1.History of the development of Chinese medicine umbilical therapy Chinese medicine has a long history of external treatment, and umbilical therapy as a Chinese medicine external treatment method, also has a long history, as early as in the “52 Disease Formula” recorded umbilical therapy. It was developed on the basis of ancient medicine ironing and compressing therapy, and has been highly respected by doctors for generations because of its safety and effectiveness, simplicity and ease. The umbilicus is called Shen Que, which is located in the Ren Vessel; “Ling Shu – Ying and Wei Chapter” says: “The Liver Vessel …… whose other branches follow the spine into the sacrum belongs to the Governor’s Vessel and goes up through the hair into the umbilicus.” The relationship between the umbilicus and the Governor’s Vessel is pointed out; Suwen – Bone and Space Theory: “The Punch Vessel, which originates from the street of Qi and the meridian of Shao Yin, holds the umbilicus and travels upward to the middle of the chest and disperses”, stating the relationship between the umbilicus and the Punch Vessel; Ling Shu – Jing Bu: “When the fourteen vertebrae, it comes out of the Belt Vessel.” The relationship between the umbilicus and the Belt Vessel is explained; “Difficult Jing – Sixty-six Difficulties”: “The moving qi between the kidneys under the umbilicus is the life of man and the root of the twelve meridians”, considering the umbilicus as the life-blood of the first heaven and the qi house of the second heaven, as the sink of the meridian qi and the root of the five organs and six bowels. Ling Shu – Jing Tendons: “The tendons of the Shao Yin hand …… are tied to the umbilicus.” Huiyuan Acupuncture and Moxibustion: “Shen Que is the house of God, and the heart harbors God, and the umbilicus is the house of God.” The Ling Shu – intestines and stomach: “small intestine after attached to the ridge, the left ring very stacked accumulation, its injection in the very intestine, the outer attached to the umbilicus.” The heart and the small intestine are epithetically related to each other as the genus, so the umbilicus is connected to the heart and the small intestine; “Ling Shu – Ying Qi”: “Upward to the liver …… its branches, the upper jaw, following the upside down, the lower collar in the middle, following the ridge such as the sacral is also the Governor’s Vessel, and the lunar apparatus over the hair, into the umbilicus.” The umbilicus belongs to the Ren Vessel, which meets the foot Shaoyang in Yinjiao; the Governor Vessel runs through the center of the umbilicus, which meets the foot Shaoyang in Dazhi, that is, the umbilicus is related to the liver and gallbladder; “Ling Shu – meridians”: “The veins of the stomach foot Yangming …… down hold the umbilicus.” Difficult Jing – Twenty-seven Difficulties: “The Chong Chakra, which starts from the Qi Chong, and the meridian of the Foot Yang Ming, holds the umbilicus upward to the chest and disperses.” The spleen and the stomach are epitaxially connected, the spleen and stomach are the essence of the hind heaven, and the umbilicus is the qi shed of the hind heaven, that is, the umbilicus is associated with the spleen and the stomach; Ling Shu – Ying Qi: “Therefore, the qi comes out from Tai Yin …… into the umbilicus, goes up through the abdomen, like the missing basin, and injects down into the lungs, and comes back out of Tai Yin.” The deep part of the umbilicus is directly connected to the large intestine, “The umbilicus of the umbilicus belongs to the large intestine.” And the lung vein belongs to the lung, contact the large intestine, so the umbilicus is directly connected to the lung and large intestine; “Ling Shu – Jing Bu” said, “Foot Sun’s positive …… belongs to the bladder, dispersed kidney, …… foot Shao Yin’s positive, to the middle of the other go to the Sun, and combined with the upper stop kidney, when Fourteen vertebrae, out of the belt vein”, and the belt vein over the umbilicus, so the kidneys and bladder can pass through the belt vein to the umbilicus; “difficult scriptures – sixty-six difficult”: “the umbilicus between the kidney moving gas, human life, the root of the twelve meridians, so the name of the original. The Sanjiao is the other ambassador of the original qi, which is the master of the three qi, and is experienced in the five viscera and six internal organs. The original is also the honorable name of Sanjiao.” Difficult Classic – Thirty-one Difficulties: “The middle jiao …… its treatment is next to the umbilicus; the