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TREAT BACK PAIN DISTALLY

_________________

GET INSTANT PAIN RELIEF

WITH

DISTAL ACUPUNCTURE

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written

permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by: Draycott Publishing

Copyright © 2015 by Deborah Bleecker and Brad Whisnant

1st Edition

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of

any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems

without the advice of a physician, either directly, or indirectly. The intent of the

authors is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest

for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information

in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the

publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

The names and other identifying characteristics of the people in this book have

been changed.

ISBN-978-1-940146-11-9


___________________

GET INSTANT PAIN RELIEF WITH

DISTAL ACUPUNCTURE

BRAD WHISNANT, LAC, DAOM

DEBORAH BLEECKER, LAC, MSOM

DISCLAIMER

This book is designed to provide information about the subject matter covered. It

is sold with the understanding that the publisher and authors are not engaged in

rendering medical or other professional services. If medical or other expert

assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as

possible. However, there may be mistakes both typographical and in content.

Therefore, this text should be used only as a general guide and not as the ultimate

source of information.

The purpose of this manual is to educate and entertain. The authors, and Draycott

Publishing, LLC shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or

entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused directly

or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is only possible because of all the people who helped me and spent time

with me.

I am grateful to Dr. Tan. I took many of his classes, and followed him in his

clinic. He has been very generous with his time. Without him, distal acupuncture

would not be as well known. Because of his tireless efforts over thirty years, we are

able to learn this type of acupuncture, for which we are all thankful.

Dr. Wei Chieh Young has been so generous in his teachings. I can honestly say

that although I have put this book together, without both of these two masters, I

would not have been able to write this book.

It is because of these two individuals that so many of us have success in our clinics

and are able to help others. I am grateful that I was lucky enough to spend time

with these doctors.

Thank you.

