水道 : Shuidao : Water Passage

Location Guides:

Location:

On the abdomen, 2 cun lateral to the midline and 3 cun inferior to the umbilicus, level with Guanyuan Ren-4.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

deep needling may penetrate the peritoneal cavity in thin subjects or a full bladder. Patients should empty the bladder before needling

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 two cun and five fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Regulates the Lower Jiao and dispels stagnation
Benefits the Bladder and the uterus

TCM Indications:

• Retention of urine and faeces, oedema, cold in the Bladder, distension and fullness of the lower abdomen, Shan (疝) Disorder.
  
• Hypogastric pain in women extending to the genitals, dysmenorrhoea, infertility, cold in the uterus that radiates down the thigh to the knee, uterine (瘕, Jia) masses, retention of dead foetus, retention of the placenta, lumbar pain accompanying menstruation, heat binding the three jiao.
  
• Pain of the lumber vertebrae, pain of the shoulder and back.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Iliophygastric nerve from L1

Dermatome Segment: L1

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

Striking this point will immediately cause knock out through the action on the colon causing an "explosion" in the lower heater which will grow outwards to the rest of the lower abdomen. It may also damage the elimination system (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Stiffness of the spine:
    Shuidao St-28 with Jinsuo Du-8
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Pain of the shoulder and back:
    Shuidao St-28 with Tianyou SJ-16, Quepen St-12, Shendao Du-11, Dazhu Bl-11, Tiantu Ren-22 and Jugu LI-16
    (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 and Nine Palaces abdominal acupuncture, this point is located in the region associated with ☶ Gen, Mountain, the northeast on the right; and ☷ Kun, Earth, the northwest on the left.

In Bo's abdominal acupuncture this region is associated with the Upper Burner on the right and the Lung and Large Intestine on the left. In Nine Palaces abdominal acupuncture, this region is associated with the lower limb on the same side (Schelbert, 2014, Ryan, 2009).

The Stomach Shu are a proposed set of points that complement the Breast Shu. They are level with the Chest Shu and Front Mu points on the abdomen and receive the Blood and Ying Qi created through the action of the Spleen and Lung, via the Breast Shu, to distribute among the Zangfu. Whereas the Back Shu and Chest Shu deliver Yang and Yin Yuan Qi through the Bladder and Kidney Channels to the Zangfu, these points are focused specifically on postnatal Qi.

This point would be associated with the Small Intestine, being in line with Guanyuan Ren-4. Its standard indications do not indicate the Small Intestine much, but its classical combinations for stiffness and pain of the spine and shoulders, indicate a connection to the Small Intestine channel.

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