Acupuncture

Tonification and/or Draining

strengthening, stimulating, reducing, sedation, dispersion...

I've been teaching acupuncture this summer (2009) and one of the most interesting, but confusing, frustrating aspects is the question of stimulating, or reducing, energy at an acupuncture point. It's an important question, but chasing it in the literature yields no simple, or consistent, answers. None of the texts, fully, agree.

There are two major approaches to tonifying, or dispersing. One involves "needling techniques", and the other uses the relationships of "elements" or "phases".

There are many needling techniques to strengthen or reduce (see below), but the most popular technique is to rotate the needle clockwise to disperse and counter-clockwise to tonify. So why isn't this a satisfactory answer? If it works empirically, it works! Maybe, but maybe there is more to this.

I want to digress for a moment, and to talk about "energy work". I've met many people who have said that our right side is our creative/masculine side and our left side is our receptive/feminine side, and that you can send energy with your right hand and take energy with the left. But I think there is a more basic, and simpler, rule, which is that "energy follows intention." Its a rule that John Uppledger of CranioSacral Therapy subscribes to. When I was doing his advanced module with him he would have us start by putting both hands on the "patient" and giving, sending energy, and then taking, drawing energy. If you do this frequently, you get so that you can actually feel it, physically. Energy follows intention. Believe that you can only give with your right, and you're right. Set-up a rule that counter-clockise tonifies and clockwise sedates, and they will.

So: the texts are confusing. For example: Questions and Answers about Acupuncture and Moxibustion teaches that in the ascending channels leftward rotation of the needle strengthens and rightward rotation drains. The opposite is said to occur in the descending channels. The Ode of the Golden Needle instructed: “For men, leftward rotation with the thumb advancing during exhalation strengthens, rightward rotation during inhalation drains.” The opposite is said to be true of women, for whom everything is reversed in the aftrenoon. (See below.)

I asked my colleague, Arella, about tonification and she said, "Intention." And discussing this with my students it came clear to me that intention is crucial, and that the needling techniques are ways of setting up patterns for the practitioners.

I don't know if I've yet said it well, but it needs to be said: in acupuncture, to a great extent, giving or taking energy depends on intent.

There's another factor! Acupuncture points... needled acupuncture points tend to be homeostatic. If the Qi is low, the Qi flows in. If the Qi is high, it disperses.

And again, a most important consideration:... the nature of the (specific) point, to a large extent, determines what will happen. Talking about this with my student, Monty, he brought up the different nature of Governing Vessel/Du 20 and 26. Du 20, Baihui, calms people down. It is a sedation point. Anton Jayasuriya called it, "the valium point." Du 26, Renzhong, will tend to alert, wake up, the patient (while "calming the spirit"). It is a stimulating point.

So, we can send energy, or take energy, and meanwhile the points tend to be homeostatic, and beyond this the points have their own agendas in tonifying or sedating...

For a discussion of some of the techniques based on elements, phases, google "mother-child" and google "horary points".

gold needle
insert during inspiration
direction, with flow
rotate anti-clockwise
with little force
long time
remove slowly*
close the hole
massage after needling

silver
expiration
against flow
clockwise
forceful
short period
rapidly*
leave open
leave alone

stimulation

insert slowly
withdraw quickly
thrust forcefully
raise gently
rotate counterclockwise
point the needle with the flow
withdraw quickly* and compress the point

sedation

insert fast
withdraw slowly
thrust gently
raise forcefully
rotate clockwise
Point the needle against the flow
while withdrawing slowly*, apply lateral pressure (in all directions to open the puncture point)

* * *

Dear Norman
     I am an acupuncture student and have just read your article about tonification and draining. I was shocked that you do not tonify and drain the way I was taught - clockwise to tonify and anticlockwise to drain. I have since looked at other articles and found both ways mentioned as the correct way. Surely there must be a definitive text available so that we all know which is correct?
     Please let me have your thoughts. What are your sources?
     Thanks
     J

* * *

Dear J
     I can only reitterate what I have written in my article. While most practitioners twirl clockwise to sedate, anticlockwise to tonify (see Jayasauriya, see Bensky), there is no consensus (vis the manner you were taught. European would tend to feel that clockwise screws in, anticlock screws out). There is a little more consensus about mother-child, a little, but many systems and very complex.
     Energy follows intention. You can send or take with a clockwise twirl, or no twirl at all.
     But... the body also directs. Ku areas charge, Jitsu drains. Baihui sedates. Renzhong tonifies.
     These are my thoughts (and Ariella's)
     N