Listen to the Podcast here:
Everything You Need to Know About LUNG 7: A Comprehensive Guide for Acupuncture Students
Hello, fellow acupuncture enthusiasts! If you’re preparing for the NCCAOM and are eager to master the details of key acupuncture points, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re diving deep into one of the most vital points: LUNG 7 (LU 7). By the end of this blog post, you’ll understand where LU 7 is located, what it does, and why it’s so important in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Let’s get started!
Location of Lung 7
First things first, let’s talk about where LU 7 is situated. This point is located on the radial aspect of your forearm, approximately 1.5 cun (a unit of measurement used in TCM) proximal to Large Intestine 5 (LI 5). So how do you find it?
1. **Identify LI 5:** Extend your hand and fingers out, creating a pocket at the base of your thumb known as the anatomical snuffbox. LI 5 is right in the middle of this snuffbox.
2. **Move 1.5 cun Proximally:** Once you’ve located LI 5, slide your finger 1.5 cun proximally (upwards toward your elbow) until you feel a cleft. This cleft is between the tendons of the brachioradialis and the abductor pollicus longus.
And there you have it, you’ve found LU 7!
Anatomical Relations
Understanding the anatomical landscape around LU 7 is crucial for effective needling and avoiding complications. Here's a breakdown of the neighboring structures:
- **Tendons:** LU 7 lies between the brachioradialis and the abductor pollicus longus.
- **Cephalic Vein:** This major vein runs through the anatomical snuffbox, so be cautious when needling nearby points like LI 5.
- **Radial Artery and Nerve:** These structures run superficially and play a vital role in the region, making accurate needling techniques essential to avoid injury.
Functions of LUNG 7
Now that you know where LU 7 is, let’s explore its numerous functions. LU 7 is a multi-talented point that serves various critical roles in TCM:
1. **Luo-Connecting Point:** LU 7 is a Luo-Connecting point, meaning it has a pathway to its paired channel, the Large Intestine channel. This connection is vital for treating conditions that affect both channels.
2. **Command Point for Head and Nape:** Interestingly, LU 7 is a command point for ailments concerning the head and nape. Even though the Lung meridian doesn’t extend up to the head, its connection to the Large Intestine meridian allows LU 7 to influence these areas.
3. **Releasing the Exterior and Expelling Wind:** When pathogens like wind invade the body, they often settle in the exterior layer between the skin and muscles, called the “Toli.” LU 7 helps release these pathogens, thereby treating symptoms like chills, fever, and a runny nose.
4. **Pacifying Wind:** In conditions like Wind-Bi Syndrome, where wind causes moving pain in the joints and muscles, LU 7 can effectively pacify this wind, relieving the associated pain.
5. **Regulating Water Passages:** The Lung’s function includes descending and dispersing bodily fluids. When this function is impaired, issues like edema and phlegm can arise. LU 7 can help regulate these water passages, resolving symptoms related to fluid retention.
6. **Opening Point of the Renmai (Conception Vessel):** LU 7 serves as the master point for the Renmai, affecting the uterus, genital system, and urinary system. It’s a powerful point for treating a wide array of gynecological and urogenital issues.
Clinical Applications
Let’s apply this theoretical knowledge to some practical examples. Imagine you have a patient with the following conditions:
1. **Upper Respiratory Symptoms:** The patient complains of a runny nose, cough, and chills. These symptoms indicate an exterior wind-phlegm invasion.
2. **Headache and Neck Pain:** This patient suffers from a stiff neck and headaches, particularly at the back of the head.
3. **Joint Pain that Moves:** The patient reports pain that seems to migrate from one joint to another — a classic sign of Wind-Bi Syndrome.
4. **Edema and Fluid Retention:** This patient shows signs of pulmonary edema and swelling in the arms and legs.
In all these cases, LU 7 can be an effective treatment point. For upper respiratory symptoms, LU 7 will expel the wind and restore the Lung’s descending and dispersing functions, alleviating the cough and runny nose. For headaches and neck pain, its role as a command point for the head and nape will provide relief. In cases of moving joint pain, pacifying the wind with LU 7 will offer relief. Lastly, regulating water passages through LU 7 will address symptoms of fluid retention and edema.
Needle Techniques
Proper needling technique is crucial for the effectiveness of LU 7. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. **Preparation:** Cleanse the area with alcohol and have your disposable, sterile needles ready.
2. **Palpate the Site:** Locate LU 7 as described earlier. Once you find the cleft between the brachioradialis and abductor pollicus longus, you’re in the right place.
3. **Angle and Depth:** Insert the needle at a 0.3 to 0.5 cun depth, with an angle pointing towards the radial side of the forearm.
