What are the main functions of the Lung?
- Governs Qi & Respiration
- Controls descending and dispersing
- Regulates the water passages
- Controls skin & manifests in body hair
- Opens to the nose
- Controls the nasal Mucus
- Houses the Po (corporeal)
- Affect by grief & sadness
Common Lung signs & symptoms
SOB
cough
weakness of voice
pale complexion
phlegm
easy to get sick
eczema
small chest
sadness/grief (manifests in the pulse as weak in both front positions)
Considering the course of the Lung primary channel, what are the main conditions one would see?
Middle jiao → LU → throat → LU-1 → anterior-medial arm → thumb
Lung system: cough, asthma, wheezing, chest oppression, hemoptysis, throat pain.
Digestive involvement (origin in middle jiao): fullness in epigastrium, vomiting.
Local pathway: shoulder pain (anterior aspect), pain along channel down arm, wrist pain, thumb pain.
Considering the course of the Luo-connecting pathway of the lung, what are the main conditions one would see?
Excess
Xu
Psycho-emotional
LU-7 → connects with Large Intestine channel → spreads through thenar eminence.
Conditions:
Excess: hot palms, wrist pain, fullness in chest.
Xu: frequent urination, SOB, yawning.
Psycho-emotional: sadness, grief
Thenar eminence pain (classic Luo sign).
Considering the course of the divergent channel, what are the main conditions one would see?
separates at axilla → enters chest → connects with Lung and LI → ascends to throat and emerges at supraclavicular fossa.
Conditions:
Disorders of chest & Lung: fullness, oppression, cough, asthma.
Throat issues: sore/dry throat, throat nodules.
Shoulder pain (from axilla to supraclavicular fossa).
Internal connection to LI → digestive disorders, abdominal fullness.
Considering the sinew pathway, what are the main conditions one would see?
originates at thumb → ascends radial side of arm → binds at thenar eminence, elbow, shoulder, supraclavicular fossa → spreads to diaphragm → converges at floating ribs.
Conditions:
Channel pain/tightness: thumb, wrist, inner arm, elbow, shoulder, chest.
Contracture or pulling of muscles along channel.
Respiratory: chest oppression, dyspnea when sinews bind at chest/diaphragm.
Flank pain (binding at floating ribs).
What are the treatment principles of these lung organ patterns?
1. Wind-cold fettering the Lung
2. Wind-heat invading Lung
3. Lung qi Xu
4. Lung Yin Xu
5. Phlegm-heat obstructing lung
6. Cold-phlegm obstructing lung
7. Intense lung heat
8. Dryness invading lung
- Release exterior, disperse wind-cold
- release exterior, disperse wind-heat
- Tonify Lung Qi, warm yang
- Tonify Lung yin, nourish body fluids, clear Xu heat
- Clear and resolve heat-phlegm, diffuse the lung
- warm + resolve cold-phlegm, diffuse lung
- Clear lung heat/fire
- Clear dryness to moisten lung, nourish fluid
What are the common s&s between Wind-cold fettering the lung and wind-heat invading lung?
- Fever, aversion to cold (exterior wind is fighting Wei Qi in the defensive layer of the lung) -> Cardinal symptoms of wind
- cough, stuffy/blocked nose (the lung’s descending of lung-qi is impaired)
- sneezing (the dispersing of Lung-qi is blocked)
floating pulse
Differentiating signs and symptoms of Wind-cold fettering the lungs?
- no sweating (because cold obstructs the pores)
- aversion to wind
- cough with thin white phlegm
- clear nasal discharge
- itchy throat
- occipital headache & body aches - as the wind obstructs the circulation of Wei Qi (so not able to fill the spaces b/w skin & muscles)
- oppression in chest
Tongue: thin white coat
Pulse: floating-tight pulse
What is the aetiology of Wind-cold invasion of lungs?
Caused by exposure to wind and cold - invasion of exterior pathogenic factor, due to the relative weakness in the body’s Qi at that point in time
3 acupuncture points to release the exterior, expel cold, stimulate the descending & dispersing of Lung Qi?
LU7 - expels wind, releases exterior and stimulates D&D
BL12 - wind gate. Can moxa post needling, very powerful for cupping
GV16 - expels wind - very good if there is a headache
4 Differentiating signs and symptoms of Wind-heat invading lung?
- sweating
- headache
- yellow nasal mucus
- sore throat & slight thirst (exterior heat drying up body fluids)
Tongue: red tip of tongue with yellow coat (coat could be white as there may not have been enough time to turn the coat yellow)
Pulse: rapid pulse
9 acupuncture points to release the exterior, clear heat, simulate the D&D of Lung Qi?
