Masako Yoshikawa
Toho Acupuncture Clinic, 14-2, Minami 21, Ohdori, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-0010, Japan

Introduction
There was no report so far on curing the Sciatica by treatment through the Weishu point. Obvious reflections, such as tenderness, dent and induration, usually present at the Weishu of patients who suffer from Sciatica. To deal with this disease by treating the Weishu can greatly improve the curative effect and shorten the treatment period when compared to conventional treatments.

Methods and Example Cases
Symptoms of Sciatica always appear in the Bladder Channel, the Gallbladder Channel and the Stomach Channel. The Weishu is located in the Bladder Channel and is also a Shu-point of the stomach, therefore, it adjusts both the Bladder Channel and Stomach Channel. A treatment into the Weishu can immediately stop or alleviate the sufferings like pain, numbness, cold and muscle stiffness from the hip down. Quick-eating, over-eating and cold food were not allowed to patients.

Case 1
Sex: Female Age: 49 Occupation: House wife
First consultation: Jan., 28th, 1999
Chief complaints:
Numbness, pain and cold in the exterior-back side of the right thigh and the interior-back side of the right shank from the hip down.
Symptoms at first consultation and treatment course:
The pain was started from May of 1998. Before came to our clinic, the patient had experienced hospital treatment, massage and chiropractic treatment, which did not cure the disease. The pain displayed spontaneous pain, and a movement would aggravate it. It was hard for the patient to stand due to the pain. A slight pain was felt in the interior-front side of the left knee as well. Edema was present in the right hand. The patient also suffered constipation and oliguria. Yang-deficiency of spleen and kidney was determined.
After the improvement of the abdominal condition through the Taibai (Sp 3) Fuliu (K 7), Sanyinjiao (Sp 6) and Zusanli (S 36), acupuncture and moxibustion were given to the Weishu. The feet were felt warm and the pain was alleviated after the treatment. The pain was cured after 25 times of treatment.

Case 2
Sex: Male Age: 54 Occupation: Company owner
First consultation: July, 5th, 1999
Chief complaints:
Numbness and pain in the exterior side of the left leg from the hip down.
Symptoms at first consultation and treatment course:
The pain was started from March of 1999. Hospital treatment, acupuncture and chiropractic treatment were conducted before the patient came to our clinic, but no curative effect was achieved. The pain was so serious that the patient could not stand up without help in the morning. The pain existed no matter when the patient rested or walked. The tongue was slightly red, and the tongue coating was slightly thick and yellow. There were sunken pits in the left Pishu and Weishu. Appetite, defecation, urination and sleep were normal. The patient had suffered from depression and stomach-ache resulted from hyperacidity. Imbalance in the liver and spleen was determined.
Skin-deep acupuncture was given to the Taichong (Liv 3) and Taibai, and warm moxibustion to the Qimen (Liv 14) and Zhongwan (Ren 12). These wiped away the discomfort in the abdominal. Treatments to the right Neiguan (P 6) and Quze (P 3) stopped the pain in the left Gallbladder Channel of Foot-shaoyang. When acupunctured into the sunken pits in the left Pishu and Weishu, the tenderness in the left hip disappeared. The sunken sites were not felt warm initially even when direct moxibustion was given. The condition of the sunken pits was improved after moxa-cone-number-increased moxibustion. The symptom was half-cured after 4 times of treatment. By the end of the course, warm was felt when moxibustion was conducted to the Weishu. The pain was cured after 15 times of treatment.

Case 3
Sex: Male Age: 67 Occupation: Building worker
First consultation: July, 2nd, 1999
Chief complaints:
Pain in the left leg from the hip down was started 3 days before the consultation. The pain was present when stood, sat and or walked. Lasegue's Test showed positive.
Symptoms at first consultation and treatment course:
The patient had been treated with acupuncture and moxibustion in a clinic elsewhere, but there was no curative effect. The feet were felt very cold. Obvious tenderness and a sunken pit existed in the Weishu. The tongue was dark and the tongue coating was abnormally thin in the tongue center.
Acupuncture was given to the Taichong, Tabai and Zusanli, and warm moxibustion to the Qimen and Zhongwan, to improve the condition of the abdominal. Moxibustion was then conducted to the Weishu which lead to the warm feeling in the feet and alleviated the symptoms. The disease was fully cured after a course of only 2 treatments.

Results and Discussion
Up to now, we have treated 183 Sciatica sufferers, whose average age was 55.1 years (ranged from 17 to 87). The case history was ranged from one day to 20 years, among which over 50% of cases were more than one year. The average course period was 11.06 times of treatment (ranged from 1 to 34 times). One hundred and sixty-two (89%) patients had reflecting symptoms in the Weishu. The rates of cure, effective and unclear were 71% (116 cases), 23% (37 cases) and 6% (9 cases). Of the 183 patients, 44 (24.0%) were found imbalance in the spleen, 32 (17.5%) in the kidney, 31 (17.0%) in the liver and spleen, 31 (17.0%) in the spleen and kidney, 19 (10.4%) in the liver and kidney, 9 (4.9%) in the spleen and lung, 6 (3.3%) in the liver, 3 (1.6%) in the kidney and lung, 3 (1.6%) in the liver and lung, 3 (1.6%) in the spleen and heart, and 2 (1.1%) in the lung.

Low-functioning of the spleen and the stomach because of insufficient intake results in transporting block of nutrition to the limbs. More ever, suffering of pernicious influence of cold and dampness hinders the meridians. Pain, as a resultant, then occurs in the blocked site. Treatment through the Weishu can improve not only the function of the stomach but also the circulation of nutrition to the sciatic nervous. Therefore, a therapy for a radical cure of the Sciatica in a short period has been established.