Guest guest Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 Greetings colleagues, Can anyone explain to me what is " Four Needle Technique " ? My training is in China and I am presently preparing for American national certification exam in acupuncture. According to handbook, exam includes " Four Needle Technique " but I have never heard of this. My Chinese colleagues are also in the dark. How do you do this technique? Where does it come from? Are there classical sources? How much one needs to know about it for the national exam? Any help would be appreciated. Sincerely, Zhou Xun Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 Hi. 4 Needle Technique is a direct way to tonify or sedate an element. I believe that it is mostly a technique of Korean acupuncture. It shows up a lot on the NCCAOM exam, so it is good to know. Basically, To Tonify an element - Tonify the Mother, Sedate the Father To Sedate an element - Tonify the Father, Sedate the Child. There are two ways to that it is used. The first is the Korean technique: If an element is deficient (ie - Metal - Lung)- Tonify the Mother on the Mother Channel (Sp 3), Tonify the Mother on the Deficient Channel (Lu 9), Reduce the Father on the Father Channel (P8 or H8), Reduce the Father on the Deficient Channel (Lu 8) If an element is excess (ie - Metal - Lung)- Tonify the Father on the Father Channel (P8 or H8), Tonify the Father on the Excess Channel (Lu 8), Reduce the Child on the Child Channel (K10), Reduce the Child on the Excess Channel (Lu 5). There's another way that I learned, that my teachers called the " Chinese 4 Needle Technique " that treats any 2 channels. ie- K deficient & Liver excess: Tonify the Mother on the Deficient Channel - K7 Reduce the Father on the Deficient Channel - K3 Tonify the Father on the Excess Channel - Liv 4 Reduce the Son on the Excess Channel - Liv 2. Hope this helps, Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2003 Report Share Posted January 25, 2003 Hi Zhou Xun, The 4-Needle Technique is a significant part of the California State Exam. I have not taken the Nationals but I assume it is in there too. Clinically it is not used much but I think they llike it on exams because it's a bit of mental gymnastics and it enables the exam writers to examine your knowledge of the 5 elements and their associated 5 transporting (shu) points on the distal limbs. It was originally developed in Korea but has fallen under the umbrella of " TCM " . It's based on understanding the Ke and Shen Cycles of the 5- Elements. Probably the easiest way to explain this is to give you an example. If you have any questions, post again and I'll try to clarify. Make diagnosis according to 5 Elements. Let's say, earth element deficiency (Sp qi xu). Treatment is to tonify the Mother element (fire) and sedate the grandmother (wood). Tonify mother (fire): horary point on wood (fire point on fire meridian) tonify Spleen 2 mother point on earth (fire point on earth meridian) tonify Heart 8 Sedate grandmother (wood): horary point on wood (wood point on wood meridian) sedate Spleen 1 grandmother point on earth(wood point on earth meridian) sedate Liv 1 Next example, let's say it is a wood excess condition (Liver qi stagnation) Sedate Son sedate fire point on fire meridian: Ht 8 sedate fire point on wood meridian: Liv 2 Tonify Grandmother tonify metal point on metal meridian: Liv 4 tonify metal point on wood meridian: Lu 8 That's basically it. If the imbalance is in a Fu organ (Stomach excess or GB deficiency, etc) then use the yang meridians. Just remember that you will always needle the Grandmother element. Tonify grandmother for excess, sedate grandmother for deficiency. The other set of points will then be the opposite (sedate son or tonify mother). Keep it simple, don't overthink it. acupuncture , Zhou Xun <lingshu8> wrote: > Greetings colleagues, > > Can anyone explain to me what is " Four Needle > Technique " ? > > My training is in China and I am presently preparing > for American national certification exam in > acupuncture. According to handbook, exam includes > " Four Needle Technique " but I have never heard of > this. My Chinese colleagues are also in the dark. > > How do you do this technique? Where does it come > from? Are there classical sources? How much one > needs to know about it for the national exam? > > Any help would be appreciated. > > Sincerely, > Zhou Xun > > > > Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. > http://mailplus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2003 Report Share Posted January 25, 2003 Hi Zhou Xun, I just found this site which should help a lot. http://acupuncture.com/Clinical/Four.htm The author of this explanation is Dr. Xiuling Ma from Beijing University She is currently the chair of the Department of Classical at American University of Comlementary Medicine. I had the fortune to have her as a professor while she was at Emperors College. Bernie acupuncture , " Berns <bernard_m_kim> " <bernard_m_kim> wrote: > Hi Zhou Xun, > > The 4-Needle Technique is a significant part of the California State > Exam. I have not taken the Nationals but I assume it is in there too. > Clinically it is not used much but I think they llike it on exams > because it's a bit of mental gymnastics and it enables the exam > writers to examine your knowledge of the 5 elements and their > associated 5 transporting (shu) points on the distal limbs. It was > originally developed in Korea but has fallen under the umbrella > of " TCM " . It's based on understanding the Ke and Shen Cycles of the 5- > Elements. > > Probably the easiest way to explain this is to give you an example. > If you have any questions, post again and I'll try to clarify. > > Make diagnosis according to 5 Elements. Let's say, earth element > deficiency (Sp qi xu). Treatment is to tonify the Mother element > (fire) and sedate the grandmother (wood). > Tonify mother (fire): > horary point on wood (fire point on fire meridian) tonify Spleen 2 > mother point on earth (fire point on earth meridian) tonify Heart 8 > > Sedate grandmother (wood): > horary point on wood (wood point on wood meridian) sedate Spleen 1 > grandmother point on earth(wood point on earth meridian) sedate Liv 1 > > > Next example, let's say it is a wood excess condition (Liver qi > stagnation) > Sedate Son > sedate fire point on fire meridian: Ht 8 > sedate fire point on wood meridian: Liv 2 > > Tonify Grandmother > tonify metal point on metal meridian: Liv 4 > tonify metal point on wood meridian: Lu 8 > > That's basically it. If the imbalance is in a Fu organ (Stomach > excess or GB deficiency, etc) then use the yang meridians. Just > remember that you will always needle the Grandmother element. Tonify > grandmother for excess, sedate grandmother for deficiency. The other > set of points will then be the opposite (sedate son or tonify > mother). Keep it simple, don't overthink it. > > acupuncture , Zhou Xun <lingshu8> wrote: > > Greetings colleagues, > > > > Can anyone explain to me what is " Four Needle > > Technique " ? > > > > My training is in China and I am presently preparing > > for American national certification exam in > > acupuncture. According to handbook, exam includes > > " Four Needle Technique " but I have never heard of > > this. My Chinese colleagues are also in the dark. > > > > How do you do this technique? Where does it come > > from? Are there classical sources? How much one > > needs to know about it for the national exam? > > > > Any help would be appreciated. > > > > Sincerely, > > Zhou Xun > > > > > > > > Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. > > http://mailplus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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