Bladder Luo-connecting channel

Jonathan Clogstoun-Willmott

July 1, 2020

The Bladder Luo-connecting channel is quite short, but still very influential in what it does. It is an acupuncture channel, and its pathway and properties were discovered by the Chinese well over 2000 years ago.

Note to readers! …

This page is a bit abstruse if you’re a beginner. It’s not that the words are any, or at least, much, more difficult than on other pages, but this is about a subject usually taught some way into acupuncture courses.

So some of the concepts need your familiarity with other ideas in Chinese medicine.

Actually, I did this page, and other luo-connecting channel pages, for a few insistent patients, and for me.

It means I can look up both the channel and its symptoms on my smartphone in case I forget them.

If it helps others, great.

For more information about this type of acupuncture channel, click on luo-connecting channels.

Pathway of Bladder Luo

The Bladder Luo channel pathway commences at UB-58 – Bladder 58 – on the posterior lateral aspect of the leg.
It circles round and through the leg to link up with the Kidney primary channel.

Symptoms of Bladder Luo channel

Luo-connecting channels have great influence. This means Bladder 58 can be very effective at removing stuck Qi along the channel’s pathway, and also from areas influenced by it or by the Kidneys. For example,

Severe pain, cramp or contraction in the joints along the pathways of the Kidney or Bladder channels, caused by external pathogenic factors like Cold. An example might be severe neck pain from exposure to a draft.
Where the skin along the main Bladder pathway is traumatised, showing broken capillaries or greatly enlarged veins, indicating Blood stasis.
Damp in the Bladder luo might show as great stiffness and heaviness, possibly with some swelling, in the posterior thigh, poplitea or calf.
If the skin along the Bladder channel’s pathway feels hard in places, like nodules under the skin or in the muscles, the diagnosis is of a Full or Excess condition in the Luo channel.

Additionally, there are various symptoms which point to syndromes of this Bladder luo-channel. These include some symptoms along the Bladder primary channel.

Fullness in the Bladder luo: headache, congestion of the nose, backache (anywhere in the back, but specially in the lower back) worse for pressure
Emptiness: epistaxis (nosebleed); clear discharge from the nose. Emptiness usually occurs after a time when an external factor has invaded, possibly because of ongoing deficiency.
Qi Stagnation: sense of swelling or distension in the hypo-gastric region ie below the umbilicus; often occurs before urination

Blood Stasis: blood in urine; pain – stabbing or lancinating – during urination
Heat in the deep luo: Heat usually comes with urgency, a sense of heat of fever, inflammation, and in the case of fluids produced, with blood eg in the urine, and thirst. In this case, there is often hypo-gastric pain as well.

Comment

Knowing how to treat the Luo-connecting vessels gives acupuncturists great flexibility and understanding of how pain and discomfort accumulate in the body, and how this trapped Qi can be helped.

The luo-connecting points have many attributes, including the ability to stop bleeding and ease pain.

They also have mental potential, helping to calm patients when used correctly for the appropriate syndromes. In so far as I’ve been able to discern the specific mental condition for the Bladder luo, it seems to be that of a slightly frightened or worried resignation, with irritation at the physical conditions such as back pain or bleeding haemorrhoids.