The Science Behind Subtle Energies
and Meridian Therapy
Are you an "energy skeptic?" If you believe in satellite TV and cell phones, this is aligned to those concepts in many ways.
In Science we have learned certainties are passing phenomena. New elements and galaxies are discovered which were previously unknown, forcing a realignment from pre-existing paradigms.
Einstein's theory which was popular for most of the last century has been augmented by the string theory. Leptons, quarks, and photons we now realize zoom not just past and around our bodies, but through them at any given moment. Billions of neutrinos, massless or close to it, are passing through you as you read this, undetected by you and barely detectable scientifically, and some of them not at all except assumptively. These form the bases of what are known as subtle energies. Disruption of the free flow of these energies through trauma or negative emotions can release chemicals that cause imbalance along the meridians and can lead to pain and disease.
Psychoneuroimmunology relates to this chemical release and disruption of systems. It investigates the relationship between the brain and the immune system as a way of understanding how the subjective human experience affects health and resistance to disease. From it we learn that the effects of stress are controlled by activating circuits that initially evolved to defend against infection. So the brain reacts to stress the same way as it does infection, setting up an inflammatory response to ward off invaders, real or imagined.
It is well accepted that much of the mechanism for the immune response is located in the gut, the center of the Enteric Nervous System or the "second brain." This system contains 100 million more neurons than our spinal cord and is the reason we have a "gut" reaction to a situation such as bad news or other emotional hurts or fears. It is also why we seek "comfort food" to soothe us. Major neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and norepinephrine, are found in the enteric brain. In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin, an anti-depressant, is found here, along with the major cells of the immune system’s inflammatory network.
The enteric brain also makes benzodiazepines, similar to Valium and Xanax. It sends nine times more information to the primary brain than it receives back which is why logic will never really over-ride fear. A disruption in this system can be the basis of a host of issues including digestive problems, insomnia, allergies, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression.
Depression produces the same behavioral responses as both sickness and stress. Stress sends a variety of hormones from the gut to the brain causing changes in neural activity, altering behavior, thought and mood. Most important, the results of continual stressors on these systems are cumulative. Continued stress on the enteric brain whether through Post Traumatic Stress or prolonged stressful situations leads to poor digestion, disease, and inhibited healing on all levels. Sickness / stress demands both the production of energy for bolstering the immune system while preserving energy through behavioral changes. This is where the meridian therapies shine in blocking, slowing and reversing these effects by dealing with root causes.
While acupuncture has been around for centuries, the presence of an actual structural system on which it was based was largely theorized until relatively recently. In the 1960's threadlike microscopic anatomical structures were discovered that correspond with what has traditionally been accepted as acupuncture channels or meridians.
These "Bonghan Channels" have recently been confirmed by electron microscope. Measuring in diameter from about the size of 5 to 15 red blood cells, they are almost transparent and so thin they are barely detected with traditional microscopes, but their pathways can be followed with nuclear tracers injected at acupuncture sites. They contain an abundance of hyaluronic acid which cushions and lubricates the body.
Amazingly, these channels were also found to carry granules of DNA which are believed may be the source of adult stem cells. In fact, there is evidence that the meridian system is formed embryonically before the nervous and circulatory systems. Unlike nerve and vascular systems whose flow travels in only one direction, acupuncture meridians conduct bi-directionally.
Energy Therapies that have evolved from these theories have demonstrated excellent achievements. And so I encourage you to try New Ener-Qi and see if these methods work for you.
