Discovering the relationship between acupuncture points and natural phenomena

Last week, 5-element acupuncturist David Ford and Heiner combined their experiential and scholarly knowledge to explore and explain the relationship between acupuncture points and channels in the body and corresponding phenomena in nature. This week, David reveals the practical application of this knowledge using real patient cases.

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“As Above, So Below” isn’t just a lovely saying—there really is direct relationship between the human body and the natural world. In the realm of acupuncture, perhaps nobody knows this as experientially as this week’s guest, David Ford. Having spent more than forty years teaching acupuncture in wilderness settings, David has developed a deep understanding of how the properties of individual acupuncture points mirror actual phenomena in nature.

David’s explorations in nature have benefitted from and in turn validated Heiner’s scholarly research findings on the classical meaning of the acupuncture point names. While many acupuncturists think of the point names as indicators of their exact location in the physical body, Heiner has uncovered a much deeper symbolic level of meaning. A whole new dimension to acupuncture is explored as David brings his wilderness- practitioner’s experience and Heiner brings his classical scholarship to today’s discussion.

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Heiner and Laurie interview Dr. Paul Kalnins, a scholar practitioner with an unusually broad and deep perspective on how to truly integrate biomedical approaches with natural medicine approaches. After majoring in physics in his undergraduate studies, Dr. Kalnins attained degrees in Chinese and naturopathic medicine, and pursued additional study of the works of Goethe and Steiner. Dr. Kalnins discusses methods of cultivating one’s own perceptive abilities as a means to more directly understand what part of “the whole” is elucidated by different systems of medicine, and how these systems can be used together to optimize patient care.

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This 5-element emotional release system can result in a rapid and profound return to health.

Tamara Staudt, ND, LAc shares with Heiner and Laurie her direct experience with this powerful system of emotional healing. In 2010, Dr. Staudt was a member of the first group of foreigners to attend in a Wang Fengyi retreat in China. Having received great personal benefit as a participant, Dr. Staudt was inspired to lead the first Wang Fengyi retreat in the United States in June, 2011. Of particular note, one woman who entered the US retreat with liposarcoma remains cancer-free since that time.

Heiner and Laurie have also participated in this type of healing work, and are big proponents of its powerful simplicity.

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Having explored the Heart organ system and its integral role in health and disease, we now discuss the Small Intestine—the organ system charged with carrying out the mission of the Heart. The Small Intestine function is involved in making choices—what to eat, what to absorb of what we ate, what thoughts to entertain, what situations to engage in. When the Small Intestine function is healthy, we make choices that are true to our deeper nature, and therefore lead to real happiness and fulfillment.

This week, we discuss the ancient awareness that physical disease (dis-ease) arises when the natural flow of the Heart is restricted. This happens when we entertain false beliefs about ourselves or others, and let these prejudices dominate our inner wisdom. When our Heart is functioning freely, we experience ease and feel connected to the people and environment around us.

Seen from this perspective, disease isn’t an enemy to be eradicated, but rather a sign in the material world pointing to opportunities to relax, open and live our life in a more whole and authentic way.

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We continue through the cycle this week, with an exploration of the Heart Organ Network. The primary function associated with Heart in Chinese medicine is to move our awareness in the direction of unity, and enable us to experience true community and connection. Join us as we explore how the ancients conceived of this fundamental role in our human experience, and what their insights have to offer us in today’s increasingly alienating world.

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We continue through the cycle this week, with an exploration of the Stomach and Spleen Organ Networks. Each of us embodies all of the 12 types of functions associated with the 12 organ networks—AND, most of us find that we identify pretty strongly with the characteristics of one or two types in particular.

Learn about the phenomena and themes associated with both networks.

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In the last episode, we provided a general introduction to the 12 Organ Networks of Chinese medicine, and a more detailed description of the Lung Organ Network. Each of the twelve represents a set of functions that can be observed throughout the natural world, including the human body.

As an example, the Lung function in nature is associated with the first month of spring, when the yang qi emerges and begins to manifest at the surface. Although the coldness of yin still dominates, the warmth of yang begins to melt the winter ice. The rivers and springs begin to flow, and plant and animal life begins to come out. In the human body, the health of the lung function can be seen in the health of the skin. The tiger is the representative animal of the lung function—one can readily see the vibrancy at the surface of this potent animal.

This week, we discuss phenomena and themes associated with the Large Intestine organ network:

Month: Second month in the Chinese calendar; approx March 5^th -April 4^th (when the active forces of spring overcome the dormant forces of winter)

Time of Day: 5-7 am; sunrise

Animal: Rabbit

Themes: “Achieving Dominance”

“Breaking Through” (sudden eruptions)

“Proliferation in Nature”

Archetype: Worker, accountant, CEO, police officer, politician, lawyer, banker, dentist, cosmetic surgeon, body-builder

Pathology: Examples include: constipation, cancer, eczema, mental illness, criminal behavior, rape, corruption

Lifestyle choices: Dietary factors that promote healthy bowel movements (plenty of water and fiber), acting decisively but not at the expense of others, engaging in charity and actions that benefit others rather than self.

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This week, we open the door to a rich understanding that has come from more than a decade of research by a study group led by Heiner. Through excavation of the profound and timeless knowledge held in the ancient Chinese record, this team has uncovered multi-layered, symbolic meaning behind the system of 12 meridians that play a central role in Chinese medicine. Commonly thought of as pathways of qi flow in the body, these meridians, or organ systems, relate to sets of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual functions in the microcosm of the human body. These sets of functions have corresponding associations throughout the natural world, as described in the following passage:

The six vibrational patterns of the universe establish both yin and yang channel systems in the human body. These are thus directly associated with the twelve months of the year, the twelve earthly branches, the twelve divisions of the sky, the twelve rivers, and the twelve time periods of the day. The twelve channels, therefore, represent the concrete way in which the organ systems of the human body are receiving, and are in resonance with, the Dao of heaven.                                                                                                                                                                                    -Huangdi neijing lingshu, chapter 11

Learning how to read the symbols associated with each of the organ systems has great clinical value, and can help any individual to make sense of their experience in the world. Following a general introduction, we explore the characteristics of the organ system corresponding to the first month of spring—the Lung.

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