6

OTHER BOOKS BY BRAD WHISNANT AND DEBORAH BLEECKER

Mastering Tung Acupuncture – Distal Imaging for Fast Pain Relief

Pain Case Studies – A Week in a Tung Clinic

Pain Case Studies – Volume Two

7

CONTENTS

Introduction 11

1 Basics of Master Tung Acupuncture 19

2 Can You Use Too Many Needles? 23

3 Where to Start – The Most Dependable Points to Try First 27

4 How to Combine Distal and Local Points 35

Emergency Back Pain Treatments

5 Back Pain Quickies:

– One or Two Needles Resolve All the Pain- 13 Case

Studies

41

6 Emergency Treatments:

She Cannot Breathe or Stand Up Straight after Hiking

Her Whole Back Is Tight and She Can Barely Walk

Spinal Fusion Area Hurts and She Cannot Be Touched

Disc Bulging with Numbness in His Feet

She Can Barely Move After Sitting All Day

Tailbone Pain in a Delivery Driver

59

Tung Theory

7 San Cha Points Theory and Case Studies 79

8 Ischial Tuberosity Pain in Three Patients 87

Tung Case Studies

Lower Back and Buttocks Pain from Driving All Day 93

A Nurse has Classic Sciatica 99

A Runner has Hip Pain 105

A Baseball Player has Lower Back Pain 108

Severe Back Pain after Six Back Surgeries 114

Emergency Treatment for a Herniated Disc 129

Lower Back Pain from a Urinary Tract Infection 132

A Horseback Rider has Anterior Hip and Groin Pain 135

8

Osteophytes and Bone Spurs are Causing Spine Pain 140

Lower Back Pain after Spinal Fusion Surgery 145

Acute Hip Pain from Lifting Boxes 151

A Teacher has Piriformis Pain 154

Multiple Disc Herniations 158

Lower Rib, Skin and Muscle Pain that Might Be Shingles 161

Severe, Acute Kidney Pain 167

Balance Method Theory

9 Balance Method Treatments Made Simple 171

10 TCM Channel Theory Explained 177

Balance Method Case Studies

A Man Has Back Pain Because He Is Old 189

Entire Back Hurts after Surgery 11 Years Ago 195

Woman Throws her Back Out in Fitness Class 208

Lower Back Pain and it Hurts to Walk 215

Sacro-Iliac Joint Pain and Sciatica 221

Distal Treatment Principles

11 The Twelve Magical Points 227

12 Cold Laser Treatment for Pain 233

13 Distal Back Pain Treatment Guide - Tricks and Tables 237

14 Scalp Image – How to Avoid Du 1 Treatments 241

15 Needle Size 243

16 Jing Jin Meridian Theory 245

17 Master Tung Theory 251

18 Managing Patient Expectations 255

19 Other Modalities for Treating Back Pain 261

20 Seven Systems of Balance – Charts 265

21 Tung Points List 269

22 Muscle Images and Channel Correlations 277

23 Tung Point Locations and Illustrations 291

24 Acupuncture Meridian Images 204

Resources 319

9

References 321

10

Great minds have great purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.

Washington Irving

11

INTRODUCTION

If you are familiar with using distal acupuncture to achieve instant pain relief, you

might have wanted to read case studies and delve further into the theory to be

better able to apply the theories in a consistently effective way. If you are not

familiar with distal acupuncture methods, you might not have seen how instant

pain relief can be achieved with a few needles.

The benefits of distal acupuncture and this book include:

Make distal methods simple, you can learn the methods used for an easy

way to treat with distal methods and master the technique

This book combines Master Tung acupuncture and Balance Method

acupuncture, which has been used for thousands of years and was first

mentioned in the I Ching

Learn which method is the best choice for each type of pain

Acupuncture quickies for lower back pain demonstrate how one or two

needles can instantly relieve pain

Treat the root and the branch of back pain

The instant results of distal methods will encourage your patients to

continue with care

In some cases, patients are in too much pain to get a local treatment

Distal treatment is great for acute care treatment

You can easily combine distal and local treatments to reap the benefit of

both methods

Learn the theories behind distal acupuncture

Dozens of case studies using the Balance Method, which uses TCM points,

and Tung acupuncture treatments that include Tung point images

If you can master the treatment of back pain, you will have a busy practice. If you

can master the distal treatment of back pain, you can demonstrate to people who

do not believe they can be helped that you can help them.


12

New Additions

We have written three books on distal acupuncture. The first is Mastering Tung

Acupuncture, Distal Imaging for Fast Pain Relief, and two Pain Case Studies

books, that each include distal theory case studies similar to this book. However,

after getting feedback from other acupuncturists, we have added the following to

this book:

There is a point name list at the back of the book where the Tung points are

listed by number. They are now sorted by Pin Yin name as well.

We added TCM point images, to refresh your memory on location, as well

as to make this book a complete reference. Although this book is written for

licensed acupuncturists, there might be points you don’t typically use in

clinic. The images will give you a quick refresher for what you learned in

school. They were not meant to replace a point location book for TCM

points.

The images now include the point name in English, and Pin Yin, unless it is

a Dao Ma, and space does not permit. A Dao Ma is two or more points used

in combination, on the same meridian, to increase the reaction.

All Tung points are listed with the locations and images at the back of the

book. You no longer need a point location book to reference as you read.

We have included new muscle images showing in detail which meridian

treats each muscle.

There are many distal theories for pain treatment. To name a few, Master Tung,

the Balance Method, which comes from the I Ching, the Jing Jin theory,

Tendinomuscular channel theory, the six or seven channels of balance, and there

are up to 1,000 different images that can be used to determine the best way to treat

disease. The goal of this book is to simplify that. You do not need to learn all these

theories to effectively treat pain.

We did not want to just write a theory book. Sometimes theory books are not

helpful when treating actual patients. Very few of our patients have just one type

of pain, or one type of disease. This book is a practical clinic handbook. The

information is gleaned from over 60,000 treatments given, on modern patients.

Some acupuncture books describe how to treat patients in a way that resembles

how a coach designs a football play. The coach tells everyone exactly what to do,

INTRODUCTION

13

and all the players cooperate. Very rarely do football plays go exactly as planned.

