Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Warm Moxibustion and Scraping as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Cervical Spondylosis Treatment
Published on: June 27, 2025
[Brief analysis on GAO Shu-zhong's qiguan theory and its clinical application]
Jing-Ru Wang1, Yu-Xia Ma1, Shu-Zhong Gao1
1School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shandong University of TCM, Jinan 250355, China.
Abstract:
The paper introduces professor GAO Shu-zhong's experience in qiguan (umbilicus pass) theory and its clinical application. Professor GAO believes that the umbilicus is the "pass" where the primary qi of sanjiao transported from the lower jiao to the middle jiao. It is the general pivot of qi transformation of yin and yang, as well as the place for qi ascending, descending, exiting and entering in the human body. Hence, the umbilicus is called qiguan (umbilicus pass). In clinical practice, associated with observation, palpation and pulse diagnosis, the qiguan theory is conductive to disease diagnosis. Moreover, the therapeutic methods for promoting qiguan is generated, i.e. umbilicus-acupuncture therapy and umbilicus-moxibustion therapy. In the umbilicus-acupuncture therapy, Gao 's umbilicus five points (umbilicus heart, umbilicus stomach, umbilicus liver, umbilicus kidney and umbilicus lung) are commonly selected. With the umbilicus- moxibustion therapy, the isolated moxibustion with different herbal materials is exerted at the umbilicus, in which, the herbal materials with drastic medical action, pungent and fragrant in flavor and warm in property are specially selected.

