Mostly, It Treats Lung Fullness Related Symptoms
By Namwook Cho L.Ac.
To apply Saam acupuncture, we must understand when we use tonifying and sedating formulas for each meridian. Let’s review the nature of the lung meridian.
The lungs are a source of the lung meridian and control its meridian. The lung has a relationship with the large intestine as a superior-interior relation.
To decide whether sedation or tonifying, first, we must understand the lungs’ fullness and emptiness. Then, we have to understand whether the symptoms of the lungs could be detected in other parts of the body or non-respiratory related symptoms.
The lung meridian’s symptoms could be related to a symptom in the digestive system, circulation system, chest and flank pain, ENT, and psychological symptoms.
I explained the indications for Saam acupuncture’s Lung tonifying formula, composed of acupoints tonifying LU9 and SP3 and sedating LU10 and HT8 last month.
I will introduce cases that require Lung sedation should be used.
When Lung Sedating Formula Should Be Used
Lung Sedation, tonifying LU10 and HT8 and LU5 and K10, is usually used to treat fullness symptoms of the Lung. Lung fullness symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, aversion to coldness and wind, feeling cold with sweating, and heat sensation.
The lung sedation formula is also applied to treat pain caused by lung fullness in the lung meridian pathways, such as the chest, upper arm, forearm, wrist, and thumb.
If you decide to use Lung Meridian, choose one of the lung meridian Saam formulas for either tonifying or sedation. The tonifying formula usually applies to a symptom caused by emptiness of the lung meridian, such as luing qi deficiency. The sedating formula is used to warm the meridian, enhance Qi movement on the meridian, and reduce pain. Suppose a patient complains of pain on the meridian and feels relief after applying heat to the pain spot. It would be best if you warmed the lung meridian. So lung sedating formula should be used to treat the symptom in the first place. The formula is composed of tonifying fire acupoints of the heart and lungs and sedating water acupoints in the Lungs and kidneys. It is designed to warm the meridian by using the heat from the heart and suppressing coldness from the kidney’s water to generate maximum fire characteristics.
Suppose you are familiar with the Korean Four Constitutional Medicine. In that case, the Lung tonifying formula is often used to treat a Yin-type person rather than a Yang-type person because Yin type person’s upper body problem is based on yang Qi deficiency, which warms the upper body and enhances Qi circulation in the upper body and organs.
Indications of Lung Sedation
The formula should be understood as a treatment for resolving peripheral circulatory disturbance, water retention or phlegm stagnation, and sensitivity of metal characteristics.
- Feeling severe pain in the scalp: It is due to the hypersensitivity of the scalp.
- Increased amounts of eye crust, which is in hard form: The status of eyecust makes it possible to diagnose the cause of forming. If the eye crust is soft, it is formed due to lung emptiness. If the eye cluster is hard, lung fullness is the cause.
- Cannot lie down in any position because of being short of breath: The symptoms are caused by water retention, and the patient could feel nausea. The mechanism of shortness of breath is from stagnated heat in the lungs.
- The stomach makes constant noises. Nausea and shortness of breath. Spits bubbly phlegm or the phlegm smells like fish. Pulling sensation on the chest and trunk: The symptoms described above are due to water retention in the stomach.
- Severe pain in joints of hands and feet: If the pain moves from one place to another or has with tingly sensation with severe pain like a tiger bite, it is due to lung fullness.
- Urination problems: If a patient has trouble urination with pulling pain in the lower stomach and Urinary incontinence.
A Saam’s formula is used to treat certain conditions called blood stagnation resolving formula. The formula reduces pain from blood stagnation from a recent accident, discoloration, or surgery. I use the formula whenever I want to help a patient with a lot of pain with a purplish-colored tongue body which is a sign that indicates blood stagnation. To apply the blood stagnation resolving formula, tonifying LU9, SP3 and LI11.
