Du 26, and a different view of needling

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

 

Truly, it began back in 2000, when, as a new student, I brought my wife to the

clinic at the school I attended, Dongguk Royal University.  She was scared of

acupuncture to begin with, and her nature in general was to be guarded, but she

trusted the clinical supervisor who assured her that it would resolve her

high-anxiety, helping her to calm down.   At the time, I had yet to take any

courses in acupuncture, but I remember as if it were yesterday, that he showed

me where Du 26 was, and repeatedly needled it.  Though her hands shook before,

never did her chin or jaw.  Since that treatment, the jaw is nearly always

shaking back and forth, except when she sleeps, or after more than three weeks

without seizures.  Again, it seems completely reasonable to me to assume that

this powerful point which is used to wake up coma patients could be viewed as a

wonderful therapeutic point in cases of repletion, but perhaps is not indicated

in cases of vacuity. 

And even if it does wake up a vacuous patient,  it could be compared to a

 collapsed work horse, which will keep moving if it's whipped, but will later

collapse again and die.  So too here, I feel that my very weak wife didn't need

to be woken up.  Her hyperness, should not have been viewed as an excess

pattern, and therefore needling Du 26 made her situation worse, just as scalp

acupuncture did, and actually caused seizures (twice!).

 

So to respond to your statement: " Do you *really* believe that needling Du26

caused the chin shaking? "

 

Clearly, yes!

 

You continue:

" Acupuncture is a powerful medicine, but I feel that is giving way too much

" power " to acupuncture. I do not believe that acupuncture can " cause " a

severe, debilitating, chronic long-standing symptom. Yes, of course,

sensations can occur in the body as a result of acupuncture and are usually

a sign that additional channels/points are needed to balance the treatment

and any such presentation should resolve as you continue to work the

channels. "

 

Here, I think that you are missing my point.  I am not contending in the

slightest that her condition originated with improperly administered

acupuncture.  Rather, I am stating that an already irritated nervous system was

further exascerbated.  I have seen this on many occasions, by the way, with

patients who present with severe blood vacuity.  At least initially, when they

are needled, often they jump, they scream,  and they feel more wired and upset

after treatment than before, and not the least bit calm, even with very

superficial needling.  (For such patients, BTW, I will first give them herbs and

treat them with CranioSacral therapy, before beginning acupuncture).   This is

an important lesson that we need to understand that acupuncture by

nature is dispersing.

 

 

 

Bottom line, I feel, is that we need tolearn an important lesson from this:  We

should never needle points based upon cookbook diagnosis, or empirical

indications.  Rather, we must treat points that harmonize, that complement and

that can be explained by a logic we can understand, and not just because a book

says it is indicated for a given condition.  Otherwise we are practicing Western

Bio-medical acupuncture, treating symptoms rather than patterns. 

 

Respectfully,

 

(BTW, Joy, my name is Yehuda and not Yehunda, Yehuda is the Hebrew equivalent of

the name Judah.  Its origin comes from the matriarch Leah, who exclaimed " This

time I will give thanks to G-d, for the unexpected blessing of a fourth son. 

Each matriarch was supposed to have 3 sons, and Yehuda was her fourth.  In

addition to thanks, the name Yehuda also connotes admitting when one has made a

mistake in order to correct it.  These two character traits  were the hallmark

of Yehuda's life:  seeking truth and integrity and constantly giving thanks for

the blessings bestowed upon him.  'Tough shoes to fill, no?)  

 

All the best,

 

 

 

 

 

--- On Fri, 9/5/08, Joy Keller <JKellerLAc wrote:

 

Joy Keller <JKellerLAc

Re: Re: update on my wife, and an observation about Tai Yang and

function

 

Friday, September 5, 2008, 1:46 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 12:23 PM, >wrote:

 

> Hi David,

>

> [content edited...] As I may have mentioned before, what started Chana's

> chin shaking was needling Du26.

>

 

Yehunda,

 

I have been following this discussion with much interest and admire your

dedication. The above statement, however, caused me great pause and although

I don't post very often I was compelled to do so.

 

Do you *really* believe that needling Du26 caused the chin shaking?

Acupuncture is a powerful medicine, but I feel that is giving way too much

" power " to acupuncture. I do not believe that acupuncture can " cause " a

severe, debilitating, chronic long-standing symptom. Yes, of course,

sensations can occur in the body as a result of acupuncture and are usually

a sign that additional channels/points are needed to balance the treatment

and any such presentation should resolve as you continue to work the

channels.

 

But there is, in my opinion, no such thing as being able to say, " make "

someone have a specific symptom or presentation as a result of acupuncture

that didn't already exist in the body (and I'm not talking about

negligence/organ puncture/improper needling/etc. ). Herbs, of course, are a

different issue however even then any resulting adverse symptom should be

addressed/resolved by proper formula modification.

 

Making a statement such as needling a point actually caused a severe,

debilitating, long-standing symptom (outside of negligence) is a dangerous

(i.e., irresponsible) and, imho, erroneous statement. It is a cause/effect

statement that can not be proven nor do I feel it can be supported - not

even as conjecture.

 

Joy

 

____________ _________ _________ _________ ___

Joy Keller, LAc, Dipl.OM

Board Certified in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine

Ramona Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Clinic

Phone: (760) 654-1040 Fax: (760) 654-4019

www.RamonaAcupunctu re.com