Are there such meridians in our body ?

[nine tailed fox]

I was reading a particular exercise 

 

And in that exercise the author says that there are two central meridians in the body 

 

The first one is a upward flow channel which is situated one inch in front of the spine in men and two inch in front of the spine in women 

 

The second Meridian is the downward flow which runs very close to the spine  (here he doesn't explain whether it is behind or in front of the spine) 

 

 

So guys could anybody explain what are these two meridians  ??? And their exact location   ??? 

 

I thought the central meridians are to the left and right of  the spine 

 

What meridians is he talking about  ??? 

[Kubba]

Maybe he talked about nadis - sushumna, ida, pingala ?

[nine tailed fox]

But shushumna is probably inside spine 

 

Ida and pingla are to the right and left of the spine

[Blackfinger]

Could this not be the chongmai?

 

Or possibly the Du and Ren channels (governing and conception channels, activated during the MCO)?

[nine tailed fox]

i am quoting the author

 

 

The first current passes in an upward direction and runs one inch in front of the spine in men and two inches in front of the spine in women. The second current of energy passes in a downward direction and runs very close to the spine. The amount of free energy a person has depends on the width of their central meridians. The wider the meridians, the greater a person’s energy levels will be.

 

 

i dont think its governing and conceptual channels because they are like curves, you know not straight channels

 

he is talking about straight channels from perinea to head

[Kubba]

i am quoting the author

 

i dont think its governing and conceptual channels because they are like curves, you know not straight channels

 

he is talking about straight channels from perinea to head

 

Isnt it that, that they are there only as the energy flows there? Otherwise you cant experience them. So when they open you kind of preceive the energy accumulated on different "height" in your pelvis, in the place where hands connect in the back, in the neck and in the heads different regions, but after the energy went upwards you dont experience it anymore. And it is felt along the spine but as if more to the front of the spine. Or at least thats my experience but cant tell if it is sushumna or other thing. Then there are movements to the right, left in the back and then more to the front of the body, as if 4 or 6 main channels around the spine in total, and then seems there are more subtle too but donnt know the nomenclature. Downward movement is experienced in front of the body, I never felt it along the spine, but maybe it is that the downward channel is also along the spine and it triggers the sensations in tissues and organs along the way up to the sacral chakra, bui tit isnt felt as if the movement that goes the straight line.

Kryias are the same as meridians or is it different thing?

But I can be wrong

Edited August 11, 2015 by Kubba

[Blackfinger]

well, the chongmai fits the bill, but as far as I know that is on its own....

[soaring crane]

seems to me there is a mixing of traditions here.

[Apech]

Who is the author?

[Spotless]

I am very aware of the channel he appears to be speaking of but I do not know what tradition he is speaking about - and I cannot give much information regarding it - other than I always feel it. The back channels are always in my awareness.

Who is the author?

 

Edit: I first learned of this channel about 34 years ago - particularly used it for running cosmic energy.

Edited August 11, 2015 by Spotless

[soaring crane]

With these channels, I think it's important to note that they can change depending on how you practice and how you live, and what traditions you follow. Like creating a different paint-by-numbers picture where the dots remain in place but the numbers are rearranged. Or, more elegantly, different star constellations based in the same stars.

[nine tailed fox]

Not a Buddhist writer, I was reading a Russian writer 

 

He also said that many martial artists use these streams 

 

If we focus on the descending stream our energy center and center of gravity also shifts downward, making the Masters immovable 

 

And if you focus on ascending one it helps you jump higher

 

I just wanted to know is it safe to practice such channels if they don't even exist

[vonkrankenhaus]

These "channels" are a conceptualization of the force of Heaven and the force of Earth as these flow through and interact within the body.

 

This is not "acupuncture meridians".

 

We could call this conceptualization the "central channel".

 

It is not strictly the governing and conception vessels. But the functions of these are quite related.

 

It is conceptualized as a "straight line" through the body from the crown, but the straightness of the line merely stand for the size and direction of these two major forces creating the body.

 

This idea is seen in Japanese Do-In (Tao Yin) and Macrobiotics, etc.

