Just my point: DU 4

Peter Firebrace

BAcC Fellow: Denmark

It’s the start of November and a little cold in the kitchen when I get up, but that’s soon remedied by lighting the fire and within minutes the chill disappears and my attitude to the dull, grey day outside is transformed by those flickering, dancing orange flames.

The fire is higher than normal, at table height, so as I stand with my back to it, my lumbar area is suffused with a deep warmth and comforting glow. A breakfast heat treatment on DU 4 ming men 命 門 Gate of Destiny – what a perfect way to start a wintry day! Those without access to a fire should consider buying a Japanese haramaki (literally ‘belly wrap’), a band of material that wraps around the waist area, thereby warming and supporting both the lower back and the lower dan tian, cinnabar field, at the front, helping to ward off the cold in chilly mortals, outdoor workers, pregnant women and the elderly.

DU 4 ming men lies at a crucial juncture in the low back, below the second lumbar vertebra, where deep within, the spinal cord begins its upward journey to the brain high above. This strategic region provides flexibility to the lumbar area, so key for twisting and turning, bending and stretching, movements that are so easy for the young and more challenging for the old. It is therefore one of the most effective points for low back problems, pain, stiffness and sciatica.

Here, in this central and unifying position between the two kidneys – left kidney and right kidney, yin kidney and yang kidney, water kidney and fire kidney – lies this unique and powerful place that connects and combines the two. This regenerative and restorative point nourishes the brain in the treatment of vertigo, tinnitus and involuntary shaking of the head above, while relighting the life-warming fire of ming men (ming men huo 命 門 火) below. Source of the triple heater and of minister fire, xiang huo 相 火, ming men complements and assists the sovereign fire, jun huo 君 火, of the heart.

Classically indicated for overheating, ‘body hot like fire’, DU 4 is also a wonderful point with moxa in deep cold, weakness and exhaustion, particularly geriatric tiredness and backache, often combined with nearby BL 23 shen shu 腎 兪, the back shu point of the kidneys. This ability to warm and increase kidney yang is a key aspect of the point, not only for the elderly, but also in sterility and impotence from cold, leading to no erection and premature ejaculation in men – treated for example with KID 2 ran gu 然 谷 Blazing Valley, REN 6 qi hai 氣 海Sea of Qi and LI 5 yang xi 陽 谿 Yang Ravine.

In women this deep cold leads to irregular menses and leucorrhea – treated for example with REN 3 zhong ji 中 極 Central Pole, REN 4 guan yuan 關 元 Origin Pass and GB 26 dai mai 帶 脈. We see here the connection between du mai and dai mai, which is often used for discharges. It is no surprise then that DU 4’s secondary name is jing gong 精 宮, Palace of Essence, a name it shares with BL 52 zhi shi 志 室 Will Chamber at the same level in this potent area. With its powerful support of the jing essence, it helps in the creation of new life, as well as guarding against decline in old age.

DU 4’s name is ming men 命 門, Gate of Destiny, and destiny is traditionally accomplished by following one’s proper nature xing 性, so fulfilling who we are. Destiny, ming 命, is related primarily to the kidneys, and proper nature, xing 性, primarily to the heart, giving us yet another link between these two deepacting organs and the interplay between fire and water. The expression ming men is used to indicate various locations in the body – the lower dan tian cinnabar field, the navel, the kidneys, the right kidney, and sometimes the nose or the eyes, all places concerned with the

emergence and maintenance of life. It is interesting to note that in the pathways of the du mai there are two going to the kidneys and ming men area in the low back, one from the eyes above and one from the perineum below, and in addition, that DU 4 is the anchor of the dai mai that encircles the waist area. DU 4 ming men is then a major crossing point of the vertical and horizontal axes of the body, contributing to its deep-seated and regenerative actions.

A heartwarming case to end with: I remember with great affection Ena, a patient of mine in her nineties, who would make the long journey on buses and trains from her home on the outskirts of London to my clinic in the centre of town. Unsteady on her feet, she needed a seat on the train, but the one reserved for the elderly and infirm was taken up by a large and intimidating character, immersed in

listening to music on his headphones. Uncowed by the prospect of conflict or rejection, she politely indicated she was in need of the seat. And when he persisted in ignoring her, Ena simply sat down on his lap, much to his embarrassment and the delighted amusement of the other passengers!

Dogged and intrepid, Ena seemed to embody that fearless power of the kidneys that ensures you stand up to the world – or in this particular case, sit down! She always looked forward to her monthly treatments – massage, moxa and needles centred around the area of DU 4 and the kidneys – and told me they definitely alleviated her joint stiffness and pain and kept up her energy. Always bright and cheery, I treated her for over 25 years and she died aged 100. Sun Simiao would have approved!