典藏书目

The principle of *Kaidao* (a therapeutic method involving acupuncture and bloodletting to unblock meridians and vent pathogenic factors) is the same as that of warfare; let me use warfare as a metaphor. Now, eight tactical formations are listed: namely, Baihui (DU20), Houding (DU15), Cuanzhu (BL2), Jingming (BL1), Shangxing (DU23), the inner eyelid, Fengchi (GB20) on both sides, and Taiyang (EX-HN5) on both sides.

The inner eyelid serves as the vanguard for breaking through strongholds and destroying fortifications, bearing the primary responsibility. Taiyang and Fengchi attack the enemy's left and right flanks, bearing secondary responsibility. Shangxing cuts off the enemy's supply lines, while Houding severs their retreat route; with supplies exhausted and routes blocked, the enemy is bound to be defeated in the north, allowing brave warriors to exert their strength. Baihui strikes at the enemy's nest; although victory may be swift, it involves campaigning through danger. Jingming and Cuanzhu merely strike the enemy's cavalry units. Establishing merit by slaying bandits does not go beyond these eight methods. This is what is meant by "If you do not enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger's cub?"

If the patient has a solid constitution and a superficial disease, attacking the interior will cause the pathogenic factor to recede naturally. However, if the Qi of the six Yang channels is blazingly excessive, causing headache and eye injury, or resulting in swelling and fleshy growths (pterygium/pseudopterygium), medicinal power may be insufficient. If one cannot use Kaidao to vent the obstruction and blockage, I know that their emaciation and exhaustion will occur not within a month, but within days.

Some have said that Kaidao is like encountering a rat hole; when few in number and weak in force, if I block the hole, the thief will be captured. Suppose a group of fierce bandits is cornered with no way out; there must be sudden changes in combat. It is better to open a road and drive them away than to close the door and try to catch them. Alas! The argument of You Yu praises the method of Kaidao, while the argument of You Huo emphasizes caution in its application. Although the words seem different, the intent is the same.

A physician who fails to understand the severity and urgency of the condition, using contraindications to counter contraindications, failing to act when action is required, and replacing mild treatment with violent measures, or failing to stop when stopping is required, would be like Jiang Gan shuttling between Wu and Shu—how could he avoid the total loss of the army at Red Cliffs!

The specific methods for acupoints are detailed below:

Baihui (DU20): Also known as Dianshang, located 1.5 cun posterior to Qian Ding (DU21), directly above the tip of the ear. For acute headache due to wind-cold, wrap moxa around a fine needle, insert until bone, ignite, and burn. If pain persists after the moxa is consumed, moxibustion should be repeated three to five sessions (zhuang).

Shangxing (DU23): Also known as Shentang, located 1 cun inside the hairline, directly above the nose. For headache and eye pain, use the aforementioned acupuncture and moxibustion methods, preferably supplemented with bleeding using a three-edged needle to drain excessive Qi from the Yang channels.

Fengchi (GB20): Located in the depression lateral to the large tendons at the nape of the neck, within the hairline. For unilateral or bilateral headache and stiff neck, insert a fine needle 0.3 cun deep, and apply three sessions of moxibustion.

Taiyang (EX-HN5): Also referred to as Tongziliao in some contexts, located approximately 0.5 cun lateral to the outer canthus. For sudden redness, swelling, and pain of the eyes, as well as headache and phlegm-heat, where vessels are visible and pulsate upon pressure, perform rapid scarification (bian) to bleed two or three times. If unresolved, follow with moxibustion.

Houding (DU15): Also known as Jiaochong, located 1.5 cun posterior to Baihui (DU20). Acupuncture should be performed first, followed by moxibustion. It treats stiff and urgent neck, severe frontal headache, and vertigo due to hemiplegic wind.

Inner Eyelid: Refers to the Meat Wheel (eyelids associated with the Spleen). In cases of extreme swelling and blood stasis with unbearable eye pain, use a three-edged needle to heavily scarify the upper eyelid to induce bleeding. Light puncture of the lower eyelid two or three times is also acceptable.

Cuanzhu (BL2): Also known as Yeguang, located at the medial end of the eyebrow. If redness and swelling persist, slight scarification to induce bleeding is permissible. For twitching of the eyelid, fire needles may be used sparingly.

Jingming (BL1): Also known as Leikong, located in the depression 0.1 cun superior and medial to the inner canthus. Treats itchy and dizzy eyes, tearing in the wind. Insert a fine needle. Replace moxa when consumed. Moxibustion is contraindicated.

Ancient bian needles used stone edges, now replaced by steel three-edged needles; thus, needling is also called bian. Fine needles are sometimes referred to as fire needles in this context, and moxibustion refers to burning moxa balls on the skin. This classic collectively terms these techniques Kaidao. Few people today receive the heart-to-heart transmission; I only know a little. However, in dangerous conditions where medication gradually reduces symptoms, this method is often omitted, which raises questions about true understanding. As the classics state: Observe the site of pain to determine the appropriate treatment; applying therapy directly at the painful site leads to recovery without exception. Texts record all meridians and map diseases with thousands of names, but if needling technique is not mastered, knowing depths like 0.3 or 0.5 cun is useless. On the head and face, skin and bone are closely apposed; how can one insert needles deeply? Current misconceptions are absurd and incorrect, hence this correction. These measurements cannot be determined by standard rulers (like those based on Huangzhong pitch pipes); one must use the middle segment of the patient's middle finger as a reference. If encountering patients with pen-tip or tiger-head head shapes, estimation is required, and rigid measurement standards should not be strictly applied.