The Taiwan Report

Head and neck problems

Many patients are treated for headaches, neck pain and whiplash. (Facial paralysis and trigeminal neuralgia is also treated but few such cases were seen by me).

Headache: In VGH, LU07 is used often as the main point, often combined with GB20 +TaiYang (Z 09), YinTang (Z 03), GV20 (depending on location of headache).

Neck pain and stiffness: The Hand point "Neck" is very effective. The patient is asked to close the fist. The point is between the knuckles at the lower end of metacarpals 2-3. It is often combined with SI03.

8. Pain and stiffness in neck, with intermittent headaches (headache not present at presentation). Needled: "Neck" point (knuckles 2-3) plus LU07 (bilateral). Twenty minutes. Great improvement. (+++).

9. Throbbing pain and sensation of tightness in occiput and behind temples for 2 weeks. Worse at night. AhShi found (bilateral) near GB10. Needled. Points GB20, LU07,BL40 needled bilaterally for 20 min. Slight improvement was reported. (+).

10. Tinnitus (Side and duration and causes not recorded). Needled TH17, GB20, ST36, ipsilateral. Response (?). (Note: many authors report poor results with AP in tinnitus).

11. Acute neck pain and rigidity in an in-patient (developed overnight). Hardly any rotation or other movement of neck was possible. One needle was put in the point "Neck" between knuckles 2-3 and was strongly pecked and twirled for one minute. Patient was then asked to try to move his neck slowly. The consternation on his face when he found he had full movement and no pain after 1 minute was hilarious! Immediate result. (+++).

Shoulder pain, stiffness, "frozen" shoulder

Many patients had these symptoms for up to 5 years before AP treatment. Careful searching of the scapular muscles (especially infraspinatus) often shows up AhShi points. SometimesAhShi also occur near GB21. The most important distant points for shoulder are SI03,GB34, ST38, plus AhShi points.

12. Frozen shoulder: Very restricted right shoulder movement with pain and stiffness. Duration 5 years. Two AhShi points located in infraspinatus Strong deep needling for one minute. Patient lifted arm much higher immediately. AhShi had disappeared in one minute! Then ST38 was needled (right side) strongly for one minute. Further improvement in arm movement. Then SI03 (right) needled strongly. Needles left in SI03 and ST38 for 20 min. Great improvement in arm movement and pain was much less. However, patient could not put arm behind his head or behind his back and some pain and stiffness remained (++).

13. Shoulder-joint pain/limited movement, with pain in the hand, especially metacarpal-phalangeal joint of index finger for 3 months before AP. Left side. AhShi in infraspinatus (left) and AhShi in front of shoulder joint. Both AhShi needled strongly. All pain was gone and movement markedly improved in two minutes. A further AhShi near SI09 was needled. The amazement on the patient's face, on discovering the dramatic improvement within 3 minutes, was a joy to watch! (+++).

14. Pain in shoulder, elbow and wrist, with marked hand tremor which interfered with use of chopsticks and made writing impossible. (Tremor appeared only when pen or chopsticks were grasped). Little limitation of joint movement. Duration two years before treatment. AhShi located in right infraspinatus. Needled strongly for one minute. All pain had disappeared. Chung asked the patient to write his name. The tremor was gone! No further treatment at that session. (+++ immediate).

15. Shoulder area and neck pain: Needled at GB21, SI09,11, 20 min.

Slight relief only. (+).

16. Pain and pulled scapular muscles (right) with difficulty raising, arm for 7 months following golfing incident. (Pain in right temple had been present earlier, but was gone now). No AhShi points located. ST38 caused "sensation of electricity travelling from foot to side of face!" The pain was gone in 1 min. GB34 was added for added effect (2 needles only: ST38,GB34, right side). Patient "could not believe the effect"!

(+++, immediate).

17. Shoulder pain (anterior muscles) when arm brought behind body. Duration 1 month. Strong needling at SI03 gave total relief of pain in 1 min. Strong needling at GB34 and LI04 added for extra effect. All needles left in situ for 20 min. (GB34 referred sensations to the shoulder area!). Total pain relief. (+++, immediate).

18. Frozen shoulder: Pain and severe restriction of raising right arm. Needled: right ST38,BL40, GB34 plus left LI15. Twenty minutes. Some improvement in pain but little change in movement. (This case was long-standing and had muscle atrophy) (+).

19. Stiff shoulder: Left side, limitation of movement, with feeling of heaviness to the wrist and also some lowback pain. Duration unknown. AhShi point in infraspinatus needled plus left ST38 and TH03 (for the shoulder). "Loin and Leg" points added for lowback. Response (?).

20. Scapular area pain, left. Duration unrecorded. AhShi not found. Needles in GB34,TH03 , BL40, GB20 (left). Twenty min. Marked improvement (+++).

21. Scapular area pain, with degenerative lesions in cervical spine plus facial palsy. Duration unknown. Needled AhShi (infraspinatus) and TH03 (for shoulder) plus LI04,20 (for the face). Scapular pain greatly improved in 20 min. (+++).