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[nine tailed fox]

thanks a lot for answering

[Raynevin]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3838801/

 

4. Discussion

In Table 1, we prove that the 15 minutes of PLB irradiation exhibits a reliable complementary effect on LCLMM, rehabilitating to or approaching the normal current level; a 15-minute PLB irradiation also tended to suppress the HCLMM.

 

In Table 2, we show that the specific meridian channel current is indirectly affected by another meridian channel which has been treated by the PLB irradiation. Because the meridian channels and their corresponding acupuncture points are located in distinct locations, typical light energy irradiation should not be able to affect the electrical resistance of the skin or other meridian channels if no interconnecting network exists. Our previous water-based experiment proved that PLB weakens the hydrogen bonds and modifies the characteristics of liquid water [13, 14]. In this study, we applied the PLB technique to the Ryodoraku meridian point irradiation, attempting to detect its effects on the meridian current flow by the possible alteration of liquid characteristics in the meridian channels. Table 1 (Figure 4 as one example) shows that PLB irradiation has complementary effects on the current flow of abnormal meridians returning to its normal current level. Table 2 (Figure 5 as one example) shows that there are evident interactions between the current flows of relative meridians. Based on results of the current study, we suggest that the meridian channels are interconnected and acupuncture point stimulation induces a systematic wave-induced flow as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6

PLB irradiation of the specific meridian (acupuncture) points may induce a wave-induced flow in the meridians, by using the interconnection of various meridians.

To strengthen our hypothesis, we searched for support in the relevant literature. Although numerous studies of TCM are published each year, the results and corresponding discussions are typically TCM theories, which are rarely proven through scientific methods. In order to decrease the amount of bias and avoid referring to unproven TCM theories, our discussion is based exclusively on the results of evidence-based publications.

After reviewing recent studies of meridians, acupuncture, propagation, stimulation, current, water, fluid, anatomy, energy, transport, flow, and propagation (Table 3), we discuss the progression of scientific evidence regarding meridians and the possibility of wave-induced flows.

 

4.1. Current and Low Impedance Characteristics of Meridians

After using a single-power alternating current (SPAC) instrument to measure low-impedance acupuncture points, it was determined that the mean subcutaneous impedance at the acupuncture points was significantly lower than it was at the impedance of control points; subcutaneous impedance was lower at the low-impedance points measured using the SPAC two-electrode method. This suggests that a high amount of interstitial fluid lies beneath the low-impedance acupuncture points [30]. Previous studies have suggested that the acupuncture meridians are physiologically characterized by low electrical impedance and anatomically associated with the planes of connective tissue.

 

4.2. Anatomy of Meridians

Regarding the possible location of meridians, previous publications have suggested collagenous bands and the fascial plane. Collagenous bands, which can be detected by increasing the echogenicity of an ultrasound, are significantly associated with lower electrical impedance and may explain the reduced impedance that was previously reported at the acupuncture meridians. This finding provides critical insights about acupuncture meridians and the relevance of collagen in bioelectrical measurements. Acupuncture points are likely located on the skin overlying the fascial planes that separate muscles; thus, acupuncture meridians may be located along the fascial planes between muscles or between a muscle and bone or tendon [5, 32]. Magnetic resonance imaging suggests that acupuncture points are located at connective tissue sites and cleavage planes [31].

 

4.3. Energy Consumption of Meridians

When a highly sensitive CO2 instrument was used to measure the transcutaneous CO2 emissions at the meridian lines, it showed that the level of the emission was highly related to the positions of acupuncture points and meridian lines on the body. It was concluded that a strong correlation exists in energy metabolism activity among the body surfaces along the meridian [38]. After moxibustion (or similar light stimulation) of the body in the 3 μm–5 μm range, light channels appear on the body, demonstrating the existence of the acupuncture meridian structure.

It was proven that high temperature responses can occur along the meridians in physiological and pathological conditions, suggesting that meridians have infrared or near infrared radiation characteristics. These findings appear to confirm the existence of acupuncture meridians, suggesting that living matter is not in the ground state, but rather permanently excited [35, 41].

