Acupoints Selected: Mingmen (GV 4), Shenshu (BL23), Qihaishu (BL24), Rangu (KI 2).
Action: Warming kidney, activating yang and supplementing renal fire.
Elucidation: The occurrence of impotence is always due to the decline of mingmen fire (renal fire), which generally results from excessive sexual intercourse, asthenia of renal yin and yang involved by asthenic yin. Mingmen (GV 4) fire declines, the penis is flaccid and fails to erect, so Mingmen (GV 4), an acupoint of the governor vessel, and Shenshu (BL23), an acupoint of the bladder meridian, are selected to tonify renal yang, to strengthen renal fire. The Conception Vessel downward comes out of the perineum, upward flows to the pubic hair margin and the lower abdomen, and then links up with the penis, so Qihai (CV 6), an acupoint of it, is selected to stimulate directly the penis, to warm and replenish renal qi. The decline of mingmen fire starts from yin exhaustion, so Rangu (KI 2), the Ying-Spring point of the kidney meridian, is selected to nourish renal yin to aim at the basic cause of the disease. The anterior-posterior, distal-proximal selection of the four acupoints can produce the effect of warming kidney, activating yang and supplementing renal fire.
Indication: Impotence. The clinical manifestations are juvenile failure of the penis in erection, or weak erection, or prospermia, followed-up flaccidity and weakness of the penis, or although capability of having sex, the penis being flaccid itself. If severe there will be lassitude, restless sleep, disinclination to eat, dizziness, tinnitus, poor memory, soreness and weakness of the loins and knees, sallow complexion etc.
Performance:
Mingmen (GV 4) is needled vertically 0.5 - 1 cun. The needle is manipulated with the reinforcing method achieved by swirling-rotating after the acuesthesia is felt. After needling, the mild moxibustion with moxa rolls is applied for 15 minutes, or the ginger moxibustion with 14 - 21 big moxa cones is applied on the acupoint.
Shenshu (BL23) is needled vertically 0.5 - 1 cun. The needle is manipulated with the reinforcing method achieved by lifting-inserting and swirling-rotating. After needling, the mild moxibustion with moxa rolls is applied for 15 - 20 minutes, or the ginger moxibustion with 14 -21 big moxa cones is applied on the acupoint.
Qihaishu (BL24) is needled obliquely with the pinpoint a little downward to make the acuesthesia spread to the penis. The needle is manipulated with the reinforcing method achieved by swirling-rotating. After needling, the mild moxibustion with moxa rolls is applied for 15 - 20 minutes, or the ginger moxibustion with 14 - 21 moxa cones is applied on the acupoint.
Rangu (KI 2) is only needled not moxibusted with the reinforcing method achieved by swirling-rotating manipulated on the needle.
The above needles are all retained for 30 minutes. The treatment is given once a day, and 10 - 14 days make up one course.
Clinical material: There were many reports on the treatment of impotence with acumox therapies, and the main therapies were acupuncture and moxibustion, point injection, electro-acupuncture, intradermal embedding of needle, auricular needle, acupuncture cooperated with massage, point radiation with TDP ray etc. Zhai adopted acupuncture to treat 164 cases of impotence and achieved quite good results. Therapeutic method: If the disease was differentiated as asthenia of kidney, the principal acupoints selected were Guanyuan (CV 4), Zhongwan (CV12), Shenshu (BL23), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Baihui (GV 20); and the auxiliary acupoints were Yintang (EX-HN 3), Qihaishu (BL24), Dazhui (GV 14), Mingmen (GV 4).
The needles of the above acupoints were manipulated with the inducing-warm method and were retained for 25 - 40 minutes. If differentiated as impairment of kidney due to frightening, the main acupoints selected were Xinshu (BL15), Neiguan (PC6), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Shenshu (BL23); and the auxiliary acupoints were Zhongwan (CV 12), Zusanli (ST 36), Dazhui (GV 14), Yintang (EX- HN 3). Guanyuan (CV 4) was needled and manipulated to make the hot feeling transmit to the balanus, and the needles on the other acupoints were manipulated with the mild reinforcing-reducing method. If differentiated as downward flowing of damp-heat, the acupoints selected were Ligou (LR 5), Guanyuan (CV 4), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Yanglingquan (GB 34) ; and the auxiliary ones were Shenshu (BL23), Ganshu (BL 18), Danshu (BL19), Taichong (LR 3). Guanyuan (CV 4) was needled and manipulated to make the acuesthesia spread to the penis or the meatus urinarius, and the needles on the other acupoints were manipulated with the mild reinforcing-reducing method.
If the impotence was organic, the main acupoints selected were Shenshu (BL 23), Mingmen (GV 4), Baliao points, Huantiao (GB 30), Geshu (BL17); the auxiliary ones were Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Taichong (LR 3), Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (EX- HN 3). The manipulative method was applied according to the patient's conditions and constitution. The needles were all retained for 30- 50 minutes. During the retention, the needles were manipulated 1 - 2 minutes every 10 minutes. The treatment was given 1 2 times a day, and 10 -20 times of treatment made up one course. Result.. 13 were cured, 39 were significantly effective, 84 were improved, and 7 ineffective. The total effective rate was 94. 54%.
