Recently I had an epiphany while preparing to teach a module of the OCOM DAOM program in Portland, OR that I’d like to share. To prepare for teaching I went back over my old notes from training in Dr. Yoshio Manaka’s way of using the 8EV with ion pumping cords, a unique polarity style of treatment. His system was called Yin-Yang Channel Balancing. I practiced that style for 10-12 years—for certain patients I still give ion cord treatments. I have also studied with Kazuto Miyawaki, acknowledged as a modern master of the 8EV, and have used his system of 8EV treatment. In the Miyawaki system polarity agents are used as well, in this case zinc and copper discs. It also makes clever use of moxa on the master-couple points.
The real revelation in my preparations, though, was in rereading Miki Shima and Charles Chace’s book on Li Shi-Zhen’s approach to the 8EV, An Exposition on the Eight Extraordinary Vessels: Acupuncture, Alchemy and Herbal Medicine. I recommend everyone read it. Li Shi-Zhen did not use the master-couple points as we commonly do when he utilized the 8EV, even though their use had been well established for 100 years or so when he wrote his book. I find that so curious. Instead Li Shi-Zhen had other treatment points, not even necessarily points on the actual trajectory of the 8EV, that can be used to activate the 8EV. Hold that thought.
For the last year I have been hosting a five-module training in the Nagano style taught by Tsuyoshi Shimamura, Nagano’s dedicated student. One feature of that style is the “ST qi line” treatment. This involves the treatment of three points between knee and ankle on each leg approximately on the ST channel. These points can be depressions or nodules. Mostly, even though the points are determined by palpation and not by standard point location standards, they often end up being near ST 36, 37, 39. As it turns out Li Shi-Zhen named these same three ST points as points that activate the chong mai. Hold that thought.
I have interviewed Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D. maybe six times on different topics, and we have published them in various places. In one interview he expressed the conviction that 100% of his patients have anxiety of one degree or another. It might be financial in nature or about relationships or other matters, but it is ubiquitous. This is quite a statement when you think about it: 100% of our patients having some type or another of anxiety! What a world we have built. When we are anxious our qi ascends and gets stuck in the upper body. It is a counterflow phenomenon, and treating counterflow is one of the prime functions of the chomg mai.
In a conversation some months ago with Shimamura sensei he mentioned that 60% or so of the patients to Nagano sensei’s clinic received only the ST qi line treatment. I was astonished when I heard this. I had been using this as part of my treatments since the first module of our training, and I knew from experience it was powerful, but I had a hard time imagining it as an entire treatment. I thought about this for three months and when Shimamura sensei came for the next module I asked him: “How was Nagano sensei palpating for these points. I have a hard time believing he was simply feeling for notable depressions or nodules. Anyone off the street could probably find those.” Shimamura sensei thought for a bit and then explained that he thought Nagano sensei was feeling carefully for subtle temperature shifts or for where the qi flow changed. He explained further that qi flow changes get reflected into the luster of the skin above.
Toyohari and shonishin trainings have equipped my hands reasonably well for perceiving subtle changes in the luster of the skin, e.g., where the skin goes subtly from dry to smooth or vice versa. Once I started to use this idea of locating areas of luster change to identify the three points I used on each leg (first the left leg, then the right) in the ST qi line treatment, (I still try to find depressions or nodules at the areas of luster change) my results improved dramatically, and I mean dramatically. The time I am on each point can vary patient by patient, but it is never more than a few minutes; I am waiting for a perception of change at the point before I come off with my teishin. But still I wondered why this treatment worked so well. What is so magical about these points?
The Shima-Chace book answered this for me. I believe it works so well perhaps because it is employing the descending function of the chong mai. Apparently ST 36, 37, 39 when combined do an exemplary job of activating the chong mai. This treatment addresses the counterflow of anxiety that Heiner Fruehauf claims is near universal. All this came about because of preparing to teach the DAOM program module on the 8EV. It tied together different styles in an interesting way that has helped improve my treatments significantly. Strange how things work that way.
If you have a chance to study with Shimamura sensei or Miyawaki sensei, I recommend it. Koie Kuwahara sensei from Boston is another teacher of the Miyawaki system. Please read the Li Shi-Zhen book from Shima and Chace; this idea of using 8EV treatment points other than the master-couple points clearly has merit and is worth your time and effort to explore. For a classical understanding of the 8EV (there is only a little in the Nei Jing on the topic, but the Nan Jing has three chapters devoted to them) nothing beats the Claude Larre – Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee book, The Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Best wishes all around
Bob Quinn