Anyone know how to circulate energy through meridians?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by red dub, Oct 23, 2021.

  1. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    Ah ok, I misunderstood. Thanks for clarifying.

    When you said,

    it sounded like you were saying you had to learn to fight to live long.
     
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  2. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Re CBD, there are ongoing trials, some of which may be promising, but CBD itself isn't FDA or EMA approved, there are oral medicines that are approved, which have Cannabidiol in them, which is not the same thing as an unregulated "CBD oil for massage"

    If you like it then that's fine, but if anyone starts talking about "health benefits" then that's definitely snake oil they're selling.
     
    axelb likes this.
  3. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    CBD is the primary FDA approved active ingredient in Epidiolex oral solution. You must have missed that in my last post, or maybe that's the oral medicine you refer to, but it's a CBD pill, nothing more.

    "the strongest scientific evidence is for its effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which typically don’t respond to antiseizure medications. In numerous studies, CBD was able to reduce the number of seizures, and, in some cases, stop them altogether. Epidiolex, which contains CBD, is the first cannabis-derived medicine approved by the FDA for these conditions."

    FDA Approves First Drug Comprised of an Active Ingredient Derived from Marijuana to Treat Rare, Severe Forms of Epilepsy

    But again the anti-inflammatory properties of certain plants are well documented and not snake oil, and the science supports CBD as a valuable substance. AS opposed to say, shark cartilage which I was told would eliminate cancer.

    Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2021
  4. El Medico

    El Medico Valued Member

    If you wish to seriously pursue such gungs and esoterica in depth then you should find and spend time with a teacher with an actual depth of knowledge. Like anything else this may require a relocation. Or you can just read stuff and attend weekend seminars and get the "skin" of the matter(s).

    As for meridians-as opposed to major channels- and TC,one doesn't really pay much attention to them-anymore than one pays attention to blood vessels.

    Any particular reason/purpose for the meridinial interest?

    "TCM" is a modern packaging term-there really is no such thing,there are just branches/methods of Chinese medicine. Look into info on them and pick one for starters.

    Little unclear on this. Signs with hands?Mudras? What do you mean? Read 5 Elements?

    5 Elements are used in many instances as systems of reference-from medicine to cuisine!


    On the CBD sub topic which arose---As to the ubiquitous use of CBD for everything from dandruff to hangnails I'm afraid it's quite obvious that it's being used in many instances where there is no evidence of any kind to support claims made. Does it have uses? Yeah? But not for everything it's being marketed for/ applied to. It's the latest panacea. Sorta like some used to claim TC was.
     
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  5. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I'll clarify,

    "there are oral medicines that are approved, which have Cannabidiol in them, which is not the same thing as an unregulated CBD oil.
    "
    FDA Warns Companies Illegally Selling Over-the-Counter CBD Products for Pain Relief

    The key here is regulated Vs unregulated.

    The medical treatment is a purified, and standardised doses, your just having a bit of something called CBD rubbed in (no GMP or QA so it may well not be), (I assume not to treat epilepsy) it's the difference between taking a 75mg aspirin tablet and chewing a bit of willow bark.

    Not the same thing at all.
     
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  6. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Exactly!
     
  7. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    More like the difference between taking 75mg aspirin and rubbing willow bark on your head to treat a headache.
     
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  8. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Or even rubbing tree bark on your head which someone said was partially willow but you can't really tell.
     
  9. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Theoretically, your "chi" should automatically be circulating the meridians, or you'd be dead.
    The theoretical aim of these practices is to improve that flow.

    I was taught a method referred to as "tracing bloodlines", which involves putting your awareness in certain acu-points in the body in order to "direct the chi" to those points, kind of like cleaning the printheads on a printer. When your printer cleans its printhead, it pumps ink through the head in order to clear any blockages. Similar sort of idea with "tracing bloodlines", although it is done after learning and becoming proficient in "softening the core", in order to release excess physical tension.
     
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  10. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    I think we're arguing in agreement, but the existing medical science shows, pretty convincingly, that CBD oil has almost immediate anti-oxidative stress effects on the skin in mammals. In fact I'd argue that medical doctors know a LOT more about CBD oil's benefits on the skin directly, vs. any sort of oral treatment, although there the evidence is also pretty convincing.

    These aren't minor fluxuations, either. There are significant notable anti-inflammatory effects upon using CBD gel and oil over other substances like tea tree oil. But I know this know not because I read the research, but because I had CBD gel rubbed on my swollen feet. Good luck trying to convince me otherwise! I know people are skeptical about fads but I'm no spring chicken, I did my research before I attempted this.