lower jiao …… its treatment is one inch below the umbilicus, so the name is Sanjiao.” Therefore, the umbilicus is connected to the three jiao. All these explain the connection between the umbilicus and the internal organs and meridians, and lay the theoretical foundation for the application of navel therapy in later generations. The earliest use of medicine in the umbilicus to treat disease was seen in the Jin Dynasty in Ge Hong’s “Post-Elbow Prepared Emergency Formula”, in which it was proposed that “moxibustion on the umbilicus 14 strong, named Taicang, can cure cholera abdominal pain”, and this stage was the budding period of umbilical therapy. In the Tang Dynasty, umbilical cord therapy was developed to a certain extent, and there were many records of umbilical cord therapy in the works such as “Qian Jin Yao Fang”, “Qian Jin Yi Fang”, and “Wai Tai Secret Essentials”. For example, “Qian Jin Yao Fang”: “To treat cold abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, use Wu Ju Ju to the navel and seal it with silk cloth.” The “Thousand Gold Wing Formula” records, “To treat cholera and vomiting and diarrhea, the tendons and veins are contracted …… this disease is onset and death, fill the umbilicus with first aid warm umbilical cord.” In addition, Sun Simiao also used Dongbi clay for the umbilicus, Cang Er Zi burned ashes for the umbilicus, Lu Hifang burned ashes for the umbilicus to treat water flowing in the umbilicus, and almonds pounded like mud and stirred with pig marrow for the umbilicus to treat redness and swelling. There are also several records of umbilical treatment methods in Wang To’s “Secret Essentials of Wai Tai”, such as applying salt and bitter wine to the umbilicus to treat dysuria. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, umbilical therapy was enriched and often applied to treat acute illnesses, which shows the extent of its promotion and recognition by the people, for example, “Taiping Shenghui Fang” for treating stroke, “researching and placing the powder of Fructus Pseudostellariae on the umbilicus, and then moxibustion, which can live a person.” In “San Yin Fang” for treating heat stroke, “dipped in hot soup and put on the umbilicus”. In “The Return of All Sicknesses”, for the treatment of diarrhea in children, “boil five times the seeds and vinegar into a paste and put it on the umbilicus”. There is also “Sheng Ji General Record” recorded in the “cold in the abdomen, diarrhea for a long time does not heal, warm the umbilical ointment applied to the umbilicus, then the disease has been”, “treatment of bladder stagnation, wind poison gas distension, urinary impassability, take onion Jin – clam shells Xu, into the putty powder mixed like liquid, sealed umbilicus, to wrap belly tied fixed, hot hands ironing, immediately. Soon will pass”. The Nanyang Book of Living People” uses onion baking heat to apply to the umbilicus to treat Yin poisoning abdominal pain, syncope, green lips, egg shrinkage, six veins want to extinguish. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, navel therapy has been well developed and the treatment areas involved have been further expanded, so to speak, to a mature period, and has been used to treat many difficult or strange diseases. Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty in the “Compendium of Materia Medica” contains “to treat abdominal edema, pound the root of the red, into the heart of the umbilicus (musk), and bind it with silk, so that the small convenience, then the swelling will disappear”, “five times the seeds of the research of the end, Jin tuned to fill the umbilicus, to treat spontaneous sweating, night sweats, with black petunia for the end, water tuned to the umbilicus to treat children’s night cry ” etc. Gong Tingxian in “Shou Shi Bao Yuan” used musk, camphor, lettuce seeds and leaves pounded into a paste to apply to the umbilicus to treat shrinking yang syndrome. In “Classical Jing Tu Yi”, Gan Sui and black and white ugly are used to apply hot powder to the umbilicus to treat dampness and swelling. