The Six Divisions and acupuncture treatment

Dear Dr. King,

The differentiation according to the six conduits or six divisions ([i:bbcb2e755f]liu jing bian zheng[/i:bbcb2e755f]) is not explained in the Medboo Course B study text. From what I know, this differentiation is mainly used for [i:bbcb2e755f]febrile[/i:bbcb2e755f] diseases and has to do with the result of the interaction of the force of the exogenous pathogen and the strength of the defensive response of the organism.

However, in the article [b:bbcb2e755f][i:bbcb2e755f]The Six Divisions: A Practical Needling Strategy for Pain and Blockage[/i:bbcb2e755f][/b:bbcb2e755f] by [i:bbcb2e755f]Skya Gardner-Abbate, DOM, Executive Director, Southwest Acupuncture College, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.[/i:bbcb2e755f] ([i:bbcb2e755f]Acupuncture Today[/i:bbcb2e755f], 2001, Volume 02, Issue 05) the differentiation according to the six conduits is used to prescribe acupuncture treatment in painful conditions, including musculoskeletal pain ([i:bbcb2e755f]which is the most common condition in acupuncture practice in Western countries[/i:bbcb2e755f]). It is stated in the article that "[i:bbcb2e755f]the six divisions is an ancient Chinese treatment strategy used in contemporary China that gives remarkable and enduring results[/i:bbcb2e755f]". The treatment according to the six divisions described in the article is extremely simple: it consists in differentiating the patient's symptoms according to the major divisions (levels) involved ([i:bbcb2e755f]Taiyang, Shaoyang, Yangming, Yangming, Taiyin, Shaoyin[/i:bbcb2e755f]) and then correspondingly treating the paired meridians' [i:bbcb2e755f]xi-cleft[/i:bbcb2e755f] points using the dispersion technique.

To my shame, even after having read the article several times (it is available online at [size=11:bbcb2e755f] http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2001/may/05abbate.html [/size:bbcb2e755f]) I cannot understand how we know [i:bbcb2e755f]which body area in the case of musculoskeletal pain would correspond to which of the six divisions[/i:bbcb2e755f]. For example, how on earth do we know that "ankle pain; aching of shoulder, back, elbow and arm" correspond to [i:bbcb2e755f]Taiyang[/i:bbcb2e755f] (SI, BL), "pain in the neck, chest, or hypochondriac region" to [i:bbcb2e755f]Shaoyang[/i:bbcb2e755f] (SJ, GB), "aching of shoulder and arm, pain and swelling of the knee" to [i:bbcb2e755f]Yangming[/i:bbcb2e755f] (LI, ST), "pain and motor impairment of the elbow and arm" to [i:bbcb2e755f]Taiyin[/i:bbcb2e755f] (LU, SP), and "pain in the joints of the lower extremities" to [i:bbcb2e755f]Jueyin[/i:bbcb2e755f] (PC, LR)? Is it just because of the routs of the corresponding meridians? But it doesn't seem likely to me, as in each of the six divisions one meridian belongs to the arm and the other to the leg.

Could you help me to understand this treatment approach? Or is it explained in details in Courses C and D, which I have not taken yet?

Thank you in advance for your answer.

Dear Sergiy,
I suggest you to grasp the knowledge presented in the text first at the moment, in fact, in China, few acupuncturists would use the six-meridian (six division) differentiation for treating pain, we would use the Zang-Fu organ differentiation, or the etiology differentiation.

It doesn't mean the six-meridian differentiation is not good, in fact, it's very good, but it's the second step.

Maybe one day, you could come to China and we might discuss this subject fact to face.

Or, maybe one day, Medboo would sponsor some advanced course, so those who are interested in some more theoretical knowledge of acupuncture could join.

So far as I know, there are no any contents in concerns with the differential diagnosis of syndromes in line with the six-meridian theory.

[quote:fbe528e241="David King"]So far as I know, there are no any contents in concerns with the differential diagnosis of syndromes in line with the six-meridian theory.[/quote:fbe528e241]

So sorry to hear that. The approach seemed interesting to me...

I think I should have made it more concise, I did mean there are not any contents of the six-division differentiation in Medboo TCM courses.

Quite possible there are such contents in some other websites of traditional Chinese medicine.

This approach is mostly used to treat the febrile diseases. Personally I think a good grasp of the Zang-Fu organ differentiation is also very useful.