Taoist Umbilical Acupuncture

"Master, this is amazing! It's so advanced! What's the principle behind it?"

Su Ziyang kept nagging all the way, and this time it was Yang Tianzheng's turn to lose his temper.

"Can you shut up? Your nagging is giving me a headache. My education is limited, so the responsibility of solving this problem falls to you."

Yang Tianzheng was on the verge of collapse. Su Ziyang had been asking Yang Tianzheng to explain the principles behind it all the way, but Yang Tianzheng really didn't understand how it was explained.

Back in the consultation room, Su Ziyang sat down, looking at the notebook in his hand, still muttering to himself.

"Since you love studying so much, just you wait. I'll get you something fun to learn with!"

Su Ziyang didn't know what Yang Tianzheng was talking about. Without giving Su Ziyang a chance to repeat himself or ask questions, Yang Tianzheng turned around and left.

"What's so great about this?!"

Su Ziyang scratched his head. As the saying goes, curiosity is a driving force for human progress.

During the hour or so that Yang Tianzheng returned, Su Ziyang was scratching his head in bewilderment.

"Give!"

Yang Tianzheng tossed a small booklet to Su Ziyang.

"Uh..." Su Ziyang thought it was an ancient book when he saw this handmade booklet. After opening it, he found four simplified Chinese characters written crookedly inside, "Taoist Umbilical Acupuncture".

"Umbilical Acupuncture? Acupuncture performed by inserting needles into the navel?"

Su Ziyang looked at the cover, then at Yang Tianzheng.

"You'll see for yourself. An old gentleman taught me this when I was out having fun, but I didn't really learn it. You should learn it! Carry it on! I'm leaving now, I'll learn it myself!"

As if afraid that Su Ziyang would ask him the same question again, Yang Tianzheng turned around and quickly left.

Ignoring how fast Yang Tianzheng was running, Su Ziyang sat down and started flipping through the booklet.

It's called a booklet instead of a book because it's very thin, only about a hundred pages, and it's hand-bound.

Su Ziyang opened the booklet, and a scent of old stories wafted from the yellowed pages.

All the words inside are handwritten, and the handwriting isn't particularly clear, but it doesn't hinder reading.

"In ancient times, there was a practice of 'navel physiognomy,' so the navel was believed to change. One could tell a person's fortune, status, or lifespan by observing their navel, and acupuncture at the navel could cure a hundred diseases with a single point."

Upon seeing the first sentence, especially the last one which claimed to cure all diseases, Su Ziyang immediately lost interest.

No single treatment can cure all diseases.

Yang Tianzheng's voice rang in Su Ziyang's ears.

Since the book was given to him by Yang Tianzheng, it certainly wasn't for bragging, especially since it looked like a secret booklet.

So Su Ziyang continued reading on his own.

After reading about four or five pages, Su Ziyang roughly understood what Umbilical Acupuncture was.

The navel is the Shenque acupoint, which is generally considered a forbidden point for acupuncture. This point is an important channel for the exchange of substances between a person and their mother during pregnancy.

Daoists, however, believe that this is the location of the Mysterious Pass, and that this acupoint can connect to the fourteen regular meridians of the human body, as well as the eight extraordinary meridians.

Therefore, needling this acupoint can naturally stimulate all the body's Qi and blood, thereby achieving the effect of treating all kinds of diseases.

"That makes some sense!"

Mr. Mengfei laid the foundation for Su Ziyang using internal energy cultivation. Su Ziyang's internal energy cultivation has now reached a relatively advanced level, so he has a direct feeling for the circulation of qi and blood.

"Won't this kind of acupuncture cause any problems?"

Su Ziyang continued reading, still puzzled.

"Oh! I see!"

Su Ziyang suddenly realized, because the next page was about acupuncture methods.

So-called Umbilical Acupuncture does not involve inserting the needle straight into the navel, but rather inserting it horizontally along the abdominal wall inside the navel. In other words, the needle moves within the skin and does not involve the internal organs or their cavities at all.

"Safety!"

This is Su Ziyang's extremely high praise for this acupuncture technique.

There's a saying that goes: Acupuncture is easy to learn but difficult to master. The first thing to know when learning acupuncture is that your back should be as thin as a pancake and your abdomen as deep as a well.

