Class Notes 3

INTERNAL-EXTERNAL RELATED CHANNELS

According to Wang Ju-Yi, the second method of combining channels occurs on Internal-External related, or Husband-Wife channels. This method is used when there are two channels involved: both members of a husband-wife pair.  As all husband-wife pairs belong to the same element, oftentimes this means a problem focused on a single element.

Consider all such problems, and pairings.  What sorts of themes/problems would you expect to address via these channel pairings?

Lu- LI --> a METAL issue:

St-Sp --> an EARTH issue:

Ht-SI --> an IMPERIAL FIRE issue:

UB-Kid --> a WATER issue:

Pc-SJ --> a MINISTERIAL FIRE issue:

GB-Liver --> a WOOD issue:

COMBINATION METHODS
There are three common methods for combining points on internal-external related channels: 1) Yuan Source - Luo Connecting; 2) Yuan Source (Yin channel) - He Sea (Yang channel); 3) Combining points of the same class (i.e., two Jing Well points together). There are other, rarer methods of combining points, but we won’t consider them fully here.

Method 1: Yuan Source - Luo Connecting
It is sometimes hard to understand why the Luo Connecting point is used on the Yin channel in some cases, and on the Yang channel in others. The Source-Connecting Rule (from John Pirog’s book) is used to try to clarify which Lou Connecting point (Yin or Yang) and which Yuan Source point (Yin or Yang) to use. The rationale behind using the Yuan-Luo combination is that you want to tap into or build Yuan source qi (Yang qi) into a deficient channel, and vent pathogenic or excessive energy from another channel through the Luo Connecting point.  So, usually (not always), you can use the Yuan Source of a deficient channel, and the Luo Connecting point of an excessive channel.

It is important when using the Yuan-Luo combo to consider:
WHICH CHANNEL IS IN EXCESS?
WHICH CHANNEL IS IN DEFICIENCY?

It is also important to consider (especially in cases of an external attack):
WHICH CHANNEL WAS AFFECTED FIRST?
WHICH CHANNEL WAS (OR WILL BE) AFFECTED NEXT? (Note that sometimes the Yuan-Luo combo can be seen as a PROACTIVE strategy that fills a deficient channel so that it can better withstand an incoming attack).

The quote to remember when choosing (and understanding) Yuan - Luo combos is:
“Needle the SOURCE point at the SOURCE of the problem, and needle the CONNECTING point at the channel with the CONNECTED issues.”

Let’s try to clarify via a couple of examples.

Lung 7 - LI 4 is a common combo, used to treat the initial stages of a Wind Cold attack. There must or should be nasal symptoms, among other things. The nasal symptoms (symptoms ABOVE the throat, where the LI channel flows) represent the fact that the LI channel has been AFFECTED FIRST, and is in RELATIVE DEFICIENCY (because it is involved directly with the battle against the pathogenic factor). The Lung channel, meanwhile, is still relatively free from pathogenic invasion (perhaps the upper regions of the internal pathways and collaterals are occupied).

We therefore needle the Yuan of the SOURCE channel (the channel that has the original invading force), and the Luo of the channel with the connected issues (the channel that has yet to be occupied).

For another example, we could look at Sp 3 - St 40. Here, the SOURCE is the Spleen channel, where Dampness has lodged, preventing the smooth transformation and transportation of fluids. We want the Yuan Source energy of Sp 3 to tonify Yang Qi in the Spleen. We needle the Luo of the Stomach in order to vent out the Damp Phlegm that results from the deficient Spleen.

Other examples include Kidney 3 - UB 58, and Liver 3 - GB 37.

Examples:
***Lung 7 - LI 4
*Lung 9 - LI 6

***Sp 3 - St 40
*Sp 4 - St 42

*Heart 7 - SI 7
*Heart 5 - SI 4

***Kidney 3 - UB 58
*Kidney 4 - UB 64

**Pericardium 6 - SJ 4
*Pericardium 7 - SJ 5

***Liv 3 GB 37
*Liv 5 GB 40

Method 2: Yuan Source (YIN) - He Sea (YANG)

Another common method combines the Yuan Source point of a Yin channel with the He Sea point of a paired Yang channel. Here are some representative examples:

**Lung 9 - LI 11
***Sp 3 - St 36
*Heart 7 - SI 8
***Kid 3 - UB 40
*Pericardium 7 - SJ 10
***Liv 3 - GB 34

What are we doing with these combos? We are 1) tapping into the Yuan Source Qi of the Yin channel, and 2) using the regulating effect of the Yang He Sea point to either vent out excess energy, or simply get energy flowing in the right direction to assist #1. As the Yang He Sea point is associated with the Yang organ of the pair, and as the Yang organ and Yin organ are tied together, this assists in a mutually beneficial and balancing effect for both Yin and Yang organs.

Method 3: Same Point Class

This is the least common of the three most common methods of point combining for internal-external pairs. Here are a few examples:

Lung 11 - LI 1 for sore throat.

Lung 5 - LI 11 for rebellious Lung qi (coughing, wheezing) associated with excessive heat in the body.

Sp 9 - St 36 for combined problems of Spleen and Stomach involving a failure of urination production (retention of dampness) and a failure of bowel movement (either diarrhea or constipation).

Kid 10 - UB 40 for urinary problems, combined with some level of Kidney deficiency; also perhaps for low back pain.

Pc 6 - SJ 5: perhaps this has more to do with Eight Extras, but this is a pair that is used to safeguard the interior and vent the exterior.