 

4.4. Light Propagation of Meridians

Previous studies have used non-invasive methods to detect the human meridian system. When the optical transport properties of visible laser lights and halogen lamps were used to irradiate meridian and nonmeridian pathways, it was suggested that the optical properties of the human meridian significantly differ from the surrounding tissues [42, 43]. The study concluded that the strong light propagation and optical properties along the meridian channel comprised a histological structure correlated with interstitial fluids [42, 43].

 

4.5. Radioactive Isotopes Pass through the Meridian Channel

Numerous experiments have proven that a radioactive tracer inserted at an acupuncture point follows a course corresponding to the meridians described by TCM. According to human anatomy, these pathways are neither part of the vascular system, nor the lymphatic ducts, and the velocity of the radioactive message suggests that they are not transferred along the nervous system. Thus, the meridian channels are likely individual pathways, separated from the microcirculation, vessels, lymphatic ducts, and nervous system [36, 37, 39, 44–47].

 

4.6. Flow Channel Characteristics of Meridians

A hydrodynamic analysis of the waveforms stimulated by vibration stimuli at meridian and nonmeridian points was conducted by using the optimal stimulator frequency at the pericardium meridian. It was determined that the mean transfer speed in the meridian was significantly lower than in the adjacent control region, and differences in the attenuation rate and peak amplitude were also noted [39]. Zhang et al. [40] conducted a hydromechanic study, exploring the fundamentals of acupuncture points and meridians, and measuring the transmission of artificial interstitial fluid pressure waves to examine their connection with the low resistance points; a strong connection was confirmed between the points. This indicates that the points form channels along the meridians (low-hydraulic resistance channels), corresponding with the meridian channels described in TCM. Interstitial fluid is an essential body fluid, which connects blood vessels, lymphatic ducts, and intracellular spaces; however, modern physiology pays little attention to interstitial fluid, and some clinicians debate whether interstitial fluid actually flows freely [48–50]. Their results showed that a lower hydraulic resistance channels (LHRC) existed along the meridians. The discovery of LHRCs provides the first physiological explanation for meridians, and the flow channel could interpret as the movement of isotope tracks. Another human study using an isotope tracing method showed that isotopes migrate along the meridian lines, deducing that this movement represented the flow of interstitial fluid along the LHRCs. Combining Zhang et al. [40] and other findings confirms that the meridian channels exist among the subcutaneous tissues and demonstrate the characteristics of fluid flow [51–61].

 

4.7. Contributions and Limitations

In our opinion, meridian lines are interstitial microscopic fluid channels and fulfilling most of the previously mentioned characteristics [62]. Although pure water containing no electrolytes or ions is an excellent electrical insulator, water is an effective solvent and always contains some dissolved solutes such as sodium chloride or other salts; water containing few impurities is a strong conductor of electricity [63–65]. In typical circumstances, water is able to propagate or transfer sound [66], visible light [67], heat (infrared) [68], and radioactive isotopes [69].

Based on the results of the current study and our review of the literature, we suggest that the hydrodynamic of waveforms fluid flow and interstitial fluid concepts [70] of the meridians and acupuncture points explains the reported transmission of current [30, 32], acoustic responses [33, 71], thermal responses [34, 35], optical transmissions [34, 43], isotope passages [36, 37, 72], hydrodynamic analysis [40, 73], and PLB stimulation [13, 14] in meridians. The hypothesis that meridians are open channels of interstitial fluid seems to be accepted, based on evidence-based research. Some limitations must be considered. In the future, we plan to create methods of observing and measuring the wave movement pattern and direction of induced flow within the meridian channels (Figure 6). Demonstrating the objective existence and 3D network of meridians requires combining various technologies including biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and radiological imaging.

 

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5. Conclusion

In this study, we applied the PLB technique to the Ryodoraku meridian point irradiation, attempting to detect its effects on the meridian current flow by the possible alteration of liquid characteristics in the meridian channels. Our data show that PLB has complementary effects for current flow of abnormal meridians returning to its normal current level, and there are significant interactions between the current flows of relative meridians. In the future PLB can be used to regulate meridian current flow and provoke the intermeridian interactions.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Raynevin