It is the same with our patients. They do not comply with textbook treatment

protocols. The theories are of little value if they cannot be applied in clinic. This

book is a compilation of theories and case studies that have been thoroughly tested

on the type of patients you see every day.

The Pain Problem

America has a huge pain problem. Americans are less than 5% of all humans on

the planet, yet we consume over 80% of all pain pills sold. Fifty percent of all

current drug addicts got hooked when they were prescribed Western pain

medications. Every 18 minutes an American dies from an overdose of pain

medications. Pain is epidemic in America, and Western medicine does not have

many solutions. This is why if we are phenomenal at treating pain, and in

particular lower back pain, you will have more than enough patients.

The 2007 NHIS data indicated that only 6.5% of Americans had reported ever

using acupuncture. Of these, 22% had seen an acupuncturist in the last 12 months.

Twenty five percent of those who had tried acupuncture had done so once, and

70% had seen an acupuncturist fewer than 5 times. The vast majority of those who

had seen an acupuncturist had done so for some kind of pain, primarily arthritis

and other orthopedic pain, headaches, or fibromyalgia. About 40% of the people

who reported using acupuncture for a specific condition specifically reported not

using conventional therapies for that condition, while 20-40% reported using

some kind of conventional medical therapy for the same condition

Back Pain Facts & Statistics

Although acupuncturists treat a lot more than just back pain, many patients

visit acupuncturists looking for relief from this pervasive condition. In fact,

31 million Americans experience lower back pain at any given time.

A few interesting facts about back pain:

Lower back pain is the single leading cause of disability

worldwide

One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain

symptoms each year.


14

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed

work. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason

for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-

respiratory infections.

Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—

meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as

inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture, or cancer.

Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—

and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.

Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will

experience a back problem at some time in their lives

There are reports that 90% of back pain will go away on its own, with no treatment.

However, a recent review published in the European Spine Journal in 2003,

showed that the reported proportion of patients who still experienced pain after 12

months was approximately 62%. This statistic dispels the popular notion that up

to 90% of lower back pain episodes resolve spontaneously within one month.

For most medical doctors and pain clinics, a pain level of 7/10 is expected to drop

only to a 4/10 when a patient uses pain medication. They know that pain

medications often do not completely relieve the pain. They usually just reduce the

pain, but do not totally relieve it. Pain medication was never made to completely

cure pain, it is used to manage the pain. This is not a criticism of Western medicine

and its treatment of pain. It just demonstrates there is no medication that can

actually cure the patient, or even reduce the pain levels to 1-2/10. If I cannot get

my patient’s pain below a three or four, I would say I have failed as a practitioner,

and or failed in my treatment!

Some patients are satisfied with the results they get with pain medications and

surgery. However, more people actually want to cure the problem and live a pain

free and medication free life. There is even a new drug that was designed to treat

the chronic constipation caused by taking pain medications long term. Pain

medications are not expected to heal pain. This is where Western medicine fails

people in the treatment of pain. This is where acupuncture has a huge advantage.

This is why we need to be experts in the treatment of pain. There are only a few

modalities that actually help the body to heal itself. Acupuncture can actually heal

the muscles and nerves, the actual root cause of pain.

INTRODUCTION

15

As an acupuncturist, pain is the easiest, most rewarding, and most important

disease to treat. Acupuncture works for chronic and acute pain, complicated and

simple pain, nerve pain, inflammation, cold/hot/damp Bi, numbness, radiation,

stiffness, range of motion restrictions, weakness, bone on bone pain, and deep

internal pain.

The focus of this book is treating the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

However, acupuncture is just as effective to treat organ pain. Orthopedic pain is

the primary subject of this book. We need to look for the root of the pain, and not

treat the branch, which is common in referred pain patterns.

If you can treat pain successfully, it is your gateway. You will be able to treat

patients for other ailments. They will rarely try acupuncture first to treat other

diseases. They will go to the emergency room for most severe diseases. Most

people do not currently consider acupuncture as their first choice for medical care.

Unfortunately, most people have no idea that Chinese medicine is a full service

medicine. They will consider massage, chiropractic and acupuncture to treat pain

only. They do this after they have not had good results with Western medicine.

