Constitutional Acupuncture

*from Clinic Internship Spring 2017 Virginia University of Oriental Medicine (VUOM) Dr. Pyo supervisor.
last update June 2017

Constitutional acupuncture is not well known in the west but it is taking a hold in our clinic here at VUOM. From what I have gathered, some unique testing is done to determine the dominant element of the person and constitution type. There are 4 elements are used in Constitutional acupuncture, a person’s body type has a primary with a secondary element.

Air= Tae Yang (Tai yang), Earth= Tae Umin (Tai Yin), Fire= So Yang (Shao Yang), Water= So Umin (Shao Yin).

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Elements in this particular Constitution system (not to be confused with Chinese or SaSang elements)

1. Tae Yang (Tai yang): AIR
Excess Lung and Large Intestine, Def. liver and gall bladder.
Deficient Pericardium and san jiao, Excess spleen and stomach.

2. So Yang In (Shao Yang) FIRE
Excess heart and Small intestines, Def. Kidney and Bladder.
Deficient Pericardium and san jiao, Excess spleen and stomach.

3. Tae Eum In (Tai Yin type) EARTH
Excess liver and Gall bladder, Def. Lung and Large Intestines.
Excess pericardium and san jiao, Def. spleen and stomach.

4. So Eum In (Shao Yin) WATER
Excess Kidney and Bladder, Def. Heart and Small intestines.
Deficient Pericardium and san jiao, Excess spleen and stomach.

With Primary and Secondary: 8 constitution Yin-Yang types combinations
This medicine treats both the primary and secondary constitution types.

1-3 Primary Tai Yang and secondary Tai Yin
Excess Lung and large intestine, Def. Liver and Gall bladder.
Excess liver and gall bladder, Def. lung and large intestines.

1-4 Primary Tai yang, secondary Shao yin
Excess Lung and large intestine, Def. Liver and Gall bladder.
Def. Heart and Small intestine, Excess Kidney and Bladder.

2-3 Primary Shao Yang and Secondary Tai Yin
Excess Heart and small intestines, Def. Kidney and Bladder
Excess Liver and Gall Bladder, Def. Lungs and Large Intestines.

2-4 Primary Shao Yang, secondary Shao Yin
Excess Heart and small intestines, Def. Kidney and Bladder
Excess Kidney and Bladder, Def. Heart and Small Intestines.

3-1Primary Tai Yin and Secondary Tai Yang
Excess liver and gall bladder, Def. lung and large intestines.
Excess Lung and large intestine, Def. Liver and Gall bladder.

3-2Primary Tai yin, and secondary Shao Yang:
Excess liver and gall bladder, Def. lung and large intestines.
Excess heart and small intestine, def. kidney and bladder.

4-1 Primary Shao Yin, secondary Tai Yang
Excess Kidney and Bladder, Def. Heart and Small Intestines.
Excess Lung and large intestine, Def. Liver and Gall bladder.

4-2 Primary Shao Yin, secondary Shao Yang
Excess Kidney and Bladder, Def. Heart and Small Intestines.
Excess Heart and small intestines, Def. Kidney and Bladder.

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Lot of needles on 5 Shu and Extraordinary Vessel

It is a complicated system of using many points in the tonify and sedate directions. In some cases it forces you to rely on a partner to do the testing. The charts at the bottom of this blog are required to get the pattern to do on a person. In other words, it is pretty impossible to memorize them all compared to something like 4 Needle Saam method which shares similar 5 element Shu points.

2 needles: bai hui and 2.5 centimeters behind bai hui.
16 needle acupuncture if you do the Shu points.
16 needle acupuncture if you do the Extraordinary Vessel points.
32 needles if you do both Shu and Extraordinary Vessel points.
34 Total needles.
Constitutional acupuncture method can be called “34 needle acupuncture” because you can do both the 5 shu point or 8 extraordinary point sets in the charts for the strongest treatment.

5 element Shu points and Saam Tonify/Sedate points. Not shown the Saam Heating and Cooling points.
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What I do like about this method is it uses nature and what seems like quantum physics in its theory. The method is thought to work on all cases the patient is having in regards to physical issues, their energy level, mental health, and spiritual wellness. A good patient for this method is one with issues in a lot of places. My teacher calls this method an art form. It seems very mathematical as well.

Bio-Digital O-Ring test (BDORT)

Most of the testing is done with what is called “ring testing” where the patient holds the thumb and middle finger together, places the other middle finger on parts of the pictures the patient is asked to touch.
It is actually a patented technique introduced by Japanese acupuncturist Dr. Yoshiaki Omura called “Bio-Digital O-Ring Test” (BDORT):

The BDORT technique is controversial as western doctors will call it quackery and pseudo science. The real knowing is testing and playing around with it so you can make an educated decision. For myself as a formally licensed Massage therapist, there seems to be some traces of Reiki thought and method in Dr. Yoshiaki Omura’s BDORT method.

