AP AP Moxibustion & Adjunct Therapies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Cupping therapy (Ba Guan) primarily functions to treat which category of conditions?
- Interior cold with Kidney Yang deficiency
- Exterior Wind-Cold invasion, local Qi and Blood stagnation, and Damp-Cold Bi syndrome (Correct answer)
- Interior Yin deficiency with Empty Fire
- Phlegm-Heat obstructing the Lungs
Correct answer: Exterior Wind-Cold invasion, local Qi and Blood stagnation, and Damp-Cold Bi syndrome
Cupping creates suction to expel pathogenic Wind and Cold from the exterior, promote local Qi and Blood circulation, and relieve Damp-Cold painful obstruction.
Question 2: Which type of cupping involves moving the cup along a lubricated skin surface and is especially used for large muscle group conditions?
- Flash cupping
- Retained cupping
- Sliding cupping (Tsou Guan) (Correct answer)
- Bleeding cupping
Correct answer: Sliding cupping (Tsou Guan)
Sliding cupping glides the cup over oiled skin to cover a broader area of the back or large muscles, treating Bi syndrome and general channel stagnation over a wide region.
Question 3: Gua sha (scraping therapy) is MOST appropriate for treating which condition?
- Active skin infections and open wounds
- Exterior Wind-Heat with neck stiffness, fever, and Sha (petechiae) presentation (Correct answer)
- Kidney Yin deficiency with night sweats
- Heart Blood deficiency with insomnia
Correct answer: Exterior Wind-Heat with neck stiffness, fever, and Sha (petechiae) presentation
Gua sha releases the exterior, moves Qi and Blood, and is indicated when patients have sha (stagnant blood and toxins) presenting as fever, stiff neck, and pain with exterior pathogen invasion.
Question 4: Bleeding therapy (Ci Luo Xue Fa) using a lancet is indicated for which pattern?
- Deficiency Cold with pale complexion
- Blood stasis, excess Heat, or acute pain from stagnation (Correct answer)
- Kidney Yang deficiency with cold lower back
- Spleen Qi sinking with prolapse
Correct answer: Blood stasis, excess Heat, or acute pain from stagnation
Bleeding therapy releases Heat, moves Blood stasis, and relieves pain from acute Qi and Blood stagnation, and is used in excess conditions rather than deficiency.
Question 5: Auricular acupuncture (Ear Acupuncture) is based on the concept that the ear maps to the entire body in what configuration?
- An upright standing human figure
- An inverted fetus with the earlobe representing the head (Correct answer)
- A horizontal lying figure with the lobe representing the feet
- A map corresponding to the Five Elements
Correct answer: An inverted fetus with the earlobe representing the head
Auricular therapy is based on the somatotopic map of an inverted fetus, where the earlobe corresponds to the head/face, the antihelix to the spine, and the concha to internal organs.
Question 6: Which auricular point is MOST commonly used for pain management and analgesia in ear acupuncture?
- Shen Men (Spirit Gate) (Correct answer)
- Sympathetic point
- Zero point
- Endocrine point
Correct answer: Shen Men (Spirit Gate)
Shen Men (Ear Shen Men) is the most widely used auricular point for its analgesic, calming, and anti-inflammatory effects, making it a fundamental point in ear acupuncture protocols.
AP AP Moxibustion & Adjunct Therapies 2
Cupping therapy (Ba Guan) primarily functions to treat which category of conditions?