This is why you need to be proficient at treating pain to have a successful practice.

After you treat your patients for pain, you will be able to educate them on how you

can help them with their other 20-100 health issues. As an acupuncturist, you are

a pain specialist.

You need to be very efficient at treating the diseases you see most often in clinic.

At least 75% of pain complaints for acupuncture are for lower back problems. The

top ailments in order are:

1. Lower back pain

2. Neck pain

3. Knee pain

4. Shoulder pain

5. Limb, feet, and hand pain

6. All other pain

Ailments 1 and 2 comprise 90% of the total! The last 10% is divided between 3-4-

5-6. This demonstrates how becoming very proficient at treating pain, and

especially back and neck pain, is very important for your practice.


16

Another reason to read a book on distal acupuncture for lower back pain is that

some of the most complicated things to treat are lower back pain at L2-5, the PSIS,

and the sacrum. It can be simple and easy to diagnose and treat pain on the fingers,

toes, knees, and elbows. They can sometimes be difficult, but nothing causes

concern for a distal Balance Method, Tung, or I Ching practitioner like a patient

saying she has severe pain in her joints and discs, and the doctor said it is bone on

bone. And oh, by the way, you have one or two treatments to prove this crazy

stuff works!

There is nothing more odd to patients than getting treatments done on their hands,

feet, knees, elbows, upper and lower arms, shoulders or head to treat their back

pain. They have a hard time accepting that this method works. When I palpate

their back they sometimes say that it feels good to have it massaged, “just stick a

big needle right there, I just know it will help, why are you needling my legs?”

This is why you have to be good at treating lower back pain distally. If you insert

10 needles and get no results, your patient will think you are not very good. Why

not just insert needles in their back? Everyone knows that. Just insert needles

where it hurts!

Just as you will look stupid if you do not get results with a distal treatment, there

is nothing more powerful than a few correctly placed distal needles that completely

resolve your patient’s pain. For the first time, they feel pain free. Hope comes

back into their lives. That is the power of true healing and the amazing points of

Master Tung, and the I Ching Balance Method.

There will no longer be fear or confusion on which meridians or points to treat.

You can see how the theories and points are used clinically. When I first started

treating patients with distal acupuncture, I would get lucky for 10-15 patients in a

row, then I would hit a dry spell. No one would get better. If they did get better,

it was only 50% better. Those days are gone.

We hope that this book brings you clarity on how to treat distally, and how to have

consistent, successful outcomes when you treat lower back issues. It is possible.

It is predictable. It is consistent. It is amazing.

One of our objectives is to show as much variety as possible of the different types

of lower back pain. In some cases a few points were used, and in others many

points were used. Some cases are Master Tung, some are a combination of Tung,

TCM, and the Balance Method.

INTRODUCTION

17

These cases were chosen because they are representative of the most common

types of back pain. The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of

the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity states that for many events,

roughly 80% of the effects or results come from 20% of the causes. This is true in

my clinic, and probably in your clinic as well. Most back pain, about 80% of it,

comes from the same 20% of causes.

There are outliers and exceptions such as back pain from internal bleeding. Back

pain can also be caused by cancer, extra discs, and extra joints. It can also be

caused by birth defects, longer or shorter legs, accidents, and injuries. The list is

endless! However, those are not the norm in our Western clinics. This is what I

hope to communicate, the day in, day out very common back issues.

The last thing I want to imply is that these conditions are always treated the same

way. I learn and grow, and my patients are always different. My treatment strategy

changes over time. Many theories are considered when I determine which points

I want to use. Not all these theories are elucidated. Sometimes I feel it is

appropriate to delve deeper into theory, and other times it is not.

This is why I suggest you understand why these points are effective. You don’t

have to, the points still work. Your patients will still heal, but you will be restricted

to the points others have used. If you learn the theory, your point selection options

increase. My point selections change over time, because my patients change over

time. Nothing is static in health care or Chinese medicine, so my strategies must

change also.

