Acupuncture Point Quepen (ST12)
Location:
Proper sitting with one's back propped; at the centre of supraclavicular fossa, above the midpoint of clavicle, in the depression lateral to the clavicular caput of m.
sternocleidomastoideus.
Function:
Promoting the dispersing function of lung, regulating qi, and activating the collaterals and alleviate pain.
Regional Anatomy:
Skin-subcutaneous tissue and platysma muscle-between clavicle and trapezius muscle-between inferior belly of omohyoid muscle and subclavicular muscke-brachial plexus.
In the superficial layer, there is the intermediate supraclavicular nerve. In the deep layer, there are the transverse cervical artery and vein and the supraclavicular portion of the branchial plexus.
Indications:
Cough, Asthma, sore throat, pain in the supraclavicular fossa.
Prescription:
Combined use with LiequeLU7 (Lieque (LU7) Luo-Connecting Point the Eight Confluent Point) and ChizeLU5 (Chize (LU5) He-Sea Point) for treatment of tracheitis; with ShuifenCV9 (Shuifen (CV9)) and ZusanliST36 (Zusanli (ST 36) He-Sea Point) for treatment of hydrothorax; with XinshuBL15 ( Xinshu (BL15)), GanshuBL18 (Ganshu (BL 18)), JuqueCV14 (Juque (CV14) Front-Mu Point of the Heart) and JiuweiCV15 (Jiuwei (CV15) Luo-Connecting Point) for treatment of cough with bloody sputum.
Methods:
Avoid puncturing the artery. Insert the needle perpendicularly 0.1-0.2 cun deep; needling response: local sensation of distension and soreness; moxibustion: using 3-5 moxa-cones, mild moxibustion for 15 min.
Note:
Don't puncture deeply, especially not toward medial and inferior side, or else the needle would penetrate the serratus anterior muscle-the external intercostal muscles-the internal intercostal muscles-the parietal pleura-the pleural cavity-the visceral pleura and the upper lobe of lung, injure the lung tissue and cause pneumatothorax.