Acupoint+LI-4+(He+Gu)

==  **He Gu** **• ****Large Intestine** **4** **• **  **2.4.15** //Union Valley, Joining of the Valleys, Bottom of the Valley//  Entry Point.  Yuan Source Point.  Command Point of the Face and Mouth.

=Location= On the dorsum of the hand, between the 1st and 2nd metacarpal bones, approximately in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side.

=Point Summary= //Strengthens Defensive Qi// //Benefits the Face, Eyes, Nose Mouth and Ears// //Activates the Channel// //Expels Wind// //Restores the Yang// //Adjusts Sweating// //Releases the Exerior// //Alleviates Pain// //Induces Labor// Main point for wind and dispersing external conditions; powerful qi point; main point for pain; main point for headache; main point for head, face, throat, and sensory organs; main point for dental anesthesia; with or without sweat; febrile disease =Needling=

Depth:
0.5 - 1 cun

Technique:
Puncture Perpendicularly

Contraindications:
No needle or moxa during pregnancy

=General Indications=

Functions
disperses wind (stimulates dispersing action of the lungs); relieves exterior conditions; suppresses pain; clears channels; promotes or restrains sweat; reduces fever; regulates and moistens the LI; aids in labor; clears the nose; clears obstruction in up

Indications
common cold; febrile disease with or without sweat; headache (used for non-OP frontal and vertex, and only otherwise if OPI related); disease of the sensory organs; facial paralysis; any face problem think of this point; hemiplegia; major pain point;

Special Notes
source point; entry point; BL-60 more for back and lower body; LI-4 is more for upper body and face; other pain points are BL-60 and LR-3; LR-3 and LI-4 are the "four gates" and for whole body pain and moving the qi in the entire body

=Diagnostic Indications:= Abdominal Pain **•** Amenorrhea **•** Arm Pain **•** Constipation **•** Deafness **•** Eye Deviation **•** Eye Disorders **•** Facial Edema **•** Facial Muscle Paralysis **•** Fever Without Sweating **•** Finger Contraction **•** Headache **•** Hemiplegia **•** Intestinal Disorders **•** Labor Difficult **•** Mouth Deviation **•** Nosebleed **•** Parotitis **•** Respiratory Disorders **•** Skin Disorders **•** Throat Soreness **•** Toothache **•** High Fever associated w/ cold **•**

