Small Intestine Could Be Interpreting As the Image of Blood
By Namwook Cho L.Ac
This month, we explore when to tonify or sedate the Small Intestine meridian in Saam acupuncture. As a critical channel for blood-related symptoms, it’s effective for treating headaches, insomnia, cold lower abdomen, female reproductive issues, anemia, and chronic Bell’s palsy. The Small Intestine meridian is also helpful for winter shoulder pain; pressing on Tianzhong (SI-11) can be particularly effective if tenderness is present.
From now on, we’ll study cases where the Small Intestine channel is used for tonifying or sedating in Saam acupuncture. For beginners, deciding when to use these techniques can be challenging. Memorizing indications for specific symptoms is possible, but it can be overwhelming. A better approach is to focus on understanding the core principles.
Let’s first consider the meaning of the small Intestine channel. If we imagine it visually, it’s like cool water in a hot, transparent glass pot. This liquid feels like warm, red water. In the body, the warm, red liquid symbolizes blood. Thus, the small Intestine channel is closely associated with all blood-related symptoms. Also, most blood-related symptoms could be treated by either a small intestine tonifying or sedating formula.
The small Intestine channel starts at the hand and ends at the ear; it travels along the side of the hand, along the forearm, and ascends to the shoulder, passing through the scapula. From the shoulder, the channel ascends along the neck, passes through the ear, and travels upward to the eye area. It terminates at the infraorbital region, near the outer canthus of the eye.
With the branch connecting to the Lower Dantian and Guan Yuan before merging with the Small Intestine channel. If the blood becomes too hot and cannot cool down sufficiently, it won’t enter the Small Intestine.
For this reason, individuals with disorders in the small Intestine channel tend to have insufficient yang energy reaching, which feels cold. When the lower abdomen is cold, the lower back is also cold. For women, the lack of warm blood reaching the uterus results in coldness there, which is why many female reproductive issues are treated using the Small Intestine channel. If the uterus is cold, it indicates blood stagnation and poor circulation, often in the head, because all yang channels converge in the head. This causes unhealthy blood to accumulate, leading to symptoms like headaches, vivid dreams, and insomnia.
When blood gathers in the head, symptoms of blood deficiency emerge, such as palpitations, insomnia, vivid dreams, forgetfulness, and memory loss.
Pain in the shoulders is another condition treated with the Small Intestine channel. To check for this, press on the SI-11 (Tian Zhong) point. If there’s pain, it confirms an issue with the Small Intestine channel.
For men, cold in the lower abdomen can weaken the Small Intestine and the Heart, leading to insufficient yang energy in the blood flow. This can result in erectile dysfunction and a cold sensation in the tip of the penis. In such cases, using the Small Intestine jingle to direct heat downward can be helpful.
However, it’s important to note that not all cold cases in the lower abdomen should be treated with the Small Intestine channel. Freezing in the lower abdomen can also indicate Kidney problems. The Kidney channel functions like a water heater in the body. When the Kidney is weak, yang energy cannot rise from the lower abdomen, causing coldness in the area and sometimes cold sweat on the head. This is diagnosed as a Kidney deficiency. Chilly in the lower abdomen due to a small Intestine problem result from yang energy failing to descend from the upper body to the lower body, which should be addressed with the Small Intestine channel.
When blood heat accumulates in the head, symptoms such as itching or bleeding in the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears may appear. This, too, requires the use of the Small Intestine channel. The Small Intestine channel applies to various blood-related symptoms, including anemia, leukemia, and long-standing Bell’s palsy. Chronic Bell’s palsy is sometimes dramatically treated with the Small Intestine channel.
Since the Small Intestine channel is linked to blood, weakness in this channel can lead to Liver blood deficiency.