The doctor tries to pull them apart using his two middle fingers to feel strength or weakness. Strong grip and weak grips can be found in the patient. Why is this? what makes standing in a certain direction or touching certain parts of a picture cause strength and weakness of trying to keep fingers touching? Earth’s Magnetic energy fields, and gravitational forces apparently working on the individual. This is indication of what the patient needs or doesn’t need. BDORT can be done with food, vitamins, herbs, find allergens… things your body may need or not need. The body will tell you. This is how the doctor finds which image, element, cardinal direction, etc. is best for patient. Other testing also indicates clockwise/counter clockwise energy patterns of a patient.

Some of the Images the patient will touch: (not shown: spiral galaxy clockwise and counter-clock wise)

Lost yet? Sound a bit too mystical or farfetched?

So here is something pretty cool: this “ring technique” works for needling direction. A assistant to the doctor is used when the doctor places a chop stick or needling tube in the direction or opposite direction of channel. For Extraordinary points the doctor does the “ring test” towards the front or back of patient. The reason for this is the Channels go up or down the body, while the extraordinary energy spirals left and right around the body. So if the doctor has a hard time pulling the ring apart for instance in the counter direction for ST36 on right side, then he will use sedation direction on rt. Side and tonification direction on left side and confirm this with the ring test on left side.

Images related to this system:

Time of day, direction, so much to know. Direction a patient is needled is also changed based on the direction they were needled last time. Some people are clockwise energy, others are counterclockwise wise. There is a lot to know at this point as I am still trying to figure out this method, but am fascinated on the ring testing as it seems to be real and not fake.

In the future a book will be translated/written by my intern teacher Dr. Pyo, but his brother who is a Western medical doctor, qigong master, and acupuncturist devised this method based on the 5 element “shu points” and extraordinary points using theory of polarity, the universe, nature, and earth.

Basically:
Start Finding the elements:

Easy method
2 perpendicular needle bai hui and 2.5 cm behind bai hui. Lay patient to face north to open channels.

Determine clock wise (rt. tai yang xue at temple) or counter-clockwise (left tai yang xue at temple) test for O-ring strongest by pointing middle finger on each side to O-ring test.

Clock wise patient: use rt. arm, and Counter-clockwise, choose left arm.

Moon Chart times. If is not moon time, then it is Sun time.

O-ring test in Sun time is primary element, O-ring test at moon time is secondary element.
Lung 9 (Tai Yuan) is Earth
Lung 5 (ChiZe) is Air
Heart 7 (Shen Men) is Fire
Heart 9 (Shao Chong)is Water

The primary and secondary have to be yin yang combinations. It cannot be Yang Yang or Yin Yin example: Tai Yang- Shao Yang is not a correct primary secondary.

Longer Method to find element

Insert 2 perpendicular needles at bai hui and 2.5 cm behind bai hui. Lay patient to face north to open channels.

Determine clock wise (rt. tai yang xue at temple) or counter-clockwise (left tai yang xue at temple) test for O-ring strongest by pointing middle finger on each side to O-ring test.

Clock wise patient: use rt. arm, and Counter-clockwise, choose left arm.

Shao Shang Lung: jing-well
Lung 11

Shao Chong Heart: jing well
Heart 9
strong o-ring test indicates which channel is open or active.

If Lung is active, Liver activates as well:
Clock wise person: tonify point is Lung 9 (TaiYuan) on the right side, and Sedating point is LU5 (ChiZe) on right arm Lung Channel.
Counter clock wise person: tonify point is Liver 8 (QuQuan), and sedate is Liver 2 (Xingjian).

Next:
Tai Yin (Earth type/excess Liver deficient Lung) will have strong O-ring at LU9 indicating def. Lung., and strong O-ring at Liv.8 indicates Excess Liver.

Tai Yang (Air type/excess Lung Deficient Liver) will have strong 0-ring at LU5 indicate excess lung, strong O-ring at Liv.2 indicates deficient Liver.

If Heart is active, so is the Kidney:
Clockwise person: tonify point is HT9 (Shao Chong) of right heart channel, sedate is HT7 (ShenMen).
Counter-clockwise person: tonify is KD1 (Yongquan) on Left kidney channel, sedate is KD7 (FuLiu).

Shao Yin (Water/excess kidney and deficient heart) will have strong O-ring at HT9 indicate def. of heart, and strong O-ring at KD1, indicates excess of Kidney.

Shao Yang (Fire/excess heart and Deficent Kidney) will have strong O-ring at HT7 indicate excess heart, and strong o-ring at KD7 indicates deficient Kidney.

Time of Day Chart: These show Moon times, if it is not Moon time, use Sun time.

Charts on the set to be done on the patient based on Constitution test results.
*Find Bai Hui and place a at Bai hui and a needle two centimeters behind Bai Hui. This is a good start to the needling for some needle direction testing as well.

**NOTE: The Extraordinary Vessel points ARE NOT Needled in the tonify sedate direction. You will see they will indicate left or right direction. see last column. for example Kidney 6 (KD6) is either needled towards toes or heel. this is because the extraordinary channel energy moves left or right across body, not up or down like regular 12 channels.

1-4 Air primary Water secondary
Counter Clock: Moon top, Sun bottom