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Overview:

Acupuncture is an ancient medical practice originating from the Far East, passed down by the Li-Ren’s great ancestors. It requires solid knowledge of the flow of ‘qi’ or energy in the body, usually alongside the nervous system in channels called ‘meridians’. By inserting sterilised silver needles into particular channels, one can redirect nervous sensations or hormonal imbalances within the body. It is important to note however, that acupuncture itself cannot completely treat any ailments, it is best to accompany it with dietary or lifestyle changes.

 

Tools:

To administer acupuncture, one must have a set of thin, silver needles. Similar to sewing needles, the point must be strong but exceedingly thin, with a sturdy but light wooden end to enable easy insertion into the body such that the patient will not feel much sensation. The needles must be silver as silver is a metal that can draw out impurities or poisons within the body. One must cleanse and sterilise the needles regularly, whether through flame or through strong alcohol. Sanitation is crucial to practice as substances from previous treatments may still linger on the needles if not tended to properly.

 

Channels:

There are 14 main channels in the body that dominate energy flow and the nervous system. Each channel has a major point which can be triggered to treat certain ailments, as seen in the following below:

 

Large Intestine Channel: Hegu

This point is located on the back side of the hand between the thumb and first finger. The primary use of this point is to relieve pain and treat inflammatory and feverish diseases. Pressing upon it is particularly known to help with headaches.

 

Lung Channel: Lieque

This point is located above the wrist on the inside of the arm. It is used to treat several disorders of the upper body, including respiratory disorders, sore throat, facial paralysis and wrist conditions.

 

Stomach Channel: Zusanli

This point is located on the front of the leg, just below the knee. It is helpful for digestive disorders. Research shows that using this point results in positive effects in treating anemia, immune deficiency, indigestion and diarrhea.

 

Spleen Channel: Sanyinjiao

This point is located on the inner side of the leg just above the ankle. It is well known for treating hormonal disorders (such as irregular menstruation) and other disorders dealing with reproduction and general genital health.

 

Gallbladder Channel: Fengchi

This point is located at the base of the skull where it joins the neck in back. It is used in the treatment of acute disorders, such as the common cold, influenza, headache, neck pain and fever. In addition, it lowers blood pressure.

 

Liver Channel: Taichong

The point is located on the top of the foot, between the first and second toes. It is used to balance emotional energy, helps regulate menstruation, to reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol.

 

Pericardium Channel: Neiguan

This point is located on the inner arm, just above the wrist. This channel is useful for cardiac disorders, such as heart palpitation and chest pains. It is also useful for nausea, vomiting, spasms and convulsions.

 

Heart Channel: Shenmen

This point is located on the outer side of the wrist. It is used in the treatment of a variety of mental disorders, such as insomnia, agitation and fatigue. 

 

Urinary Bladder Channel: Weizhong

This point is located at the back of the knee. It is utilized in the treatment of back pain, hip impairment, muscular cramps, leg pain, and abdominal pain.

 

Kidney Channel: Taixi

This point is located just behind the inner ankle. It is used for disorders in several areas of the body, including sore throat, deafness, dizziness, lower back pain and can help or hinder bedroom activities.

 

Triple Burner Channel: Waiguan

This point on the channel is located on the outer side of the arm, above the wrist. It is mainly used in treatment of disorders along the pathway of this meridian, that is, of the fingers, hand, arms, neck, ears, cheek, and top of the head.

 

Small Intestine Channel: Houxi

This point is located on the side of the hand, below the little finger. It is used for treating general stiffness, seizures, night sweats and fevers. 

 

Governing Vessel: Baihui

This point is located at the top of the head. It is traditionally applied in the treatment for headache, vertigo, ringing in the ears and nasal obstruction. It is best used in accompaniment with the Kidney Channel.

 

Theory / Capabilities:

Before administering acupuncture, always clean your patient’s body by wiping them down, whether through rice alcohol or water. When inserting the needles into the patient’s points, one must take extra care not to insert directly upon the nerve endings as doing so would block energy and nerve transmission into said areas. Instead, when promoting sensation or hormonal surge in the general area, insert the needle a little towards the outside of the body from the point, as this will stimulate the flow of ‘energy’ towards the desired treatment area.