This means that you shouldn't puncture the back too deeply, because the muscles in the upper part of the back are thin. If the needle is inserted too deeply, it may cause adverse consequences such as pneumothorax.

However, the abdominal and waist muscles are relatively thick, so under normal circumstances, even for thin people, it is relatively safe to insert a two-inch acupuncture needle all the way to the root.

So, based on this, and considering the horizontal insertion of the needle into the abdomen, where the needle tip isn't pointing into the abdominal cavity, wouldn't that be even safer?

Therefore, Su Ziyang's primary assessment of this acupuncture technique can be summed up in two words: safe. In four words: truly safe!!!

Before Umbilical Acupuncture into the navel, one should first examine the navel.

Su Ziyang saw that the later pages contained several more drawings, which were quite vivid and lifelike.

Firstly, the shape of the navel can provide a rough assessment of a person's constitution and health conditions.

Round: A round navel with a full lower half pointing upwards indicates good internal organ health, strong kidney function, and abundant energy, making it the best navel shape for men.

Oval: An oval shape resembling the navel is considered the best for women, indicating good health and fertility.

These two correspond to the concepts of Heaven and Earth, and male and female.

Convex shape: This condition is relatively rare, mostly seen in infants and young children, or in cases of minimal movement where the overall vital True Qi of the internal organs is weakened, leading to organ prolapse. A significantly protruding navel is often associated with severe edema and other malignant diseases. It also foreshadows the impending depletion of lung and kidney energy.

Concave shape: A sunken navel in the abdomen is an ominous sign of severe spleen and kidney deficiency, often seen in cases of prolonged diarrhea, depletion of vital energy, or after violent vomiting. A sudden sinking of the navel is an ominous sign of deficiency of vital energy and obstruction of pathogenic factors, often seen in children with epidemic diseases, where pathogenic factors are forced inward, indicating a dangerous condition with a poor prognosis.

Small and shallow type: People of this type, regardless of gender, are physically weak, have abnormal endocrine function, and often feel weak all over. This is due to congenital deficiency and acquired qi deficiency.

Closed type: The navel and umbilical opening are completely closed, forming a closed cavity, which is more common in middle-aged and elderly women. The cause is weak qi and blood, leading to loose skin.

Seeing this, Su Ziyang quickly unbuttoned his white coat and lifted his shirt, discovering that his round belly button was quite cute, which put his mind at ease.

"Interesting!"

Su Ziyang became engrossed and continued reading. The book stated that the navel is not static; it can change depending on different illnesses. The book described several variations, all based on the body's midline.

An upward shift of the umbilicus: The umbilicus extending upward into a triangle indicates qi stagnation or qi reversal, suggesting upward reversal of qi in the lungs and stomach, excessive upward movement of liver qi, or stagnation of liver qi. It may also indicate diseases of the stomach, gallbladder, or pancreas.

A drooping umbilicus is often associated with kidney deficiency, insufficient Qi in the middle Jiao, visceral prolapse, uterine prolapse, and rectal prolapse.

A rightward shift of the umbilicus often indicates qi deficiency, and can be seen in hypertension and left-sided limb paralysis. It also suggests a predisposition to hepatitis and duodenal ulcers.

A leftward shift of the umbilicus often indicates blood deficiency, seen in various types of anemia, parasitic infections, and right-sided limb paralysis. It can also suggest poor gastrointestinal function and constipation.

The descriptions of these diseases were quite professional, and Su Ziyang secretly memorized them, planning to check his belly button again that evening.

Next, we finally came to the acupuncture technique, which is the actual operation.

There are two methods for needling. The first method is to look around the navel to see if there are any obvious hard nodules or tender points.

If so, then apply acupuncture to the tender points; the effect is immediate.

The second method is to perform acupuncture based on the Eight Trigrams trigrams. The Eight Trigrams are the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams, with the Li trigram directly above the navel, the Kan trigram directly below the navel, the Zhen trigram to the right of the navel, the Dui trigram to the left of the navel, the Xun trigram to the upper right, the Kun trigram to the upper left, the Gen trigram to the lower right, and the Qian trigram to the lower left.

It corresponds to the human heart, head, and eyes.

Kan corresponds to the kidneys and urinary system in the human body.

Kun represents the abdomen and spleen.

Qian represents the head and large intestine.

Gen represents the stomach, and all the prominent joints in the human body, such as the knees and elbows.

