Townsend Letter The Examiner of Alternative Medicine
Alternative Medicine Conference Calendar
Check recent tables of contents

From the Townsend Letter
November 2011

Monthly Miracles
Live Another Day: Emergency Acupuncture Resuscitation
by Michael Gerber, MD, HMD
Search this site
Share this article...

 


The first step in longevity is surviving a catastrophic event. A compromised 76-year-old woman with COPD, CHF, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and pulmonary hypertension came out of an evening supper event at a local golf course where she consumed more wine than usual, fainted, and fell to the ground. She was lifted to a bench, where she was slumped over, apparently not breathing. When I arrived to help and could not find a radial pulse, I took a ballpoint pen from my pocket and began to vigorously stimulate Governor Vessel 26. GV-26 is a very famous acupuncture point one-third of the distance below the nose and two-thirds of the distance above the upper lip in the midline. She immediately groaned and took a breath and said, "What am I doing here?" as an emergency vehicle pulled up to take her to the hospital. She died several years later.

Of course, the universe of acupuncture has a glorious history and is important knowledge for every practitioner. Administering homeopathics and neural therapy in acupuncture points always adds therapeutic power. We should all know at least major acupuncture points. Keeping acupuncture needles in your office is helpful in every realm of medicine and is especially important if your patients are not doing well acutely. Stimulating GV-26 can be done with a fingernail, hairpin, ballpoint pen, or 25- or 27-gauge hypodermic needle, but an acupuncture needle is certainly the best instrument for the job. On occasions over the years, after needle shock or hypoglycemic shock episodes after IVs when the patient is syncopal with eyes rolling back in his head, pupils dilated, and unresponsive to sternal stimulation, I've found that inserting an acupuncture needle in GV-26 and quickly rotating it clockwise has always produced an immediate return to consciousness and great sighs of relief from family and staff. We have never lost a patient from acute shock or hypoglycemia. It is a good idea to learn how to master acupuncture needle insertion technique; it's pretty straightforward. Wouldn't this technique be amazing to employ in emergency situations, ERs, and ICUs quickly before defibrillation or intracardiac epinephrine?

My teacher and good friend Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD, recounts the case of a young woman at a ski resort who had an asthmatic emergency and wasn't breathing. He arrived on the scene and removed a safety pin from a strap holding up his ski pants and began stimulating GV-26. She immediately took a breath and was revived.

Joseph Helms, MD, in his excellent workbook
Medical Acupuncture for Physicians (circa 1997) is currently the director of the Helms Medical Institute and gives GV-26 three stars, a very high rating. He notes the indications for its use.

Excellent point when tonified (clockwise twirling) vigorously for needle shock, loss of consciousness, vertigo, epilepsy, syncope, and acute lumbar or cervical spasm and pain, shock, sunstroke, facial paralysis and swelling, clenched jaws, tooth pain, Qi surging into the heart and chest or surging into the head, inability to stand upright, epilepsy, neck stiffness, stuffed nose, weak respiration and resuscitation. Needle GV-26 with BL-40 for acute pain in lumbar spine.1 (Used with permission of author.)

Practically speaking, when your patient is not doing well and you have run out of other good ideas, twirl GV-26 and you will never be disappointed.

Notes
1.   Helms JM. Point Locations and Functions. Berkeley, CA:
   Medical Acupuncture Publishers; 2001:240

Michael Gerber, MD, HMD
contact@gerbermedical.com

Consult your doctor before using any of the treatments found within this site.

Subscriptions are available for Townsend Letter, the Examiner of Alternative Medicine magazine, which is published 10 times each year.

Search our pre-2001 archives for further information. Older issues of the printed magazine are also indexed for your convenience.
1983-2001 indices ; recent indices

Once you find the magazines you'd like to order, please use our convenient form, e-mail subscriptions@townsendletter.com, or call 360.385.6021 (PST).

Who are we? | New articles | Featured topics |
Tables of contents
| Subscriptions | Contact us | Links | Classifieds | Advertise | Alternative Medicine Conference Calendar | Search site | Archives |
EDTA Chelation Therapy | Home

© 1983-2011 Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients
All rights reserved.
Website by Sandy Hershelman Designs
November 16, 2011

Order back issues
Advertise with TLDP!

Visit our pre-2001 archives