Mastering the Yin Wei Mai: Essential Knowledge for Your NCCAOM Exam
Hey fellow acupuncture students! Welcome back to the Study Acupuncture with Me blog. If you're gearing up for the NCCAOM exam, it's vital to get a solid grip on the Yin Wei Mai and its clinical applications. In our podcast episode "3 Clinical Applications of the Yin Wei Mai｜Traditional Chinese Medicine｜Study Acupuncture EP 52," we dived deep into this extraordinary vessel.
And what i've done is that i've reformated the content into a BLOG format because...
the MORE ways you expose yourself to the material (listening, watching, writing, reading) the more synapses you create in your brain which means retention!
So if you're reading this then that means you're supercharging your learning experience by READING and that means you'll have a better chance to retain and understand this crucial information. So now... let’s break down the key points about the Yin Wei Mai for those exam prep sessions.
Understanding the Yin Wei Mai
What is the Yin Wei Mai?
The Yin Wei Mai, also known as the Yin Linking Vessel, is one of the extraordinary vessels in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As its name suggests, it links all the yin channels in our body. These include the Kidney, Spleen, Liver, Lung, Heart, and Pericardium channels. Think of it as a network that integrates and redistributes qi and blood from the main channels, essentially acting as a reservoir.
Opening and Coupled Points
For any extraordinary vessel, knowing the opening and coupled points is crucial. For the Yin Wei Mai, these points are:
Opening Point: Pericardium 6 (PC 6)
Coupled Point: Spleen 4 (SP 4)
Additionally, the Yin Wei Mai has a crucial Xi cleft point, which is:
Xi Cleft Point:** Kidney 9 (KI 9)
Pathway of the Yin Wei Mai
Knowing the pathway of this vessel is essential, especially for exams like the NCCAOM. Here's a brief overview:
Starts at: Kidney 9 (KI 9)
Ascends to: Spleen 13 (SP 13), Spleen 15 (SP 15), and Spleen 16 (SP 16)
Connects to: Liver 14 (LV 14) on the way up
Travels across: The chest to reach the throat
Ends at: Ren 22 (RN 22) and Ren 23 (RN 23)
Visualizing this pathway can dramatically enhance your understanding and retention.
Clinical Applications of the Yin Wei Mai
Let's dive into the three main clinical applications of the Yin Wei Mai, which are pivotal for your NCCAOM exam.
1. Nourishing Blood and Yin
The first and probably the most comprehensive application is its ability to nourish blood and yin. Since the Yin Wei Mai links all the yin channels, activating it through points like PC 6 and SP 4 can help nourish both blood and yin. This means it can be essential in treating conditions where there's yin or blood deficiency.
Why does this matter? Blood is the residence of the mind, according to TCM principles. Any conditions that involve a blood deficiency can lead to symptoms that affect the mind.
Therefore, utilizing this pathway can help support the heart's blood and other organs involved in blood production, like the spleen.
2. Treating Mental and Emotional Issues
The second crucial application is treating mental and emotional issues. These issues often have a root cause in blood-related problems. For example:
Depressio
Anxiety
Mania
When blood is deficient or there's heat in the blood, it can disrupt the mental and emotional balance. Using the Yin Wei Mai helps stabilize these conditions by nourishing the blood and yin, thus giving the mind a 'residence' and restoring balance.
3. Treating Specific Types of Headaches
How often do you come across patients complaining of headaches? Quite often, right? The Yin Wei Mai can treat a specific type of headache: deficiency type headaches like those stemming from blood deficiency.
These headaches are usually dull rather than pounding or stabbing. If a patient describes their headache as dull and they show manifestations of blood deficiency, such as a pale tongue (slightly dry), the Yin Wei Mai could be the key to their treatment. It's essential to distinguish these from yang deficiency, which would present a pale but slightly wet tongue.
Clinical Manifestations Related to Yin Wei Mai Pathology
Understanding the clinical manifestations linked to Yin Wei Mai pathology can be a game-changer in both your studies and clinical practice. For your NCCAOM exam, remember that if there's a pathology in the Yin Wei Mai, patients might present with:
Chest Pain
Cardiac Pain
Stomach Ache
According to CAM (Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion), these are the key points to remember. However, Giovanni Maciocia has a longer list, emphasizing the extensive impact of this vessel on the body's overall health.