 

Treatment Examples:

[!] The following only intend to act as examples of treatment. Not all the herbs listed in the prescriptions exist rply but it’s just an example for people to get a better understanding of how treatment would work.

 

Treatment of a Common Cold:

 

- Get the patient to suck on a slice of raw ginger whilst you administer acupuncture. 

- Warm up the room so that the patient will break out into sweat. 

- Cleanse the body. 

- Insert needles into the Large Intestinal, Lung Channel,  Gallbladder, and the Governing Channel. 

- Leave the needles in for around 15 minutes before taking them out.

- Prescribe the patient ginger, ginseng, honey and kumquat tea and encourage drinking the concoction every day until their cold gets better. Make sure that the patient is also adequately warm throughout this      process.

 

Treatment of Headache:

 

- Cleanse the patient’s body. 

- Begin inserting the acupuncture needles into the Governing, Large Intestine, Gallbladder, and Heart Channels.

- Leave needles in until the patient begins to feel less tension/stiffness in the area before taking them out.

- Prescribe patient with a mild, diluted Frostvine salve along the area of pain for external application and some rejuvenating Mandragora tea for consumption.

 

Treatment of Respiratory Diseases:

 

- Air out the room first and free it from any lingering dust.

- Cleanse the patient’s body.

- Begin inserting acupuncture needles into the Lung, Pericardium, Heart, and Governing Channels.

- Leave needles in for 15 minutes before taking them out.

- As this is a long-lasting lifestyle disease, encourage the patient to come for routine acupuncture treatments. The patient should also maintain a clean house free of dust at all times and keep a light diet and avoid oily, fatty foods as well as excessive indulging in red meats.

 

Treatment of Menstrual pains and irregularities:

 

- Warm up the room so that the patient is comfortably warm, but not sweating.

- Cleanse the patient’s body.

- Begin inserting acupuncture needles into the Urinary, Kidney, Liver, and Spleen Channels.

- Leave the acupuncture needles in before beginning to massage the patient’s pained areas with a heated ceramic ball, careful not to burn the patient.

- Finish the massage and take out the needles after an hour’s time.

- Prescribe the patient with a herbal concoction of Mandragora, Desert Berry, ginseng, ginger, and pomegranate. Inform the patient to keep their body warm at all times during the menstrual period, and eat red meat, in particular pig’s liver cooked in rice wine and ginger.

- Encourage the patient to attend regular acupuncture and massage sessions until the irregularities ease.

[!] Well performed treatment over a prolonged period can help women recover from miscarriages within reasonable bounds.

 

Treatment of Indigestion/ Food poisoning / ingested poisons:

 

- Cleanse the patient’s body and ready a nearby pot for the patient to vomit into.

- Feed the patient ground and boiled Goblin’s Ivy with Alabaster Leaf, then induce them into vomiting.

- Once the patient has vomited out all the contents, insert needles into the Pericardium, Stomach and Kidney channels.

- Wait until any poisonous substances have been drawn out by the silver. If no poison was ingested, leave the needles in until the patient feels the nausea subside.

- Prescribe the patient with Mandragora tea afterwards and encourage them to adhere to a lighter diet, refraining from oily, fatty foods as well as excessive wine.

 

REDLINES:

Acupuncture itself CANNOT heal any ailments, it has to be used in tandem with other treatments, such as herbal remedies or lifestyle changes.

Acupuncture is NOT a miracle cure and often needs repeated treatments in order for successful treatment.

Acupuncture can only enhance or take away nervous sensation or balance out hormones slightly in targetted areas each session.

You can damage someone’s nerves on purpose with acupuncture but it has to be done over time and the damage has to be gauged by a roll to prevent powergaming (esp. in the case of nervous breakdown).

 

PURPOSE (OOCLY):

I’m surprised acupuncture hasn’t been done in an official capacity but I just thought adding acupuncture to LotC would make medical rp much more interesting. So far medical rp is a one-off rp experience but with acupuncture you can have repeat or regular patients, try combining western and eastern medical practices back from medieval ages, and facilitate a more engaging rp experience – because who doesn’t like getting needles stuck into them? Overall I think it’s too interesting a concept to pass up on and I’m sure many other medical rpers would enjoy adding acupuncture to their repertoire.

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