14/04/2020
Ghost Points and Epidemics
There are many methods of treatment practised globally, each with its main focus area, such as musculoskeletal issues or emotional problems. Ghost point treatment is one method that is relevant in the treatment of epidemics.
Before the 1st century CE, the term yi (疫) was associated with ghosts or demons (gui 鬼). The term yi gui appears in The Analects of Confucius and is often rendered as ‘hungry ghost’ in English translations.
Uncontrollable infectious diseases - li yi - were at this time regarded as evil qi and associated with ghosts. Shaman doctors commonly used the term gui (ghost) as a term for unexplained illness and disease. Of course, symptoms of mental illness can be part of the clinical presentation during acute infectious disease.
Ghost points initially appeared in the Shang dynasty (1520-1030 BCE) and were used during epidemics in the Zhou dynasty (1030-727 BCE), and for treating coma during the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE). These points were later recommended by Sun Si Miao for treating mental-emotional illness such as madness.
The concept gui (ghost) should be seen within its historical context. Throughout most of the Han and Tang dynasties, frequent wars and epidemics resulted in great social and economic stress. The ‘ghost qi’ from unseasonable weather not only caused deadly epidemics but also consequent fear - people have more anxiety during epidemic periods whether they become infected or not. Treatment of the ghost points can effectively counter this anxiety.
Unfortunately, due to the systematic development of Chinese medicine in the Han dynasty and the cultural revolutions of the 20th century, medical scholars began to avoid use of practices involving the term ‘ghost’ in order to distant themselves from shamanism.
However, these points can still be valid during today’s epidemic threat, especially Shao Shang Lu 11 and Yin Bai Sp 1, which can be applied throughout the whole treatment period of COVID- 19. These are the jing-well points of Tai Yin, located at the end of the Lung and the beginning of the Spleen channels (the major organs attacked by COVID-19). Their functions include:
• Lu 11, Shao Shang (Lesser Shang, also known as Gui Xin, Ghost Trust) - clears the Lung and purges fire, expels evil, treats cough and dyspnoea due to exogenous pathogenic qi occluding the Lung, as well as sore and swollen throat, nasal congestion and nosebleed.
• Sp 1, Yin Bai (Hidden White, also known as Gui Lei or Ghost Fortress) - The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture & Moxibustion recommends this point for treating dyspnoea, asthma, abdominal distension, heat and fullness in the chest, violent diarrhoea, dyspnoea when lying supine, cold feet, epigastric glomus, nausea and vomiting and poor appetite.
Adapted from:
Peilin Sun & Wen Sheng Zhou, Acupuncture in the Treatment of COVID-19: An Exploratory Study, Journal of Chinese Medicine, Issue123, 2020.
