Ding De-zheng's acupuncture treatment of psychiatric

disorders

As is usually true in Western medicine, psychiatric disorders

are often categorized as difficult to treat diseases in Chinese
medicine. And, while the main modality and standard of care
in professional Chinese medicine for the treatment of
psychiatric disorders is the internal administration of Chinese
medicinals, the combination of acupuncture with such
internally administered medicinals is often able to achieve an
even better effect than internally administered Chinese
medicinals alone. In his article titled "Knowledge Based on
Experience of the Acupuncture Treatment of Psychiatric
Disorders," Dr. Ding De-zheng suggests the use of six
acupoint combinations for specific psychiatric conditions. (1)
For more information on the treatment of psychiatric
diseases with acupuncture and Chinese medicine, please see
Bob Flaws & James Lake's Chinese Medical Psychiatry. The
following is a precis of Dr. Ding's main points. I hope
practitioners of acupuncture will find this information about
these points to be useful.

1. Shen Ting (GV 24) & Shang Xing (GV 23)

Shen Ting and Shang Xing are both points on the governing
vessel, and the governing vessel is the sum and governor of
all the yang channels of the body. The governing vessel
moves within the interior of the spine and enters the brain
above. Dr. Ding needles Shen Ting through to Shang Xing
for the treatment of phlegm obstruction-yang blockage,
feeble-mindedness and inertia and stiff reversal with
extremely good results, including cataleptic schizophrenia.
In that case, Dr. Ding combines strong draining technique of
these points with Feng Long (St 40) to flush phlegm and
downbear turbidity and Nei Guan (Per 6) to rectify the qi and
extend the spirit. After needling, Dr. Ding applies
moxibustion with a moxa roll for three minutes per point.
Each day he needles one time, retaining the needles for 2-3
hours, twisting the needles one time each 30 minutes.
According to Dr. Ding, when this acupuncture protocol is
combined with appropriate Chinese medicinals for the
patient's pattern, after 30 days, the feeble-mindedness and
torpidity markedly improve. After 60 days, the feeble-
mindedness is gone and the spirit is clear. For cataleptic
schizophrenia due to insufficient qi mixed with phlegm and
dampness confounding above, Dr. Ding combines Sheng
Ting and Shang Xing with draining Ren Zhong (GV 26) and
Zu San Li (St 36) and Guan Yuan (CV 4) with supplementing
method. After needling, he adds moxibustion for six minutes
per point. For this condition, he needles two times per day.
Typically, stiff reversal is resolved after 2-3 days.

2. Yi Feng (TB 17) & Feng Long (St 40)

According to Dr. Ding, auditory hallucinations are mostly due

to phlegm and stasis binding in and confounding the orifices
of the heart-brain, thus resulting in bewilderment and chaos
of the spirit brilliance. Needling Feng Long below downbears
and discharges phlegm, stasis, and turbidity, while needling
Yi Feng above courses and regulates the channel qi in the
area of the ears. Using this technique, Dr. Ding has achieved
very satisfactory results in schizophrenic auditory
hallucinations. In this case, Dr. Ding drains these first two
points with strong stimulation. He combines this with
draining technique at Ting Gong (SI 19) and Shen Men (Ht
7) and with even supplementing-even draining technique at
Xin Shu (Bl 15) and Gong Sun (Sp 4). After needling, he
adds moxibustion for four minutes at each point. In one case
of a 31 year-old schizophrenic woman, auditory
hallucinations somewhat decreased after 32 days, greatly
decreased after 55 days, and were eliminated after 71 days.
The patient was also administered a suitable Chinese
medicinal formula based on her pattern discrimination
throughout this time. After continuous acupuncture and
Chinese medicinals prescribed according to her pattern, the
woman was judged cured and discharged from the hospital
after 127 days.

3. Tong Li (Ht 5) & Xian Gu (St 43)

According to Dr. Ding, adolescent schizophrenia is mostly

due to phlegm fire harassing and causing chaos to the spirit
brilliance, thus leading to manic and chaotic behavior. For
patients with phlegm fire pattern mania and chaotic
behavior, besides internally administering appropriate
Chinese medicinals to transform phlegm, drain fire, open the
orifices, and quiet the spirt, Dr. Ding needles

Tong Li and Xian Gu as well as Xin Shu (Bl 15), Wei Shu (Bl
21), Feng Long (St 40), Shao Chong (Ht 9), and Li Dui (St
45), all with draining technique and strong stimulation. Dr.
Ding needles one time every day, and, typically, after 15
days, the mania and chaotic behavior can mostly be brought
under control. This combination of points for this condition
seems to be a traditional Ding family protocol, since Dr. Ding
quotes two other Dings regarding this combination's ability
to treat phlegm fire manic conditions.

