Using Master Tung’s Gallbladder Points for Diseases of the Head and Neck

Of the fourteen main meridian pathways, the Foot Tai Yang (Urinary Bladder) and Foot Shao Yang (Gallbladder) meridians are the two channels used most frequently for treating diseases of the head and neck. In Master Tung’s body of work, many points are loosely classified as Gallbladder channel points. In this article, I will compare Tung’s Gallbladder points, all located between the Leg Shao Yang (Gallbladder) and Leg Yang Ming (Stomach) channels, and with a powerful effect on the head, neck, face, jaw and five senses.

Tung’s Gallbladder points include 77.05-77.07 Three Weights, 77.22-77.23 Beside Three Miles, Leg Five Gold/Leg Thousand Gold, 77.27 Outer Three Gates, 88.17-88.19 Four Horses, and 88.25 Center Nine Miles (GB 31). Because all of these points can affect the Gallbladder channel on the head and neck, it is important to determine the root cause of a patient’s pathology when choosing from these points.

For example, 77.22-77.23 Beside Three Miles (Tung’s GB 34), has a tendon/ligament function when used for head and neck disorders. These points are often used for many kinds of migraine or temple headaches, and especially for cyclic migraines which In the Clinic occur at ovulation or during the premenstrual phase of a woman’s cycle, when emotional tension is high and the liver is more congested. We might also expect to see other PMS symptoms related to liver qi congestion, including breast sensitivity, irritability, photophobia, and insomnia.

88.17-88.19 Four Horses are also between the Leg Shao Yang and Leg Yang Ming channels, but with a reaction area of Lung and Liver, these points have more influence in conditions related to the five senses and the immune system. Four Horses can be used when a patient has upper back pain and headache due to wind chill or wind heat invasions; it can also be used for treating skin diseases, allergies, or autoimmune disorders.

77.27 Outer Three Gates, used primarily to treat cancer found anywhere in the body, is not used for treatment of the head and neck unless there is also a cancer-related condition somewhere in the body. Because they fall between the Yang Ming and Shao Yang channels, 77.05-77.07 Three Weights (Tung’s GB 39) are especially effective for disorders related to wind and phlegm, such as brain injuries or psychosis. Three Weights have a very wide range of use, but due to their proximity to and relationship with GB 39 (the Sea of Marrow), they are used to treat bone marrow and blood diseases. They are also especially good for problems of the neck and head.

I recently had a case that perfectly illustrates the use of 77.05-77.07 Three Weights. A 76-year-old man came to see me because he was experiencing extreme vertigo. He’d been falling to the ground without warning, or would suddenly find himself holding on to his closet rod in an attempt not to fall. I tried several treatments using 88.17-88.19 Four Horses for typical vertigo, but they had no effect. Because the Epley maneuver did not result in extreme spinning and nausea, I knew that his problem was not Meniere’s Disease, or springtime liver wind. A brain scan showed no cysts or tumors, and fewer ischemic areas than might be expected in a man his age.

A Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA) scan determined that the patient had a completely occluded intervertebral artery in his neck. He then saw a vascular surgeon, who would not operate because the artery had slowly closed over a long period of time and the surgeon feared that opening the artery would flood the brain with blood, likely causing immediate death. The patient was told that he would have to live with the acute vertigo. I began to treat the patient three times each week, using 77.05-77.07 Three Weights. These points are excellent for neck and head problems, and because they are located in the vicinity of GB39, they are also excellent for blood and blood vessels. I cupped his neck in order to clear muscle tension and accumulated toxins that contributed to the impeded blood flow. Within three weeks, the severity of the vertigo attacks began to lessen. Within twelve weeks, the attacks had almost completely stopped, though he had very infrequent sensations of slight dizziness lasting one to three seconds.

Because the diagnosis was so grave and the episodes so violent, I continued treatment three times per week for a total of sixteen weeks, and then reduced the frequency of his visits to once a week. Three Weights had successfully rerouted the blood supply to his brain, bypassing the occluded artery. After six months of two to three treatments per month, and without any other signs of vertigo, we ended treatment for this problem. One year later, he was still free of dizziness.