Urinary Burning

How Chinese medicine differentiates a burning or stinging sensation during urination into the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Distinct from this site's own UTI and Interstitial Cystitis pages. 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. Burning urination, especially with fever, blood in the urine, or flank pain, needs prompt medical evaluation before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for urinary burning — 8 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
SP-9	Regulates the Spleen. Resolves Dampness. Opens the Water passages. Benefits the Lower Burner.
REN-3	Resolves Dampness from the Lower Burner. Promotes the Bladder function of Qi transformation.
LR-2	Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Resolves Damp-Heat in the genitourinary system.
GB-34	Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi. Resolves Damp-Heat in Liver and Gall Bladder.
HT-8	Clears Heart-Fire, Heart Empty-Heat and Heart Phlegm-Fire. Benefits the Bladder. Regulates the Uterus and lifts sinking Qi.
REN-4	Regulates the Small Intestine. Nourishes Blood and Yin. Strengthens the Kidneys.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Calms the Mind. Benefits Essence.
KI-6	Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Calms the Mind. Invigorates the Yin Stepping Vessel.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Damp-Heat in the Lower Burner View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Burning or stinging pain during urination, dark yellow, cloudy urine, heavy sensation in the legs and lower body, lower abdominal fullness and distension.

Tongue: Red body, slightly swollen, with thick yellow greasy coating at the root. Pulse: Slippery and rapid, pronounced at the rear position.

Treatment principle: Clears Heat and drains Fire, promotes urination and relieves Stranguria, clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner.

SP-9 ↓ REN-3 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Bladder slide.

2. Liver and Gallbladder Damp-Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Burning urination with dark, scanty urine, bitter taste in the mouth, pain or distension below the ribs especially on the right, irritability and restlessness, nausea or aversion to greasy food.

Tongue: Red body with red sides and thick, yellow, greasy coating. Pulse: Wiry, slippery, and rapid.

Treatment principle: Drains excess Fire from the Liver and Gallbladder, clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner, clears Heat from the Liver channel.

LR-2 ↓ GB-34 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Gall-Bladder-and-Liver slide.

3. Heart Fire Transmitting to the Small Intestine View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Mouth ulcers or sores on the tongue tip, burning or stinging sensation during urination, mental restlessness and irritability, feeling of heat in the chest, flushed face.

Tongue: Red body with redder, swollen tip and thin yellow coating, possible tongue sores. Pulse: Rapid and overflowing, forceful at the left Cun position.

Treatment principle: Clears Heart-Fire, nourishes Yin, promotes urination and relieves Stranguria.

HT-8 ↓ REN-4 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Full-Heat-in-the-Small-Intestine slide — Heart and Small Intestine are paired organs, and this is the textbook clinical picture of Heart-Fire transmitted to its paired Fu-organ.

4. Kidney Yin Deficiency with Empty-Heat Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Mild burning pain, scanty, dark urine, night sweats, five-palm heat (palms, soles, chest), dry throat especially at night, lower back soreness and weakness, mental restlessness and irritability, worse in the afternoon and evening.

Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with little or no coating, cracks may appear. Pulse: Fine and rapid.

Treatment principle: Nourishes Yin, clears deficiency Heat, nourishes Kidney-Yin.

KI-3 ↑ KI-6 ↑

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.

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