The Three Jiaos: Anatomical Equivalent

 The three jiaos represent the body’s cavities and diaphragms: upper, middle, and lower. Each jiao serves a unique function and houses particular organ systems, corresponding to the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic diaphragms in modern anatomy. These diaphragms create divisions that maintain pressure, support organ function, and regulate movement between the body’s internal compartments. By relating the jiaos to physical diaphragms, we gain a direct anatomical correlate to these classical concepts, showing how they compartmentalize and support internal processes.

Integrating Chinese Medicine: The Neurology of the Ming Men Fire

The historical journey of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is as intricate as the texts that form its foundation. Revered classics like the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) and Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage) began as separate scrolls, shaped by the beliefs, climate, and dietary practices of distinct Chinese regions. Each scroll reflects a unique cultural perspective, capturing early practitioners’ insights into restoring health, vitality, and the body's response to its environment. The Huangdi Neijing, traditionally linked to the Yellow Emperor, likely originated around the 2nd century BCE, with significant additions made during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE). Similarly, Zhang Zhongjing’s Shang Han Lun, written around 200 CE, focuses on treating diseases rooted in cold, shaped by environmental challenges of the Han Dynasty. By 1155 CE, scholars had organized these separate texts into a cohesive canon, preserving TCM’s foundational knowledge.

Integrative TCM: The Neurological Basis of Hara Diagnosis

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), hara diagnosis, or abdominal palpation, is used to assess the health of the internal organs (zang-fu). The hara, located in the abdominal region, is considered the body’s physical and energetic center. By palpating this area, practitioners can identify patterns of firmness, sensitivity, or tension, which indicate imbalances in the organs and meridians.

Kidneys in TCM: An Integrative Exploration of Fire-Water Dynamics

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the kidneys hold a foundational role as the wellspring of vitality, regulating processes essential to growth, development, and reproduction. Described as the "Root of Life," the kidneys are said to store the body’s vital essence, or jing (精), and provide the stability needed to support warmth, resilience, and the capacity for adaptation. This jing-essence (精) is viewed as the deepest reservoir of life potential, informing one’s longevity, physical stamina, and mental clarity.

Foot Reflexes and Core Tendon Guard

 Foot Reflexes and Core Tendon Guard

Primitive Reflexes: The HPA Axis and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels

Primitive reflexes form the foundation of the human nervous system, acting as building blocks for complex motor and cognitive functions. These automatic, involuntary movements present at birth gradually integrate as the child matures. Controlled by cranial nerves in the brainstem, these reflexes establish a balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, supporting motor movement, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Cranial nerves reside in the brainstem, a more primitive part of the brain, and are resource-intensive, demanding oxygen, glucose, and yin. When reactive, they block vagal nerve signals, leaving the body in a heightened state of arousal that flood the brain with stress hormones along the HPA axis.

Integrating Movement and Emotional Health- Developing the Limbic System

Primitive reflexes evolve into postural reflexes, shaping the myofascial patterns as children grow. The cranial nerves, originating in the more primitive regions of the cervical spine and brainstem, regulate these reflexes. They play a critical role in early development by directing movement patterns that support higher-order functions like walking, running, and fine motor function in the fingers. The cranial nerves integrate into the central nervous system, regulate the developing middle jiao, and coordinate the body's fight-or-flight response. These reflexes also contribute to the development of the limbic system, the central hub of our emotional brain. Infants often experience movements and external stimuli as life-threatening. Each developmental milestone, such as achieving head control, or sitting involves exploring movement, biochemical self-regulation, and establishing new vagal pathways to ensure a parasympathetically neutral environment.

The Impact on Children's Development: Socialization and Sensory Overload

Post-pandemic, many school teachers reported that children appeared stunted in their development, lacking proper socialization. Socialization is a higher-order function of the autonomic nervous system, dealing with primitive reactions related to social engagement. The trauma of not attending school during formative years was significant, but the greater trauma was the sensory overload from excessive screen time before their brains were ready.[1] As I mentioned, the brain will begin to ignore and then diminish afferent sensory pathways in an attempt to reduce sensory input. A developing child has not finished their limbic or emotional regulation, which is part of the educational process. In an attempt to reduce their own overwhelm, children will first resist and then refuse subjects that overwhelm their autonomic nervous system (ANS). While it looks like defiant behavior, many times it is self-preservation.

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.

Correlation of Qi Types with Ganglionic Plexuses, Yin-Yang Aspects, and Western Correlates

The beauty of reconsidering the language of early TCM practitioners lies in how it described the observed effects in the qualitative language of the time. I was fortunate to study for many years in my TJM cohort under Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey sensei, who emphasized that the classics should be read with the understanding that these are conceptual rather than literal descriptions.