What are Meridians?

Ancient Chinese medicine refers to meridians as the energy highways of the body.  Referred to as Qi (pronounced chee), energy flows through your body along these highways. Interestingly, just like a road map, meridians can also be mapped through the body on the inside.  Meridians also come in pairs, and for each meridian, there is a corresponding point on the body that can be accessed through acupuncture.

Meridians and the Human Body

Besides being channels, there are particular meridians  associated with specific parts of the body and organs.  The channel is the Yin, and the organ is the Yang.  In addition, there are twelve “Extraordinary Meridians” that help with the circulation of blood, distribute “essence,” and help maintain overall health. All of this means that meridians play an important role in connecting all of the elements of the human body together. When this energy system is disrupted, problems such as anxiety occur.

Interrupted Meridians

According to traditional Chinese medicine, anxiety is caused from an imbalance between the heart and kidney organs. This is because:

• Fire is represented by the heart.  Too much heat can cause the heart’s relationship to the kidney to become unbalanced.

• The kidney is associated with water, and also fear.  Not enough water means too much fire.

Because the balance between the heart and kidney becomes disrupted, feelings of anxiety emerge.

Acupuncture and Meridians

Acupuncture can help restore this balance between the heart and kidneys. This is done by placing small needles at specific points on the body that are related to the heart, spleen, ear, and kidney. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) use tapping on specific acupuncture points. Research shows that the human body makes less stress hormones after an acupuncture session. Less stress hormones means lowered levels of anxiety. You can visit an acupuncture specialist who can treat you once a week for 4-6 weeks.

Self-Acupuncture and Meridians

If you are experiencing anxiety in the moment, there are several techniques you can use to apply acupuncture yourself. These include:

• The Middle Wrist: Apply pressure to the middle of your wrist. This temporarily interrupts the blood flow.  Do this for two minutes.

• The Top Wrist:  Where your wrist and hand meet is a crease. Apply pressure for two minutes.

• The Foot:  Cross one leg over the other. Knead the center of your foot for two minutes.

• The Ears:  Massage both the ears with the thumb and forefinger of each hand. Pull the lobes of the ears down to expose the inner ear surface. Massage for two-three minutes.

Whenever you begin to feel anxious try using one of these methods to get immediate relief.

Incorporating Acupuncture into Overall Anxiety Treatment

By knowing your meridians and how they interact with each other, you can deal with anxiety in the moment. You can also incorporate acupuncture into an overall strategy for managing your anxiety. These include:

• Consulting with a therapist to discuss what you are feeling.
• Eating well and maintaining appropriate nutrition.
• Exercising daily.
• Scheduling regular acupuncture sessions.
• Practicing relaxation techniques.

According to Chinese medicine, meridians connect everything to everything else in the body. When one meridian is off, it affects another. This means too, that when one part of our lives is off, such as not eating well, that can have an effect on the rest of the body. By knowing our meridians and combining acupuncture with a healthy lifestyle, we can keep anxiety at bay.