顱息 : Luxi : Skull's Rest

Location:

Posterior to the ear, in a small depression two thirds of the distance along a curved line drawn between Yifeng SJ-17 to Jiaosun SJ-20 following the line of the rim of the ear.

Needling:

Subcutaneous insertion along the course of the channel 0.3 - 0.5 cun, or prick to bleed.

Warnings:

According to several classical texts this point is contraindicated to bleeding.

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 hand Yin and Yang receive their Qi via nearby paths so their Qi arrive swiftly. The depth of piercing must not exceed 2 fen and must not remain inserted for longer than one exhalation" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of one fen and is moxaed with three cones. Excessive bleeding at this point is fatal" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Benefits the ears and clears Heat
Calms fright and relieves tetany

TCM Indications:

• Deafness, tinnitus, ear pain, discharge of pus from the ear, itching of the face, redness and swelling of the corner of the forehead (in the region of Touwei St-8).
  
• Headache, heavy head, one sided headache, heat in the body with headache and inability to sleep, dizziness, childhood epilepsy, tetany, fright and fear, childhood vomiting of foamy (watery) saliva, vomiting and drooling, pain of hte chest and lateral costal region, dyspnoea, seminal emission.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Greater auricular nerve, from the cervical nerve plexus (branches from C2 - C3)

Dermatome Segment: C2

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• Pain of the lateral costal region with inability to turn the body:
    Luxi SJ-19 with Benshen GB-13
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• One-sided headache:
    Luxi SJ-19, Fengchi GB-20, Taiyang Ex-HN-9, Waiguan SJ-5 and Jianjing GB-21 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji and Baker, 2001, A Manual of Acupuncture).

Notes:

Galen recommended arteriotomy "behind the ear" and so probably at Yifeng SJ-17, or on the occipital artery at this point or Qimai SJ-18 for scotomatics (blind spots) and people with "chronic hot and spiritous pains in the head" (Brain, 1986, Galen on Bloodletting, p.97).

Aretaeus performed arteriotomy in front (probably Taiyang) and behind the ears for epilepsy (ibid.: p.97, footnote).

In Tibetan medicine:
Venesection point, called Rna Ba'i Nang Ljon (Ear's External Tree) measured by finding the vena auricularis posterior or a branch of the vena temporalis superficialis posterior to the ear approx. 2 cun posterior to the ear at the level of the external meatus. Its is indicated for:

- Inner ear infection with pus and pain
- Deafness
- Hearing problems
- Lateral head pain
- Tsha Ba (Heat) in the Kidneys
- Unilateral face pain

(Chenagtsang & Nguyen, 2017, Sowa Rigpa Points).

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