- Sanghoon Lee, KMD, MPH, PhD, DiplAc, LAc Professor, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine Kyunghee university
- Dongwoo Nam, KMD, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine Kyunghee university
- Jeongmin Ko, KMD, Dr.Jeongmin Ko’s Korean Medicine Clinic (Inc.) All that Korean Medicine
- Hyojung Kwon, KMD, PhD (Inc.) All that Korean Medicine
- Seung Min Kathy Lee, KMD, PhD, Research Fellow Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine Kyung Hee University
- Park Jun Hyeong, KMD, MS, Researcher, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine Kyung Hee University
Published in December 2017 by Korean Society of Acupuncture & Moxibustion Society
3. Treatment Method
Tonifying the relevant points of the Heart meridian for diagnosis purpose is already half effective as treatment. The following treatment method is additionally done to complete the treatment.
Tae-yang In has large Lung and small Liver therefore LU9 is sedated and LR3 is tonified.
Tae-eum In has large Liver and small Lung therefore LR3 is sedated and LU9 is tonified.
So-yang In has large Spleen and small Kidney therefore SP3 is sedated and KI3 is tonified.
So-eum In has large Kidney and small Spleen therefore LI4 is sedated and SP3 is tonified. Theoretically the source point of the Kidney meridian should be sedated for So-eum In, but under the principle of not sedating Kidney, the domain of the Kidney is substituted.
① Ear disease of Tae-yang In (sedate LU9): the ear belongs to the domain of the Lung, and since Tae-yang In has large Lung the source point of the Lung meridian, LU9, is sedated.
② Eye disease of Tae-eum In (tonify SP3): the eye belongs to the domain of the Spleen, and since Tae-eum In has small Spleen the source point of the Spleen meridian, SP3, is tonified.
③ Low back pain of So-yang In (tonify LR3): lower back belongs to the domain of the Liver, and since So-yang In has small Liver the source point of the Liver meridian, LR3, is tonified.
④ Bone pain of So-eum In (sedate LI4): bone belongs to the domain of the Kidney, and since So-eum In has large Kidney the source point of the Large Intestine (which also belongs to the domain of the Kidney) meridian, LI4, is sedated.
<The tonifying and sedating method>
Lee Byeong-Haeng used the rotation method and numbers method to tonify and sedate. Respiratory method can be added to prevent fainting during acupuncture intervention. To tonify, place needle while the patient inhales and rotate clockwise for nine times or the multiple of nine times. To sedate place needle while the patient exhales and rotate counter-clockwise for six times or the multiple of six times. Rotate until deqi is attained. Regardless of the gender, meridian, and the time of the day when treatment takes place, rotating the needle clockwise tonifies and rotating the needle counterclockwise sedates
(the rotation method).
Strongly rotating the needle clockwise and then weakly rotating counterclockwise to the starting point tonifies, and on the opposite, strongly rotating the needle counterclockwise and then weakly rotating clockwise to return to the original point sedates (the twisting method).
Tonifying method rotates nine times at once and then repeats three times, therefore the total number of rotations is 27. The sedating method rotates six times at once and repeats three times, therefore the total number of rotations is 18. Pause in between the rotations.
The duration of treatment lasted in average three to four months, and some diseases took six to seven months to cure.
4. Indications for Taegeuk acupuncture
Taegeuk acupuncture can be practiced for internal diseases as well as injuries. The following are indications verified effective in research of taegeuk acupuncture.
<The symptoms for which Taegeuk acupuncture is effective>
The exemplified treatments are for patients with So-yang constitution.
- A stroke patient with hemiplegia can move his or her limbs when HT3 is tonified. Tinnitus disappears at the site.
- Headache, stomachache and numbness of hands and feet are cured at the site.
- Hiccupping stops short.
- It is hard to confirm the cure of stomach cancer but the pain disappears at the site.
- Eyesight becomes bright.
- Fatigue is recovered at the site.
- Myalgia is reduced.
- Low back pain is cured at the site.
<Response of patients after Taegeuk acupuncture>
Taegeuk acupuncture is effective for psychogenic disease with symptoms such as palpitation, forgetfulness, insomnia, anxiety, impatience, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, and nausea. They relate to disease such as
depression, chronic insomnia, aphasia, tic disorder and deficiency of Heart, Gall Bladder and Spleen.
Taegeuk acupuncture is effective for illnesses caused by blood circulation disorder such as blurry eyesight, pallor, headache, dizziness, stiff neck, menstrual pain, morning edema, small joint pain, etc.
Taegeuk acupuncture is effective for incurable diseases such as hand tremor, shaky head, facial spasm, convulsion of unknown reason, and for diseases for which standard acupuncture worsens the symptoms.
Taegeuk acupuncture can be used alongside standard acupuncture for
- Tinnitus or sudden deafness by needling TE21, SI19, TE17 of the affected side.
- Trigeminal neuralgia by needling ST4-ST6, ST7-TE17, GB14-TE23(electroacupuncture) of the affected side.
- Bell’s palsy by needling ST4-ST6, ST7-TE17, GB14-TE23(electroacupuncture) of the affected side.
- Unhealed ankle sprain after 3-6 months by using standard acupuncture following the Meridian of the affected side.
5. Case reports
In cases of patients with marked solar plexus tenderness, Taegeuk acupuncture is practiced after the diagnosis of the constitution, regardless of the chief complaint whether it is stiff neck, lower back pain or knee joint pain. The following reaction usually results.
- The mind is calmed and head becomes clear.
- Chest discomfort disappears.
- Vision becomes bright Digestion is boosted, and one feels hunger.
- One becomes drowsy.
- The acupuncture treatment site is painful.
- One does not notice any difference.
- The above 1~7 reactions are those of the patients right after one treatment session of Taegeuk acupuncture. After 1~2 days of the first treatment, the reactions are as follows.
- Sleeps well at night after acupuncture treatment.
- Body feels lighter.
- Fatigue seems to be less.
- Chronic and recurrent joint pain such as neck stiffness, knee pain and backache seems to be relieved.
- Myalgia and spasm seem to be improved.
- Still not sure of any difference.
6. Study reports
In one recent study Taegeuk acupuncture had potential as an effective means of stabilizing mental stress-induced imbalance of autonomic nervous system for So-yang constitution. In this study eight women diagnosed as So-yang constitution participated in a study on reducing mental stress assessed by heart rate variability. They were randomly divided into group A and group B. Each participant went through 3 sessions every week with a 1 week washout period in between each session. HRV was measured three times at every session; at baseline, after administering mentally stressful circumstances and after applying either one of simple rest, So-yang Taegeuk acupuncture or So-eum Taegeuk acupuncture. This study was designed as a crossover clinical trial. After same initial simple resting session for both groups at week 1, acupuncture for group A were
executed in the order of So-yang Taegeuk acupuncture and So-eum Taegeuk acupuncture at week 2 and 3 respectively, with acupuncture for group B conducted in reverse order. The simple rest and So-eum Taegeuk acupuncture did not show the significant changes in response to LF(norm) and HF(norm) after stress stimuli. So-yang Taegeuk acupuncture did, however, significantly decrease LF(norm) and increase HF(norm). Soyang Taegeuk acupuncture, compared to So-eum Taegeuk acupuncture, significantly stabilized autonomic nervous system.
