Stomach 36

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http://www.itmonline.org/pdf/zusanli.pdf

 

This article contains a fairly good picture of how to locate St 36, the " 3

Mile Point " . This point sometimes is called the 3 Mile Point because it was

said that needling this point could give exhausted solders the energy to

march for 3 more miles.

 

This point has a number of uses. Bob Flaws points out in Curing Hay Fever

Naturally with that using moxa on St 36 and CV 4 is a very

effective way of increasing Yang.

 

The article at this link is rambling at times and can be confusing to those

new to TCM and those without a background in Western medicine. There are

some main ideas scattered throughout the article: St 36 gets used for pain

(can raise the pain threshold), with cancer patients, both to purge Heat and

Cold, to improve immune system functioning, to increase energy, in cases of

both Stomach and Spleen Deficiency (it improves digestion), and to aid in

performing a gastroscopy test.

 

Some of these categories overlap. For example, when it comes to cancer

patients, St 36 can perform several useful functions. It can decrease pain,

resulting in the need for less pain medication. One study cautions that it

may take a couple of months for the full pain threshold raising properties

to kick in so cancer patients will have to rely on regular Western

pain-relieving medication in the full dose in the beginning. The point acts

much quicker on milder pain due to things like digestive system problems.

 

The fact that St 36 improves immune system functioning also makes it good

for many cancer patients in that they have compromised immune systems.

Research as far back as 1989 revealed that needling this point can increase

the number of T-cells and improve the activity of natural killer cells. The

immune-enhancing effects can be helpful in any number of conditions which

are characterized by immune system problems, not just cancer.

 

Finally, by improving digestion and flow of Qi, St 36 can help to alleviate

the side effect of nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy and radiation,

plus, increasing the ability of patients to absorb nutrients from food to

help them heal. Improving digestion is not limited to cancer patients but

also applies to anyone who has a Stomach and/or Spleen Deficiency and poor

digestion and other digestive system problems.

 

One of the most practical uses of St 36 may come with its use when

gastroscopy tests have to be performed. This is a test in which doctors

slip a tube with a light and very small camera down a patient's throat so

they can look at the inside of the person's stomach. There are prescription

drugs given to patients in China as well as in the West to prevent the

spasms that result when anything is inserted down a person's throat - like

someone sticking a finger down his/her throat to cause vomiting. But

sometimes these drugs are not effective enough. In spite of the drugs, the

tubing still triggers spasms and either can't be inserted all the way or it

gets expelled or it damages the insides of the person because of the spasms.

St 36 can quiet spasms in some people in whom the medication is

ineffective or only partially effective. Warning: There may be some TCM

conditions in which St 36 could produce problems, so health care

professionals should research this use of St 36 carefully. Also, the

article didn't mention if St 36 is effective with endoscopy (the tube gets

run beyond the stomach to the beginning of the small intestine) or

colonoscopy (the tube gets inserted through the anus into the large

intestine to get a look at it).

 

St 36 appears to normalize the temperature of the Stomach. It can be used in

cases of Stomach Heat or Stomach Cold.

 

The article points out that in the traditional literature, the use of St 36

to " recuperate depleted yang " is hardly mentioned. But it gets used for

this a lot today. I first learned about St 36 for increasing energy in

Acupressure's Potent Points chapter on chronic fatigue. It does work very

well for this. Also, St 36 gets used a lot in treating cases of impotence.

(Impotence, reduced libido, etc. often are symptoms of Kidney Yang

Deficiency.)

 

According to the article, Large Intestine 4 gets used a lot with St 36. LI

4 is very contraindicated in the case of a pregnant woman, and the use of St

36 along with LI4 can increase the chance of premature labor and miscarriage

even more.

 

Victoria

 

 

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