Fistula

How Chinese medicine differentiates a persistently draining fistula tract — most often anal, but the same four patterns apply wherever one forms — and the points for each. Supportive care alongside medical/surgical management, not a substitute for it. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. A fistula (an abnormal tract connecting two structures, most commonly perianal) usually needs surgical evaluation and treatment; acupuncture here is supportive of tissue repair and the underlying pattern, not primary treatment for the tract itself.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for a draining fistula — 12 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
ST-25	Regulates the Intestines, Stomach and Spleen.
BL-25	Regulates the Intestines and the Stomach and Spleen. Strengthens the lower back and knees.
ST-37	Regulates the Stomach and Intestines and resolves retention of food. Clears Damp-Heat.
L.I.-11	Clears Heat and cools the Blood. Resolves Dampness.
SP-9	Regulates the Spleen. Resolves Dampness.
ST-36	Tonifies Qi and Blood. Tonifies the Stomach and Spleen.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin. Moves Blood and eliminates stasis.
REN-6	Tonifies Qi and Yang. Raises sinking Qi.
BL-20	Tonifies the Spleen Qi and Yang. Resolves Dampness.
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Invigorates Blood and regulates menstruation.
L.I.-4	Stops pain. Removes obstructions from the channel.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Thick, yellow, foul-smelling discharge, redness/swelling/heat around the opening, burning sensation at the fistula site, heaviness in the body and limbs, thirst with desire for cold drinks, scanty dark urine.

Tongue: Red body with thick, yellow, greasy coating, thickest at the center and root. Pulse: Slippery and rapid.

Treatment principle: Clear Heat, dry Dampness, resolve toxins from the Large Intestine to stop the discharge.

ST-25 ↓ BL-25 ↓ ST-37 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓ SP-9 ↓

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Large-Intestine slide.

2. Qi and Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Pale, watery discharge, deep fatigue and weakness, pale complexion and lips, poor appetite, dizziness or lightheadedness.

Tongue: Pale body, possibly thin with teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine, weak, lacking force.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi and Blood to rebuild the energy and nourishment needed for tissue repair.

ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑ REN-6 ↑ BL-20 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. This site has no combined Qi-and-Blood-deficiency slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

3. Qi and Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Stabbing pain at a fixed location, a hard cord-like tract under the skin, purplish or dark skin around the opening, pain worse with pressure, chest oppression or rib distension.

Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots, distended sublingual veins, thin white coat. Pulse: Wiry and choppy.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood, move Qi, break up stasis, promote tract healing.

LR-3 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓ SP-6 ↓ SP-10 ↓

Note: no moxa. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the dark/purplish discoloration-marker rule used throughout this project for Blood-stagnation patterns.

4. Liver Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed stabbing pain worsening with emotional stress or frustration, dark menstrual blood with clots (in women), purple or dark lips and nails, rib-side or hypochondriac distension.

Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots on the sides, distended dark sublingual veins. Pulse: Wiry and choppy, especially at the left middle position.

Treatment principle: Move Liver Blood and Qi, address the emotional root cause of stagnation.

LR-3 ↓ SP-10 ↓ SP-6 ↓

Note: no moxa. Also matched to this site's Liver-Blood-stasis slide — the source names this as a distinct pattern from pattern 3 (general Qi-and-Blood stagnation vs. Liver-specific), but both draw on the same underlying stasis presentation, so both link to the same slide, within the established two-per-page cap.

Related conditions

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