Dui represents the lungs and respiratory system.

Xun represents the gallbladder and the body's energy level.

Zhen represents the liver and the wood element in the human body.

Su Ziyang glanced at it briefly. This Eight Trigrams arrangement corresponds to the five internal organs of the human body, which is the same as the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams corresponding to human organs. There's nothing special about it.

However, Su Ziyang still admired the person who invented and researched this method.

With admiration growing, Su Ziyang became even more interested in watching.

Further down the line, there is an even more detailed classification under the Eight Trigrams method, which is the twenty-four directions formed by the Eight Trigrams and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

In this way, the diseases targeted can be more detailed and carefully managed.

"Sharp!"

Su Ziyang sighed inwardly again.

As Su Ziyang read on, he was even more shocked. It turned out that there were even more ingenious and complex acupoint combinations for Umbilical Acupuncture; it wasn't just about inserting needles wherever there was a ailment or wherever you didn't know how to treat it.

The four simplest and most obvious acupoint combinations are: Mountain and Lake Qi Circulation, Thunder and Wind Interacting, Water and Fire in Harmony, and Heaven and Earth in Position.

The Heaven and Earth Positioning Method: Qian position plus Kun position (Qian is Heaven and Yang Metal, Kun is Earth and Yin Earth, Earth generates Metal). When needling, first needle the Qian position and then the Kun position; it is mainly used to treat respiratory diseases, skin diseases, and large intestine diseases.

The Thunder and Wind Interaction Method: The Zhen (Thunder) position is combined with the Xun (Wind) position (Zhen represents thunder, spring, Yang wood, and the East; Xun represents wind, Yin wood, and the Southeast). When needling, first puncture the Zhen position, then the Xun position. This method is often used for female patients and is primarily used to treat various symptoms caused by qi stagnation and other related illnesses.

The Mountain and Lake Qi Circulation Method: The Gen (艮) position is combined with the Dui (兑) position (Gen is Yang Earth, Dui is Yin Metal, Earth generates Metal). When needling, first puncture the Gen position, then the Dui position. This is a major method for unblocking, applicable to all diseases caused by obstruction, such as stroke, cough, indigestion, depression, stones, pain, abdominal masses, constipation, tracheitis, bronchitis, and lung tumors. Use with caution in cases of severe bleeding or collapse.

The Water and Fire Already Accomplished Method: The Kan (Kan) position is needled first, followed by the Li (Li) position (Kan represents Kidney Yin, Li represents Heart Yang). This method is also highly effective in treating insomnia, excessive dreaming, depression, irritability, and diseases of the urinary, reproductive, gynecological, and andrological systems (such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary retention, polyuria, sexual dysfunction, and gynecological tumors).

"That's interesting."

Su Ziyang muttered to himself.

As Su Ziyang continued reading, he discovered even more interesting combinations, which were inseparable from the I Ching. Upon seeing this, Su Ziyang finally understood why Mr. Mengfei had asked him to read that book.

If you blindly follow medical books to learn, you'll definitely be confused when you encounter this kind of knowledge.

Below are Four Configurations Acupuncture and Four Divine Beasts Acupuncture. The previous four techniques used two needles at the same time, while these two techniques use three needles at the same time.

The so-called Four Configurations Acupuncture refers to the four elements: metal, water, wood, and fire.

This is a Four-Harmony Combination, which involves a concept from the Earthly Branches called the Earthly Branch Three-Harmony Combination.

Shen Zichen combines with the Water element to form a Water element combination.

The combination of Hai, Mao, and Wei transforms into a Wood element.

The combination of Yin, Wu, and Xu transforms into a fire element.

The combination of Si, You, and Chou transforms into a metal element.

Therefore, this acupuncture technique uses the navel as the center, draws the different directions of the twelve earthly branches, and then inserts needles into these three different directions to form a three-combination pattern, thereby strengthening the stimulation and producing different effects.

The Four Divine Beasts Formation: The Four Divine Beasts are familiar to everyone; they are the well-known Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

The Four Divine Beasts are actually a needle formation called the "Three Meetings Formation" formed by utilizing the different positions of the twelve earthly branches.

The combination of Hai, Zi, and Chou represents water, winter, and the Black Tortoise.

The combination of Yin, Mao, and Chen represents wood, spring, and the Azure Dragon.

