腦空 : Naokong : Brain Hollow

Location Guides:

Classifications:

One of the "59 piercings" for clearing Heat in Su Wen Ch. 61

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Meetings:

Meeting of Gall Bladder with Yang Wei Mai

Location:

In the occipital region, directly above Fengchi GB-20, level with Naohu Du-17 (in the depression 1.5 cun directly above Fengfu Du-16).

Needling:

Transverse insertion 0.5 - 1.5 cun in the direction of symptoms or to connect with other points.

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Shaoyang is to be pierced 4 fen deep and remain inserted for five exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of four fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Benefits the head and alleviates pain
Pacifies Wind and clears the sense organs

TCM Indications:

• Headache, head wind, Brain Wind, one-sided headache and heaviness of the head, stiffness and pain of the neck with inability to turn the head, wind dizziness.
  
• Redness, swelling and pain of the eyes, deafness and tinnitus, pain of the nose, nasal congestion, nosebleed.
  
• Fright palpitations, Mania-Withdrawal (癲狂, Dian Kuang) disorder, taxation disorders with emaciation, heat in the body.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Greater occipital nerve from C2

Dermatome Segment: C2

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Occipitalis

Pain Referral Pattern:
To parietal region and eyes with some spillover to frontal region between. Works in tandem with frontalis (between yangbai GB-14 and zanzhu Bl-2) which will radiate pain around the forehead and superiorly to the frontal region

Indications:
Pain of the head ; Inability to bear the weight of the head on the point so must sleep sideways

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Major Combinations:

• Pain and heaviness of the head:
    Naokong GB-19 with Naohu Du-17 and Tongtian Bl-7
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Head Wind:
    Naokong GB-19 with Baihui Du-20 and Tianzhu Bl-10
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Notes:

The "59 piercings" are named in the Su Wen Ch. 61 and mentioned in Su Wen Ch. 32 for treating Heat diseases. This point along with Toulingqi GB-15, Muchuang GB-16, Zhengying GB-17 and Chengling GB-18 clear Heat from counterflow in the foot Shaoyang Gall Bladder channel.

Ling Shu Ch. 24, On Counterflow Diseases, seems to employs this set of points in treating headache, dizziness and heaviness of the head. It advises draining from the five points on each of the five channels on the top of the head, including this point, followed by the hand Shaoyin and then foot Shaoyin.

In scalp acupuncture this point would correspond to the balance area of the brain. It is needled inferiorly towards Fengchi GB-20. (Hao, 2015, The Treatment of Pain Through Chinese Scalp Acupuncture)

Among the Gall Bladder points of the head, there appear to be some that indicate they are special points for influencing the Zangfu and Channels, similar to the Front or Back Shu points. The fact that this point intersects with no other Primary Channel but has a reference to the Brain, a Curious Organ that is related to the Gall Bladder, and this point's indications for inability to turn the head, red eyes and other sensory disturbances that imply Shaoyang patterns, would make it a suitable candidate for the head-Shu for the Gall Bladder.

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point indicated for eye ailments (Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)

Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here