    Here are 213 studies describing the current research landscape, the first of which directly attends to how CBD gels and oils effect the skin. The first is so interesting, they basically gave rats arthritis, and the CBD gel significantly reversed the effect.

    Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis
    Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis
    Cited by ...
     
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  11. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    I don't want to clutter up the actual topic so I'll leave it at that.

    Back to meridians, I still don't know a thing but I've been reading.

    This system of points (which I know I have seen similar to on acupuncturist charts) is complex but I'm also struck by its apparent randomness. What I mean by that is notice how the points seem to be drawn kind of according to the body's frame, but with no real rhyme or reason as to where a point exists or not. It almost implies this map is a really, really poor model for the human body if it's trying to describe the actual body system of more than 30 trillion cells.

    Like, the hip flexor area. Why only one point? And how did they come up with that point, which is close to the region, but also not necessarily the same spot on every human (people have different shapes and sizes).

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    My practice has never involved all of the theoretical points.
    In "tracing bloodlines", the ones we focus on are:
    • Crown of the Head
    • Between the shoulder-blades
    • Heart of the palms
    • Soles of the feet
    Directing the awareness, with the breath to these points, originating from the Dan Tian as the source.
     
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  13. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    That's the kind of study I was looking for, thank.
     
  14. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Fair enough, this will be my last post on the subject too. Two small points, which I'm pretty sure you'd agree with:

    1) re evidence. animal model studies are an early form of evidence, there's a long way to go before that could be tested as being true in humans. It could well be, but it's far too early to tell.

    2) Re practical considerations: those studies were on purified standardised Cannabidiol, The "CBD" available commercially is not that, they often have a very low amount of CBD in them, and often have THC in them as well.

    Personally neither is a big issue to me, however, you can't go claiming health benefits when the evidence isn't there yet, and if you do get a dose of THC and it got flagged up in a drugs test, there could be some negative life issues.


    Anyway back to physical alchemy!!
     
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  15. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    Mod Question: I can split the thread if you want to continue the discussion, but not clutter up the original topic. Do you want me to do that? Or have you all pretty much said all you were going to? I usually wait until a side topic really goes on before splitting, but I appreciate your all wanting to keep it on topic, I would be happy to split it if you wish.

    Just let me know. :)
     
  16. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I'm fine leaving the subject alone.

    Thanks though.
     
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  17. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    Meridians have me far more perplexed than anything else at the moment.

    I'm trying to wrap my head around this topic and the more I read the less I understand.

    It's hard to believe this is totally made up with no rhyme or reason. There has to be some methodical way these "channels" came to be. It wasn't just throwing darts at a chart, somehow a lot of different people came to some sort of agreement on this model. I've never seen anything like it.

    You know, people in the West used to believe the world was flat and the ocean fell into the void, even though the ancients knew the earth was round by developing astronomy. Actually some still believe the Earth IS flat, even though they are wrong. That's why I'm never in a rush to throw away ancient wisdom just on a glance. What might seem hokey to modern eyes might contain some nuggets of real insight.

    I find it especially interesting like Dan said, some people still use the concepts but not the actual map. To me that makes sense...admitting the map is a few centuries stale, but the conceptual vessels are kind of timeless.
     
  18. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Top tip:
    Don't think, do.

    If you're interested in this subject, find a teacher, and do it.
    I've had several teachers, each had slightly different takes on it. Then I read loads of books, each with WIDELY different ideas on it.

    Go into it with an open mind, but not so open your common sense falls out.
    Don't go chasing magic powers or anything like that.
    Just "do" and see where it takes you.
     
  19. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    A bunch of different theories here: Defining Meridians: A Modern Basis of Understanding - ScienceDirect

    If they do line up with actual anatomy, it isn't just one system but a mixture.

    Very easy to get carried away with confirmation bias with this kind of stuff though.
     
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  20. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Very much so!
    I have a couple of students who are very interested in "chi", "internal power" and what-not, and read all manner of books by all manner of authors. They come to class and, rather than just doing the gongfu, they're constantly referring back to their readings and trying to use what Im teaching to confirm that "the energy flow is this/that" etc.

    Like I said earlier, if you're interested in this stuff, just do it. Trying to intellectualise it will just have you walking in circles (and not in a Baguazhang kind of way!)
     
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