養老 : Yanglao : Support the Aged

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Xi-Cleft point
Binding point of the hand Taiyang Sinews

Location:

When the palm of the hand is placed on the chest, this point is located on the dorsal aspect of the head of the ulna, in a cleft level with and to the radial side of the high point of the styloid process of the ulna. It is most easily located by asking the patient to place their arm by their side and their hand prone, and the practitioner placing a finger on the high point of the ulna styloid process. Ask the patient to place their palm on their chest and the point is found in the cleft where the practitioner's finger will rest.

Needling:

Oblique of transverse-oblique insertion distally or proximally 0.5 - 1 cun

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 hand Yin and Yang receive their Qi via nearby paths so their Qi arrive swiftly. The depth of piercing must not exceed 2 fen and must not remain inserted for longer than one exhalation" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of three fen, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Activates the channel and alleviates pain
Benefits the shoulder and arm
Moderates acute conditions
Benefits the eyes

TCM Indications:

• Shoulder pain, pain of the shoulder as if it were broken, pain of the upper arm as if it were dislocated, stiffness and pain of the shoulder and back, numbness of the shoulder and arm, redness and swelling of the exterior aspect of the elbow, heaviness and pain of the lumbar region, difficulty in sitting and rising, contraction of the sinews and Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi) of the foot with inability to extend and flex.
  
• Dimness of vision, blurred vision, eye pain.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷱ Ding 鼎 Cauldron

Shared with Yinxi He-6 and balanced by ䷂ (Yongquan Kid-1 or Shugu Bl-65).

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

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Ulnar nerve from C8 - T1

Dermatome Segment: C8

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

A strike here can cause the tendons in the whole body to become tense and cause temporary faltering of the vision (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Pain of the shoulder as if it were broken:
    Yanglao SI-6 with Tianzhu Bl-10
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Pain of the lumbar region and knee:
    Yanglao SI-6 with Huantiao GB-30, Yanglingquan GB-34, Kunlun Bl-60 and Shenmai Bl-62
    (Zhang Jiebin, 張景岳, 1624: Lei Jing Tu Yi, 類經圖翼, Illustrated Supplement to the Classic of Categories).
  
  
• Blurring of vision:
    Yanglao SI-6 with Tianzhu Bl-10
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Dimness of vision:
    Yanglao SI-6 with Hegu LI-4 and Quchai Bl-4
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Notes:

Ling Shu Ch. 52, On the Wei Qi, considers this to be the root of the hand Taiyang meridian with the tip being at Jingming Bl-1.

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