Examining the Pathway and Manifestations
Using your knowledge of the Yin Wei Mai pathway can make sense of these manifestations. As it travels from KI 9 up the chest to RN 22 and RN 23, the related symptoms become easier to understand. For example, its pathway explains the chest and cardiac pain since it crosses crucial areas related to the heart and chest.
Moreover, mental and emotional symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and obsessive thoughts can also be connected to the Yin Wei Mai. These are often referenced in classic texts like the Nan Jing (Classic of Difficulties), emphasizing even ancient recognition of these pathways' importance.
Study Tips for NCCAOM Preparation
Alright, now that we've dissected the Yin Wei Mai, here are some study tips to help retain this information for your NCCAOM exam:
1. **Visual Aids**
Use diagrams and visuals to understand the pathway of the Yin Wei Mai better. Sketch it out if you need to!
2. **Flashcards**
Create flashcards for the opening, coupled, and chi cleft points along with their locations and functions.
3. **Practice Questions**
Look for practice questions or create your own based on Yin Wei Mai applications and manifestations.
4. **Case Studies**
Study or create case studies that involve the Yin Wei Mai as part of the diagnosis and treatment plan.
5. **Teach Someone**
One of the best ways to retain information is to teach it to someone else. Explain the Yin Wei Mai's pathway, applications, and related symptoms to a fellow student.
IN SUMMARY
The Yin Wei Mai is a vital component of acupuncture and TCM that you'll undoubtedly encounter in your NCCAOM exam. By understanding its pathway, clinical applications, and the manifestations of its pathology, you're well on your way to mastering this extraordinary vessel. Remember to utilize all available resources, including visual aids, flashcards, and practice questions, to reinforce your learning.
Keep studying, keep practicing, and before you know it, you'll be well-prepared to ace your NCCAOM exam. Until next time, happy studying and stay focused!
God bless, and see you in the next blog post!
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If you found this post helpful, make sure to check out my podcast episode "3 Clinical Applications of the Yin Wei Mai｜Traditional Chinese Medicine｜Study Acupuncture EP 52" for an even deeper dive into this topic.
Podcast Version of Episode: Link
Transcript
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
Everyone, welcome back to Study Acupuncture with Me. So in this episode, we're gonna go over the Yang Weimai, and we're gonna go over the 3 clinical applications of the Yang Weimai, which are, number 1, it can treat intermittent fevers. Number 2, it can treat the sides of the body. And then number 3, it can treat ear related issues. Now to understand these clinical applications, we have to talk about the Yang Weimai as a whole. Now the Yang Weimai is also known as the Yang linking vessel, and that's because it actually links all of the yang channels. Now just like with all the other extraordinary vessels, the Yang Weimai also has an opening point and a coupled point. Now the opening point and the Couple point can be used to activate the Yang Wei mai.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
Now the opening point of the Yang Wei mai is Sanjiao 5, and the couple point of the Yang Wei mai is gallbladder 41. So now let's look at a diagram of the Yang Weimai, which, as you can see here, the Yang Weimai, it starts with u b 63. So it goes from u b 63, it goes to g b 35. And where's g b 35? It's on the side of your lower leg. The Yang Wei mine also goes up The outside of your thigh along your IT band. It goes up to GB 29, and GB 29 is one of my favorite points to needle for hip pain and for IT band pain. Now this point is located halfway between your As is and your greater trochanter. And then From g b 29, the Yang Wei Mai goes up the side of your abdomen and actually goes below your armpit, and it goes to your shoulder area.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
Now in this area, the Yangwei Maya does a lot of zigzagging back and forth, and it goes back and forth between points on your San Jiao, your small intestine, your large intestine and your gallbladder channels. So the Yang Wei mai shares points here with Sanjiao 13, Sanjiao 15, small intestine 10, and large intestine fourteen. It also shares points with gallbladder 21. Now from there, the channel is gonna go up the side of your neck, and it's gonna go behind your ear. Now here's where the Yang Wei mai is gonna finish off its pathway. So it's gonna go from g b 20 all the way to gallbladder 13. And this pathway that I just talked about is actually referenced from Maciocia. Now if you're looking at dead men, you might notice that there's a difference between Dedman and Maciocia, which we're gonna review that difference right now.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
So here's a side by side of the points from Maciocia and the points from Dedmon, which from Dedmon, we do have more points here. And we have some points that Mathieuja doesn't reference. Like, for example, Deadman has DUE 16. It also has DUE 15. There's also stomach 8 there. Now Maciocia doesn't have those points. Matchocha has gallbladder 29, it has l I 14, and it has Zhengzhou 13, whereas Deadman doesn't have those points. And if you look at the ear area, machiocha goes behind the ear, and deadman, where does it go? It goes in front of the ear.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
