Integrating TCM Concepts with Neurology: San Jiao and Pericardium as Reflecting the ANS

Comparative Analysis of Sympathetic and Triple Warmer Functions

To fully appreciate the role of the San Jiao (Triple Warmer) in TCM and its parallels with the sympathetic nervous system, we must delve deeper into a comparative analysis. George Soulié de Morant’s insights provide a rich foundation for this comparison.

1. Regulation and Distribution of Energy:
• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS):
• The SNS is responsible for the body's fight-or-flight response, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate to prepare for rapid action. It mobilizes energy reserves by stimulating glycogen breakdown into glucose and inhibiting insulin release, ensuring the body has sufficient energy during stress. Vasoconstriction in peripheral blood vessels and vasodilation in muscles prioritize blood flow to essential areas.
• Triple Warmer (San Jiao):
• The Triple Warmer regulates and distributes yang energy throughout the body, ensuring the respiratory, digestive, and genitourinary systems function optimally. George Soulié de Morant emphasizes its influence on intellectual, moral, and mental vitality. This function mirrors the SNS's role in mobilizing the body's energy reserves during stress, highlighting the Triple Warmer’s comprehensive impact on physical and psychological health【
2. Pulse and Energetic Indicators:
• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS):
• Sympathetic activity is measured through markers like heart rate variability and stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol). Increased sympathetic activity results in faster, stronger heartbeats and heightened alertness, preparing the body for immediate action.
• Triple Warmer (San Jiao):
• The Triple Warmer’s pulse, found on the right wrist, reflects the intensity of non-physical vital energy and the body’s capacity to handle stress. Variations in this pulse indicate the state of the body’s energetic balance, similar to how sympathetic activity is assessed. The Triple Warmer’s pulse mirrors the SNS’s role in preparing the body for stress, providing insights into the body's readiness to respond to external stimuli
3. Physiological and Psychological Effects:
• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS):
• The SNS enhances mental alertness and readiness to react. Chronic activation can lead to anxiety, hypertension, and other stress-related disorders due to prolonged exposure to stress hormones.
• Triple Warmer (San Jiao):
• The Triple Warmer governs the distribution of energy affecting intellectual and emotional states. Disorders manifest as nervous crises, hyperexcitation, insomnia, and shivering from nervousness. George Soulié de Morant notes that an imbalance in the Triple Warmer’s energy regulation mirrors sympathetic nervous system dysregulation, resulting in similar symptoms like anxiety and hyperactivity
• Emotional Aspects and the Limbic System:
• The emotional effects observed in the San Jiao can be understood through the lens of the ANS's influence on the limbic system. The limbic system, which includes structures such as the amygdala and hippocampus, plays a crucial role in regulating emotions and stress responses. The sympathetic nervous system, through its action on the limbic system, influences emotional states like fear, anxiety, and aggression. Similarly, the San Jiao’s regulation of energy impacts emotional resilience and stability, reflecting the limbic system's role in emotional regulation.
4. Impact on Organ Systems:
• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS):
• The SNS influences the heart, lungs, digestive organs, and genitourinary systems through nerve pathways. It increases cardiac output, causes bronchodilation, slows digestion, and prepares the body for physical exertion.
• Triple Warmer (San Jiao):
• The Triple Warmer commands and nourishes the respiratory, digestive, and genitourinary systems by regulating the flow of yang energy. This regulation ensures these systems function optimally, reflecting the SNS’s role in preparing the body for action and managing stress responses. Soulié de Morant describes the Triple Warmer's influence over these organ systems as pivotal for maintaining the body's energetic balance and overall health
5. Interaction with Other Systems:
• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS):
• The SNS works in conjunction with the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to maintain homeostasis. Activation of the SNS typically results in the suppression of parasympathetic activities and vice versa. This balance ensures that the body can switch between states of action and rest as needed.
• Triple Warmer (San Jiao):
• The Triple Warmer interacts with the Pericardium (Heart Governor) to balance energy and maintain homeostasis. This interaction reflects the complementary relationship with the PNS. Soulié de Morant highlights the Triple Warmer’s role in distributing and regulating yang energy, while the Pericardium’s calming and protective functions align with the PNS’s role in promoting rest, digestion, and recovery.

Pericardium and the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Comparative Analysis of Pericardium and Parasympathetic Functions

To understand the Pericardium’s role and its parallels with the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), we need to explore its functions and impacts on the body.

Promoting Relaxation and Recovery

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS):
• The PNS, often referred to as the “rest and digest” system, promotes relaxation, digestion, and recovery. It slows the heart rate through the vagus nerve, which releases acetylcholine to decrease the heart's pace. This slowing conserves energy and allows the body to focus on restorative processes.
• By promoting vasodilation, the PNS enhances blood flow to vital organs, including the digestive system, facilitating nutrient absorption and overall recovery. In states of high arousal or yang dominance, where there is increased sympathetic activity (+charge, vasoconstriction), the availability of oxygen-rich blood is diminished as Qi, blood, and body fluids are shunted to large skeletal muscles for flight.
• Pericardium (Heart Governor):
• In TCM, the Pericardium is said to protect the heart and regulate emotional and physiological balance. It slows the heart rate and promotes a calming effect, much like the PNS.
• The Pericardium's influence on the smooth muscles of the vasculature ensures proper blood flow and reduces the risk of hypertension, similar to how the PNS promotes vasodilation and circulation. In states of high arousal or yang dominance, the Pericardium’s (Parasympathetic) regulation helps counteract vasoconstriction and ensures adequate oxygen delivery to tissues.

