The governing vessel (du mai, GV) guides qi circulation from the lower to the higher: from GV1 to GV20. The qi then flows anteriorly to the conception vessel (ren mai). The governing vessel (GV) assists the conception vessel in moving the qi from…
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CV24 is in the depression in the center of the mentolabial groove.
CV24 is a meeting point of the conception vessel with the governing vessel. In addition, CV24 is a meeting point of the large intestine and stomach channels with the conception vessel. CV24 is a Sun Si-miao ghost point.
The jade fluid is purified saliva as discussed in the description of CV23. The kidney water of the governing vessel goes up to the crown of the head and then descends to this point and contributes to the jing-essence of the jade fluid. This is the transfer of jing-substance from kidney water to the jade fluid as it embraces qi. Taoist textbooks note that the qi of the governing vessel descends to this acupoint, which is the transfer of…
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GV13 is on the midline of the back, below the spinous process of the 1st thoracic vertebra. Standard needling is oblique and upward insertion, approximately 0.5 to 1.0 cun. Caution: the spinal canal is approximately 1.25–1.75 cun deep to the skin surface.
Taodao (陶道) may be translated as pottery kiln path, the way of happiness, or the path of Tao. A kiln is fiery hot. This translation emphasizes treating deficiency or excess fire.
This point also supports healthy fire and therefore has anti-aging properties. This point is also translated as a happiness path, because GV13 nourishes kidney yang and calms the spirit. This acupoint is specifically indicated for the treatment of unhappiness.
This point is the meeting point of the governing vessel with the bladder channel.
GV13 regulates the governing vessel, clears heat, relieves exterior conditions, and calms the spirit.
Indications include steaming bone syndrome, chills, fever, headaches, heaviness of the head, blurry vision, spasms or stiffness of the spine, anhidrosis (absence of sweating), unhappiness, disorientation, and malaria.
Steaming bone syndrome is a deficiency fire condition. Patients often experience one or more of the following:
A common herbal formula used for the treatment of steaming bone deficiency fire is Qing Gu San (cool the bones pills). This herbal formula is contraindicated during pregnancy. Qing Gu San contains the following herbs:
This acupoint is effective for relieving exterior conditions and clearing heat. As a result, GV13 combines with GV14 and GV12 for the treatment and prevention of external pernicious influences, including bacterial infections, viral infections, and other exteriorly contracted illnesses. GV14, 13, and 12 are often combined with LI11 and ST36 for…
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Governing Vessels Acupoints in Research
The following section reviews several pieces of research. Each study includes the use of governing vessel acupoints. The following is a list of articles covered in the research section:
This is a special section on COVID-19 research. (For additional research, visit the HealthCMi newsroom at the website for more research publications.)
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Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of migraines. Researchers from Harvard Medical School, Xidian University, and Capital Medical University find acupuncture effective for the reduction of migraine attacks. They discovered that a patient’s pre-treatment brain structure is predictive of the success rate achieved by acupuncture for the reduction or elimination of migraines. Using MRIs and machine learning, specific patterns in brain gray matter prior to treatment were correlated with improved response rates to treatment. The acupuncture points applied to all patients were the following:
Patients received three acupuncture treatments per week for a total of four weeks. Each acupuncture treatment lasted for a total of thirty minutes. Patients receiving acupuncture were…
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