4. Tai Chong (Liv 3) & Feng Fu (GV 16)

Dr. Ding recommends the combination of Tai Chong and

Feng Fu for the treatment of manic anger, cursing, vexation,
agitation, and impetuosity due to liver fire. Tai Chong is the
source point on the foot jue yin liver channel. Needling it can
repress the liver and drain fire, while needling Feng Fu can
settle the spirit and stabilize mania. Dr. Ding commonly
combines these two main points with Da Dun (Liv 1), Gan
Shu (Bl 18), Li Gou (Liv 5), and Qu Quan (Liv 8), all with
draining technique and strong stimulation, along with
internally administered Chinese medicinals, giving one
acupuncture treatment per day. According to Dr. Ding,
typically, after 20 days, the mania and anger can be greatly
reduced and eliminated in approximately 30 days.

5. Yin Xi (Ht 6) & Ear Shen Men

Dr. Ding thinks the combination of Yin Xi and Ear Shen Men
is especially good for the treatment of manic euphoria,
laughing and singing without limit, excessive stirring, heart
vexation, and insomnia, due to heart fire. Yin Xi is the cleft
point on the hand shao yin heart channel, and needling it
can drain heart fire. Ear Shen Men is very effective for
settling the heart and quieting the spirit. Besides appropriate
internally administered Chinese medicinals, Dr. Ding
commonly combines these two points with Xin Shu (Bl 15),
Ling Dao (Ht 4), Shao Hai (Ht 3), and Ren Zhong (Gv 26),
all with draining technique and strong stimulation. Each day,
Dr. Ding needles 1-2 times. Dr. Ding says that, typically,
manic euphoria can be greatly reduced after 18 days and
completely eliminated after 30.

6. Bai Hui (GV 20) & Si Shen Cong (M-HN-1)

Bai Hui is located at the vertex of the head and is the

meeting place of all yang. Therefore, needling it can upbear
clear yang and vitalize the spirit mechanism. Si Shen Cong is
a group of extra-channel points located to the front, back,
and sides of Bai Hui. Needling these points can strengthen
Bai Hui's function of lifting yang and upbearing the clear. Dr.
Ding uses these two points along with internally
administered Chinese medicinals for the treatment of
depression due to heart qi vacuity/weakness. For this
pattern, Dr. Ding needles Bai Hui and Si Shen Cong with
even supplementing-even draining technique, combined with
Xin Shu (Bl 15), Zu San Li (St 36), and Shen Men (Ht 7)
with supplementing technique. After needling, Dr. Ding
moxas each point for three minutes. Each day, Dr. Ding
treats one time, and, after 20-30 days, depression can be
markedly improved, while after 40-50 days, it can be
completely eliminated. For anxiety and timidity due to liver
qi vacuity (i.e., heart-spleen qi and blood vacuity and liver
depression), Dr. Ding combines even supplementing-even
draining of these two points with supplementing Gan Shu (Bl
18), Pi Shu (Bl 20), and Shen Shu (Bl 23) and even
supplementing-even draining Tai Chong (Liv 3) and Xing Jian
(Liv 2). After needling, Dr. Ding moxas each point for four
minutes, and he treats once every day. Dr. Ding reports
that, typically, anxiety associated with depression can be
greatly reduced in 35 days of treatment and eliminated in
approximately 60.

In his conclusion, Dr. Ding says that, if one is able to use

acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment in psychiatric
disorders, it is not so difficult to get a marked treatment
effect in such otherwise commonly difficult-to-treat
disorders. This fact is an important consideration for
practitioners who find that they are attracting any significant
numbers of psychiatric patients to their practice. I think it is
also important to note that, in most cases, this doctor is
needling patients daily for many days, with fairly strong
stimulation, often for many minutes per treatment. In my
estimation, the strength of the treatment is probably a
significant factor in his success rate. Needling psychiatric
patients once per week for 20-30 minutes is unlikely to have
the same success.