Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine
December 8, 2014
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine imbalances (illness) may reveal itself as qi (energy) stagnation, qi deficiency or qi excess within the channels that are not visual in the body. The significant channels known as meridians are the 12 primary meridians and 2 extra meridians. A person of good health would have vital qi. Analogous to an abundance of un-impeded water flowing down the river. The water representing energy and the energetic channels representing meridians.
The 12 meridians are paired with corresponding meridians of yin and yang qualities. Yin and yang are the polarities that exist in everything. Nothing is completely yin or yang due to the constant flux of nature. Energy within a channel can be described as less yin or more yin, or less yang or more yang.
Yin: Cool, solid, dark, deficient, vital organs, descending, quiet, slow, chronic,feminine
Yang: Warm, hollow, bright, excess, rising, loud,fast, acute,masculine
If one channel is affected then the paired channel will also be affected. The energetic function for each meridian have an important functional relationship with one another.
The directional flow of energy within the primary meridians is in this order:
1.Lung (yin) 2. Large Intestines (yang)
3.Stomach (yang) 4. Spleen (yin)
5.Heart (yin) 6. Small Intestine (yang)
7. Bladder (yang) 8. KIdney (yin)
9.Heart Protector (yin) 10. Triple Heater (yang)
11.Gall Bladder (yang) 12, Liver (yin)
The 2 Extra Vessels of importance are the Governing Channel and the Conception vessel. They are the posterior and anterior central channels respectively. These channels govern the 12 primary meridians. The Governing Channel governs the yang organs/meridians and the conception vessel governs the yin organs/meridians.