Kidney 6 Location
- Kidney 6 is located 1 cun directly below the centre of the medial malleolus, between the tendons of the tibialis posterior and the flexor digitorum longus.
- The tendons and the gap between them can be felt with firm palpation.
Kidney 6 Needling
- To needle Kidney 6, use a perpendicular or oblique insertion to a maximum depth of 0.25 cun.
Kidney 6 TCM Theory
Kidney 6 is the closing point for the Ren Mai which is one of the Extraordinary Channels.
It is used in combination with Lung 7 to open the Ren channel.
To open the Ren Mai, Lung 7 is needled first and classically on the right hand in women.
Kidney 6 is then needled on the left ankle in women.
In men, the left and right sides are reversed so that Lung 7 is needled first on the left hand followed by Kidney 6 on the right ankle.
At the end of the treatment, the needles are removed in reverse order so that Kidney 6 is removed first followed by Lung 7.
The main TCM actions of Kidney 6 are:
- To open the Ren Mai in combination with Lung 7.
- To nourish Kidney Yin in cases of Empty-Heat and night sweats.
- To calm the Shen in cases of restlessness, insomnia and fear.
- Kidney 6 is often used in combination with Lung 7 for treating asthma.
