HEADACHES, WHAT HE GU CAN DO FOR YOU! 

 September 16, 2016

By  Steve Hoffman

LI4He what?? He Gu or “Junction Valley” as translated to English, is the acupuncture point Large Intestine 4 (LI4 for short). In my last post The Top Five Acupuncture Points For Headaches, I talked about how this point (along with and among others) can help treat a headache. So what else can this acupuncture point treat. Well, among other things it is good for pain in the neck, redness, swelling and pain of the eye, nasal obstruction, toothache, deafness, swelling of the face, sore throat, facial paralysis, abdominal pain, dysentery, constipation, amenorrhea, delayed labor, pain, and weakness and motor impairment of the upper limbs. Alrighty then! How can one acupuncture point do all of that? Well the answer is that it can’t, not all by itself. In Chinese medicine there are very few 1:1 correlations, like; when you needle this point, the result will be “this”. That is because, we very rarely use just one point in a treatment. Points are used together with other points to strengthen a treatment, guide a treatment to a specific area of the body, work on a “root” cause of a problem, work on a “branch” or symptom and finally to work on different problems that the patient presents with. Also, while LI4 might be good for a headache for one person, it might not help another person.

That is where the beauty of this medicine lies. By using the right point or points for the right person, an acupuncturist can come up with a treatment that works, as well as a treatment that will “fix” the problem so that it does not come back. But let’s take a look at the overall thrust of this acupuncture point. We see pain several times, delayed labor, constipation, paralysis, impairment of limbs. The overall “feel” of these disharmonies is that something is stuck. In Chinese medicine, when the energy of the body does not move, stagnation occurs and things like pain ensue. With paralysis, the energy of the body is not moving correctly through, or to the area. You may look at dysentery and say that things are moving too much, but in reality, the body is trying to get rid of something, by moving things along more strongly, the patient gets better sooner. The fact that the meridian runs along the arm, up the neck and in to the face explains why it is helpful for symptoms in these areas. The fact that the meridian runs internally to the large intestine, explains why it is helpful for digestive and abdominal problems.

So, what can He Gu do for you? Well it really depends, but if you are suffering with one of these problems, it may very well be that a little attention to this area can help!


Princeton Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Our patients know just how effective treatments are for these and a host of other problems. Steven Hoffman, a New Jersey Licensed Acupuncturist and Diplomate in Oriental Medicine, will provide you with a thorough intake and evaluation and a clear, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan that will insure that your goals are met or exceeded. Do you want to move past these or other problems? We will help you thrive not just survive!

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