TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1
Study Pyramid ......................................................................................................... 5
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... 7
My Cheat Sheet ........................................................................................................ 9
Theory
Introduction ...........................................................................................................
Review ..................................................................................................................
Multiple Choice .......................................................................................................
Answers ................................................................................................................

12
13
20
37

Diagnosis
Introduction ...........................................................................................................
Exercises and Multiple Choice ...................................................................................
Answers ................................................................................................................
Pulse ....................................................................................................................
Pulse Answers ........................................................................................................

45
47
83
90
99

Meridian Pathways
Introduction ..........................................................................................................102
Primary Meridian Pathways .....................................................................................104
Primary Meridian Pathways Answers.........................................................................120
Extra Meridian Pathways.........................................................................................123
Extra Meridian Pathways Answers ............................................................................131
Points
Introduction ..........................................................................................................133
Point Location .......................................................................................................136
Point Location Answers ...........................................................................................155
Point Functions......................................................................................................159
Point Functions Answers .........................................................................................183
Shanghai Points.....................................................................................................187
*Special Points Description
Introduction ..........................................................................................................191
Memorizing all those points .....................................................................................192
Special Points Descriptions (short answer) ................................................................198
Answers ...............................................................................................................206

*Extra Points
Introduction ..........................................................................................................210
40 Extra Points (chart) ...........................................................................................211
Questions .............................................................................................................214
Answers ...............................................................................................................216
*Conclusion
Shu Point Indications .............................................................................................219
Chart of Points and Levels: Abdomen .......................................................................220
Chart of Points and Levels: Dorsal............................................................................221
Special Considerations ...........................................................................................222
Needle Technique
Introduction ..........................................................................................................223
Needle Technique Questions....................................................................................224
Answers ...............................................................................................................230
Extra Points Needle Techniques Chart.......................................................................232
Ear, Scalp, and Electro-Acupuncture Review ..............................................................233
Answers ...............................................................................................................246
Single Herbs
Introduction ..........................................................................................................250
Single Herb List .....................................................................................................255
Questions (short answer)........................................................................................271
Multiple Choice ......................................................................................................280
Answers (short answer) ..........................................................................................293
Answers (multiple choice) .......................................................................................299
Formulas
Introduction ..........................................................................................................301
California State Board Formulas ..............................................................................303
Questions ............................................................................................................305
Answers ...............................................................................................................316
Ingredients ...........................................................................................................320
*Modifications
Introduction ..........................................................................................................324
List .....................................................................................................................325
Questions ............................................................................................................331
Answers ...............................................................................................................337
Gynecology
Introduction ..........................................................................................................340

Questions ............................................................................................................341
Answers ...............................................................................................................356
CNT
Introduction ..........................................................................................................360
Questions ............................................................................................................361
Answers ...............................................................................................................368
Licensing (for CA SB) .........................................................................................370
Western
Introduction ..........................................................................................................371
General Western Questions .....................................................................................372
Short Answer Questions .........................................................................................414
General Western Answers ......................................................................................420
Short Answer Answers ...........................................................................................429
Western Charts ....................................................................................................432
Hepatitis Spreadsheet ............................................................................................435
Radiculopathy and Neurological Features ..................................................................436
Cranial Nerve Examination ......................................................................................437
Vitamin Charts ......................................................................................................438
Vitamin Questions..................................................................................................443
Vitamin Answers....................................................................................................445
Pathology Notes
Introduction ..........................................................................................................446
Notes 1 ................................................................................................................447
Notes 2 ................................................................................................................453
Notes 3 ................................................................................................................458
Notes 4 ................................................................................................................463
Notes 5 ................................................................................................................468
Notes 6 ................................................................................................................472
Case Studies
Introduction ..........................................................................................................476
Case Studies .........................................................................................................477
Answers ...............................................................................................................496
Blank Test Sheets ...............................................................................................500
Bonus: Additional Formulas ................................................................................513
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................524