The combination of Si, Wu, and Wei represents fire, summer, and the Vermilion Bird.

The combination of Shen, You, and Xu represents metal, autumn, and the White Tiger.

The Azure Dragon governs the rising of Yang energy, which can be used to induce sweating; the White Tiger governs the descending and restraining, which can be used to lower body temperature; the Vermilion Bird represents fire and heat, corresponding to insufficient Yang energy in the human heart; and the Black Tortoise represents cold water, corresponding to insufficient kidney Qi.

Su Ziyang flipped through the pages and discovered that there were actually sixty-four different combinations of hexagrams, and all the diseases treated by these combinations were based on the meanings of the hexagrams.

Su Ziyang casually flipped through a page and saw a hexagram called Mountain over Earth, Splitting Apart Hexagram, which was indicated for treating hyperplastic tumors in the abdominal cavity.

"Holy crap, awesome!"

Su Ziyang, feeling utterly uncultured, shouted something.

"Miracle doctor, what's making you so happy!"

The noise at the door startled Su Ziyang, who had already reached a state of perfection.

"Oh my goodness, ma'am, you startled me!"

Su Ziyang recognized the person as Yu Xiushui, the elderly woman who had complained of back and leg pain the other day. However, this time Yu Xiushui was accompanied by another person who looked to be about the same age Yu Xiushui.

"That was my fault, Auntie. You should have knocked first. You're studying too hard, little miracle doctor."

Yu Xiushui has a good personality, which surprised Su Ziyang. Yu Xiushui actually apologized to Su Ziyang in a joking manner.

"It's alright, it's alright! Please have a seat, ma'am. Are you here for acupuncture again?"

Su Ziyang thought Yu Xiushui acupuncture again.

"No, no. Oh dear, last time you and your master gave me acupuncture, and I also took your medicine for my back. Now I don't hurt anywhere, and my stomach is better too. I go square dancing every day now!"

Yu Xiushui has a loud voice and speaks quickly, rattling off a whole bunch of things.

"Good, good, good!" Su Ziyang said several times, nothing was more gratifying than the patient's recovery.

"I'm here to see my friend. She's always feeling unwell, and there aren't many young doctors like you who are both young and skilled. I'll recommend some doctors from our dance troupe to you later; most of them have some health issues!"

Yu Xiushui laughed and chatted with Su Ziyang, then let her companion sit next to Su Ziyang's consultation table.

"Come, ma'am. Let me take your pulse first! What's your name?"

Su Ziyang began to take the old woman's pulse.

Li Shuhua.

Su Ziyang began to take Li Shuhua's pulse and found that her Guan pulse was particularly strong.

"Auntie, do you have gas in your stomach?"

After taking his pulse, Su Ziyang asked softly.

Before Li Shuhua could speak, Yu Xiushui excitedly exclaimed, "See? See? I told you someone could pinpoint your illness just by taking your pulse!"

Li Shuhua looked at Su Ziyang in surprise and exclaimed, "Oh my, doctor! We've really met a great doctor today!"

The saying "birds of a feather flock together" is absolutely true. Seeing Li Shuhua and Yu Xiushui using the same words, Su Ziyang smiled helplessly.

"Doctor, what should I do? You must cure me! This has been my chronic ailment for decades!"

When Li Shuhua mentioned her old ailment, Su Ziyang's heart stirred.

Here it comes!

The phrase "learning by doing" must have been made for me.

Su Ziyang was a little excited.

The Mountain and Lake Qi Circulation I just watched came in handy!

Suppressing his excitement, Su Ziyang asked softly, "Auntie, shall I give you acupuncture?"

"That's great!" Hearing the needle go in, Li Shuhua's face lit up even more. "I was afraid you'd tell me to take some herbal medicine. I can't take that stuff. It's so bitter, it just swirls around in my mouth and I just can't swallow it."

"You're just being dramatic!" Yu Xiushui added a witty remark from the side.

"You're the one who's being pretentious! Tch."

Li Shuhua rolled her eyes at Yu Xiushui.

Su Ziyang was amused by the two elderly people.

"Come, come! Lie down, I'll give you the needles!"

Su Ziyang made Li Shuhua expose her belly and then used the Mountain and Lake Qi Circulation he had just learned on Li Shuhua stomach.