The greatest compliment I can receive from anyone is when someone says that they

liked my ideas, but that they found a better theory, or another way to do something.

As it was with our teachers before us, this medicine is a journey. In our clinics

every day we adapt, improvise, and overcome.

I will leave you in the kitchen, as I like to say. To be a true chef, we must take the

prepared plan and make it our own. This is how we become a chef, and not just a

cook. These cases are my personal recipes, that have worked for me and my

patients. As you learn to cook, you will develop your own style. This is what will

take your practice to the next level. Cooking is fun, but it is the creation that brings


18

passion in life. We all need passion to live. Without passion and creation, we are

lost.

19

CHAPTER 1

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BASICS OF MASTER TUNG ACUPUNCTURE

Ashi Locations

There is no need to locate Ashi points. You can use Ashi locations if you choose to,

but the locations of the Tung points don’t require a point to be Ashi. Sometimes I

will locate the Tung point, and then locate the Ashi point around it, but it is not

necessary. The point will still be effective even if there is no Ashi sensation.

Needle Size

You can use any size or brand you like. I use 36 gauge. I know some acupuncturists

who use 28 gauge, and some who use 40 gauge. They all work. You do not need

to tonify, sedate, rotate, or flick. There is no needle manipulation in the Tung

system. Insert your needles and relax. Make sure your needles are not flopping

around, but you don’t need to needle deeply either. Most points are inserted .25-

.50 cun on the arms, legs are .5-1.5 cun, the fingers and head are about .1-.3 cun.

Internal Medicine

Although this book is about pain, because most Americans only seek acupuncture

for pain relief, Master Tung acupuncture is also very effective for internal

problems. Many points also address the root, when they treat the manifestation.


20

Needle Retention

The cycle of Qi is about 28 minutes. We also know from MRI studies that the brain

will respond well for about 28.8 minutes. I have my patients sit or lie down for 25

to 30 minutes.

Number of Needles Used

We should always try to limit our needles. However, do not insert a few needles

and leave your patient without determining you have complete pain relief. You

should use as few needles as possible, but as many as necessary.

Expectation of Results

You should expect a 90-100% reduction in the pain while your patient is lying on

the treatment table. I expect this for at least 85% of my patients. Of the remaining

patients, 5% do net get relief, and 10% have a 25-75% reduction in pain while on

the treatment table.

Most of my patients come in once a week. I treat about 100 patients per week.

Only 16 of those come twice a week. Not all patients need two treatments a week.

There are many factors that determine the frequency of treatments.

I try to treat all my patients three to four times before we make a final judgment

about whether acupuncture will work for their condition. This does not always

work. Some people do not come back, and some people only get one or two

treatments. We usually expect instant pain relief. However, I always advise

patients to allow three to four visits over a ten-day period to see if it will work for

them. We will then decide what further treatment is necessary.

Opposite Side Treatment

Most points are treated on the opposite side of the pain. If you are in doubt, treat

the opposite side. There are some theories that require a same side insertion.

BASICS OF MASTER TUNG ACUPUNCTURE

21

Having the Patients Move during Treatment

Insert the needles and ask the patient to recreate the pain. You will know within

1-2 seconds if they feel better. If they cannot move while on the table, or recreate

the pain, just treat it as if it were there, right now. You can have the patient recreate

the pain after the treatment.

Efficacy

I appreciate the fact that Master Tung acupuncture is straightforward. You insert

the needles, breathe, and heal. That is it! There are no tricks, no magic, no

guessing, and no hoping that you relieved the pain. You know it immediately. It

is easy, safe, reliable, consistent, and effective acupuncture.


22

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.

Winston Churchill

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/winstonchu385862.html



23

CHAPTER 2

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CAN YOU USE TOO MANY NEEDLES?

In many cases, treating back pain can be very complex. Some acupuncturists have

said that I use too many needles. They also have said that in one instance, I used

a TCM channel, and in another case I said it was really a different channel that was

controlled by the Jing Jin meridians. I understand this can be confusing.