Diagnosis
Sample Questions taken from the book
123. Which organ is NOT involved in Lin syndrome?
a. ST
b. SP
c. KD
d. LU
124. A young female comes to you with several complaints. Recently, she has been
feeling very tired, and has noticed some weakness in her arms and legs, along with
atrophy of her muscles, despite the fact that she visits the gym 3 times per week.
This is her first visit with you, so you perform a complete physical, confirming
weakness in her extremities. You also note a slight decrease in her visual acuity
from the norm. You refer her to an MD, and she reports back that her test results
reveal a lesion in the myelin sheath in a section of her spinal cord. What condition
does she have?
a. Parkinsons
b. MS
c. an autoimmune disease
d. both b and c

Single Herb Questions

Sample Questions taken from the book
1. What three herbs need to be dissolved in a strained decoction?
4. Da zao combines with what herb to harmonize?
5. What diuretic herb is good for jaundice, and also what point goes with it?
6. Must crush this herb or it does not work at all.
7. Describe the primary vs. secondary fx for bai zhu vs. cang zhu.

74. Which of the following will NOT treat cold in the LV channel?
a. wu zhu yu
b. sheng jiang
c. wu yao
d. moxa on LV 1
76. What are the main function(s) of the chief herb in the formula yu ping feng san?
a. tonify the qi and strengthen the SP
b. tonify the qi and consolidate the surface
c. tonify the LU qi
d. expel exterior wind and consolidate the surface

Formulas
Sample Questions taken from the book
12. A 44 year-old female patient comes to you with chief complaint of depression.
She states her sleep is restless and she feels tired when she wakes up. She has
uncontrollable crying spells that she cannot pinpoint the cause of. As she is
speaking, you notice she yawns quite a few times. Her tongue is pale, and her pulse
is wiry and thready. What is your diagnosis for this case?
a.
b.
c.
d.

qi stagnation with phlegm accumulation

qi and yin deficiency of the HT
deficiency of HT and SP
LV qi stagnation with HT xs

13. What is the best formula for the above patient?

a.
b.
c.
d.

gan mai da zao tang

tian wan bu xin dan
ban xia huo po tang
gui pi tang

16. Both wu ling san and zhu ling tang contain which of the following herbs?
a.
b.
c.
d.

ze xie, fu ling, zhu ling

hua shi, e jiao, ze xie
sang bai pi, da fu pi, fu ling
gui zhi, bai zhu, zhu ling

17. Which shen is NOT found in tian wang bu xin dan?

a.
b.
c.
d.

ren shen
dan shen
xuan shen
dang shen

19. Ban xia bai zhu tian ma tang addresses which organ pair?
a.
b.
c.
d.

KD and LV
HT and SP
SP and LV
HT and LU

20. Prozac can be likened to which herbal formula?

a.
b.
c.
d.

wen dan tang

tian wan bu xin dan
long dan xie gan tang
gan mai da zao tang

Gynecology
Sample Questions taken from the book
26. A young female patient comes to your office. She recently delivered her first
child, and suffered excessive blood loss during the long labor. She feels tired all the
time. She has a history of depression and does not want to be unhappy with her
new baby. She also is having a problem with breast feeding her child, and wonders
if acupuncture can help her. What points do you try?
a.
b.
c.
d.

GB 41, ST 18, LV 3, REN 17

ST 40, LV 2, PC 6, SJ 6, REN 14
ST 12, SI 1, LV 8, ST 36, UB 15
SP 10, SI 1, SP 4, LU 9, UB 14

27. Patient comes to you with diagnosis of endometriosis, and you determine the
etiology is an interlocking of heat and blood. What formula do you choose for this
condition?
a.
b.
c.
d.

tao he cheng qi tang

da cheng qi tang
gui zhi fu ling wan
shao fu zhu yu tan

28. Amenorrhea is defined as:

a.
b.
c.
d.

menstruation that comes late every month, or skips months altogether

forced suppression of the period by use of drugs for less than 3 months
an xs condition
menstruation that does not come until age 18, or is suppressed for greater than 3 months