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, pounded red roots are used and put into the heart of the umbilicus and bound with silk to treat abdominal edema. The “medical clan must read” proposes to use douhu, gardenia, green salt pounded into the end to fill the umbilicus and solid seal to treat urinary obstruction. In addition, “Jing Yue Quan Shu”, “Ancient and Modern Medical System”, “Simple Pu Ji Liang Fang”, etc. all have the content of umbilical treatment recorded, so that later generations of umbilical treatment more mature. Zhao Xuemin, a doctor of the Qing dynasty, wrote in the books “The Inner Compilation of String Ya” and “The Outer Compilation of String Ya” that there were many folk remedies for navel treatment, including “To treat edema and inability to pass urine, apply Gansui powder on the umbilicus and decoction of licorice tips in soup”. In addition, there is also the treatment of lumbago with ginger, water gum decoction into a paste, with thick paper spread on the umbilicus, the treatment of dysentery with mung beans, pepper, musk, gum jujube pounded and paste on the umbilicus. The formula contained is simple and effective, and is still used in clinical practice. The Qing imperial physician Wu Qian said in the “Golden Guide to Medicine”: “Yin and Yang ironing umbilicus onion white musk, hot and cold ironing water on their own.” This method is to use the onion white pounded, add a little musk, put on the umbilicus, and hot and cold stimulation, treatment of urinary retention, drip difficult to come out of the evidence. It can be seen that the application of the umbilical cord method of drugs at that time was not only popular among the people, but also absorbed and applied by the palace doctors. In the late Qing Dynasty, Wu Shiji, a master of external treatment in the Qing Dynasty, mentioned in his “Encyclopedia of the Rational Boiling” that “for the diseases of the middle Jiao, the first shortcut is to chop the medicine with coarse powder and fry it, and bind it to the umbilicus with a cloth package.” It is also said that “for diseases of the upper and lower jiao, the umbilical cord can be applied to the upper and lower parts of the body”, and that the umbilical cord method can cure “wind-cold, cholera, dysentery, malaria, jaundice, food accumulation, vomiting, etc. …… This method can be used regardless of the disease or the prescription. This method can be used no matter what diseases, no matter what prescriptions are used. “Li Bo Ehuan Wen” is his monograph on external treatment methods. The treatment of diseases covers internal, external, gynecological, pediatric, five senses, skin and other disciplines. Moreover, the mechanism of action, selection of drugs, dosage, operation methods, precautions and evidence-based treatment of umbilical cord therapy have been theoretically and systematically elaborated, forming a unique system of umbilical cord therapy. At the same time, it is pointed out that “external treatment must be like internal treatment, first seek its root, what is the root? What is this? To understand yin and yang, and to know the internal organs”, which has greatly promoted the development and application of umbilical cord therapy. In modern times, umbilical cord therapy has received more and more attention from modern medical practitioners, and there has been new development and understanding in both clinical application and theoretical research, which is a period of improvement for umbilical cord therapy. Nowadays, umbilical cord therapy is widely used in clinical practice, involving respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, urinary, neurological, endocrine and other systems, and can be widely applied to various diseases in internal, external, gynecological, pediatric, five senses and skin, etc. It can also enhance the body’s immunity, anti-aging, anti-tumor, anti-allergy, regulate the function of plant nerves, improve microcirculation, and maintain health and wellness. 2.The mechanism of umbilical cord therapy (1) Chinese medicine mechanism The navel, located in the depression in the middle of the abdomen, is a vital root tissue left behind after the umbilical cord is shed by newborns. It is named “Shen Que” because of its meaning. According to the Study of Meridian Point Names, “Shen” is the vital force of the mind, and “Que” is the door of the city where the sovereign resides, the place where the vital force lives. The Shenjue point is a key point of the Ren Vessel, which is the main body of Yin and has the function of nourishing and regulating the Yin meridians and has a dominant role in the Yin meridians, and is connected to the five internal organs and the twelve meridians through the Ren Vessel. The medicine continuously stimulates the local acupuncture points to unblock the meridians, regulate the qi and blood, supplement the deficient and diarrhea the real, and adjust the yin and yang of the internal organs so that the body can achieve a steady state of “yin and yang”. Specifically, the