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The Channel Systems

The Meridian System—Highways and Byways of Life

When the system of Chinese medicine was developing, the culture was sustained by waterways. The village well provided water for the daily needs of the population; small springs issued forth the water that fed the streams that irrigated the farming fields. Rivers allowed for transportation and communication between the groups of people who settled along them and gave access to the even larger bodies of water, the seas. The early practitioners of medicine made the analogy that, just as nature provides the waterways to allow for the transportation of the substances that nourish life, so too does the body have channels through which Qi and Blood move.

If these channels are open and allow for the smooth movement of energy, we are relatively healthy. If the flow is blocked, causing the Qi and Blood to stagnate, disease results. A general, simplistic strategy used to treat illness is to clear blockages and get things moving again.

The dynamics of energetic circulation through the body are described by five different meridian systems. Many people in the West are familiar with the major system, the Primary Channels, which convey both Qi and Blood and communicate directly with their respective Internal Organs. There are, however, additional networks of energetic relationships, usually called the Secondary Channels:

• The Sinew Channels circulate on the exterior of the body and convey Defensive/Wei Qi to the tendinomuscular system.
• The Luo Channels manage Blood.
• The Eight Extraordinary Channels circulate Source/Yuan Qi at the deepest anatomical level.
• The Divergent Channels communicate between the most superficial Wei level and the deepest Yuan level.

In modern times, deliveries of life’s necessities come from vehicles driving on roads. Using our present-day system of roads and highways as an analogy for the body’s energetic pathways is more pertinent to our understanding than the old metaphor of the waterways, but the premise is the same.

When we drive our cars we can each travel comfortably at our own speed; slow drivers can stay in the slower lanes, and faster drivers can travel in the passing lanes. Nevertheless, no matter how fast or slow we like to drive, congestion in the flow of traffic that stops or slows us down makes us uncomfortable. The traffic jam is a metaphor for blockage and stagnation, which is the cause of physical illness. Of the five meridian systems, two have the sole responsibility to manage blockages and stagnations: the Luo Channels and the Divergent Channels. The other three channel systems circulate healthy physiology as well as pathologic accumulations.

Primary Channels—Interstate Highways

The twelve Primary Channels are the main highways, and they perhaps have the largest therapeutic application because they carry both Qi and Blood, the motivating factors of life.

When we look at the charts of meridians hanging on the wall of an acupuncture clinic, we see what are called the external trajectories of the twelve Primary Channels; they appear to be separate, defined lines of energy moving along the surface of the torso and extremities. Unseen on these charts are the internal branches, which direct energy into the anatomical organs. The internal branches also provide an energetic connection between the various channels.

These twelve channels are in fact one large circuit of energy moving from the central axis of the body out to the extremities, returning to the center, and so on, making an unbroken loop beginning with the Lung channel and ending with the Liver channel, where the cycle begins again. A complete cycle of circulation is accomplished every twenty minutes or so.

Life is essentially yang. Movement and warmth are required to survive. Anything suppressing the yang energy causes blockages to occur in the loop of energy, which leads to illness.

Luo Channels—Excursions from the Main Route

When we are distracted from the primacy of realizing our destiny and completing our curriculum, we engage the Luo (pronounced “low”) Channels. The Luo Channels relate directly to the Blood, the carrier of emotions. The Luo Channels are created as needed by the body to help manage unresolved emotional conditions. Spider and varicose veins are examples.

Eight Extraordinary Channels—Ditches, Reservoirs, Tunnels, Deeper Highways

The Eight Extraordinary Vessels channel the deepest level of energy, Source/Yuan Qi, allowing our destiny to unfold and our DNA to express itself. Holding the design of our lives, these vessels can be likened to the architectural plans, the materials required, and the labor necessary to build a house. These channels also represent how our “house” changes as we occupy it: the wear and tear to the physical structure and the various activities that take place within it over the duration of our lives. The names of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels are the Chong Mai/Penetrating Vessel, Du Mai/Governor Vessel, Ren Mai/Conception Vessel, Yin and Yang Wei Mai/Linking Vessels, Yin and Yang Qiao (pronounced “chow”) Mai/Heel Vessels, and the Dai Mai/Belt Channel. (For a more thorough discussion of these channels, see “Accessing the Essence/Yuan Qi Level: The Eight Extraordinary Vessels” in chapter 17.)

Sinew or Tendinomuscular Channels—Walking Paths

The Sinew Channels carry Defensive/Wei Qi through the muscular areas of the body, including the internal, smooth muscles of the gut and heart. Sinew is a collective term that includes the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. These channels are broader than the more defined Primary Channels, and they deal exclusively with Qi. Unlike the other meridians of Chinese medicine, the Sinew Channels are not point-specific.

