although it roughly corresponds to the thoracic, abdominal and pelvic
regions, including all the organs within. It coordinates transformation
and transportation of fluids in the body. San jiaoalso helps move qi
and maintains the ambient temperature in the body, a function from
which the name ‘triple burner’ derives.The meridians or channels
The word ‘meridian’ as used in TCM entered the English language through
a French translation of the Chinese term jing-luo. Jing means ‘to go through’
and luo means ‘something that connects’. Meridians are the channels that
carry qiand blood throughout the body. They form an invisible network
close to the surface of the body, which links together all the fundamental
textures and organs. Kaptchuk mentions 14 meridians in his book;^12 other
writers refer to different numbers ranging from 11 to 20. As the meridians
unify all parts of the body and energy (qi) can pass along the channels, they
are essential for the maintenance of harmonious balance. Set along the
meridians are a number of points used by acupuncturists (see below).
The meridians are named for the organs or functions to which they are
attached. Fulder explains the function of the meridians thus:^13
The meridian of the colon runs from a point on the nail of the index
finger along the arm and over the shoulder and neck to the nose from
whence it follows a deep pathway down to the colon. Because the
meridian system connects the exterior of the body by pathways to the
viscera, external factors can penetrate and produce symptoms such as
abdominal pain, migraine, etc. Conversely, diseases of the internal
organs will produce superficial symptoms that may appear along the
lines of the meridians. Thus, kidney disease can induce back pain,
while disease of the gall bladder can bring pain to the shoulder, these
being areas through which the respective meridians pass.Practice of TCM
Diagnosis
A diagnosis is achieved using four traditional methods:^14
1 Listening carefully to the sound and quality of the patient’s voice
(auscultation) and evaluating any breath or body odours (olfaction).
2 Asking questions to ascertain the features of the illness (enquiry).
3 Observing the patient’s general demeanour, emotional state and shen,
and assessing the quality and texture of the skin and the shape, colour
and coating of the tongue (inspection).
4 Palpation of the pulses and body.
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