QI
Of the many
concepts of Chinese medicine, one of the most central is the idea of Qi
(pronounced chee). The concept of Qi is both simple
and yet also profound. Often
translated as ‘life force’, Qi is the stuff that pervades all of the processes
within our bodies. It warms, lifts,
transforms and holds things in place; it controls the shape and flow of our
thoughts, emotions and feelings.
Qi ultimately determines how we interact mentally, physically and
emotionally with the outside world.
In many senses, it defines who we are and defines those characteristics
that make us unique.
Just like blood and lymph, Qi flows through our bodies but they have a dedicated series of channels known as meridians. The Chinese concept of pathology is critically dependent on this flow of Qi. Where we show signs or symptoms of illness, these are attributed to an interruption in the smooth flow of Qi somewhere in the meridian system in our body. Diagnosis and treatment is then a matter of indentifying where this flow has been disturbed and taking steps to restore that smooth flow.
That of course sounds straight forward enough but, of course, the devil is in the detail.
MERIDIANS AND ACU-POINTS
We have many meridians in the body but of
particular interest to us here are the twelve ‘ordinary’ meridians. Each of these is named after an organ
of the body - Small Intestine, Bladder and Liver to name just three. One of these, the Small Intestine meridian, is shown in
Figure 1. The
keen-eyed amongst you will notice that the pathway shown here is nowhere near
our small intestine (the upper part of the bowel). What is shown in the diagram is the superficial part of the meridian – the
part of the meridian that flows nearest the surface of the skin. Whilst the meridian does have a deep
internal branch that connects to the bowel, the part of the meridian that is of
most interest to therapists is the part that can be manipulated and that of
course, is the pathway nearest to the skin. Whilst the pathways of these meridians are important, of
particular interest are specific points on these meridians known collectively
as acu-points. These acu-points are
places on the meridians that when manipulated have a profound effect on the Qi
flow in the whole of that meridian and sometimes in other meridians too. The acu-points can also be used as a
means of determining the state of Qi flowing through the associated
meridian.
A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING
You may remember I described how the Chinese philosophy describes dis-ease as the result of our Qi flow being disturbed. As we have twelve ordinary meridians and numerous other meridians too, how do we know which meridian is involved when we show signs of illness? Well, within the philosophy, the Chinese assign many aspects of physical, mental and emotional well-being to each of the meridians and their associated organs. When the Qi in any particular meridian is out of balance, we will expect to see imbalances in those physical, mental and emotional attributes.
If we consider the example of the Small Intestine meridian more closely we can see this inter-play in action. The small intestine (in the Western sense) is the part of the digestive tract where food is broken down into useful substances that are absorbed; the remaining undigested substances are then passed to the large intestine for elimination. Whist the Chinese encompass this role of the Small Intestine into their philosophy, their description of its role is much broader. Firstly, the Small Intestine controls the parts of the body through which its meridian passes and so any imbalances in its Qi flow may reflect as pathology in those areas. Referring again to Figure 1, Golfers’ Elbow and rotator cuff injuries can be attributed to imbalances in the Small Intestine because the meridian passes through the areas affected by these conditions. The Chinese also label the Small Intestine as the ‘sorter of the pure from the impure’ (this is its Western function but taken to a metaphorical level). So the Small Intestine is key in discernment and judgment and also in being able to sort what is important from what is not (just like it sorts food into what can be absorbed and what cannot). Someone who often gets bogged down in detail and is unable to see the bigger picture could be someone with an imbalance in the flow of their Small Intestine Qi.
This aspect of the philosophy is vast and very involved but the table in Figure 2 summarises some of these key concepts for all twelve ordinary meridians.
SPINAL REFLEXOLOGY
So how do we use all of this information in Spinal Reflexology? Either side of the spine we have twelve acu-points that correspond in turn to each of these twelve meridians systems. These are collectively known as the Back Transporting Points (BTPs) and these are shown in Figure 3.
Each of these BTPs can be considered as portals to their respective meridian system. Applying light and then firm pressure to each of these points gives us a good indication of whether the Qi in the associated meridian systems is in excess or deficiency. Where there is such imbalance, we can then use simple manipulation and ‘balancing’ techniques on these same points to bring about changes in the associated meridian system. To add to the effectiveness of the treatment, we can then also manipulate specific acu-points on the meridian systems we are treating.
This is the essence of Spinal Reflexology. Whilst understanding many of the finer points of this philosophy takes much practice, the basic skills can be taught in a few hours. These skills can then be performed as a self-contained treatment or very easily incorporated into existing treatments achieving powerful results.