關門 : Guanmen : Pass Gate

Location Guides:

Location:

On the abdomen, 2 cun lateral to the midline and 3 cun superior to the umbilicus, level with Jianli Ren-13.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

In thin subjects, deep needling may penetrate the peritoneal cavity

Classical Needling:

"The Yangming usually has much Qi and much Blood" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel can normally be needled or bled.
"The foot Yangming is to be pierced 6 fen deep and remain inserted for ten exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of eight fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Regulates Qi and alleviates pain
Regulates the Intestines and benefits urination

TCM Indications:

• Abdominal qi accumulation, sensation of qi moving in the abdomen, abdominal pain, abdominal distension and fullness, acute periumbilical pain.
  
• Constipation, borborygmus, diarrhoea, Dysenteric Disorder (痢疾, Li Ji), poor appetite, oedema, enuresis, phlegm Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders with cold shivering.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Cutaneous branches of thoracic nerves from T8

Dermatome Segment: T8

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

A strike here attacks the communication between upper and lower causing confusion over what the lower body is doing. It creates a feeling of something draining from lower body until the power to the legs has gone (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Enuresis:
    Guanmen St-22 with Shenmen He-7 and Weizhong Bl-40
    (Haungfu Mi, 皇甫謐, 282: Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing, 針灸甲乙經, Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Enuresis:
    Guanmen St-22 with Zhongfu Lu-1 and Shenmen He-7
    (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:

In Bo's Method and Feng's Nine Palaces abdominal acupuncture, this point is located in the region associated with ☴ Xun, Wind and the southeast on the right; and ☷ Kun, Earth and the southwest on the left.

In Bo's Method these areas are associated with the Liver and Gallbladder on the right, and the Spleen and Stomach on the left. In Feng's Nine Palaces method this region is associated with the upper limb on the same side (Schelbert, 2014, Ryan, 2009).

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