Tongtian (BL7)
Tongtian (BL7), “Celestial Connection”, is a point on the Bladder meridian. It is point 7 of the 67 on the channel. Opens the nose and clears the head: a chief point for chronic rhinitis and polyps.
Location
On the head, 4 cun above the anterior hairline, 1.5 cun lateral to the anterior median line.
Functions according to tradition
Opens the nose and clears the head: a chief point for chronic rhinitis and polyps.
Traditional indications
- Chronic nasal congestion
- Nasal polyps
- Loss of smell
- Headache
Indications described by tradition; they do not amount to proven clinical effectiveness for each one.
Precautions
No specific precautions are described beyond the general ones for acupuncture. Needling must always be performed by a trained professional.
Points on other channels with similar indications
They share several traditional indications with this point. Comparing them helps understand why one or the other is chosen.
- GV22 Xinhui (Du Mai (Governing Vessel)): Headache, Nasal polyps
- GB18 Chengling (Gallbladder): Headache
- GB15 Toulinqi (Gallbladder): Headache
- GV23 Shangxing (Du Mai (Governing Vessel)): Nasal polyps
- GB10 Fubai (Gallbladder): Headache
- GB11 Touqiaoyin (Gallbladder): Headache
Point profile
- Code
- BL7
- Pinyin name
- Tōng Tiān
- Characters
- 通天
- Translation
- Celestial Connection
- Meridian
- Bladder
- Element
- Water
- Topics
- Nose, Head & Neck, Breathing
Health notice. Educational and study content. It describes concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Needling, medicinal herbs and invasive techniques must be applied by trained professionals. Safety guide.
