Guest guest Posted November 30, 2002 Report Share Posted November 30, 2002 There are 12 main meridians (pathways of Qi flow, pronounced chee) and Organs. These are Liver (LV, Liv), Gallbladder (GB), Heart (Ht), Small Intestine (SI), Triple Heater (TH), Pericardium (P, Pe, etc.), Stomach (St), Spleen (Sp, sometimes abbreviated Spl), Lungs (Lu, Large Intestine (LI), Kidneys (Kd), and Urinary Bladder (UB, usually abbreviated as Bl). These are the 12 main meridians used in TCM, but something called the 8 Extraordinary Meridians also get used some. Meridians also are called channels. TCM Organs don't correspond exactly to anatomical organs. This is why their names are capitalized. TCM Organs are collections of functions. The Pericardium is the membrame surrounding the heart. It also is called " Circulation-Sex " in some books. The Triple Heater (aka Triple Burner, aka Triple Warmer, aka San Jiao) does not exist physically as an organ. It does exist functionally as an Organ. It has a lot to do with Fluid metabolism and energy in the body. The Kidneys not only are comprised of the kidneys and their functions but also the functions assigned to the adrenal glands in Western medicine. In addition the Kidneys have to do with the health of the bones, teeth, and ears. The Kidneys are said to " open into the ears " . Whenever someone has problems with their ears and hearing, suspect and rule in or rule out Kidney imbalance. You'll be surprised how often these two things go together. Also when a person has bad teeth in spite of taking care of them, suspect Kidney imbalance. Likewise, the Liver " opens into the eyes " , so suspect and rule in or rule out Liver imbalance whenever a person has problems with the eyes and vision. The earliest posts in the message base will walk those new to TCM (Traditional ) through the basics. TCM can seem very overwhelming at first because the concepts and the terminology are so different from Western medicine. One of the key concepts in TCM is Hot and Cold, so that may be a good place to start. It's also one of the TCM concepts that can have the most impact on a person's health and recovery. Herbs also have thermal energy. In the Chinese Materia Medica, each healing substance will have its thermal energy listed - hot, warm, neutral, cool, or cold. Giving an herb with cool or cold energy to a person who already is too Cold will make the person sicker. Likewise, giving an herb or food which has warm or hot energy to a person who already is too Hot will make that person sicker. What you do if you can't find an herb with similar properties but with the correct thermal energy for the person is you mix the herb with other herbs so that the overall thermal energy of the formula will be right for the individual. Treatment in TCM is highly individualized, much, much more so than in Western establishment medicine. Victoria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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