Acute conditions occur at this level, whether from physical injury or from exposure to an external pathogen. If these conditions are appropriately treated the pathogenic factor can be quickly released, with less risk that it will penetrate more deeply into the energetic anatomy.

Divergent Channels—Bridges or Major Intersections

The Divergent Channels connect the most superficial Defensive/Wei Qi level to the deepest level of the Source/Yuan Qi. These channels are activated when we encounter a threatening or dangerous external factor, whether emotional or pestilential. Sexual abuse, war trauma, and the process of Lyme disease are examples of the Divergent Channels in action. Something potentially life threatening is brought from the superficial Wei level to the deeper anatomical terrain, to be kept dormant. These channels are also engaged with slowing the spread of chronic degenerative disease.

The Divergent Channels pass through the large joint articulations of the body, most especially the hips and shoulders. Arthritis is a common manifestation of a Divergent Meridian condition, where pathology is held latent over a long period of time. The trajectories of these channels also represent a primitive understanding of the lymphatic system.

The Process of Latency—Hiding Our Pathology

Every day of our lives we are exposed to challenges. We catch a cold or flu. We have an emotional challenge that threatens our integrity. Our relationships and work can be stressful. We sit for hours in front of a computer screen, straining our eyes and absorbing electromagnetic radiation. We eat food that is not appropriate to the season. Maybe we have an addiction to cigarettes or to sugar. The point is, we are constantly bombarded by factors that do not promote health. Yet we live our lives: we go to work, go to class, and attend to the needs of our families. What happens to all the harmful factors we absorb into our energetic being?

The Defensive/Wei Qi of the Sinew Channels includes both Qi and Fluids. The Qi attempts to direct an external pathogenic factor to the head where it can be expelled with Fluids, such as a nasal discharge or sweat. If the Sinew Channels don’t have enough Qi to keep the pathogenic factor at the superficial level, or if the Stomach is unable to produce the Fluids needed to expel the pathogenic factor, whether Wind-Cold, Wind-Damp, or Wind-Heat, it can move inward to challenge the Primary Channels.

The Primary Channels connect to both the external and internal energetic terrains and circulate both Qi and Blood. The Primary Channels each communicate with their respective Internal Organ. Resolution of any external or internal pathogenic factor includes the overriding priority to protect the Internal Organs. If Qi and Blood cannot release the pathogenic factor to the exterior, the pathology must be brought into a dormant state somewhere in the yin/substance of the body. This process is called latency. It allows us to continue to live our lives as productive human beings, and it is also the cause of most chronic degenerative disease.

The routes of bringing pathology into latency depend on an individual’s constitutional strengths or weaknesses.

• Pathology held in the head can eventually percolate downward through the skeletal structure, finally reaching the sacrum and tailbone. (See here for a further discussion.)
• The pathology might be deposited into the Eight Extraordinary Channels, especially into the Belt Channel/Dai Mai (see “The Dai Mai/Belt Channel—The Vessel of Latency” in chapter 17) via the Gall Bladder meridian.
• The Qi in the Primary Channels might divert the external pathology to the major joints, especially the hips and shoulders. Over time we develop joint pain, arthritis, or bone spurs. The responsibility of bringing a pathogenic factor to this deeper anatomical level belongs to the Divergent Meridians.^*7
• The Blood in the Primary Channels may create new vessels to hold an internal emotional factor. This dark, thick, poorly oxygenated blood contains our traumas and emotional history. These are called Luos, and they include spider veins, varicose veins, and small nodules.

The Healing Crisis

When we are actively involved in the healing process—making conscious lifestyle choices including eating healthy food, practicing some form of meditation or qigong, receiving regular acupuncture or massage therapy, and perhaps taking herbal medicine—there comes a time when the body has gathered sufficient energy to begin ridding itself of the accumulated pathology being held latent. A healing crisis usually involves becoming sick. Maybe the symptoms are of some illness that occurred in the past. Maybe it’s just a cold or diarrhea. Usually the sickness is preceded by a period of feeling exceptionally well, and it is likely that while sick, even if the symptoms are painful, there is an underlying sense of well-being. When the healing crisis is complete, there is newfound energy and enthusiasm.

We can view any acute illness as a healing crisis. Any cold or flu, or acute digestive distress, is the body’s strong response to expel a pathogenic factor. As miserable as we might feel while sick, it is an opportunity to welcome the body’s ability to clear pathology.

