Point of the Day Stomach 44
Stomach 44
Chinese Name: Neiting
English Name: Inner Court
Location on the Body: On the foot between the 2nd and 3rd toes
Why I would use this point: St 44 is part of the Metal-Water pairing, with St 45 (found on the lateral side of the second toe), of the Stomach Channel. Metal-Water points, which are found on all 12 major meridians, are used to treat any excess heat pathogens that may be present along the trajectory of a particular channel. The presence of a heat, or fire, pathogen along a certain channel can ususally be diagnosed by pressure pain a the Fire point of that same channel. For the Stomach Meridina, the Fire point is St 41, which is found on the top part of the ankle.
Heat pathogens may present in many different ways. Together with St 45, I’ll often use St 44 to treat pain and pressure in the sinus, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Bell’s Palsy, and Herpes Zoster, as well as tooth and jaw pain often associated with dental work. With the help of the Metal-Water points of the Kidney Channel (Kd 7 and Kd 10), ovarian cysts can also be helped.
Licensed Acupuncturists must know the location, application, and indication of hundreds of acupuncture points across the entire body. I spent over 3,300 hours at the New England School of Acupuncture studying this material and its clinical effects. In Point of the Day, I will introduce you to an acupuncture point I may use in my clinical practice.
