Heavenly Star Points of Ma Danyang Article
Published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine February 2012
According to the Heavenly Star Poem (first recorded in Wang Guorui’s Yuan Dynasty Jade Dragon Classic's Echo of Bian Que Deity's Acupuncture ), ‘None of the functions of the 360 points are beyond the 11 [Heavenly Star] points’. The same poem states that the clinical effects of using these points can be like ‘like hot water poured upon snow’. This article explains the history and textual transmission of the Heavenly Star Points of Ma Danyang, and includes comprehensive descriptions of the application of the points and the needling techniques necessary to produce the desired clinical effects.
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Andrew Nugent-Head is the founder of the Association for Traditional Studies (ATS), a 501c3 organization dedicated to the preservation, documentation and dissemination of China's traditional knowledge. Andrew moved to China in 1986 at the age of 18 to study Chinese medicine, martial arts, and internal cultivation. He spent 28 years in China dedicated to learning these arts and obtained the highest quality education possible in traditional, mentor-disciple relationships.
Andrew's studies and work have been featured on French and German television, the NBC Sunday Today Show, and on ABC News Special. He also worked on and appeared in the Mystery of Qi episode of the Bill Moyers PBS documentary series, Healing and the Mind. He has been featured in newspapers across the United States and written prolifically on Chinese Medicine, culture and the importance of preserving traditional knowledge worldwide.
Through his not for profit, Andrew has translated six books, produced over 400 educational videos and translated for and assisted practitioners of Chinese Medicine, Yin Style Bagua martial arts, Daoyin practices, and Calligraphy during more than 140 seminars between 1993 and 2003.
With the passing of his teachers, Andrew now dedicates himself to teaching the practice of Chinese medicine as he learned it to fellow practitioners through seminars around the world. He also runs a teaching clinic in Asheville, North Carolina where practitioners can observe him treating patients with herbs, acupuncture, bodywork, exercises and lifestyle advice.