Moxibustion at Houxi (SI3) for Stye: A TCM Cure

Stye is one of the common diseases encountered in ophthalmology. In Chinese medicine, this condition has many names, such as needle eye (zhen yan), eye cinnabar (yan dan), stealth needle (tou zhen), earth gan (tu gan), and excess-heat sore (shi re sheng chuang). The affected sites are all on the upper or lower eyelids, with the majority on the external eyelid and a minority on the internal eyelid, commonly termed inner stealth needle. The author has applied this method in clinical verification and achieved curative effects. It is introduced below.

Method of Operation:

1. Acupoint Selection: Houxi (SI3) — with the fist clenched and the palm facing upward, locate the point in the depression at the junction of the red and white skin at the ulnar end of the transverse crease, posterior to the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint.
2. Moxibustion Method: Form moxa wool into moxa cones the size of a grain of wheat. Apply the principle of moxibusting the left point for a right-sided lesion and the right point for a left-sided lesion. Perform direct moxibustion on the acupoint. After the moxa cone has burned to ash, add a second, then a third cone, continuing until three cones have been administered.
3. Therapeutic Effect: After applying the above moxibustion method, if the stye has not yet formed pus, it will resolve on its own and will not progress to suppuration. If the stye has already formed pus, it will begin to ulcerate and drain on the third day after moxibustion. After three days, the pus will be fully discharged, and no scar will remain locally. For the average patient, a single session of moxibustion is sufficient for a cure. For patients with recurrent episodes, two sessions of moxibustion can achieve a permanent cure.

The "Houxi point" is the Shu-stream point of the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian and is also one of the Eight Confluence Points of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. The Lingshu · Jing Mai Pian (Spiritual Pivot: Treatise on the Meridians) states: "The Small Intestine Meridian of Hand Taiyang originates from the tip of the little finger, courses along the lateral aspect of the hand, ascends to the wrist, and emerges from the styloid process." The upper and lower eyelids are not only traversed by the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian but are also where the qi of all fourteen meridians converges. They are particularly closely related to the Yangming meridians. The selection of Houxi in this treatment follows the principle that "where the meridian passes, the therapeutic effect reaches." Moxibustion is employed because moxa wool possesses the effects of warming the meridians and dispersing cold, promoting blood circulation and dispelling wind, and eliminating dampness and relieving pain, thereby achieving the dual results of draining excess and tonifying deficiency. Therefore, it is especially suitable for patients with recurrent episodes, which are often due to lingering pathogens not yet cleared, or a constitutionally weakened body with an unconsolidated defensive exterior that makes one susceptible to contracting wind toxin.