Master Tung’s Four Horses Extraordinary Points Leave a comment
By Susan Johnson, L.Ac.
Master Tung Ching Chang was a traditional Chinese physician from the Shandong Province who was famous for the miraculous and spontaneous results he obtained using just a few needles.
Master Tung’s Four Horses combination consists of six acupuncture points, three on each thigh: a wonderfully effective point pattern, easy to locate, and very versatile.
A four-horse carriage moves very quickly with extraordinary momentum, a fitting metaphor for the strong and lasting effects of these amazing points, among the most powerful in the entire body.
88.17 Four Horses Middle is the first or central point, located three cun or four fingers anterior to Feng Shi, GB 31.
88.18 Four Horses Upper is located two cun or three fingers proximal to 88.17.
88.19 Four Horses Lower is located two cun distal to 88.17, on a line drawn up from the lateral corner of the patella along the edge of the thigh, just where the muscle turns down from the anterior to the lateral plane, needled perpendicular to the surface of the skin.
The points have a wide variety of indications, including:
- common colds and flus
- allergies and asthma
- autoimmune diseases
- all skin disorders
- ears and eyes
- facial spasms
- thyroid conditions
- upper back and rib pain
- breast issues
- hemiplegia
- sciatica
Being located between the Shao Yang and Yang Ming channels, in large muscle with significant nerve and blood supplies, means that these points tonify the spleen and the qi, while strongly expelling both internal and external wind, as well. They adjust the spleen and stomach, and can be very effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis.
With proper point location and technique, Four Horses become invaluable tools in any acupuncturist’s clinical repertoire. Their versatility places them in the highest category of effectiveness within Master Tung’s extraordinary point system.
Susan Johnson, L.Ac. was first exposed to Tung’s acupuncture in 1983, in the clinic of Dr Lee Chuan-Djin (Miriam Lee, OMD.), in Palo Alto, California, where she also studied with Dr Young Wei Chieh. She has maintained a clinical practice in Santa Cruz, since 1984 and teaches courses in Master Tung’s Magic Points throughout the United States and Canada, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Susan graduated from the ACTCM in San Francisco, in 1984, and was licensed to practice TCM, in 1985. She has studied extensively with Drs. Miriam Lee and Young Wei Chieh, both students of Master Tung Ching Chang. Susan Johnson, L.Ac., is in private practice in Santa Cruz, California, and teaches Tung’s Points internationally and throughout the United States. Her style is clear and detail-oriented. Though she may utilize other acupuncture systems and techniques occasionally (like KHT and scalp acupuncture), Susan has been practicing Tung’s Points for thirty years and predominantly uses them in treating her patients. She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and also enjoys studying Classical Chinese Medicine, Taoist Qi Gong, Japanese brush painting, gardening and playing music.