Enhancing Digestive and Absorptive Functions

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS):
• The PNS increases digestive secretions and enhances nutrient absorption by stimulating salivary glands, gastric glands, and intestinal motility. This ensures that the body efficiently processes and absorbs nutrients from food.
• By improving digestion and nutrient uptake, the PNS supports overall energy levels and health.
• Pericardium (Heart Governor):
• The Pericardium, through its regulation of Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi), ensures that the digestive system receives adequate blood supply and nutrients.
• A balanced Pericardium supports the body’s ability to utilize insulin for glucose uptake, ensuring that cells receive the necessary nutrients for energy production, mirroring the digestive functions enhanced by the PNS.

Regulating Emotional Balance and Stress Response

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS):
• The PNS plays a critical role in promoting relaxation by counteracting the effects of the sympathetic nervous system. It helps lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol, thereby reducing anxiety and promoting a state of calm.
• By modulating the limbic system, which includes the amygdala and hippocampus, the PNS helps stabilize emotions and reduce the impact of stress, supporting mental health and emotional resilience.
• Pericardium (Heart Governor):
• The Pericardium influences emotional states by moderating the body's response to stress. It protects the heart from emotional disturbances and pathogenic factors, promoting emotional stability.
• The Pericardium’s regulation of emotional balance can be traced back to the role of the ANS in regulating the limbic system. The limbic system is integral in processing emotions and stress responses. By reflecting the PNS’s role in promoting emotional stability, the Pericardium helps to moderate emotional states and support mental health.

Overall Impact on Health and Homeostasis

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS):
• By enhancing blood flow, reducing heart rate, and promoting digestion, the PNS plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis and overall health.
• The PNS's anti-inflammatory effects and modulation of immune responses further contribute to long-term health and disease prevention.
• Pericardium (Heart Governor):
• The Pericardium ensures that the heart and other organs function optimally by regulating blood flow and emotional states. This balance is crucial for maintaining homeostasis.
• By supporting the flow of Ying Qi and ensuring a balanced emotional state, the Pericardium mirrors the PNS’s functions in promoting overall health and resilience### Ying Qi as Oxygen-Rich Blood and the Cellular Environment

Integration with the Autonomic Nervous System

1. Ying Qi and Oxygen-Rich Blood:
• Concept of Ying Qi:
• In TCM, Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi) circulates within the blood vessels, nourishing the organs and tissues. It is responsible for providing the body with essential nutrients and energy, ensuring optimal function and health.
• Oxygen-Rich Blood:
• Ying Qi can be understood as including oxygen-rich blood in modern medical terms. The delivery of oxygen to tissues is crucial for cellular respiration and ATP synthesis, the primary energy currency of the cell. Proper oxygenation ensures that cells have the necessary resources to perform their functions and maintain homeostasis.
• However, in TCM, the quality of Ying Qi (O2-rich blood) also includes its patency, meaning the cellular environment must be neutral enough to support proper cellular respiration. Modern research has shown that chronic sympathetic dominance results in mild insulin resistance. For example, a study demonstrated that short-term sleep deprivation turned a group of healthy men into insulin-resistant individuals in less than a week. By considering how sympathetic dominance results in insulin resistance, we can understand that Ying Qi (O2-rich blood) in a sympathetically charged state cannot be fully utilized by the body, or its capacity to do so is diminished.
2. Cellular Environment and Parasympathetic Regulation:
• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS):
• The PNS enhances the delivery of oxygen-rich blood by promoting vasodilation and improving circulation. This facilitates a cellular environment that supports efficient respiration and ATP synthesis, critical for energy production and overall health.
• Pericardium and Ying Qi:
• The Pericardium’s role in regulating the circulation of Ying Qi aligns with the PNS’s function in promoting blood flow and nutrient delivery. A balanced and well-regulated Pericardium ensures that tissues receive adequate oxygen and nutrients. This is reflected in the Spleen’s extraction of the "clear qi" from food and drink, which involves the spleen-pancreas functioning as an exocrine gland. Every cell in the body requires insulin to utilize glucose and oxygen to drive ATP synthesis and cellular respiration. These processes fall under the auspices of the Pericardium channel, reflecting parasympathetic regulation. When in a sympathetically charged state, the body cannot fully utilize the oxygen-rich blood, or its capacity to do so is diminished.

Conclusion

In summary, the San Jiao and Pericardium in TCM exhibit significant functional parallels with the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, respectively. The San Jiao’s role in regulating defensive energy (wei qi) aligns closely with the functions of the SANS, while the protective and calming effects of the Pericardium correspond to the activities of the PANS, including vagal tone.

The concept of harmonizing Ying and Wei in TCM can be understood, from the perspective of modern neuroscience, as balancing the activities of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. By considering states of sympathetic dominance or chronic high arousal from the fight-flight-freeze response, we can develop new applications of TCM using the Pericardium and San Jiao to balance the ANS.

References

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• Spiegel, Karine, et al. "Sleep Duration as a Risk Factor for the Development of Type 2 Diabetes." Diabetes Care, vol. 29, no. 3, 2006, pp. 657-661. Available at: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/29/3/657/25331/Sleep-Duration-as-a-Risk-Factor-for-the