Diarrhea

Type 1: Acute Diarrhea
Symptoms:
Sudden onset, frequent stools and less urination. The type of cold-damp, is marked by watery stool mixed with undigested food, borborygmmus, abdominal pain, with tenderness, no thirst, or preference for hot drinking, cold sensations of the body, preference for warmth, white and greasy tongue coating, tardy and soft floating pulse. In severe cases, diarrhea with ceaselessness, cold limbs, deep- thready or deep-sitedpulse. The type of damp-heat is marked by diarrhea with loose, stool, yellow in color and with mucus, buring sensation in anus, scanty dark urine, fever, thirst, preference for cold drink, restlessness, yellow, and greasy tongue coating.
Principle of treatment:
To regulate circulation of qi of intestines and stomach. Points of Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming and Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming are mainly select. Puncture with reducing method. Moxibustion is added for cold syndroms, and blood-letting methods for heat syndroms.
Prescription:
Tianshu (ST25) Front-Mu Point of the Large Intestine (Tianshu (ST25) Front-Mu Point of the Large Intestine), Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point (Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point), Yinlingquan (SP9) He-Sea Point (Yinlingquan (SP9) He-Sea Point), Shangjuxu (ST37) The Lower He-Sea Point of the Large Intestine (Shangjuxu (ST37) The Lower He-Sea Point of the Large Intestine), Xiajuxu (ST39) The Lower He-Sea Point of the Small Intestine (Xiajuxu (ST39) The Lower He-Sea Point of the Small Intestine).
Modification according to symptoms:
For excessive heat, Neiting (ST44) Ying-Spring Point (Neiting (ST44) Ying-Spring Point), Shangyang (LI1) Jing-Well Point (Shangyang (LI1) Jing-Well Point) and Shaoze (SI1) Jing-Well Point (Shaoze (SI1) Jing-Well Point) can be pricked to cause bleeding; for cold limbs, deep-sited pulse, Shenque (CV8) (RN8) is added. moxibustion with ginger.
Type 2: Chronic diarrhea
Symptoms:
Diarrhea with less frequency and long process of disease. Deficiency of the spleen is deagnosed by undigested food in loose stool, fullness in abdomen, borborygmus, sallow complexion, loss of appetite, lassitude, white, and grease tongue coating, tardy and soft floating pulse. The condition of stagnation of liver qi attacking the spleen is often related with emotion, diarrhea often sticky and mixed with green fluids, eructation, abdominal pain involving hypochondrium, wiry pulse. Diarrhea due to deficiency of the kidney usually occurs at dawn, abdominal pain, borborygmmus which is followed by diarrhea, undigested food in the loose stool, soreness in lumbar region, a cold sensation in the knees, dark-purplish complexion, pale tongue with whitish coating, deep and thready pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Promoting spleen, soothing stagnation of liver qi, and warming up kidney. Apply acupuncture with reinforcing method to the points of Ren Meridian, Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming and Back-shu points. Moxibustion is also applicable.
Prescription:
Zhongwan (CV12) Front-Mu Point of the Stomach (RN12), Tianshu (ST25), Zusanli (ST36) He-Sea Point (Zusanli (ST36) He-Sea Point).
Modification according to symptoms:
For deficiency of spleen add Pishu (BL20) (Pishu (BL20)) and Guanyuanshu (BL26) (Guanyuanshu (BL26)); for stagnation of liver qi, add Ganshu (BL18) (Ganshu (BL18)) and Xingjian (LR2) Ying-Spring Point (Xingjian (LR2) Ying-Spring Point); for deficiency of kidney, add Shenshu (BL23) (Shenshu (BL23)) and Mingmen (GV4) (DU4). For epigastric distension, add Gongsun (SP4) Luo-Connecting Point, The Eight Confluent Point (Gongsun (SP4) Luo-Connecting Point, The Eight Confluent Point); for pain in hypochondrium, add Yanglingquan (GB34) He-Sea Point, Influential Point of Tendon (Yanglingquan (GB34) He-Sea Point, Influential Point of Tendon); for shortness of breath like asthma, Qihai (CV6) (RN6) is added.
Cautions and precautions:
Acupuncture is effective in treating both acute and chronic diarrhea. In case of severe dehydration or diarrhea caused by malignant diseases, complex therapy should be applied.

Key Words: diarrhea, acupuncture