Acupuncture
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EX-HN-3
Safety Warnings
- Deep needling contraindicated - shallow insertion only
Needle Depth
0.3–0.5 cun
Needle Angle
10-15° (Transverse)
Body Area
Face — Forehead
Location
Yintang EX-HN-3 is between the eyebrows and on the anterior midline.
Main Actions
- Calms the Mind
- Pacifies Wind
- Benefits the nose
Indications
Commentary
Yintang EX-HN-3 is mostly used to pacify Interior Wind and ease convulsions, especially for children at the late stage of a febrile disease.
It can also be used on the daily basis to calm the Mind and relieve anxiety and insomnia.
Classical Sources
Bian Que Shen Ying Zhen Jiu Yu Long Jing (扁鹊神应针灸玉龙经): "Children's fright wind can all be treated; needle Yintang and add moxa. Yintang is in the center between the eyebrows, needle one fen, along the skin first penetrate to left Cuanzhu...can moxa seven cones."
Huang Di Nei Jing - Su Wen (素问·刺疟篇): "For those with headache and heaviness first, first needle the top of the head and between the two eyebrows to draw blood." This is the earliest reference to this location, though without the point name.
Yi Xue Gang Mu (医学纲目): "Head heavy like stone: Yintang one fen, along the skin penetrate to Cuanzhu. First left then right, flick needle to draw blood."
Zhen Jiu Da Cheng (针灸大成): "Yintang, one point, in the depression between the two eyebrows. Needle one fen, moxa five cones. Treats fright wind."
How to Locate
First identify glabella which is a smooth surface directly above the nose root and on the frontal bone. Yintang EX-HN-3 is in the center, between the eyebrows and on the anterior midline.
Caution
Use pinching technique to lift the skin before needling to control depth and prevent the needle from slipping. Avoid perpendicular deep insertion as the frontal bone lies beneath. Keep needling transverse/horizontal only. The area may bruise easily due to superficial blood vessels (supratrochlear artery and vein). Patients should be warned about potential temporary bruising. Care should be taken near the eyes when needling laterally toward the eyebrows.
Needle Angle
10-15° (Transverse)
Depth Category
Shallow
Standard Depth
0.3–0.5 cun
Needling Directions
Oblique or transverse insertion towards the eyebrows or prick to bleed. Or use Pinching-skin method: With the thumb and index finger, form a skin fold above the point and insert the needle 0.3–0.5 cun transversely from superior to inferior into the fold, towards the root of the nose.
Expected Deqi Sensation
Local distension and heaviness at the point. Sensation may radiate downward toward the nose (when needled inferiorly for nasal conditions) or upward toward the vertex (when needled superiorly for headache). Some patients experience a calming, relaxing sensation throughout the forehead region.
Moxibustion
Recommended
Duration: 5–10 minutes
Cupping
Contraindicated
Bloodletting
Recommended
Gua Sha
Contraindicated
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