Glossary

A set of twelve breast Shu points is mentioned in the Su Wen Ch. 58 but with no points or indications given. Wang Bing later attributed points to them, but with no indications or theory behind their use.

They are:
Lu-2: 雲門 Yunmen
Lu-1: 中府 Zhongfu
Sp-20: 周榮 Zhourong
Sp-19:胸鄉 Xiongxiang
Sp-18: 天谿 Tianxi
Sp-17: 食竇 Shidou

These have not attracted as much interest as the chest Shu and no groupings or indications can be found. The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, bk 3, ch. 17, by Huangfu Mi (215 - 282 CE) and the Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion, bk 1, ch. 18, by Wang Zhizhong (1140 - 1207 CE) dedicate chapters to these points but only describe them as a line down the chest and provide point locations and indications with no explanation of the group as a whole. The following is a suggestion devised from considerations on their channel and point names.

A Theory of the Breast Shu Points

Their location on the Lung and Spleen channel, as opposed to the Bladder and Kidney like the regular Shu points, suggests they are involved in post-natal Qi. The name of the bottom point, "Food Outlet" and the top point "Cloud Gate" and their location on chest where Zong Qi gathers implies that these Shu points may be related to the transformations involved in generating Qi and Blood for the body.

The generation of Ying Qi that flows through the channels and Wei Qi that flows outside the channels is generated from Gu Qi from food and Kong Qi from air:

1. Gu Qi enters the system via the "Food Outlet" point Sp-17
2. Kong Qi from the air enters through the "Cloud Gate" point, Lu-2
3. The two mingle to form Zong Qi in the "Central Palace", Lu-1, providing warmth
4. Yuan Qi is provided from the Kidneys via the "Heavenly Stream", Sp-18
5. These mingle to form Zhen Qi in the "Chest Village", Sp-19 and is divided into divided into Ying Qi and Wei Qi. "Village" implies all the different kinds of Qi that are merged at this point.
6. Ying Qi and Wei Qi are then distributed around the body through the "Encircling Glory", Sp-20

Blood is manufactured from the interaction of Gu Qi from food and Yuan Qi involving the lower two points. After its creation it must be infused with Qi and Shen in the following fashion:

1. Gu Qi arrives through the "Food Outlet", Sp-17
2. It merges with Yuan Qi arriving from the "Heavenly Stream", Sp-18 to form Blood
3. The Blood is infused with Ying Qi at the "Chest Village", Sp-19
4. It arrives for distribution at the "Encircling Glory", Sp-20
5. Simultaneously Shen descends from the "Central Palace", Lu-1 to become infused with the Blood and it is distributed

This results in the Breast Shu points having the same order as the chest Shu points but with the lower point acting as the Master Shu of the entire process instead of the top:

Lu-2: 雲門 Yunmen: Cloud Gate: Lung
Lu-1: 中府 Zhongfu: Central Palace: Heart
Sp-20: 周榮 Zhourong: Encircling Glory: Liver
Sp-19:胸鄉 Xiongxiang: Chest Village: Spleen
Sp-18: 天谿 Tianxi: Heavenly Stream: Kidney
Sp-17: 食竇 Shidou: Food Outlet: Master point for obstruction of Gu Qi entering the chest

If correct, the reason these points may have fallen out of favour today could be due to the relative prevalence of psychological issues and lack of malnutrition cases in the clinic making the chest Shu more appealing. The difficulty of accessing these points on female patients, especially when the clinician is male may also have had a role. This could be true historically too when the majority of practitioners were male and cultural attitudes were conservative resulting in fewer traditional sources being available.

From its manufacture by the Breast Shu points, the Ying Qi is distributed to the Zangfu via the Chest and Abdomen Qi Streets