Channel Problems
When treating painful channel syndromes, it is often useful to balance the points on the affected
side with one or two points on the opposite side. This may be necessary or desirable to balance
Top with Bottom, or Yin with Yang, or the Heavenly Stems, or simply to treat another condition.
We can therefore distinguish six possible situations for balancing the points treating a painful
channel problem with one or two points on the opposite side:
(i) balancing the affected channel with its related opposite-limb channel of the same
polarity (e.g. Large Intestine with Stomach)(ii) balancing according to the Heavenly Stems(iii) balancing with an appropriate Gathering point(iv) balancing according to accompanying pattern(v) balancing according to the Connecting points(vi) balancing according to duration in Wind-stroke.Balancing the Affected Channel with its Related, Opposite-Limb Channel of the
Same Polarity
This means balancing Large Intestine with Stomach, Lungs with Spleen, etc. For example,
supposing we are treating a patient with a chronic shoulder problem on the right side using
L.I.-15 Jianyu, Jianneiling, L.I.-11 Quchi and L.I.-4 Hegu on the right side, we could balance
these points with ST-36 Zusanli on the left side. Another example could be that of G.B.-30
Huantiao, G.B.-31 Fengshi and G.B.-34 Yanglingquan all on the left side to treat sciatica on that
side, balanced by T.B.-6 Zhigou on the right side.
The Left-Right balancing of points in treating channel problems can be used according to the
correspondence of joints between shoulder and hip, elbow and knee, and wrist and ankle.
Bearing in mind this correspondence between joints and arm-leg channels of the same polarity,
the local points on one joint can be balanced by the use of a point of its related, opposite-limb
channel of the same polarity on the corresponding joint on the opposite half of the body and on
the opposite side. An example will make this clearer. Assuming we are treating tennis elbow on
the right side with L.I.-12 Zhouliao, L.I.-11 Quchi and L.I.-10 Shousanli on the right, we can
balance these points with ST-36 Zusanli on the left side. We choose this point because it is on
the related channel of the same polarity and, in the correspondence of joints, the knee
corresponds to the elbow. The use of ST-36 will not only balance the treatment but also boost its
effectiveness as ST-36 assumes the role of distal point. By using ST-36 on the opposite side we
are also balancing Top and Bottom. Another example: assuming we are treating a patient with a
sprained wrist and we use T.B.-5 Waiguan, T.B.-4 Yangchi and T.B.-3 Zhongzhu on the left
side, we can needle G.B.-40 Qiuxu on the right side, based on the correspondence between wrist