It is in the stomach that the major part of digestion occurs. Known as “The Official of Rotting and Ripening,” this organ processes the food and drink we consume into a proper mixture so nutrition can be easily absorbed. The stomach is also responsible for receiving and digesting at the levels of mind and spirit.
Everything that we take in, including all that we see, hear, and feel, must also be digested in order to nourish us. A healthy stomach official provides a sense of groundedness, contentment, and a connection to “Mother Earth,” who ultimately feeds us all our lives. We can feel “at home” anywhere, as we are able to derive nourishment from all experience.
In the October 2022 issue, I covered ST points 42-45. This article covers points 8, 9, 11, 12, and 14. These will have most impact if it has been determined, by traditional methods of diagnosis, that the earth element is the patient’s primary elemental imbalance.
Stomach 8: Head Tied
The earth-imbalanced patient needing this point reminds us of the Greek mythical figure of Medusa, one of the Gorgons, usually depicted as a winged human with venomous snakes in place of hair on the head. It was said that whoever gazed upon this figure would turn to stone. These snakes represent the human condition of being so tied with and attached to endless thoughts and chatter in the mind – undigested mental food – that we are mentally and spiritually paralyzed: turned to stone, incapable of true action.
This point unties the knots, releases the “snakes,” which, when seen for what they really are (just transient thoughts), disappear into the background – restoring the mind to its innate security, quietude, brilliance, and beauty.
Stomach 9: People Welcome – Window of the Sky
As with all windows, this point is not used early in treatment. Often, treatment on more gentle points will open and close windows as needed. If stuck, however, we may need to intervene and treat the window directly, freeing it.
Late summer, the season of earth, is harvest time. As anyone who has ever worked bringing in a harvest knows, it usually involves many hands working cooperatively. Helpful people are, indeed, welcome. The more help, the lighter the load. There is great satisfaction at day’s end and a feeling of camaraderie among all who participated.
Some earth-imbalanced patients are so embittered that they cannot accept help, sympathy or compassion from others. The figure of the mother as a provider of nourishment, help and comfort has been perceived as absent, so they tend to distrust everyone. They feel alone. Though they may be in great need of help, they tend to reject it, as if saying, “No, I’m OK on my own.”
These are often the ones who need help the most. While it is true that we must all attain appropriate self sufficiency – the ability to take good care of our own conservation, embodying the figure of the mother, we also are interdependent. At times, we need the help and support of others. At other times, we need to provide help – to join in and be a teammate. When this window is stuck, we cannot see our way to receiving or giving.
Stomach 11: Ch’i Cottage
A cottage is a small, cozy, simple house, typically with enough garden area to provide food for its residents. Often, cottages are places for short, restful getaways, rather than primary residences. In such places, we find enough ch’i to provide for our essential needs of comfort and sustenance.
This point provides just the needed reassurance that there is “enough”; that our needs are covered. It is as if, in this cottage, the cupboards are well-stocked and the figure of the mother is nearby. We consider it for the earth-imbalanced patient who does not require a massive infusion of energy, but rather a gentle, regenerating and comforting fill.
Stomach 12: Broken Bowl
A bowl is a container, often used to hold our food. If the bowl is broken, it cannot contain; rather, our nourishment drops out between the cracks. This container is typically broken by a shattering experience or deep trauma to the body / mind / spirit. We may feel shocked, devastated, empty, starving, and profoundly weak.
Even in the presence of nourishment – physical food, friends and family who offer comfort and compassion, if our bowl is broken, we cannot be fed by it, nor can we feed others. This point can repair the brokenness.
Stomach 14: Storehouse
The words storehouse and silo are synonymous terms. They are used to store bulk materials and foodstuff to keep them safe, secure and away from exposure to the elements. In late summer, the fruits of the harvest are stored in silos or barns to ensure our survival through the months of winter. Thus, we rely on the “storehouse” as a matter of life or death. If we have no such storage place, if it is damaged, or inaccessible, our life is in peril.
As we know, man and woman do not live by physical food only. We are also fed by way of information, data and experience, which we hold in the storehouse of memory. This point accesses a storehouse of wisdom and knowledge – a virtual treasure. With it, we have security. We know what we know. We can access it as needed. We need not ruminate over it.
If the “storehouse” is damaged, empty or inaccessible, we live with the fear of not knowing what or how to do. We may be forgetful, confused and uncertain. We can feel empty, perceiving no resources on which to draw, lacking in energy or endurance. This point is indispensable in restoring our “storehouse” and the calm and contentment that it brings.
Author’s Note: There are many interpretations and uses of these points in various traditions; the preceding is not intended to encompass all possibilities. English translations of point names are those taught by Professor J.R. Worsley and appear in Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, Volume 1: Meridians and Points by J.R. Worsley; Element Books, 1982.
Over my almost 30 years in clinical practice, I have used Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang extensively for a wide array of clinical presentations ranging from chronic headaches to anxiety, insomnia, and prescription drug withdrawal symptoms if these situations fit the appropriate patterns – all with extremely positive clinical outcomes.
There’s no doubt that many of your patients visit your practice because they are in pain. And there’s certainly no doubt that curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) can be incredibly effective in stopping that pain, whether due to chronic conditions like arthritis or acute pain from intensive workouts. But your patients may also benefit from curcumin for other reasons.
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Low back pain is defined as pain the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS), and it can be acute or chronic, localized or radiating. It is a common ailment for adults in the United States, with a lifetime prevalence as high as 65-80%. Whether or not an MRI is available to provide definitive knowledge of a structural issue, acupuncture can be an effective treatment for low back pain.
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