4. **Manipulation:** Gently manipulate the needle after insertion. Depending on the treatment goal, you may employ techniques like lifting, thrusting, or rotation.
5. **Removal:** After retaining the needle for 10-20 minutes (depending on the condition and treatment plan), remove it and apply slight pressure with a cotton ball to prevent bleeding.
Case Study
Imagine a hypothetical patient named Jane who visits you with symptoms of early-stage wind-cold invasion, manifesting as a runny nose, slight fever, and chills. Additionally, she reports stiffness at the nape of her neck.
**Treatment Plan:**
1. Select LU 7 as the primary point to release the exterior and expel wind.
2. Ensure proper needle insertion as detailed above.
3. Retain the needle for 15 minutes while employing gentle tonification techniques.
**Outcome:**
After the treatment, Jane reports immediate relief in the stiffness of her neck and a noticeable decrease in her runny nose. Such rapid improvements underscore the efficacy of LU 7 in treating wind-cold invasions and associated symptoms.
Integrating LU 7 into a Broader Treatment Strategy
Although LU 7 is incredibly effective on its own, its benefits can be amplified when combined with other points, depending on the condition:
- **For Expelling Wind-Cold:** Combine LU 7 with LI 4 (Hegu) to enhance the exterior-releasing effect.
- **For Neck and Head Pain:** Pair LU 7 with GB 20 (Fengchi) and DU 16 (Fengfu) to treat head and nape issues more comprehensively.
- **For Regulating the Renmai:** LU 7 can be paired with KID 6 (Zhaohai) to open both the Renmai and the Yin Qiao channels, strengthening its effects on the genitourinary system.
Study Tips for NCCAOM
As you prepare for your NCCAOM exams, remember that understanding the theoretical foundations is just as crucial as memorizing point locations and functions. Here are some tips to help you study LU 7 effectively:
1. **Flashcards:** Create flashcards that detail LU 7’s location, functions, and clinical applications.
2. **Practice Needling:** If possible, practice finding and needling LU 7 on classmates or models.
3. **Case Studies:** Review and write your own case studies to better understand how to apply LU 7 in clinical scenarios.
4. **Group Studies:** Discuss LU 7 with your peers to gain different perspectives and insights.
SO IN SUMMARY
LUNG 7 is a powerhouse point in the arsenal of any acupuncturist. From its anatomical location to its myriad functions, understanding LU 7 can significantly improve your ability to treat a wide range of conditions. Whether it’s releasing the exterior, expelling wind, or regulating the Renmai, LU 7 is a versatile point that should be well-understood by anyone preparing for the NCCAOM.
I hope this comprehensive guide has clarified all things LU 7 for you. Remember, successful acupuncture practice combines knowledge, skill, and consistent study. As you continue your journey in TCM, may your understanding of points like LU 7 deepen and enrich your practice.
Happy studying, and best of luck on your exams!
Location
Radial aspect of the forearm, approximately 1.5 cun proximal to LI-5 in the cleft between the tendons of brachioradialis and abductor pollicis longus.
This point is the LUO CONNECTING POINT of the channel; which means it connects the Lung and the Large Intestine channel (they are interiorly/exteriorly related). We see this in its ability to treat the head and neck area. Lung channel doesn’t go above the throat area; Lung 11 starts at the hand and ends at the lateral part of the chest near the shoulder.
Location: radial aspect of the forearm, 1.5 cun proximal to LI-5 betwen the tendons of brachioradialis and abductor pollicis longus (APL)
Needling: pinch up the skin over the point, needle transversely proximal or distal 0.5 to 1.0 cun; avoid the cephalic vein
Categories
Luo-connecting point of the Lung channel
Confluent point of the Conception vessel
Command point of Head and Neck
Ma Dan-yang Heavenly Star point
Actions
Releases the exterior and expels wind
Promotes the descending function of the Lung
Pacifies wind and phlegm
Benefits the head and nape
Opens and regulates the Conception vessel
Regulates the water passages
Activates the channel and alleviates pain
this point is heavily used to treat wind invasion (both exterior and interior). Lung channel controls the spreading of wei qi over the exterior of the body and also controls opening/closing of the pores.
Wind can be damaging to the body; it can hinder the defensive qi (wei qi) and impair the function of the lung; in this case your patient will complain of fever, chills, headache, aches and pains, in joints especially neck, shoulders, back. This is your typical onset of getting “sick.” Wind can also cause your patient to cough or wheeze. Wind can also cause edema in your patient because the Lung regulates the water passages and descends and disperses fluids.
So you can use Lung 7 to expel wind, pacify wind, and promote the lung’s function to descend.
As the command point of the head and neck; it can benefit the head and neck (nape).
