頭維 : Touwei : Head's Binding

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Meeting point for all arm Yang Sinew Meridians (Yuen, 2003, The Sinew Meridians: NESA). An alternative is Benshen GB-13
Binding point of the foot Shaoyang, hand Taiyang, hand Shaoyang and hand Yangming Sinews

Meetings:

Meeting of Stomach with Gall Bladder and Yang Wei Mai

Location:

At the corner of the forehead, 4.5 cun lateral to Shenting DU-24 and 0.5 cun within the anterior hairline.

Needling:

Transverse insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

Warnings:

According to several classical texts, this point is contraindicated to moxubustion

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 five fen and is prohibited to moxibustion" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Eliminates Wind and alleviates pain
Benefits the eyes

TCM Indications:

• Headache, splitting headache with chills and fever, dizziness, vomiting.
  
• Dimness of vision, bursting eye pain, lacrimation on exposure to wind, twitching of the eyelids.
  
• Dyspnoea with agitation and oppression, hemiplegia.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: CN V3 mandibular branch of trigeminal

Dermatome Segment: CN V3 mandibular branch of trigeminal

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

This point will cause concussion with more nausea than any of the other head strikes due to its being a Stomach point. Great local pain is felt with a Qi drainage, then knock out. Death can occur if this strike is hard enough (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Headache with eye pain:
    Touwei St-8 with Zanshu Bl-2
    (Yu Long Fu, 玉龍賦, Ode of the Jade Dragon. First recorded in Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Zhen Jiu Yu Jing, 針灸聚英, Glorious Anthology of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Head Wind with splitting pain, bursting pain of the eyes and lacrimation:
    Touwei St-8 with Zanzhu Bl-2
    (Wu Qian, 吴谦, 1742: Yi Zong Jin Jian Ci Jiu Xin Fa, 醫宗金鑑刺灸心法, Methods of Acupuncture and Moxibustion from the Golden Mirror of Medicine).
  
  
• Pain between the eyebrows:
    Touwei St-8 with Zanzhu Bl-2
    (Yu Long Ge, 玉龍賦, Song of the Jade Dragon. First recorded in Wang Guorui, 王國瑞, 1329: Bian Que Shen Ying Zhen Jiu, Yu Long Jing, 扁鵲神應針灸玉龍經, Bian Que's Spiritual Guide to Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Classic of the Jade Dragon).
  
  
• Twitching of the eyelids:
    Touwei St-8 with Zanzhu Bl-2
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Splitting headache with bursting eye pain:
    Touwei St-8 with Daling Pc-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).
  
  
• One-sided or generalised Head Wind:
    Touwei St-8 with Baihui Du-20, Qianding Du-21, Shangxing Du-23, Shenting Du-24, Sizhukong SJ-23, Fengchi GB-20, Hegu LI-4 and Zanzhu Bl-2
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Lacrimation on exposure to wind:
    Touwei St-8 with Jingming Bl-1, Fengchi GB-20 and Toulinqi GB-25
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Notes:

Ling Shu Ch. 5 places this point, described as the "ear clamp", as the end of Yangming with Li Du St-45 as the root. In cases of loss of function the whole channel is to be examined for surplus and deficiency and the pathology removed.

Ling Shu Ch. 52, On the Wei Qi, considers this to be the tip of the hand Yangming meridian with the root being at Binao LI-14. Both of these are based on an unclear description and debated. Another interpretation of the description of this point is "the space in front of the ear".

Although this seems an odd point for pain of the arms and shoulders, indicated by its position as the meeting point of all Yang arm sinews, it could be due to strain or pain in the sinews producing a grimace and tension in the temporalis which will become an ahshi over time.

In Mayan medicine:
Punctured in cases of Chiba Pool a type of headache due to blood stagnation from wind-heat. It is diagnosed by tapping the head with the knuckles and listening for a hollow tympanic sound (Garcia, Sierra, Balam, 1999: Wind in the Blood)

In ayurvedic medicine:
Utkshepa marma point
Size: 1/2 angula (cun)
Structure: Ligament
Effect of Injury: Post extraction fatal (vishalyaghan marma)
(Harish Johari, 1996, Ayurvedic Massage, Sanatan Society; Anupama Bhattacharya, n.d. Marma Shastra)

In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa and bleeding point, slightly anterior to the hairline (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