How well do you know your body - especially your Abdomen?

Kit Li

Have you ever felt, touched or listened to your abdomen while resting?  Or do you think of your abdomen when experiencing discomfort, such as stomachache or pain after eating the wrong foods?  

There is much more to discover than you might think.

From the Abdominal Acupuncture perspective, our abdominal area dominanted by the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water), and correlates with our internal organs: Liver (Wood), Heart (Fire), Spleen (Earth), Lungs (Metal) and Kidneys (Water). This principle emphasises balance, as well as the dynamic interaction of Yin and Yang. Such an incredible system is rooted in the ancient diagram of 'HeTu' (Yellow River Chart)* and 'LuoShu' (Inscription of the River Luo)*, representing the transformation of the universe energies.

Recently, I encountered two female patients over 40 years old.  Through the palpation method of Abdominal Acupuncture. I found that both had very similar issues involving the Liver, Spleen and Kidneys.

Due to hormonal imbalances, unhealthy diets, extremely high stress levels, and a certain degree of emotional disorders, they also experienced cold extremities and a cold sensation in abdominal area, along with irregular menstruation.

From a TCM perspective, this pattern is known as 'Wood attacking Earth', where excessive Liver Qi invades and weaken Spleen. As a result, there was a combination of Liver Qi-stagnation, Spleen Qi-deficiency, Kidney-Yang deficiency, and chronic Damp-Cold accumulation in the lower abdomen. Their pulse diagnosis confirmed with the Guan position on the Right was wiry, while on the Left, it was weak. 

Additionally, the Qi in the Middle Jiao was unable to regulate properly due to Qi-stagnation, leading to a wiry pulsation felt on the Ren-mai near the stomach area (RN-9 and RN-10).

How do we treat this condition with Abdominal Acupuncture*? ‘Guiding the Qi downward’, needling the acupoints on the Ren-mai superficially in the abdominal area combined with selected points on Stomach, Liver and Kidney meridians (mainly on the lower trunks).

In terms of Chinese Herbal Medicine: A combination of 'Sini San' (四逆散)* and 'Sini Tang' (四逆汤)* is ideal for regulating Qi in the Middle Jiao, harmonising the Yin and Yang and warming the meridians to address cold extremities.

If the patient presents with a Yin or Yang imbalances, 'JinGui ShenQi Wan' (金匮肾气丸) is recommended to promote Yang; if there is Yang-deficiency, 'LiuWei DiHuang Wan' (六味地黄丸) is used to tonify Kidney-yin deficiency. In cases where Yin-deficiency leads to empty-heat, 'ZhiBai DiHuang Wan' (知柏地黄丸) is appropriate to nourish Yin and clear empty-heat. 

As a final note, it is always advisable to consult with a qualified TCM practitioner who can tailor herbal remedies and acupuncture treatments to your specific needs, as individual constitutions vary.

If you have any concerns regarding your health, please do not hesitate to contact me at kitsinli28@gmail.com, I would be pleased to offer further assistance.

References:

*HeTu: it's also called Yellow River Chart, it combined with the LuoShu (Inscription of the River Luo) to make it into two cosmological diagrams used in ancient China.

http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Daoists/hetuluoshu.html

*Abdominal acupuncture (腹针疗法) is a micro-system acupuncture where very fine needles are inserted shallowly into the abdominal area to treat diseases throughout the body, not just digestive issues, but also musculoskeletal pain, internal organ problems, emotional disorders, and more.

*Sini San (四逆散):  Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata) 6 g, Zhi Shi (Fructus Aurantii Immaturus) 6 g, Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri) 6 g, Shao Yao (Radix Paeoniae Alba) 9 g

*Sini Tang (四逆汤):  Fu Zi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata) 5-10 g, Gan Jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis) 6-9 g, Zhi Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata) 6 g

*JinGui ShenQi Wan (金匮肾气丸), LiuWei DiHuang Wan' (六味地黄丸) and ZhiBai DiHuang Wan' (知柏地黄丸) in capsules.