The Points—Landmarks along the Way

When we massage, or palpate, along a meridian, we notice various bumps and indentations. These are the anatomical landmarks that help us find the points.

In the West, points are often referred to by an organ name and a number, such as Liver-3. This system of naming helps us communicate more easily but is meaningless to the Chinese, who named points by their anatomical location or their function. In fact, the same point can have different names, depending on the intention of the treatment.

Points are alive; they can alter as a result of changes in temperature. There are charts giving specific anatomical locations, but palpation is important to tell us where a specific point is on any given human being. When we touch the points some of them might be tender, or they might feel empty, flaccid, dense, or thick. All of these are signs of an imbalance.

Over the centuries, specific points along the various meridians or channels have demonstrated certain actions and effects on the body. There are also groups of points that share a general purpose.

Point Groups

Please see appendix 2 for details on point locations and usages. Another good resource for point groups and locations is the Yin Yang House Theory website (https://theory.yinyanghouse.com).

Jing-Well Points

Jing-Well points are located on the digits, around the cuticles of the fingers and toes. They are the origins of the Sinew Channels. The Sinew Channels all begin at the Jing-Well points and are noted to be effective in releasing Wind and Heat (excessive Wei Qi).

These points revive consciousness; they open the sensory portals of the head, especially the eyes and ears. They address acute conditions of the nose, mouth, and gums.

Mu Points

Mu points are areas of chronic accumulation located near the anatomical organs on the front of the body. They are associated with conditions that affect the organs, such as hepatitis or pancreatitis.

Bladder Shu/Transporting Points

Shu points are located adjacent to the spine. They are part of the trajectory of the Urinary Bladder meridian. They are involved with the process of transporting Qi from Mingmen Fire upward along the spine, to be deposited into the appropriate Organ to fulfill our destiny.

Source Points

Source points are included in the trajectory of the Primary Channels, usually located on or near the hands and feet. They provide direct, energetic access to treat an Internal Organ, usually to release stagnation but sometimes to nourish.

Luo Points

Each Primary Channel has a Luo point, a point that relates to managing latency held at the Blood level.

Xi-Cleft Points

The Xi-Cleft (pronounced “she-cleft”) points are used for any type of acute disruption of Qi flow within the trajectory of the external branch of a meridian.

He-Sea Points

The He-Sea points treat Rebellious Qi symptoms, such as coughing, belching, or vomiting, and any condition related to the bowels, either the small intestine or the large intestine.

Living a Long and Healthy Life

A prominent theme in Daoism is longevity. If we live a long and healthy life, we have the opportunity to complete our curriculum and move on to another lesson in our next life.

From the Chinese medical point of view, aging is due to Blood stagnation (thick, sluggish blood) and Blood stasis (blood that is not moving at all, as in a blood mass or tumor, or as in the rigidity of one’s mind). When the Blood is not circulating well it is unable to nourish the Essence, and aging becomes a process of steady degeneration. It is not, however, written in stone that we must “fall apart” as we age. Aging can offer us the opportunity to accumulate experience and to gain wisdom.

The Blood carries our emotions and thoughts, and we can affect its circulation by challenging our habitual responses to the world. This process requires practicing being present. One relatively simple but highly effective method is to begin listening to environmental sounds, such as the refrigerator hum or the sound of tires on the pavement. While listening, we entertain no thoughts, judgments, assessments, descriptions, or definitions. We let go of our busy, habitual thoughts and simply immerse our awareness into the vast ocean of sound that is constantly present.

If we practice being present, our Blood begins to be cleansed of the thoughts, beliefs, and values that we have learned from family and society. The Blood becomes more available to our Essence, and we begin to know ourselves more deeply. If we are able to maintain our Essence and not deplete it through immoderate lifestyle choices, we have a greater opportunity to maintain our health as we age.

Other factors to keep in mind are the qualities that actually constitute health. No one heals us. We heal ourselves from within. What are the qualities that support that process? The virtues of the Internal Organs give us clues. The Kidneys give us faith and trust that our lives are unfolding as they must and that everything has a purpose, no matter how challenging. The Lungs give us the ability to surrender and forgive ourselves and others. The Spleen gives us empathy. The Heart gives us the capacity to be compassionate and feel gratitude for this life. The Liver gives us the energy to assert ourselves, to move forward to accomplish our goals.

It is possible to meet death content with the life we have lived, grateful for our experiences and relationships, and having no regrets. Ultimately, if we spend more time being present and contemplate the virtues of the Organs, we will be able to lead a more meaningful life.