The text books tell us that Kidney 9 (KD9) clears heat and phlegm, regulates Qi and alleviates pain. As is so often the case when discussing Chinese Medicine, this description may be confusing to anyone who hasn’t studied Chinese Medicine because many of the words and phrases we use have a double meaning. In TCM speak, “phlegm” can mean the stuff you cough up after a cold, but it also refers to stagnant, stuck energy that can affect thinking, emotions and actions, including inducing altered mental states. Phlegm can mist the mind or block the heart, resulting in mania, psychosis and major depression.
Heat is another one of those double meaning words, and it can be thought of not only as a temperature but a quality of energy. Think about water boiling over in a pot- all the activity from the water molecules moving around causes the pressure to build resulting in the lid of the pot getting pushed off and the water to boil over. Similarly the way we may talk about a “heated argument” meaning one where the people involved start to get agitated and angry.
The function of KD9, by cooling heat and clearing phlegm, makes it a soothing point for anyone who is experiencing agitation, whether that manifests as anger, fear or anxiety. It is one of my go to points when patients have been having panic attacks or they feel stuck in fight or flight mode. I mix it into treatments for insomnia with a busy mind, stress dreams and ruminating thoughts.
Another issue I like to use KD9 for is pain in the calf or foot. Its location is right around where most people’s gastrocnemius muscle blends into the fascia of the soleus muscle and achilles tendon. This makes it a great point for plantar fasciitis that manifests in the heel.
Whitney just pointed out to me that the name of this point (Guest House) is an interesting one, as often there is some indication of the quality or function of a point involved in its naming. It made me think of the other week when we had some friends coming over to stay the night and they were going to sleep in my nephew’s room. There was some furious cleaning done to eliminate the teenage boy, um…qualities of the room. You can think of Kidney 9 as a point that helps get your house ready for a guest to spend a peaceful night there, and then ease the pain in your calf so you can walk across the Golden Gate with them the next day. Staycation, anyone?