mechanisms are: a. Local drug absorption: the umbilicus is the last closure of the abdominal wall during embryonic development, with the thinnest epidermal horny layer and the weakest barrier; and the absence of fatty tissue under the umbilicus, with the skin directly connected to the fascia and peritoneum. In addition to the local microcirculation of the umbilical skin, the subumbilical peritoneum also has a rich venous network, and the branches of the infra-abdominal artery also pass through the umbilicus. In addition, the umbilicus is a sunken crypt, which is a natural medicine point and the most suitable for placing medicine, and the medicine can be stored for a longer period of time because it forms a natural closed state after being applied. After the application of the umbilical cord, the drug penetrates and is absorbed through the skin in the umbilicus and the circulation of the meridians, which is distributed throughout the body and reaches the disease, thus playing a therapeutic role. b. The role of acupoint meridian transmission: the umbilicus (Shen Que) is very closely related to the meridians, especially directly related to the Ren, Du, Chong and Belt channels of the eight odd meridians. According to TCM theory, the Shen Que acupoint is part of the Ren Vessel, which intersects with the Chong Vessel and is cognate with the Du Vessel. The Ren, Du, and Chong Channels are “one source and three branches”, and the three channels are connected. At the same time, the Ren and Du Chakras circulate throughout the body, supervising the Yang and Yin Chakras respectively, and play a very important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases. The Ren Vessel is the “Sea of Yin Vessels” and can “supervise all Yin”, which has the role of general control and total control of the Yin meridians of the whole body, and its veins meet with the Yin meridians of the hands and feet. The umbilicus can be connected to the yin channels of the whole body through the Ren channel because it is connected to all yin channels. The Governor Vessel is the “Sea of Yang Vessels” and can “supervise all the yang”, and its pulse qi mostly meets with the three Yang meridians of the hands and feet. The Governor Vessel also meets with the Yang Wei Vessel at the Feng Fu and Mute Gate. Therefore, the umbilicus can be connected to the Yang meridians through the Directing Vessel. The Chong Chakra goes up to the head and down to the feet, running through the whole body, and is “the sea of the twelve meridians” and “the sea of the five viscera and six internal organs”, which can regulate the twelve meridians of qi and blood, and its chakra qi infuses the yang in the head and enters the three yin in the lower limbs. Therefore, the umbilicus can be connected to the twelve meridians through the Chong Chakra. The belt vein crosses between the waist and abdomen and can “restrain the meridians”, and the yin and yang meridians of the foot are restrained by the belt vein. And because the belt vein comes from the Governor’s vein and travels in the waist and abdomen, the waist and abdomen is where the Qi of the Chong, Ren, and Governor’s veins is emitted. Therefore, the umbilicus can be connected with the three yin and three yang meridians of the foot as well as the Chong and the Du through the Belt Vessel. c. Systemic regulation: The umbilicus is rich in nerve endings, nerve plexuses and nerve bundles. By applying the drug to the umbilicus, the skin of the umbilicus is continuously stimulated, and various nerve endings on the local skin are brought into activity. Through nerve reflex and conduction, the nerve-endocrine-humoral regulation function is stimulated to improve the functional activity of various tissues and organs, enhance the anti-disease ability and defense ability of the body, and improve immunity, so as to achieve the purpose of disease prevention and treatment. (2) Histological structure of the umbilical cord The umbilical cord is formed when a person is 3 months old. The umbilical cord is the link between the fetus and the mother and is the bridge to the life of the fetus. It is connected to the umbilical chakra of the fetus at one end and to the placenta at the other end. The umbilical cord consists of two umbilical arteries and one umbilical vein, as well as jelly-like tissue wrapped around their surfaces. Various nutrients and oxygen enter the fetus continuously through the umbilical cord, while the waste products of fetal metabolism are transported out through the umbilical cord, which