Course Overview

The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex has been the focus of studies that try to understand the brain’s role in chronic pain. Thanks to fMRI imaging, this walnut sized area of the brain has been shown to change in patients with chronic pain-it becomes thinner. Once the pain has been resolved, follow-up imaging studies show that the thickness of the cortex in this area of the brain increases, thus resembling the DLPFC of healthy individuals.

In addition to pain, DLPFC also shows changes in association with emotional and psychological reactions-specifically anxiety, fear and depression.

The area of the scalp directly over the DLPFC contains a number of acupuncture points that, upon close study of the characters used to name them, reveals an interesting connection with the functions of this region of the brain.

This course explores the clinical significance of including these acupuncture points in cases of chronic pain, Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, and several digestive disorders including IBS. Sympathetic dominance patterns can also benefit from using these acupuncture points.

Course Objectives

• To introduce the significance of the DLPFC and its functions in chronic pain.
• To introduce the Gall Bladder points in this region and the significance of their various names.
• To introduce the alternate locations of each of the GB points in the DLPFC region, because the locations during the Han Dynasty, and in the current TCM system are different.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of using both the TCM and the Han Dynasty locations of the GB points in the DLPFC region in pertinent cases, including chronic pain, digestive disturbances, and trauma.

Course Outline

0 hrs - 1 hrsIntroductory lecture on the DLPFC, the research on it in western medicine and the correlations in eastern medicine.

1 hrs - 2 hrsPatient (live) presenting with 7 years of migraines, constant for the last 30 days. Evaluation, needling and pain resolution.

2 hrs - 3 hrsPatient (live) presenting with history of lazy eye surgeries, chronic constipation of up to 2 weeks between movements, pain in the lower right abdomen, Bl 1 pressure pain ongoing since surgery. Evaluation, needling and resolution of pain in abdomen and around eyes.

3 hrs - 4 hrsPatient presenting with chronic bladder pain and spasms. Evaluation, needling and pain resolution.

4 hrs - 5 hrsPatient presenting with overall chronic pain in muscles and joints, diagnosis includes Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Lyme’s disease and constipation. Evaluation, needling including DLPFC region GB points. Obvious pain reduction.

5 hrs - 6 hrsLecture introducing the significance of DLPFC in digestive disorders, including overgrowth of candida, Crohns, colitis.

6 hrs - 7 hrsPatient presenting with severe chronic excema and ulcerative colitis. Evaluation and treatment including GB points in DLPFC region.

7 hrs - 8 hrsPatient presenting with Digestive and shen disturbances since childhood, also desquamative inflammatory vaginosis. Usage of DLPFC region GB points, and other sympathetic dominance treatments, including trochanter points. Significant pain reduction.

8 hrs - 9 hrsPatient with chronic bloating after meals. Evaluation and treatment including DLPFC region GB points, clearly reducing abdominal bloating.

9 hrs - 11 hrsRemaining time used on patients from the class, questions and discussions on point usages, additional demonstrations of acupuncture.