waking, he continued to be drowsy and desired to go back to sleep. In addition, his mind was not clear and his reactions were slowed. He had tried a number of different remedies, but none had been effective. The man’s tongue was red with white, slimy fur, and his pulse was slippery. Therefore, he was needled at Nei Guan (Per 6), Bai Hui (GV 20), Si Shen Cong (M-HN-1), San Yin Jiao (Sp 6), Feng Long (St 40), Lie Que (Lu 7), and Pi Shu (Bl 20). After three treatments, the man’s affect was better, and, after two complete courses, his sleep was back down to eight hours per night. The clarity of the man’s mind was greatly improved and, one year later, there had been no relapse.
Discussion:
According to the authors, many cases of somnolence are due to cerebral artery sclerosis associated with hypertension. In Chinese medicine, this mainly presents as spleen vacuity with damp encumbrance and liver-kidney debility and vacuity with non-filling of the sea of marrow. Therefore, Bai Hui is the main point in the above prescription. It vitalizes the clear yang and fills the sea of marrow. San Yin Jiao is the meeting point of the foot three yin channels. Thus it supplements yin essence. It is used based on the principle of “seeking yang within yin.” Lie Que is the network vessel point on the hand tai yin channel which sends a branch to the vertex of the head. Nei Guan is the network vessel point of the hand jue yin pericardium channel. It is a one of the meeting points of the eight extraordinary vessels. It connects with the yin heel vessel. Feng Chi is a meeting point of the foot shao yang and yang heel vessel. The authors believe that all these points have a good effect for arousing the spirit and regulating sleep. Si Shen Cong is an extra-channel point. When combined with the foregoing points, it strengthens the effect of arousing the spirit and opening the orifices.
Copyright © Blue Poppy Press, 2006. All rights reserved.