is the placental circulation. The umbilical vein contains arterial blood rich in oxygen and nutrients from the mother, through which the fetus receives oxygen and all the nutrients it needs from the mother. The umbilical artery is the venous blood that flows from the fetus to the mother and carries fetal metabolic waste to the placenta for excretion through the mother’s body. The placental circulation ensures the normal growth and development of the fetus. The umbilicus is the last closure of the abdominal wall during embryonic development, with the thinnest cortical layer and the weakest barrier function, no fatty tissue under the skin, and the skin is directly connected to the fascia and peritoneum. There is also a rich network of veins in the peritoneum under the umbilicus, the superficial part of which coincides with the superficial veins of the abdominal wall and the veins of the thoracoabdominal wall, while the deep part is connected with the upper and lower veins of the abdominal wall, and the branches of the inferior abdominal artery also pass through the umbilicus. These tissue structures are beneficial to the absorption and transfer of drugs, and even if the drugs are large molecules, they can be easily absorbed and transferred to other parts of the umbilicus. After the drug is applied to the umbilicus, its active ingredients enter the intercellular matrix through the cuticle of the umbilical skin, and the drug penetrates and is absorbed through the skin of the umbilicus and the circulation of the meridians, and is distributed throughout the body and reaches the disease, thus playing a therapeutic role. Modern scholars believe that umbilical cord therapy has the functions of improving immunity, anti-aging, anti-tumor, anti-allergy, regulating plant nerve function and improving microcirculation, etc. 3.Methods and functions of umbilical cord therapy Since ancient times, the umbilicus cannot be pierced by needles, but drugs and moxibustion can be applied externally, and these two methods are the most used at present. It can be roughly divided into the following seven types: warming up yang energy, returning yang to fix the detachment, such as salt compressing the umbilicus plus moxibustion, which can be used for stroke, syncope, deficiency, etc.; strengthening the spleen and stomach, raising the clear and lowering the turbidity, coordinating the spleen and stomach qi, which can be used for spleen and stomach disharmony; regulating the three jiao, relieving dampness and swelling, stimulating the qi-transformation function of the three jiao, promoting the smooth flow of qi, unblocking the meridian tunnels, which can be used for ascites, edema It can be used to promote the flow of qi and blood, so that the meridians are smooth and the qi and blood are harmonized, and can be used for paralysis, pain and numbness of the hands and feet. It can be used for deficiency labor, neurasthenia and preventive health care. Umbilical cord therapy is widely used in miscellaneous diseases, and the following are some of the effective methods I use: (1) frequent urination: clove, Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, cinnamon, five times the seeds, etc., research and grind fine, take an appropriate amount and apply to the umbilicus. (2) sweating: 10g of Wu Bei Zi (fried black), 10g of Yu Jin, 10g of ice chips, finely ground, take an appropriate amount and apply to the umbilicus. (3) Stubborn erratic: 40g of white pepper, 10g of mangosteen, 0.5g of vermilion, finely ground, take an appropriate amount and apply to the umbilicus. (4) Constipation: 30g of rhubarb, 20g of mangosteen, 15g of fried lycopodium, 30g of aloe vera, finely grinded and applied to the navel. (5) abdominal distension and pain: white pepper 5 powder for abdominal distension and pain. (6) Stubborn cough: 10g each of Ephedra, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Platycodon grandiflorus, Almonds, Radix Bupleurum, 6g each of Cinnamomum cassia and Radix Glycyrrhiza Uralensis, 3g each of Radix Ginger, Radix Phellodendron, Fructus Schisandrae, and Fructus Schisandrae, finely powdered and applied to the navel. (7) Allergic rhinitis: Dahurica dahurica, Caulophyllum dahurica, Sinapis spp. 5.Application of umbilical cord therapy in tumors The application of umbilical cord therapy in the treatment of tumors and their complications has achieved good efficacy and is convenient to use and easy to learn. 