😵💫 Fainting Patients
As I was doing some research for the Daily Acupuncture Facts course, I came across some points that are used for fainting. So I thought it might be good to review what to do if a patient gets dizzy or feels faint during an acupuncture treatment.
Fainting Patients
What should you do if your patient starts to feel dizzy during acupuncture, or even faints after getting off the table?
Often this can happen if the patient didn't eat before their treatment (always ask!), if they have a weak constitution, or if the acupuncture treatment was too stimulating.
(Several of my teachers in school would say that the people who were most likely to faint were large, muscular men. It's like they had so much yang on the surface, the needles popped them like a balloon and dispersed their yang qi, causing them to faint or feel dizzy. I've never had that experience with my patients though...)
Luckily the book Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion has a pretty straightforward guide to dealing with this situation.
Causes of Fainting
According to CAM, fainting during acupuncture is often due to nervous tension, delicate constitution, hunger, fatigue, improper position, or too forceful manipulation of the needles.
(I might add "too many needles" as well.)
What To Do
If symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, fidgeting, or nausea appear during needling, this may be a sign that fainting is imminent.
- Stop needling immediately
- Withdraw all the needles
- Help the patient lie down (if they are not already) and offer them some warm or sweet water
(I would assume the sweet water will help with possible low blood sugar in patients who have not eaten. We often had glucose candies in the clinic for this reason.)
Usually the symptoms will disappear after a short rest.
In more severe cases, in addition to the above, you can press hard with your fingernail or needle the following points:
- DU-26, PC-9, DU-25, PC-6, ST-36
Or apply moxa to:
- DU-20, REN-6, REN-4
DU-26 is located close to where the Ren Mai (yin) and Du Mai (yang) meet, so it can re-establish harmony between yin and yang in cases of loss of consciousness. It was actually added to Gao Wu's list of command points, so it's the "command point for resuscitation." The Ode to the Golden Needle specifically recommends needling DU-26 and ST-36 for dizziness after needling.
DU-25 is on the tip of the nose just above DU-26. According to Deadman, recent research has shown that DU-25 is more effective than DU-26 in restoring loss of consciousness. (I wonder how they tested that...)
PC-9 is a Jing-Well point, and Jing-Well points revive consciousness. But because the Pericardium is the protector of the Heart, PC-9 is especially useful for loss of consciousness because it reconnects the Shen to the Heart.
Moxa on DU-20 can raise qi and blood up to the head and nourish the brain. However, I feel like I would just set someone's hair on fire doing that...
Jing-Well Points
You may remember from acupuncture class that Jing-Well points typically have an action of restoring consciousness. So can't you just use Jing-Well points?
Maybe not.
Jing-Well points typically work by quickly removing excess from the channel. They are typically indicated for situations like loss of consciousness during wind-stroke. Here, there is an excess pathogen blocking the Shen (often indicated by closed mouth and clenched fists).
However, if you have fainting due to deficiency (like a patient who didn't eat or has a frail constitution), Jing-Well points are generally not recommended (except for PC-9). Instead, it's better to use more tonifying points like REN-4, REN-6, and ST-36, plus points at the top of the head to raise the clear back up.
Have you had to deal with dizzy and fainting patients? How you handle it?
