身柱 : Shenzhu : Body Pillar

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Master Tung's Five Mountain Ranges

Location:

On the midline of the back, in the depression below the spinous process of the third thoracic vertebra (T3).

Needling:

Perpendicular-oblique superior insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

Warnings:

The spinal canal lies between 1.25 and 1.75 cun deep to the skin surface, varying according to body build.

Classical Needling:

"Bend (the patient’s head forward) to locate it. It is needled to a depth of five fen deep, (the needle) is retained for a duration of five exhalations, and it is moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Clears Heat from the Lung and Heart
Calms the Shen
Pacifies Wind

TCM Indications:

• Heat in the chest, dyspnoea, sudden cough with lumbar pain, heat in the body, dry mouth, agitation with thirst, headache and sweating.
  
• Mad walking, delirious raving, seeing ghosts, rage with desire to kill people.
  
• Childhood fright epilepsy, clonic spasm, opisthotonos, clove sores.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Medial branches of dorsal rami of T3

Dermatome Segment: T3

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• Madness
    (Dian Kuang):
    Shenzhu Du-12 with Benshen GB-13
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Childhood Fright Epilepsy:
    Shenzhu Du-12 with Changqiang Du-1
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Opisthotonos, clonic spasm, epilepsy and headache:
    Shenzhu Du-12 with Wuchu Bl-5, Weizhong Bl-40, Weiyang Bl-39 and Kunlun Bl-60
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).

Notes:

This point is also on the 3rd trajectory of the Chong mai connecting the Chong with the Du for Invigorating Yang in cases of Bi Obstruction due to Blood Stagnation (Yuen, 2005, The Extraordinary Vessels).

In Master Tung's system this point is one of the five mountain ranges (Wu Ling). They consist of five sets of points in three lines representing the phases of the Wu Xing in a series of lines:

The first set is along the midline, below each vertebrae from T2 to T11. From T2 to T8 relate to Fire, T9 to T11 relate to Earth.
The second set is 3 cun from the midline. from T2 to T9. From T2 to T6 relate to Metal, T7 to T9 relate to Wood.
The third set is 6 cun from the midline from T2 to T8. From T2 to T4 relate to Metal, T5 to T8 relate to Wood.

They are indicated for fever, common cold, hypertension, headache, lumbar pain, numbness of the hands and feet, hemiplegia, acute stomachache, vomiting or acute enteritis by releasing heat, wind and stagnation from the organs relating to their phase and treated with a pricking method to release a drop of blood (McCann, 2014, Pricking the Vessels).

This sort of technique may make greater sense than regular needles as shallow depth without retention may be safer over the spine and lungs.

In Tibetan medicine:
Edelweiss flowers (Trah-wah) are burnt in cones like moxa over crushed garlic at this point and over T4 for pulmonary dieseases due to mLung and Bad-Kan.
T2 is also used for pulmonary and heart diseases and headaches caused by cold mKris-pa (Bradley, 2000: Principles of Tibetan Medicine)

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