30g, Cat’s claw herb 90g, Xia Gu Cao 120g, etc. Non-abdominal cavity can be added green bark 90g, frankincense 90g. cinnamon research fine, sieve, leaving very fine and musk mixed and set aside; the rest of the drug decoction 2 times, remove the slag, leaving juice concentrated into a thick paste, such as honey (the juice can be used to remove water in the microwave oven), the drug cooled and added cinnamon, musk, mixed and set aside. Take a small amount each time, apply it on a large piece of rubber paste and put it on the tumor surface area or umbilicus for 4-24 hours each time, once a day. The application of this formula can obviously inhibit tumor, reduce gastrointestinal secretion and promote intestinal peristalsis. (2) Diarrhea caused by tumor chemotherapy Treatment: moxibustion of Shen Que point at the umbilicus, usually takes effect after half an hour. (3) Cancer ascites Treatment: 10g each of Sichuan pepper, raw astragalus, lobelia and cinnamon stick, and 3g of fine spices, finely grinded together, and put them on the Shen Que point of the umbilicus, and use moxibustion on the Shen Que point for 2 hours for the first time, and then for 1 hour each time, for 5 days as a course of treatment. (4) cancer pain Treatment: 2 centipedes, 15 grams each of Centipede, Xu Changqing and Yuanhu, and 3 grams of musk. The above medicines are crushed and powdered, sieved, and mixed with yellow wine to form a paste, which is applied to the umbilicus and closed and fixed with wound and damp pain relief cream for 24 hours, 7 days as a course of treatment. (5) Tumor-induced constipation Treatment: Crush and grind raw rhubarb, mannitol, hedgehog, roasted licorice, 3 grams of the powder each time, apply to the umbilicus and fix with adhesive tape, once a day for 24 hours each time. (6) Tumor-induced anorexia Treatment: 10 grams each of clove, sand, and thick park; 20 grams each of cinnamon and chicken’s nest, crushed and finely ground, mixed with sieve. Take the right amount of the medicine and put it on the umbilicus every time, and change it once in 24 hours. (7) Non-tumor-induced incomplete intestinal obstruction Treatment: Use 10 grams each of cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, Citrus aurantium, Hao Pu, Qing Han Xia, and 3 grams each of ice chips. The above drugs are crushed into fine powder, sieved and mixed, and 3 grams of the powder is placed on the umbilicus each time, and then fixed by external sealing with wound-damp pain relief cream, and changed once every 24 hours. This method is very effective in treating postoperative, or incomplete intestinal obstruction caused by poor intestinal dynamics. (8) Chemotherapy-induced vomiting Treatment method: Clove, Houpao, Yujin, Su Stem, Citrus aurantium, etc., finely grinded, take appropriate amount and put on the umbilicus once a day for 24 hours each time. This formula is used to treat chemotherapy-induced vomiting, loss of appetite and aversion to oil and grease. (9) Bone marrow suppression after radiotherapy Treatment: 10g of angelica, 4.5g of blood, 10g of sliced pepper, 10g of dried ginger, 3g of ice chips, finely grinded, take an appropriate amount and put it on the umbilicus once a day for 24 hours; or moxibustion Guan Yuan, Foot San Li, Qi Hai for more than 2 hours each time, the white blood cells can be restored to normal after 2 days. Moxibustion of Kidney Yu, Spleen Yu, Guan Yuan, Di Yu and Blood Sea points for more than 2 hours each time can raise red blood cells; moxibustion of Kidney Yu, Liver Yu, Spleen Yu, Zhongyu and Foot San Li for more than 2 hours each time can raise platelets. (10) Wheezing caused by tumor is very Treatment: moxibustion of Guan Yuan, Qi Hai and Shen Que can be effective as a rafter. (11). Coma occurs in the late stage of tumor Moxibustion is completely competent and can often revive after half an hour. (12) Fatigue after radiotherapy With normal hematocrit, moxibustion of Baihui, Dazhi, Guanyuan and Shenqu can be performed for 1 hour each time, usually relieved in 1 time. (13) Cerebral edema Primary tumor and brain metastasis cancer will cause cerebral edema, which is more difficult to treat, and will be significantly reduced after 1 month with moxibustion of Shen Que acupoint, Guan Yuan acupoint and Bai Hui acupoint. (14) Pericardial effusion Small cell lung cancer and lymphoma are most likely to metastasize in the pericardium, and moxibustion of Xueli, Shen Que and Guan Yuan acupoints can reduce pericardial effusion. (15) Fever Whether it is caused by upper respiratory tract infection, leukocyte underground or tumor, moxibustion of Baihui, Dazhi and Shenqu can reduce fever.