=Soulie De Morant Indications= Tonifies the opposite large intestine and all yang meridians, the three nervous centers, three organs of sense; opposite pituitary; opposite side of face and head, nose, eye, ears, teeth; tonsils, throat, opposite trachea, lateral side of neck, upper shoulder, lateral face of arm, posterior forearm, opposite wrist and hand and dorsal side of fingers; lumbar region, anterior, medial lower limbs and opposite dorsum of foot; stops hemorrhages, menses: tonify Disperses the opposite kidney filtration; opposite vessels and sexual organs. Dispersing acts in a contrary manner. Commands the energy (sanyinjiao, SP-6, commands the blood), all the Yang organ meridians, producers of energy (taichong, LR-3, commands the six Yin) Weakness and emptiness; weakness of the nerves; great perspiration from weakness; insomnia from weakness. Opposite large intestine: production of antihemorrhagic vitamin K by the large intestine and of the anti-neuralgic vitamin B-complex. Atonic constipation, difficult or not very abundant stools: tonify; inflammation, diarrhea: disperse; typhoid fever (elevated, prolonged fever, diarrhea, sweats, vomiting, lumbar pain): disperse. Fever: fever from chills (and violent cough); intermittent fever; measles, German measles, scarlet fever. Heart opposite side: troubles of rhythm - tonify if weak, disperse if excess Opposite side of tongue: heavy, stiff. Loose teeth: tonify; all teeth painful, caries: disperse. Opposite side of throat: sore throat, opposite tonsillitis; laryngitis; false croup: disperse; obstructing mucus, tracheitis; blocked respiration, asthma. Opposite eye: weakness, vision weak and foggy: tonify; beginning of cataract, keratitis. Opposite ear: deafness? "If the blood is thick, disperse; if it is fluid, tonify;" buzzing from emptiness. Taste-smell: anosmia: tonify. Co0ngestive headaches opposite side: tonify, opposite cerebral congestion: tonify. Acute meningitis (to the point of "false death"): tonify; cerebral spasms: tonify; cerebral anemia: disperse Opposite side of nose - congestive coryza: tonify; fluid at the beginning: disperse; sinusitis: disperse; fissures. Blood: fluid blood: tonify; hemorrhaging easily, prolonged: tonify; menses too abundant: tonify). Bleeding nose: tonify; spits blood: tonify; intestinal hemorrhages, retial hemorrhages, glaucoma, congestion of eyes: tonify. Blees easily, too thick: disperse; Fear of blood clots: disperse. Luminous zigzag before the eyes; thick, insufficient menses, not coming: disperse.Confinement: disperse (relaxes the energy of the tissues and detaches the placenta) and tonify sanyinjiao (SP-6). Conception: too easy -tonify; too difficult - disperse. Kidney-filtration: profuse urine (and dry skin): disperse Insufficient urine (sweats a lot): tonify Skin: dryness or with squamation: tonify; acne on the opposite side of the face: tonify Spasms of infants. Opposite tetanus (contracted muscles, acute pain); disperse. trismus, contracted jaw, opposite: disperse. Swelling on opposite side of face: tonify; acne: disperse; paralysis of opposite facial nerve: tonify. Lateral side of neck, upper shoulder, lateral face of arm, wrist, hand, and opposite dorsum of fingers. Lower scapula, opposite lower back. Opposite lumbar area, lower opposite limb; opposite medial leg and knee; opposite dorsum of foot and large toe.
 * When tonified**:
 * Direct Effects:**
 * Parts of the Body:**

=Psycho-Spiritual Components= LI-4 and BL-59 - these points are known as the **“Great Eliminator”** and they are **the best points for removing toxins from the body and mind**. This is especially true for mental disorders. May get emotional discharge after treatment as it (eventually) brings calmness to the body and mind. Important revival point. Use for retention of fluid, thoughts, feces. **Detoxifies alcoholics, drug addicts, post-chemotherapy, or overdose.** Very powerful. **Good to moxa.** [JRW]

The energy from the Lungs enters the Large Intestine meridian here at the entry point. **The functions of receiving (Lung) and letting go (Large Intestine) are joined**. In Daoism the image of the valley is a symbol of emptiness. The virtue of emptiness is that it empowers one to be receptive to the essential nature of life. The Yi-Jing hexagram 15 for modesty (qian) indicates that “the superior man reduces that which is too much, and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equal”. In her comment to this hexagram Anthony states, “To equalize extremes is part of the natural law. A haughty, pretentious attitude stands like a narrow, steep mountain that is constantly being attacked by the elements; as a consequence, it erodes into the valley. The valley, likewise, because it is a depression, receives all that erodes into it.” Hence the name Joining of the Valleys [LJ]

Helps one to find **the balance between being and doing, to strike a balance between too much and not enough.** In Daoism the image f a valley is symbolic of a natural emptiness which is receptive to spirit. By cultivating an open mind, reinforcing the center, and working with attention, the sage develops inner freedom. Excess is a transgression of natural law; the **capacity to need less and to let go brings one closer to truth.** Can be tonified to treat weakness, emptiness, or nervous weakness. Use with indirect moxa to increase the energetic effects of needle combinations. Be cautious not to overuse with LR-3: this can make people tired and lose momentum if they are deficient. **Not all conflict is negative; the continual play of opposites is what generates the energies needed for transmutation**. Often it is **more effective to expand a person’s capacity for transformation than to temporarily relieve them of their discomfort.**