So the question is, mind. Should you be stressed about this difference? And the answer is a resounding no because the board exam is mind. Highly unlikely gonna dig itself into a hole by asking you a controversial question like this. They're not gonna ask you to delineate the differences between Maciochan Dedmon. Because if they do, they're gonna receive a literal ton of emails, phone calls, and letters about how, hey. Dedman says this or Maggio just says this. So the board exam isn't trying to get themselves into any trouble in this way. So take a deep breath, relax, And let's move on to talking about the 3 clinical applications of the Yang Wei mai.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
Starting with number 1, the Yang Wei mai can be used to treat Intermittent fevers. So the question is, what is an intermittent fever? Now an intermittent fever is a fever that goes up And then it goes back to normal. And then after some time, the fever goes back up again. So the Yang Weimai can be used to treat this kind of fever, which is an intermittent fever. Now the Yang Weimai can also be used to treat alternating chills and fevers. Now you might be wondering, what's the difference between an alternating and an intermittent fever. And the alternating one alternates back and forth between fevers and chills. So it goes back and forth between the 2 states.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
There's a state of fever and there's a state of chill. There's an actual flip. Intermittent fever, on the other hand, it just goes from fever and then back to normal. And then after some time, it goes back up to fever and then back up to normal again. It's intermittent. So the Yangwei mai, you can actually use it to treat both intermittent fevers and alternating chills and fevers. Now another thing we know about The alternating chill and fever is that it's the cardinal sign of the Shaoyang stage. The Shaoyang stage is a stage in the six stages theory.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
So in the Shaoyang stage of the 6 stages theory, primarily what you're gonna see is this alternation of chills and fevers. And why this is happening? It's because the pathogenic factor is halfway between the interior and the exterior. And we know that when the pathogenic factor is Fully in the interior, that's when we're gonna see this appearance of signs of heat, and we're gonna see a disappearance of the complaints of colds, which you see this with the Yang Ming stage of the six stages theory. Alright. Now clinical application number 2 Of the Yang Wei mai is that you can use it to treat issues with the sides of the body, and this is really apparent when you look at the pathway of the Yang Wei mai. So besides using achi points, you can also use the opening point and the couple point of the Yangwei mai, especially if your patient's presenting with issues like mind, pain on the sides of their body. So some examples of pain on the sides of their body are things like IT band syndrome, osteoarthritis, degenerative disease. Or maybe they have kidney related issues, which with all these, it's always a professional idea to refer your patient to their primary care or even a specialist if you're finding that they need further evaluation on their complaints.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
Alright. Now lastly, we have clinical application number 3, which is that the Yangwei mai can be used to treat ear problems. Now ear problems, it can range from ringing in the ears to deafness to pain in the ears or any other ear related problem. And this is because of the pathway of the Yang Wei mai, which we saw before in machiocha and deadman. It says it goes towards the ears. It goes past the ears. One of them, it goes in front. One of them, it goes behind.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
But the point is that it allows you as an acupuncturist to treat the ear. And you can use it to treat the ear with any of those shared points that we talked about before, or you can simply activate the Yang Wei Mai through the opening and coupled points. And here, I wanna mention it again because we, as acupuncturists, we are part of the medical community. So when it comes to the betterment of our patients, It's always a good idea to have more clinicians weighing in on any unclear presentations. So for example, if your patient is presenting with those ear related problems, One of the first questions that we need to ask them is, have you seen your primary care physician, or have you seen an ear, nose, and throat doctor? And if they have already, I would, as a professional courtesy, ask your patient to bring in any workups that that doctor did because this could include vital information for your treatment. Now another professional action that you can take is to keep that primary care physician or that ENT doctor updated on that patient's progress in acupuncture. Now how do you accomplish this? You can accomplish this through typing up of a 1 pager of your findings. Now that could include your evaluation findings, the treatments that you did with the patient, any objective measures that you're taking with your patient that can show progress with their treatments.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
And you can share this with your patient, And they can provide it to their primary care physician on their next checkup. Because remember, we as acupuncturists, we're part of the medical community. So communicating with their primary care and them communicating back to us is a professional courtesy. And that actually brings us to the end of this episode on the Yang Wei Mai. So as always, until next time, god bless, and happy studying.
Oh, hey. You're still here.
Dr. Richard Lai DPT LAc:
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