Measurement of the Body

I. Division Measurement For use in measuring along the length of the patients arms and legs, measure the distance between the dorsal edge of the two distal creases of the bent middle finger of patients left hand (if female, measure the right hand). This is one division.

Arm and Leg Division Measure

Illustration 1

From wrist crease to elbow crease, along the inside of the arm, is twelve divisions. From elbow crease to the tip of the shoulder joint is twelve divisions. From the tip of the prominence of the femur at the hip to the crease behind the knee is eighteen divisions. From the crease behind the knee to the external prominence of the ankle bone is sixteen divisions.

II. Measurement of the Head Head divisions do not correspond to arm or leg divisions. From the front hairline to the back hairline is twelve divisions. However, for a balding patient, the distance is measured from between the two eyebrows to the back hairline and is fifteen divisions. This means that the forehead is three divisions. From the front hairline to the C7 -Tl intervertebral space is fifteen divisions. From the back hairline to C7 - Tl intervertebral space is three divisions. If the back hairline is irregular, use the measurement from the front hairline to the hollow at the base of the skull. This is eleven divisions.

III. Head and Face Lateral Measurements

For use in laterally measuring the head and face, measure the width of the patients eye from the inner corner to the outer corner, . the eyelid, while the eye is open. along the bottom. of

Eye Division
Illustration 2

IV. Upper Chest Measurement

By custom, each rib is 1 and 3/5 divisions apart.

V. Trunk Lateral Measurements

The distance between the center of the patients nipples is eight divisions.
VI. Abdomen Measurement

From the bottom of the xyphoid process to the middle of the umbilicus is eight divisions. All body charts showing seven divisions are wrong. If there is no xyphoid process, find the hollow at the lower edge of the sternum. The distance between this hollow and the middle of the umbilicus is nine divisions. From the middle of the umbilicus to the upper edge of the pubic bone is five divisions.

VII. Spine Measurement

The spine is measured by counting each intervertebral space, and is divided into five sections:
Section Vertebra

Cervical vertebrae Thoracic vertebrae Lumbar vertebrae Sacral vertebrae coccyx

7 12 5 5, partly fused divided into 4 segments

/ /,

!i

VIII. Back Lateral Measurement

Lateral measurement of the back uses the division based on a patients middle finger.

Division Measures Front of Body

Front of Body Division Measure

Illustration 3

Division Measures Back of Body

Back of Body Division Measure

Illustration 4

Acupuncture Meridians
The following are the twelve bilateral meridians of the body: The first six are on the arms, the last six are on the legs.

6 7
8

9
10

11 12

Triple Warmer Spleen 1 Kidney I L iver 1 Stomach Bladder Gall Bladder

I

1 1
I

23 Points 21 Points 27 Points 14 Points 45 Points 67 Points 44 Points

1 1
L

Yang Yin Yin Yin Yang Yang Yang

1 I 1
I

Arms Legs Legs

Legs I I

Legs Legs Legs

There are two meridians along the center of the body: Meridians along the center of the body 1 1 Conception Vessel 1 24 Points 1 Yin I 28 Points I Yang 2 I Governing Vessel

I I

Front Back

I I

All yin arm meridians flow from the center of the body to the fingertips. All yang arm meridians flow from the fingertips to the face. (This is why the face does not easily feel cold; all the yang meridians start or end on the face.) All yin leg meridians flow from the toes to the center of the body. All yang leg meridians flow from the face to the toes. The Conception Vessel Meridian and Governing Vessel Meridian both flow from the center of the body up to the face, from in front of and behind the anus.

Making Division Measurements

The Division Measurement Chart on the following page, or a larger one you draw, may be used to help you correctly locate points with the aid of a tape measure you may construct for yourself. The following procedure should be followed.

Step Step One:

Procedure

Example:
Step Two:

Example:

Step Three:

Example:

Step Four:

Example:
Step Five:

Chose the correct begining and ending points of the division measurement you wish to use; note the correct number of divisions. Between the front hairline and the back hairline is twelve divisions. Use paper, or a light cloth strip about an inch wide and measure the patients body, cutting the strip to the exact length between the two anatomical landmarks. Hold one end of a strip at the front hairline. Evenly strech the strip over the head and mark the point at which the strip crosses the back hair line. Cut at the mark. Fold the strip until the folded length fits within the diagonal distance between one horizontal and one vertical mark indentified by the same number. Since the head measurement strip wont fit on the chart fold it evenly twice creating five points: the beginning, end and three folds. The folded strip will fit evenly between the horizontal 9 and the vertical 66 9. Use the horizontal marks to evenly space each folded section into the number of units necessary so that the total number of divisions is correct. Divide each folded section into three even units using the 3 and 6 vertical rule. This strip can be used to measure points on the patients body. Each unit will equal one divison.