29. If patient has diarrhea associated with the menstruation, what organ deficiency
is likely involved?
a.
b.
c.
d.

SP and ST
SP and KD
ST and KD
LU and SP

Western Introduction
This chapter is subdivided into several sections. The first is a group of general
western questions in the standard multiple choice format. Within this first section,
there are groups of questions together regarding skin, hepatitis, HA, and
pharmatoxicology. Next is a section comprised of short answer questions, and it is
designed that you try to answer these questions after you have completed the
multiple choice section, and check your answers. Then, review the material, and the
next day, or a couple of days later, go back to the multiple choice and take it again.
Keep going over anything you missed in any section, paying particular attention to
topics such as hepatitis, HA, and other commonly seen diseases, although you may
be tested on anything found in the assigned western medical books.
At the end of this chapter, there will be some helpful diagrams and charts to aid you
in memorizing all this stuff. There are also separate charts that cover hepatitis,
nerves, and a bonus section devoted to vitamins, minerals, and some popular herbal
supplements.

Sample Questions taken from the book

1. Which of the following is sometimes absent in the case of metastatic
carcinoma of the LV?
a.
b.
c.
d.

weight loss
anorexia
jaundice
fever

2. Please find the correct match for the following definition: acute inflammation
of the GB usually caused by cystic duct obstruction by an impacted stone.
a.
b.
c.
d.

acute cholecystitis; Murphys sign

primary LV cancer; RUQ mass
cholecystitis; palpable RLQ mass
acute choledocholithiasis, obstructive jaundice

3. Ascites is defined as:

a.
b.
c.
d.

excessive accumulation of lipid in hepatocytes

calculi in the bile ducts
functional obstruction of blood flow in the portal system
accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity

4. Which of the following exercises should be avoided in a patient with lateral

epicondylitis?
a.
b.
c.
d.

wrist extension
golfing
pronation of the wrist
squeezing of objects, such as a rubber ball

17. Congenital immunodeficiency characterized by absence or hypoplasia of the

thymus and parathyroid glands, with partial or complete T-cell
immunodeficiency but normal B-cell immunity, describes what disease?
a.
b.
c.
d.

x-linked agammaglobinemia
selective IgA deficiency
DiGeorge anomaly
type I hypersensitivity disorder

18. Myxedema coma is a complication of:

a.
b.
c.
d.

hypothyroidism
hyperthyroidism
aldosteronism
diabetes mellitus

19. Which type of cells are involved in graft-vs-host disease?

a.
b.
c.
d.

B cells
T cells
stem cells
nerve cells

20. Anaphylaxis is a systemic reaction mediated by which of the following:

a.
b.
c.
d.

IgA
IgE
IgM
IgG

Pathology Notes Introduction

I have comprised 6 sections of notes on pathology, which not only covers
information at the cellular level, but also reviews several conditions and diseases
from the western perspective, and points out several key points associated with
various western topics
Several important conditions are discussed within the following pages, such as
diabetes, osteomalacia, Cushings

Sample Outline taken from the book

8. Elevated serum levels of M. enzymes typically found in what disease?
Inflammatory myopathies
13. The diagnosis of SLE is best made by? Anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) production
14. SLE usually involves what organ systems? thyroid, adrenals, ST, pancreas (skin,
joints, kidney, CNS, hematologic)
15. What is DiGeorges syndrome? (AKA Thymic Hypoplasia) A T cell defect due to
malformation of third and fourth pharyngeal pouches. Also has parathyroid gland hypoplasia
(hypocalcemia) with 90% deletion in chromosome 21q11. An immunodeficiency disease.
16. The most common primary immunodeficiency disease is: isolated IgA deficiency

