​It would be good to talk about acupuncture sometimes.
 
In the root treatment, I was taught to tonify Ki (Qi), but I was not taught which Ki to tonify. At that time, I was using sharp silver needles, but the depth of the needle varied even if just touching or pressing the skin so I think tonified Ki was changing depending on the depth of the needle without knowing it, or it might become dispersion when the needle was pressed on the skin. Yang Ki can be equal to Defensive Qi and Yin Ki can be equal to Nutritive Qi.
 
Is it necessary to use Yin Ki and Yang Ki separately?
Even if the same point on the same meridian is used, the result is different by which Ki to use. One makes the pulse, abdomen tighter and/or faster. Another makes the pulse and abdomen softer and/or slower.
 
So how can we decide which Ki should be used for the root treatment?
One method is to check by light stroke on the meridian. For Yang Ki, stroke fast and lightly. For Yin Ki, stroke slowly and a little heavily. If the pulse, abdomen and muscle tension get better after fast and light stroke, Yang Ki is good to use. If slow and a little heavy stroke makes the pulse and others better, Yin Ki should be used.
 
Another method is to check the pulse quality. If the pulse is pounding, Yin Ki is applicable. This is introduced by Mr. Niki who is an acupuncturist in Japan and I always use the information on his blog as references. To confirm whether or not Yin Ki can be used, light stroke on the meridian should be done.
 
Now this is my method or my hypothesis.
Above the abdomen, turn your hand clockwise around the navel while you are checking the patient’s pulse. If the pulse gets better, that means slower and softer, Yang Ki is good to use for the root treatment. When the pulse gets better when you turn your hand counter-clockwise around the navel, Yin Ki is good to use.
 
First decide which side of the body you will use (Refer to http://www.cozyacu.com/blog/relationship-between-treatment-side-and-micro-cosmic-orbit). Once you decided the side to treat, decide which Ki you will use by the above method. If counter-clock seems good, perform slow and a little heavy stroke on the meridian which came up by your diagnosis. If the pulse, abdomen and muscle tension get better, you can tonify one of the points on the meridian. If not, you should choose another meridian.

About 70% of long lasting cough is caused by cough-variant asthma and atopic cough.

Cough-variant asthma is a type of asthma in which the main symptom is a dry, non-productive cough, but there is often no typical asthma symptoms like wheezing or shortness of breath. Coughing lasts longer than 8 weeks and sometimes a year. It is caused by the contraction of the smooth muscle in the bronchi.

Atopic cough's main symptom is a dry, non-productive cough and it lasts longer than 8 weeks like cough-variant asthma, but it is caused by over-sensitivity of the sensory nerve in the throat.

​Coughing tends to increase at the following period of time
Cough-variant asthma and Atopic cough:
When starting to fall into a doze and a few hours before waking up.

Sinobronchial syndrome (complication of Chronic bronchitis and Sinusitis, wet cough and nasal mucus) :
From when you get up throughout the morning

In Eastern medicine, cough-variant asthma and atopic cough are considered as Lung deficiency or Ja in Lung, and sinobronchial syndrome is considered as Kidney deficiency.

Possibility of unexpected diseases if you have chronic cough at the following period of time, 
Coughing after meal: Reflux esophagitis (acid reflux)
1 to 2 hours after going to bed: Cardiac Insufficiency

​

In root treatment, to slow down fast pulse, Yang meridian is used instead of Yin meridian. If the pattern is Lung deficiency, a point on Small Intestine is chosen, which is Yang meridian of controlling meridian that is Heart.

The pattern of the patient was Kidney deficiency and her pulse was a little fast. After checking with light strokes on some points, I chose left ST37 and gave Yang Ki to the point. I thought the pulse would be slower, but it became faster and pounding. I reset the previous needling by some tonification on her abdomen and tonified right KD7  with Yang Ki. By this needling, the pulse slowed down.

Another patient had Liver deficiency and her pulse was obviously fast. I chose left LI4 and gave Yang Ki to the point. By only this point, her pulse slowed down and all the pulse positions became proper depth. Her abdomen became soft and even as well. Of course, I finished root treatment by this one point. After 10 minutes rest, the pulse was still slow and in good depth.

The difference between 2 cases is the speed of the fast pulse. If the pulse is obviously fast, tonifying Yang meridian point is really effective, but if the pulse may be a little faster than usual, tonfying Yin meridian seems still effective.

Last time I talked about Micro Cosmic Orbit. Micro Cosmic Orbit is used as a part of Q-Gong training. When we think about the front side of our body, male's Micro Cosmic Orbit flows down and female's one flows up, though there is an exception. 

Connecting this idea to general method to decide the treatment side in which we treat right side if the patient is a female and treat left side if the patient is a male, if Micro Cosmic Orbit flows down in front of the body, one of Yin Meridians on left side of the body should be chosen, and if Micro Cosmic Orbit flows up in front of the body, one of Yin Meridian on right side of the body should be chosen. 

I think this method that uses Micro Cosmic Orbit is more accurate, compared to other methods such as gender, healthy side of the body, harder side of the navel, that means, this method gives me more chance to find the best point to tonify Yin faster. However, I have to say that this idea is just my hypothesis and in the case that Yin meridian is not used, this method is not applicable.

This is continuation of last time. I talked that sometimes I couldn't decide whether I should choose right or left as treatment side. For example, I can't decide when gender shows right and harder side of the navel shows left, or both gender and harder side of the navel show right but I can't find a good meridian to tonify.

By the way, do you know Micro Cosmic Orbit in our body? The mid-line in our body that Governing Vessel is connected to Conception Vessel is called Micro Cosmic Orbit. Generally male's Micro Cosmic Orbit circulates down along Conception Vessel and up along Governing Vessel, and female's Micro Cosmic Orbit circulates opposite way, that is, down along Governing Vessel and up along Conception Vessel. This way of thinking is different from Chinese medicine's. 

In Chinese medicine, Conception Vessel flows from the genital area to the mouth, and Governing Vessel flows from the coccyx to the mouth. There is a connection but the flow is opposite so there is no continuous circulation. 

The concept of Micro Cosmic Orbit doesn't fit Chinese medicine, but I use the concept to decide treatment side. I will talk about how it works next time.