Acupuncture Treatment for High Fever

High Fever

39 degrees or higher.

Western medicine – acute infection, epidemic febrile disease, rheumatism, cancer, others.

TCM – Excessive Heat

Etiology and Pathogenesis

Main etiology and pathogenesis is external pathogenic invasion with the Zheng Qi fighting back causing fever.

1. Wind/Heat – Lung can’t move Wei Qi properly.

2. Epidemic febrile Heat pathogen – invades Qi or Ying level.

3. Summer-Heat – invades Pericardium

4. Toxic Heat – epidemic contagious pathogen



Differentiation and Treatment

Wind/Heat

fever, sweat, sore throat, scanty urine, dry stool, T- red, P- rapid

P/T – expel Wind/Heat, promote Lung function, relieve superficial.

Acupuncture – hand taiyin, yangming, LU 5 (son), 10 ying-spring), LI 4 (ext patho), 11 (heat),

SJ 5 (ext patho), Du 14 (heat)

- cough – LU 7

- headache – Du 20, yintang, taiyang

- sore throat – LU 11, LI 1

Epidemic febrile

Wei level: treat same as above

Qi level: internal excess yangming heat, 4 big

P/T – clear Heat, purge Fire

Acupuncture – LI 2 & ST 44 (ying-spring), LI 11 & Du 14 (Heat), ST 40 (Luo, remove stag.),

LI 4 (ext patho, heat)

Ying & Xue level: excess fever at night, bleeding, eruptions.

P/T – clear Fire

Acupuncture Rx – HT 9 & PC 9 (jing-well heat), HT 7 & PC 7 (yuan-source clear & calm), PC 6 (Luo to SJ, transforms Qi), PC 3 (he-sea, blood heat, bleed)

Severe: convulsions, very high fever

Acupuncture Rx – Du 26 & shi xuan (convulsion), SJ 6 & ST 25 (constipation), SP 10 (eruptions), BL 17 (bleeding)

Summer-Heat

sunstroke, stagnation, burnt muscles or skin, red complexion, thirst, dry lips, attacks of Heart Shen causes loss of consiousness, irritable, attacks of Pericardium can produce Wind (spasm), if there is dampness nausea, yellow urine and irregular bowel movements can occur, T- red, dry with yellow coat, P- forceful, strong

P/T – purge summer-heat, open orifices

Acupuncture Rx – hand yangming, jueyin, LI 4 (heat), PC 3, 9, & BL 40 (bleeding), PC 6 (nausea)

Toxic Heat

severe (i.e. meningitis), excess fever, severe feelings of heat, severe sore throat (ulcerated and painful), irritable, eruptions

P/T – clear Heat, detoxify

Acupuncture Rx – yangming, LI 4, 11, ST 44, & 43 (heat and muscle heat), PC 3 & BL 40 (bleeding)



Alternative treatment methods

auricular – bleed apex and earlobe tips, shenmen, adrenal gland

- for children bleed fingertips or ear

scraping – cubital and popliteal fossa, neck, Bladder meridian, (this gets blood moving faster to its

capillaries to help body expel fever.

points injection – Chai Hu