Case Studies
Sample Questions taken from the book
25. Patient presents with high fever, chills, cough, tachypnea, and chest pain. She states she
was diagnosed with a LU abscess and is here for treatment of her symptoms. What stage of
the disease is she in?
a. exterior stage
b. suppurative stage
c. perforating stage
d. recovery stage
26. What points are good to use at this stage of the disease?
a. LU 5, ST 40, LU 7, LI 11
b. LU 7, KD 6, LI 11, REN 17
c. LU 1, KD 6, LU 9, SP 3
d. LI 11, UB 13, SJ 5, LI 4
27. The above patient did not stick with her treatments and is now back several weeks later
with the chief complaint of coughing up bloody, purulent sputum. How would you modify the
above prescription?
a. add LU 6 and UB 17
b. add SP 10 and LI 4
c. add UB 40 and UB 15
d. add REN 22 and KD 6
28. For the above case, at either stage, which herb would be the LEAST helpful?
a. tao ren
b. bai lian
c. jie geng
d. sheng di huang

How many books give

you the answer and
EXPLAIN why that
answer is correct?
AcuPass does!

Sample Answers taken from the book

127. d (biphasic regulation means that it can perform opposite effects, for example, ST 25 can
treat both diarrhea and constipation, PC 6 can correct both tachycardia and bradycardia, and
DU 14 can both clear heat or generate heat)
128. b (a is for KD yin; d is for replenishing qi and blood; know these differences)
130. c (d is used to remove indigestion)
131. d (DU 26 and all the jing well points have this function)
132. d (CAM 378) --- REFERENCES ARE GIVEN FOR MANY QUESTIONS
133. a (odd prescription is the use of one point)
135. d (an adjacent point is one in the general area, so for eye problems this could be UB 2;
LV 2 is not a command point; an example of a symptomatic point is an empirical point, such
as extra point erbai, which is used to treat hemorrhoids)

1.
2.

b (blood stasis etiology will also have dysmenorrhea)

c (this is phlegm heat, as seen by the tongue; her agitation, with qi stagnation, is seen
by the pulse; her bipolar disorder indicates phlegm fire harassing upwards, since the
mania is a sign of heat, and the depression is a sign of phlegm)
c (again, severe pain is indicative of xs cold, which is also shown in her pulse)
a (she does not have any LV qi stagnation symptoms to justify the use of xiao yao san,
or any LV blood deficiency signs for suan zao ren tang, or any emotional disturbance for
gan mai da zao tang; tian ma bu xin dan is an excellent choice for pre-menopausal
symptoms, and her palpitations indicate heart involvement)
c (KD yang deficiency discharge is liquidy, runny, thin, dilute; damp heat will have odor,
itching, and burning; toxic heat would have severe heat signs, and is usually associated
with another disorder, such as STD, carcinoma, or boils)

3.
4.

5.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.

a (other circumstances you should NOT induce vomiting: if gag reflex is not present, a
seizing patient, or a patient with decreased level of consciousness)
b (for the rest of the answers, the opposite of what is written are also causes of
hypoglycemia)
a (this respiration involves a long exhalation, as if the patient is holding their breath in
before breathing out, and is a telltale sign of hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, and diabetic
coma)
c (any condition with these symptoms should be taken seriously, and evaluated by a
hospital)
d (also more common in: diabetes with high blood pressure, pregnant women in their
third trimester, and those that either have or been exposed to herpes simplex virus,
influenza virus, HIV, herpes zoster, and TB; cancer and facial trauma patients
(especially infants delivered with forceps) are also at risk)
d (FYI, answer c is how you determine the hematocrit)
c (the other organ damaged by HTN is the KD)

241. c (thiazide is an anti-hypertensive, diuretic drug, and is CI if the patient has stones,
since it can cause calcium retention)
242. a (essential means idiopathic, or its cause is not known; d is part of secondary HTN,
where there is an associated disease; black people are more prone than white to having
HTN)
243. d (there is a loss of taste)
244. a (c is the generic name for Claritin)
247. d (this drug lacks anticonvulsive and muscle relaxant properties, and causes minimal
sedation)
40. d (the location of the pain tells you the ST or SP is involved. Since the pain is severe, and
acute, this is an xs, and not deficiency, condition. There are no distinct food stagnation signs.
Colicky pain here indicates cold and exterior pathogen. The ST is one of the organs that can
be directly invaded by the cold exterior pathogen. The pulse is wiry because of the pain.)