Acupuncture Treatment for Stomachache

Stomach ache

Western medicine – GI complaints, acute or chronic



Liver attack Stomach

Liver Qi stagnation causes wandering distending chest/abdominal/hypochondriac pain

P/T – soothe Liver, harmonize Stomach

Acupuncture – foot jueyin, ST 36 & Ren 12, LR 3 & 14

- belching – PC 6, Ren 17

Cold invades Stomach

acute severe cold pain, cold symptoms, T- white coat, P- wiry tense

P/T – warm Stomach, expel Cold, harmonize Stomach Qi

Acupuncture – sedate, moxa, Ren, foot yangming, Ren 12 & ST 36 (Stomach pain), SP 4 & PC 6 (abdomen)

- severe pain – ST 34

Accumulation of Stomach Heat

acute attack feels like painful fullness is pressing from the inside outwards, chronic attacks feel like fullness and distension, difficult for patient to describe (just say feels irritable or heart burn), acid reflux, bitter taste or sticky, T- red with yellow coat, P- rapid

P/T – purge Heat, relieve pain

Acupuncture – sedate, foot yangming, Ren 13 (cardia sphincter, meeting of Stomach and Ren),

ST 34 (Xi-cleft), ST 44, LI 4 & LR 2 (purge Stomach Fire)

- more Heat – HT 8

Food stagnation

distended pain, belching, poor diet, acid reflux, nausea, bloating, vomiting, dislike pressure,

bowel movement helps pain, T- thick dirty fur, P- strong

P/T – promote digestion, regulate Stomach Qi

Acupuncture – foot yangming, ST 36 (lower he-sae), ST 25, PC 6, Ren 10 (pyloric sphincter, digestion), Li Nei Ting (digestion, under ST 44)

Blood Stasis

ulcer, severe stabbing fixed pain, black tar-like stools, dislike pressure

P/T – promote blood circulation, move Stasis

Acupuncture – neutral, Ren, foot yangming, Ren 12, ST 36, PC 6, SP 4, BL 17 & LR 14, SP 6

- black tar-like stools – SP 10

Stomach Yin deficiency

dull pain, heart burn, difficult to describe pain, dry mouth and stools, T- red cracked, scanty coat, P- thin rapid

P/T – nourish Yin, harmonize Stomach

Acupuncture – Shen, Mu, BL 20, 21, LR 13, Ren 12, ST 36, PC 6, SP 6, 10

- black tar-like stool – SP 1, BL 17

Spleen Stomach deficient Cold

dull mild ache, worse on empty stomach- better after eating, like warmth and pressure, cold body, soft stool, nausea, vomiting clear fluids, T- pale, P- deep thin

P/T – warm mid Jiao, strengthen Spleen Stomach

Acupuncture – tonify, moxa, Shu, Mu, BL 20, 21, LR 13, Ren 12, PC 6 & SP 4 (confluent, abdomen), Ren 4





Alternative treatment methods

auricular – SP, ST, LR, sympathetic, shenmen, subcortex

7 star – T5-T12, medium to strong stimulation

injection – Huang Qi, Dang Gui/Chuan Xiong

electro – ST 36, SP 4 & PC 6, BL 20, 21, low continuous sedating frequency

acupressure – clockwise