Qiological Community

BL + and beginning of cold

Sa'am Clinical Insights
#1

I wanted to share an experience I’ve had using Sa’am on myself.
I was outside yesterday and it was windy and the temperatures were a bit low. So I spent some time in the cold wind and then was soaked by the rain.
Today I felt my throat manifest itself a little bit, and the upper back as well. So I decided to do BL + as Toby said it would release the exterior and was great in these types of situations.
During the session I felt a slight warmth in the face, the upper back and throat sensations diminished.
After the treatment I felt the need to use the toilet, and once I’d done that, all sensations completely disappeared except for the warmth in the face.
I find this amazing and quite puzzling. How would BL engender heat?
It’s supposed to add icy water! And yes I am aware it’s part of a Yang channel, but I would have found it a lot more intuitive to use SI for these types of issues.
Or maybe it’s just that this treatment disinhibits the BL which governs the upper back and so one can evacuate the pathogen through the bladder… But the warmth in the face?

Any ideas?

TaiYang Stage illness
#2

What a great experience to teach you about how the treatments work! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, UB+ is a treatment of ice cold water on one hand but it also is promoting the function of the UB channel which passes through the neck and the head. It makes sense that returning proper circulation to the UB channel could be experienced as warmth in the face as blood and fluid returns to normal.

I really really want SI+ to be the choice for these early onset coming down with something situations and have asked Toby about it on multiple occasions. He keeps saying that UB+ is typically the way to go. There are some exceptions, one being if the patient is clearly very cold, the H+ is preferred. He says that even though SI+ makes sense intellectually his teacher didn’t use it and he doesn’t find it helpful.
There are discussions elsewhere on this forum about this subject as well in some of the Saam crowdcast audios that are available for replay on Qiological. Some of these audios are free BTW- take advantage!

2 Likes
#3

Thanks Kristin!
You’re right, it does make sense that once the Bl has recovered it’s natural function and circulation that there should be warmth.
I will go and listen to some more Sa’am discussions!:slight_smile:

:pray:

#4

Maybe jumping into icy cold water invigorates the Yang.

#5

I don’t ever remember anyone of my Chinese medicine teachers presenting that line of thinking. Quite to the contrary.
The effects of UB+ can be broken down into the cold, the water and the channel. Cold’s nature is to contract. The water will moisten. And then there is an effect on improving flow through the channel.

#6

Sharon and Arnaud teach Taiyang as going up and out to release the surface like in Ma Huang and Gui zhi bringing warmth to the surface and guizhitang is discussed in the Taiyang chapter of SHL. So per Sa’am, while SI and BL are both Taiyang, it seems that according to TOby’s teacher and experience, it’s supplementing BL that releases the surface with that bringing of inner warmth up to the the wind-struck surface!
I am still learning about how SI functions in Sa’am match up with everything I’ve learned about SI elsewhere :slight_smile:

#7

Being a long time student of Sharon’s, I understand your analysis. I also enjoy trying to articulate how and why treatments work.
However, I believe when practicing Sa’am it is best to come to your diagnosis through Sa’am observation, analysis and traditions of practice.

Yes and UB+ is also the treatment for cooling down the patient who has too much yang accumulating that often is moving up and out to the surface. I reconcile the contradiction with the old stand by “sometimes channel, sometimes quality” which is not totally satisfying but which is so, so clinically useful.

It is good to note that Toby cautions that you have to ask yourself if the patient can handle a UB+ treatment in these coming down with something circumstances. It isn’t a sure thing.

3 Likes