Some people have been taught, or just believe that “spreading the Qi” can cause

problems. I am sure this could happen with certain patients, but it is most likely a

Western perception. This does not happen overseas if I use a lot of needles. My

patient does not get “spun out” with too many needles.

I have certainly seen that using more needles does not necessarily mean a better

result. That happens a lot. I have seen 2-8 needles be effective, and I observe that

the ninth needle and beyond do not necessarily do much. However, I have never

seen that the ninth needle would make the patient worse, if the first eight needles

had resolved the condition.

Medically speaking, you will not make the body go back to a painful condition, or

return to a diseased state if you use too many needles. The worst thing with too

many needles is that your patients get frustrated with the treatment process.

I think this could be or would be much different if we were not using what I call

“Hollywood” needles these days. I use 36 gauge needles. I do think if I were using

dull (as in not sharpened by a machine) needles, then this idea of “spreading the

Qi and too many needles” might be true. However, the Hollywood needles we use

these days are 32-34-36-38 gauge, machine-sharpened, disposable, and “painless”

needles. I never see too many needles cause a problem.

Master Tung used 26 gauge, hand-sharpened needles. That’s quite a different

story. I was using 28 gauge Chinese made (very dull) needles in my Vietnam clinic.


24

After inserting about 3-6 needles, I saw that the patients had had enough

stimulation. We always need to be thinking, changing, adapting, listening and

watching our patients, and our clinical outcomes.

The reason for the complexity, and the at times contradictory statements, is due to

the “levels” of acupuncture channels. What do I mean by levels? I think that often

the area or muscle that is affected has many channels that could be used,

depending on which level or layer we are treating. There are TCM primary

channels, the sinew channels, divergent channels, Luo channels, extraordinary

channels, and internal pathways. We would treat a muscle, but at which “level” is

the dysfunction?

Divergent Channel of the Gallbladder

Take stress, for example. Where is stress? At which level? A normal person

complaining of a stress headache could have numerous etiologies, Zang Fu

dysfunctions, and meridian imbalances. We are often taught in acupuncture

school to look for the primary channel for stress and anxiety, the liver. We could

also use the divergent channel of the gallbladder. It is separate from the regular

gallbladder channel, at the greater trochanter. It then curves around the hip joint,

then goes to the external genitalia, where it joins the Liver divergent channel.

It then travels up the flank, to enter deeper into the body at the area just below the

ribs, where it connects the gallbladder to the liver, and then travels up to connect

with the heart. It then flows from the esophagus to the mandible, near the mouth.

From there, it disperses over the face, connecting to the eyes before joining the

regular channel again at the outer canthus. In this way, the Gall Bladder Divergent

Channel further cements the Gall Bladder’s relationship with both the heart, and

the liver.

What does treating the divergent channel have to do with Tung, and our point

selections? It shows that so many things are happening beyond the 14 primary

pathways that we learned in school. I think we all learned the pathways, but 95%

of the time was spent on the primary pathways, and not a lot of time was given to

all these other “channels and levels.”

This brings us back to the body. At what level is the disease located? We need to

pick the right level. This is why I think you can use the HT channel to treat the GB

CAN YOU USE TOO MANY NEEDLES?

25

channel in the upper trapezius, and it works. The HT channel treats the GB

channel via the “Clock opposite, system four,” but the trapezius is also controlled

by the BL, via the tendinomuscular channel relationship. Here, the HT channel

will not fix the upper trapezius if the problem is deeper, or superficial to the

primary channel.

There are layers of channels within each muscle, bone, tendon, pathology, and

organ. What is the problem if the rhomboids are in the primary channel? In this

case, I would agree it would be fixed by treating the Bladder, but what if the disease

is in the sinew, Jing Jin, divergent, or internal channel depth of the rhomboid?

Will treating the Bladder still give us amazing results? I don’t think so, and I do

not usually see a good result.

That is why you will notice that when I choose treatment points, I use more than

what is strictly necessary. I always “expand, overlap, and am redundant in my

theories and relationships” when choosing points. This is why I prefer to

understand the Jing Jin and other relationships. I do think that as I age, and

continue to treat, I will use increasingly fewer and larger needles.

