When you hear “small intestine”, the first thing you think about probably isn’t back, neck, or shoulder pain. After all, the small intestine is an organ that helps us digest, so how could it affect anything other than our gut? Well, it turns out that a lot of chronic pain conditions can be traced back (in part or sometimes in full) to digestive problems, and often specifically to your small intestine. Chinese Medicine practitioners utilize the small intestine meridian to assist with a variety of symptoms including pain, anxiety, and hearing problems.
As we say all the time here at the clinic, just because you are experiencing a specific symptom does not mean that this is the main issue affecting you. More often than not, in fact, signs and symptoms can be attributed to less obvious underlying causes. There is a surprising number of chronic health issues that can be traced back to poor digestive health. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture have a long history of successfully treating these digestive health imbalances or disharmonies.
A few Traditional Chinese Medicine small intestine facts:
- The small intestine (SI) is a yang organ
- It’s partner yin organ is the Heart
- It belongs to the Fire Element
- It is the Taiyang pair of the Bladder meridian
- It is confluent with the Du meridian
What can the small intestine (SI) meridian treat?
The small intestine meridian can be used to treat several symptoms/disorders from its unique pattern on the body. The meridian starts at the little finger nail running along the side of the hand, up the back of the arm, zig-zagging across the shoulder blade, up the side of the neck, onto the cheek, to finally ending at the ear.
The SI meridian can be used locally to treat:
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Wrist pain
- Shoulder pain
- Elbow pain
- Facial pain/TMJ
- Hearing problems
This is due to the areas which the SI meridian transverses (as shown above). We can use the SI meridian to treat any areas of pain or discomfort occurring directly along this path.
Away from the meridian location, the SI meridian can also be used to treat:
- Indigestion (bloating, discomfort, constipation)
- Insufficient lactation
- Anxiety
- Pain along the spine
- Urinary dysfunction
This is due to the connections the SI meridian forms with partnering meridians and where these other meridians flow; in this case the Bladder, Heart (as shown above), and Du meridians.
If you have been experiencing any or a combination of the above symptoms, you may have an imbalance or obstruction of the SI meridian. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you like to discuss the potential options and benefits of a TCM/acupuncture appointment. You also can book an appointment with me right here!