Bloodletting therapy has a long history, with extensive records in the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon). The Ling Shu: Xiao Zhen Jie section points out the mechanism of bloodletting with a three-edged needle: “When the blood is stagnant, it should be removed, thus clearing the blood vessels,” and “draining heat through blood.” The so-called “bloodletting therapy” in TCM is referred to as “Ciluo therapy” (刺络疗法), which involves using a “Sanleng needle” (三棱针) to release a certain amount of blood from specific areas of the body to treat diseases. This ancient therapy can expel pathogenic factors, thereby harmonizing Qi and blood, balancing Yin and Yang, and restoring Zheng Qi (正气).
【Efficacy】
1.Reducing Fever
In TCM, fever is mainly categorized into two types: Yang excess fever and Yin deficiency fever. The fever-reducing effect of bloodletting therapy is applicable to the former .Since excess Yang Qi inevitably leads to an abundance of blood, bloodletting can reduce this excess, thereby decreasing the pathogenic heat in the blood vessels and normalizing the body’s Qi and blood.
2.Pain Relief and Detoxification
In TCM, it is said that “where there is flow, there is no pain; where there is pain, there is blockage.” This means that diseases with pain symptoms must have obstructions in their meridians. Bloodletting therapy can directly eliminate the stagnation of pathogenic factors in the meridians, adjusting the state of blockage. When the meridians are unblocked, pain can be immediately relieved. Clinically, many acute pains, such as sore throat and migraines, can achieve excellent results with bloodletting therapy.
The detoxification effect in TCM refers to symptoms arising from the body’s inability to resist toxins due to pathological conditions, such as red thread therapy caused by excessive toxic heat, and postherpetic neuralgia resulting from toxin invasion. Bloodletting not only expels the invading toxins from the body but also restores normal bodily functions through regulating blood and Qi, thus inhibiting the expansion and regeneration of pathogenic factors.
3.Childhood Malnutrition—Bloodletting at the Four Seams
The Four Seams (四缝穴) are extraordinary points that have an intrinsic connection with the Sanjiao (三焦), Mingmen (命门), liver, and small intestine, and clinical observations show they can calm the liver, drain the heart, and harmonize the spleen and stomach.
4.Draining Fire
In TCM, internal heat disturbance can lead to various symptoms, often manifesting as irritability, mouth sores, limb pain and swelling, irritability, and even fever, confusion, and delirium. Bloodletting therapy can directly expel the pathogenic heat through blood, making it suitable for various heat syndromes.
5.Relieving Numbness
Qi deficiency cannot guide blood to the extremities, or blood deficiency fails to nourish, often resulting in numbness. Using a fine needle to prick the affected limb’s acupoints to release a small amount of blood can treat numbness, guided by the theory of blood moving Qi, yielding good results.
Contributed by: Rehabilitation Department
Edited by: Publicity Department
(Images sourced from the internet)