Eventually I will slow down, I will have learned more and have more experience. I

think we are all beginners until we have given over 100,000 treatments. At this

point, I will see fewer patients each day, fewer than 20. I will use 26 gauge needles.

I currently use 36 gauge needles. I will needle just a few precise, perfect points

that will influence many depths, engage many channels with that one point, and

treat many pathologies based on needle principles.

However, until then, I suggest overlapping your images, expanding your theories,

and not worrying about over-treating. Just make sure you get amazing results with

your patients. That may mean one to four needles and your patient is on Cloud

Nine, with an amazing healing result. It could also mean you insert 5-10 needles

and achieve instant results, and then you decide to go back and make sure you got

it all, so you add a few more.

It might also mean you do Tung points that treat anxiety, and then, because you

are used to local treatments, you insert the local points. No matter what it means,

or how it manifests in your clinic, I think the only bad treatment is the treatment

that is not given. Get out there, treat people, do your best, and don’t worry about


26

hypothetical issues. Watch your patients and listen to them. Your patients will

teach you more than any book ever could.

I think the biggest mistake we make as practitioners in Western clinics is using too

few needles, and giving too few treatments. We are all hoping for 1-2-3 needles to

cure a 20-year-old chronic health condition in 1-2-3 treatments. It typically does

not happen. In addition, it certainly will not happen if your patient eats a horrible

Western diet, has a horrible emotional outlook on life, has poor digestion, and

chronic sleep issues!

Sometimes you are asking to stop the Mississippi river by placing a finger in the

river. It’s going to take more than that. Overtreatment can be an issue. However,

I would suggest that in today’s world with chronic diseases, chronic problems,

chronic and multiple levels of disease and pain, you will need more needles and

more treatments rather than fewer. My guiding principle is to use as few needles

as possible, and as many as necessary.

27

CHAPTER 3

_____________________

WHERE TO START,

THE MOST DEPENDABLE POINTS TO TRY FIRST

There are so many options for point selection. However, there are points that I

defer to when I can’t decide. They are that dependable. An example of a point that

is always dependable is Ling Gu/22.05 for back pain. This is the point that made

Master Tung famous. This point is located at the joint space between the first and

second fingers. I think it works best for L5/S1 pain, but it also works well for most

back pain. It treats back pain regardless of origin, etiology, or pathology. It also

is effective regardless of channel or relationships.

When you insert Ling Gu, 90% of the time you will relieve 90% of your patient’s

pain within seconds. It does not matter where it hurts or why it hurts. These

points are just that good.

I have included other points that as Dr. Tan would say, are “quick and dirty points.”

The points you can use when you don’t have time to think, or you are confused

about what to do.

When these points are used, we can put the trust in the body to heal. We can let

go of our idea that we know what we are doing. We just insert the points. We trust


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the ancient Chinese masters who figured this all out. We also trust the 300,000-

year-old human genome that is put together with health and balance at its core.

We trust what has come before us.

I use these points on a daily basis in my clinic. I see 30 people a day on my own,

and often I am running behind in my schedule, or I might be unsure of which

points to use for a patient. I typically insert 2-3-4 needles, and let the patient rest

for about 1-5 minutes. I will go to the other treatment rooms, or I might research

the disease I am treating. I go back to see how the patient is doing. After checking

on the patient, either I leave the patient alone, or I will add a few needles to treat

what I missed. I treat a lot of back pain in my clinic. The most common things I

treat are pain in the neck, upper trapezius, mid back, ribs, lower back, and sciatica.

LOWER BACK MUSCLES

TCM

For pain in the lower back muscles, around L2-5, my irreplaceable points are LU

5, LU 5.5, and LU 6. I combine these with HT 3, HT 3.25, and HT 3.50. The LU

and HT channels will treat the lower back channels, while the tissue relationship

will treat the tissues in the lower back.

LU 5

LU 5.5

LU 6

HT 3

HT 3.25

HT 3.50

treat back pain distally get instant pain relief … · treat back pain distally _____ get instant...

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