LUNG 7 is the opening point or confluent point of the CONCEPTION VESSEL (REN VESSEL). The REN VESSEL goes up the anterior surface of the body and has a strong connection to the uterus and genito-urinary system. Lung 7 can open and regulate the conception vessel and treat a multitude of disorders from: urinary issues (hematuria, painful urinatation, difficulty urination), uterus issues, lower burners issues etc. This is covered more in the REN CHANNEL.
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
"I loved the way Dr. Lai explained that." <<< If that sounds like you, please rate and review my podcast! This helps me support and reach more people just like you!
Click here, scroll to the bottom of the page and TAP to rate with FIVE STARS and select "WRITE A REVIEW." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Also, if you haven't already, please follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes frequently, so if you're not following, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now!
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:00:00]:
Alright. So today, we are gonna talk about lung 7. We're gonna talk about where it is, what it does, and why it does what it do. So first, let's talk about where it's located. So everyone, you can take your palm, look at your palm, now flip it upside down, and extend your fingers all out. You'll notice that there's a pocket that's created here, right, at the base of your thumb. That's called your anatomical snuffbox. There's two borders to the anatomical snuffbox.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:00:38]:
It's both extensor tendons, extensor pollicus longus, and extensor pollicus brevis. Don't be scared by those big words. Right? We learn bigger words and scarier words in TCM. But the extensor pollicus longus and the extensor pollicus brevis, all it is is just an extensor of the pollicus, which is the thumb, Latin for the thumb. And then if there's a long one and then there's a short one, longus and brevis. That's all it is. So extend all your fingers, extend your thumb, extension of polycus longus and brevis pops out. The middle of that is called your anatomical snuff box.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:01:15]:
Right smack dab in the middle of that is an acupuncture point called LI 5. So LI 5 is located right in the center of the anatomical snuffbox. So where's lung 7? In relation to LI 5, lung 7 is 1.5 proximal to li5. So lung 7 is 1.5 proximal to li5. How do we find it? We first find LI5 and we slide our finger down proximally until it falls into a cleft. That cleft is between two tendons, the brachioradialis and the abductor pollicus longus. Again, big words, but abductor, polycus, longus. It's an abductor of the polycus and it's long.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:02:01]:
And then the brachioradialis is just part of our wrist extensors. It's the workhorse of the forearm. So 1.5 soon proximal to that. And when you palpate it on your patient, all you do is you slide your finger down and you should feel your fingers drop into this cleft here. And that cleft is a splitting of the tendons of abductor folliculus longus and of brachioradialis. So what else should we know about the anatomical snuffbox? Inside the anatomical snuffbox is LI 5. When we needle LI 5, we should be cautious of some things. The number one thing that we should be cautious of is the cephalic vein sitting inside the anatomical snuffbox.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:02:42]:
The floor of the anatomical snuffbox is the scaphoid bone. On top of that, we have the cephalic vein. Inside there, we also have the radial artery, and then we also have the radial nerve that goes pretty superficially here. You can actually do a test if there's some sort of radial nerve palsy or pathology. You can do what's known as a Tinnell's test. Tinnell's test is just when you tap a nerve that runs superficial to the skin. You can tap the radial nerve over here if you feel a shooting pain down into the top of the top of the hand, then there's a positive Tinel sign for the radial nerve. So then you would go proximal to see if there's any impingements all the way to the spinal nerve roots.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:03:25]:
Alright. So that's where it is. Now let's talk about what it does and why. So what is LUNG 7? LUNG 7 is categorically, it's a lower connecting point. We know that lower connecting points like to go to a certain area and influence a certain area. So lung 7 goes down and it actually influences the thenar eminence. We have a thenar eminence and we have a hypothenar eminence. So if you make a claw like this, you'll see there's a big bulge here and a smaller bulge here.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:03:55]:
The smaller bulge is called the hypothenar eminence. This one is called your thenar eminence, the base of the thumb, and that's where LUNG 7 is going to disperse. So if you have heat signs like pain there, swelling there, you can use LUNG7 to treat pain in the thumb. You can also use LUNG7 in its function as a command point. So what is it a command point of? It's a command point of the head and the back of the neck or the head and the nape of the neck. And it's interesting. Why is lung 7 a command point of the head and the nape of the neck? When we know that lung doesn't go very far. Right? Lung goes up to here.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:04:31]:
Right? It doesn't go even go past the neck, but large intestine does. And lung 7 is a lower connecting point, meaning it connects the interior and exterior related channel, lung and large intestine. And we know that large intestine goes up, past the neck, past the mouth, past the nose, right, into the face, into the head. So that way, lung 7 is a command point for things like facial pain, headaches, headaches in the back of the head, any sort of heat signs that go up. Lung 7 also releases the exterior and expels wind. And so let's talk about what does release the exterior mean. We have to know first what is even the exterior? Right. The exterior is our skin.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:05:16]:
