ZHI GOU – SJ6

Location

On the dorsal aspect of the forearm, on the line connecting SJ 4 and the tip of the elbow, 2 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist between the ulna and radius. 

 

Biomechanisms overview

  Zhi gou has been shown to be good for reducing pain, nausea and vomitting, Herpes zoster outbreaks and post herpetic neuralgia, in combination with other points

 

Anti-nocioception

Acupuncture at Houxi (SI 3), Zhigou (SJ 6), Neiguan (PC 6) and Hegu (LI 4) can decrease the dosage of general anaesthetics, and effectively restrain cardiovascular stress (lowering heart rate and systolic blood pressure) reaction during trachea extubation in pulmonary lobectomy patients (1).

Acupuncture at LI4 (Hegu), SJ6 (Zhigou), ST36 (Zusanli) and GB34 (Yanglingquan) resulted in average pain intensity levels and pain while deep breathing being significantly lower in patients with traumatic rib fractures (2)

Gastrointestinal regulation

Electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) and Zhigou (and plus Quchi and Hegu) significantly reduces the post-operative nausea and vomiting. It may be mediated through the regulation of plasma motilin concentration or gastrin (3, 4)

Skin conditions

Electroacupuncture at Ashi-points (around the locus), Jiaji (EX-B 2), Zhigou (SJ 6) and Houxi (SI 3) reduce herpes zoster outbreaks at least as effectively as medication and with a stronger pain killing effect, reducing post-herpetic neuralgia outbreaks (5, 6). A meta-analysis of acupuncture for herpes zoster (with 15 studies including 1424 patients) showed acupuncture to be more effective than medication and with fewer side-effects (7). Another, larger, meta-analysis (21 studies) showed an 83% reduction in post-herpetic neuralgia with acupuncture compared to medication as well as faster healing rates and fewer side effects (8).

References

  1. Fu, G., Zhou, J., Tong, Q., Zhu, Y., Ma, W., Zhou, H., & Shen, W. (2011). [Observation on the anti-stress effect of acupuncture-assisted anaesthesia for pulmonary lobectomy patients]. PubMed, 36(5), 361–365. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22073889 

  2. Liu, C., Hsieh, T., Wu, B., Huang, Y., Shih, C., Hu, W., Tsai, M., & Chen, Y. (2022). Acupuncture Analgesia in Patients with Traumatic Rib Fractures: A Randomized-Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.896692 

  3. Li, J. (2019). Preventive effect of transcutaneous Acupoint electrical stimulation in treating postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients craniotomy. HSOA Journal of Alternative, Complementary & Integrative Medicine, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.24966/acim-7562/s1001 

  4. Yao, X., & Jiang, Y. (2012). Effects of acupuncture at acupoints at different time points on occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing radical rectal cancer operation: determination of plasma gastrin concentration. Chinese Journal of Anesthesiology, 32(07), 820–823. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-1416.2012.07.013 

  5. Huang, G., Zhang, H., Xu, Z., & Li, J. (2012). [Comparison of therapeutic effects of different types of acupuncture interventions on herpes zoster in acute stage]. PubMed, 37(5), 403–408. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23342782 

  6. Liu, XM., Yang, YK. (2014) Clinical Study of Fire Needle in Alleviating Herpes Zoster Pain. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture. 23(1), p6. Available at: https://openurl.ebsco.com/EPDB%3Agcd%3A3%3A9107763/detailv2?sid=ebsco%3Aplink%3Ascholar&id=ebsco%3Agcd%3A118335049&crl=c 

  7. Wu, L., Chen, Y., Man, T., Jin, L. H., Xu, Z., Lv, L., Luo, J., & Zhu, T. (2022). External Therapy of Chinese Medicine for Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2022, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3487579 

  8. Cui, Y., Wang, F., Li, H., Zhang, X., Zhao, X., & Wang, D. (2021). Efficacy of Acupuncture for Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Complementary Medicine Research, 28(5), 463–472. https://doi.org/10.1159/000515138