胃俞 : Weishu : Stomach Shu

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Back Shu point of the Stomach

Meetings:

Meeting of Bladder with Stomach Divergent and Spleen Divergent

Location:

1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the twelfth thoracic vertebra (T12).

Needling:

Oblique insertion towards the spine 0.5 - 1 cun, or transverse-oblique insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

Perpendicular needling or oblique needling away from the spine carries a substantial risk of causing a pneumothorax.

Classical Needling:

"The Taiyang usually has much Blood and little Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be bled.
"The foot Taiyang is to be pierced 5 fen deep and remain inserted for seven exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of three fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of seven exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Regulates the Stomach and descends rebellion
Harmonises the Middle Jiao

TCM Indications:

• Epigastric pain, cold and feeble Stomach, distension and cold of the Stomach, distension and fullness of the abdomen and epigastrium, fullness of the lateral costal region, oedema and drum distension.
  
• Thin body despite much eating, hungry but unable to eat, lack of appetite, difficult ingestion, vomiting, vomiting clear fluid, vomiting in the morning what was eating the evening before, Stomach reflux, Sudden Turmoil (霍亂, Huo Luan) Disorder, contracted sinews, childhood nutritional impairment, regurgitation of milk in children.
  
• Borborygmus, diarrhoea, undigested food in the stool.
  
• Chest pain, contraction and pain of the back, jaundice, Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders, long term abdominal (积, Ji) masses, dimness of vision, prolapse of the rectum.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷠ Dun 遯 Withdraw

Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Posterior cutaneous thoracic nerves from T12

Dermatome Segment: T12

Deeper Structures: Dorsal rami of spinal nerves from T12

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Major Combinations:

• Abdominal pain with no pleasure in eating:
    Weishu Bl-21 with Pishu Bl-20
    (Formulas for the Living; Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Much eating but remains thin:
    Weishu Bl-21 with Pishu Bl-20
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Vomiting, Cold in the sStomach with distention, much eating but remains thin:
    Weishu Bl-21 with Shenshu Bl-23
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Cold in the Stomach with difficulty digesting food:
    Weishu Bl-21 with Hunmen Bl-47
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).

Notes:

As the back-shu of the stomach this is the main point on the back for treating disorders of the upper digestive tract.

In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)

Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here