Yes. Specifically, it's this area between the skin and the muscles. It's this area called the To Lee. The To Lee is this area between the skin and the muscles, and you have a lot of flow through there. Primarily, you have something known as wei qi that flows through there. And what does wei qi do? Wei qi is our body's defense chi. It defends us. It also has a function of warming us.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:05:40]:
So when we have this exterior pathogenic factor like wind that invades into our body, where does it go first? It goes into the exterior. So it obstructs the wei qi as it's flowing through the area between the skin and the muscles, the toli. If it becomes obstructed, if it becomes impaired, what's gonna happen? The function of warming us is gonna be impaired. So that's why we get some chills when we have a cold. That's why we get a runny nose. In addition, when that wind goes into the exterior, what governs this area? The lung governs this area. So the lungs function of descending and dispersing is also gonna be impaired. And so that's why you may get edema signs.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:06:22]:
You may get phlegm. You may get a runny nose. You may have a cough because we're not descending anymore. We're coughing things up now. And that, when you think back to 6 stages, that makes the chills, the fever, the runny nose, that makes that make so much more sense. So lung 7 is a primary point, a very important point in releasing the exterior and expelling wind. We wanna expel that wind out of the exterior. Right? It's still right now in that beginning stage when if we let it go interior into our body, it's gonna get worse.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:06:56]:
It's gonna turn into more heat sides. Zones. This is when you're saying, I feel like I'm coming down with something. I don't feel so good. Neck feels stiff. I have the sniffles. I'm coughing. I feel like I'm coming down with something.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:07:08]:
Right now, the best time to expel wind and release the exterior through lung 7. Besides just expelling wind, it can also pacify wind. When wind enters the body and you have something known as wind B syndrome, like wind painful obstruction, That wind, that exterior pathogenic factor, is settling somewhere. It can settle in the joints, it can settle in your muscles, and you'll have this very specific type of pain known as roving pain, where the pain moves from joint to joint, where the pain is in this muscle, and now it's in this muscle, and now it's in this muscle. It goes from place to place, and that's what makes it wind, wind b. So we can pacify this wind. We can expel this wind through lung 7. Lung 7 can also regulate the water passages, and it has a strong effect on phlegm.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:07:57]:
Because what is the function of lung? Lung descends and disperses. What does a descend and disperse? Well, yes, it governs chi, right? It commands respiration, but it does descend and disperse bodily fluids, right? It sends fluids to the spleen, to the arms, to the leg. But if there is an impairment in this function, that's why your patient can get edema, right, because there's no descending and dispersing. They may get pulmonary edema. They may have edema in the arms. They may have edema in the legs, more so in the arms than in the legs and more so in the chest cavity than in the legs as well. This may remind you of something called congestive heart failure. So LUNG 7 is strongly recommended in releasing the exterior, expelling wind, and also getting the lung back to doing what it's supposed to do.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:08:44]:
It restores the function of the lung of descending and dispersing. So that's how it would treat edema. That's how it also transforms phlegm. So LUNG 7
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:08:51]:
is strongly recommended in releasing transforms blood. So lung 7 is strongly recommended in releasing the exterior, expelling wind, and also getting the lung to do what it's supposed to do again, which is to descend and disperse, right, bodily fluids. And that brings us to how it affects phlegm. Because if we allow bodily fluids to accumulate, that's how damp can accumulate. That's how phlegm can accumulate. And that's why LUNG7 also has a function for pacifying phlegm. And then lastly, but not leastly, lung 7 has a function for regulating the conception vessel, regulating the renmai, because it's an opening point. It's a master point of the renmai.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:09:32]:
And the conception vessel, aka the renmai, has effects on the uterus, the genital system, the urinary system. So lung 7, as that opening point, can affect all those things, uterine issues, genitourinary issues, the whole gamut. Alright. So that brings us to the end of this video. I hope this video helped you understand exactly what LUNG 7 does, where it is, and why it does what it does. Hopefully, this video helped you understand the lung, the wei qi, the toli, how all that relates together, and how lung 7 sort of wraps it all up. Alright. I had a lot of fun making this video.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc [00:10:07]:
If you like this video and you feel like it'll help someone else understand lung 7 and also just all the functions of the lung as well, just send it over to them. You can click the share button below, send it in a text message, share it on your Facebook feed, share it with your fellow students, just share it to anybody you think will find it helpful. And of course, make sure if you haven't already, hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the videos coming up. Hit the like button as well. And, of course, drop a comment, say hello, or request any other videos. I'm making a ton of videos now. Whatever you request, I'm gonna make a video on it. So until next time, God bless, and happy studying.
Comments