LU7
LI4 & LI11 - release exterior & clear heat
LU11 - prick to bleed - esp with sore throat & swollen tonsils
GV14 - clears heat
BL12, GV16 & GB20 - expel exterior wind
SJ5 - expels wind-heat & releases exterior
What are the common s&s between Lung Qi Xu and Lung Yin Xu?
cough
- in the case of Qi Xu: Qi can’t descend -> causes cough
- in the case of Yin Xu: the cough is dry b/c Xu of Jinye -> dryness
fatigue
Differentiating signs and symptoms of Lung Qi Xu?
- pale complexion (reflects Yang Xu - which in the case of the lungs is synonymous with Qi Xu)
- SOBOE (b/c Qi is deficient, only slight & only on exertion)
- feeble/weak voice (Zong Qi depends on lung Qi)
- spontaneous sweating (space b/w skin & muscles’ too open due to weak Wei Qi)
- Prone to catching colds (Wei Qi isn’t strong enough nor diffused properly by lungs, so can’t protect the body properly)
Tongue: pale
Pulse: empty pulse esp. right cun position
- Empty pulse and slight SOB - enough to diagnose Lung-qi Xu
7 acupuncture points to tonify Lung-qi, warm yang in the case of Lung Qi Xu?
LU 9 - tonifies lung qi, yuan source point
LU7 - tonifies lung Qi and stimulates the descending of lung qi.
CV6 - tonifies Qi. Internal pathway of LU goes past here
BL13 - back shu point of LU
GV12 - tonifies lung and is particularly valuable in chronic cases
Tonify earth to nourish metal - ST36 & CV12 - front mu point of stomach, also deep pathway of Lung starts at CV12
Differentiating signs and symptoms of Lung Yin Xu?
plus with empty heat?
- Pallor with flushed cheeks
- night sweating
- dry throat & mouth, tickly throat (Xu of Jinye -> dryness)
- weak/hoarse voice
Tongue: normal-coloured, rootless coating in the front part
Pulse: floating-empty
Empty-heat (occurs when Yin Xu is pronounced & long-lasting)
- afternoon fever/feeling of heat
- 5 palm sweat
- malar flush
Tongue: red coating tongue
Pulse: rapid, floating-empty
- dry cough & rootless tongue coating in front area - enough to diagnose Lung-Yin Xu
What is the aetiology of Lung-Yin Xu?
Emotional stress, lifestyle habits (excessive use of voice, smoking)
9 acupuncture points to tonfiy lung-yin, nourish body fluids (and clear empty-heat if necessary)
LU9 - tonify lung and lung-yin as yuan point
CV17 - tonifies qi & lung yin
BL43 - tonifies lung-yin particularly important in chronic cases
BL13 & DU12
CV4 - tonifies kidney-yin & benefits throat
CV12 - tonifies stomach and nourishes fluids
LU10 - ying spring, clears empty-heat
LI11 - clear heat if needed
What are the common s&s between phlegm-heat obstructing and cold-phlegm obstructing?
pressure/fullness of chest (think phlegm in chest)
cough
slippery pulse
Differentiating signs and symptoms of phlegm-heat obstructing?
- dyspnea
- rapid & coarse breathing
- chest pain
- Expectoration of thick, yellow/blood stain mucus with barking cough - enough to diagnose
Tongue: red, swollen with yellow slimy/sticky coat
Pulse: rapid, slippery pulse
What is the aetiology of Phlegm-heat in Lungs?
Diet - excessive consumption of hot and greasy foods/IRR eating
Lifestyle - smoking
EPFs - often a consequence of invasion of wind going from Wei Qi to Qi level
Emotional stress
8 acupuncture points to resolve phlegm, clear heat and stimulate the descending of Lung-qi?
LU5, LU7, LU10, LI11, LU1
BL13 - clears lung-heat
CV12, ST40
Differentiating signs and symptoms of cold-phlegm obstructing lungs?
- profuse phlegm that’s easy to expectorate
- phlegmatic wheeze
- cough with white, watery sputum, phlegm in throat (sputum is white because cold)
- aversion to cold & cold limbs (because presence of cold
Tongue: swollen & wet tongue with sticky white coating
Pulse: string-like pulse, slippery/slow
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Tongue diagnosis51
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Random CMPR122 nuggets20
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Inspection99
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Body movements9
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Listening and smelling22
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Interrogation104
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Palpation31
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Ba Gang & vital substances35
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Lung Pattern39
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Spleen Patterns26
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Stomach Patterns32
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Heart and Pericardium Patterns53
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LI patterns33
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SI patterns21
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Liver & GB patterns69
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Kidney patterns31
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Bladder patterns12
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Identifcation of Patterns according to the 12 channels16
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Identification of patterns according to the 3 Jiao28
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Wu Xing pattern Differentiation15
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External Pattern Differentiation58
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Six divisions + Wk 1163
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Four Level Pattern Differentiation62
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Case studies from lectures33
