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INTRODUCTION

QI JING BA MAI

THE EIGHT EXTRAORDINARY M ERIDIANS

LARRE & ROCHAT

(1997)

FOREWORD The work of sinologists Claude Larre and Elisabeth Rochat de la Valle allows us access to the origins of Chinese medicine. Through their detailed study of the Nei jing, Nan jing and their commentaries we are connected to the perceptive minds of the classical authors. Claude Larre's profound understanding of the philosophical and cultural background, and Elisabeth Rochat's thorough knowledge of the medical classics give us a unique insight into the eight extraordinary meridians. When recently teaching a class of first year acupuncture students I was reminded of the usual status given to this subject - a few pages at the back of a text book, or an afternoon tacked on the end of a crowded syllabus. These eight meridians are seen as something extra, almost superfluous, rather than the extraordinary and 'marvelous' foundation of our entire energetic network. ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 1

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 This primitive organisation into eight meridians governs the relationships between yin and yang, interior and exterior, providing the basic pattern for energy exchange between heaven and earth. It lies beneath the more accessible division into the twelve ordinary meridians. This presentation of the eight extraordinary meridians, firmly rooted in the medical classics, elucidates the mysterious yet fundamental interaction of yin and yang within the human body and the evolution of the meridian system. As acupuncturists this is our medium, and yet in an education system dominated by herbal theory we learn so little about it. It is my hope that this book goes some way to redress that balance. The text has been edited from two three day seminars, and is not intended as a complete historical overview or detailed analysis of the entire subject, which, throughout the long history of Chinese medicine, has been presented in many different ways, by many different schools. The intention of the authors here is to give practitioners a fresh approach to the subject by study of the classical Chinese texts. Sandra Hill, London, 1997 INTRODUCTION Claude Larre: Our subject is the extraordinary meridians, the qi jing ba mai, which are not only extraordinary, but marvelous. I personally prefer to use the word extraordinary, but there is also the other aspect - that they are doing marvels. Perhaps they are extraordinary because they are part of the primitive constitution of the being, and represent the purest stimulation of life given by heaven, which is in itself an extraordinary power when contrasted with earth where things are developed and seen. Heaven represents creation and the invisible power of life. So when something is unseen but working for life, it normally has the attribute of being a truly marvelous thing. For that reason the qi jing ba mai must be seen as the foundation of life from the very beginning to the very end. They are active from conception to birth, working within a state of life which is not so organised. With the development of the arms and legs, hands and feet, the number twelve is appropriate and will come into full effect after birth, with the twelve ordinary meridians taking their strength from the origin of life. The number twelve is the natural extension of the four (of the four limbs) stimulated by the power of the qi which is the number three. So heaven and earth working in the developed form of humanity can work through twelve different pathways, and contrasted to that the more primitive will be like winds in the atmosphere. The winds are governed by the number eight which is four times two, and with these eight winds the general animation of the universe is understood. This distinction between the twelve which are ordinary and the eight which are extraordinary is very appropriate - not just for the beginning but also for the end of life. Because the beginning and the end of life have to turn, or return, in a circle. When the meridians become eight from twelve, that could signify the return of that person to a previous state of life, no longer made by the feet and the hands. The feet and hands stop, the power of the person is absorbed and there is no longer a way to manifest externally. That seed of life has to be there at the end of life as it has been at the beginning. So the Chinese expression qi jing ba mai, the eight extraordinary meridians, is a very good one. Elisabeth Rochat: This expression appears for the first time in Nan jing difficulty 27, and as Father Larre has said, it is a very good expression to describe these eight extraordinary meridians. ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 2

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 The extraordinary meridians do not appear in the Su wen or Ling shu as a set linked together. In one chapter we have a reference to the ren mai and chong mai, in another chapter chong mai with the kidney meridian, in another a mention of the qiao mai etc., but it is in the Nan jing that they are organised and gathered together for the first time in written form, although they might have existed before as oral teachings or in lost texts. STUDY OF THE CHARACTERS Elisabeth Rochat: The name given is qi jing ba mai, and each character is important. As usual in Chinese we begin with the end.

Mai is a general word for the network of animation, meridians as well as luo and other kinds of circulation. There are mai in the depths and there are mai up to the surface of the body. The qi jing ba mai are the expression of this general network of animation expressed by the number eight.

As Father Larre has said, this is very important because eight (ba) is the number of the winds and the distribution of vitality, essences and spirit. In the depths of our being we have five zang and six fu. Then there is a kind of bursting out of vitality with the number seven, which is why we have seven upper orifices, or seven emotions, because seven is the number of this spreading vitality. Eight is the proper number for the penetration of all space by the vitality coming from seven. Through the symbolism of these numbers and through the graphology, we have a kind of division, a first differentiation. We are moving from the area of undifferentiated qi to a network of animation, occupying all the vital space in order to distribute spirits, essences and qi.

These eight are not only mai but also jing or meridians. A meridian is a norm. It is a basic principle for the animation and organisation of life relying on the model and principle of heaven, but taking into account all the earthly surroundings and the earthly shape of the body. This is the meaning of jing. There are only twelve jing, only twelve meridians, and it is important to understand that the luo or the bie, the so-called divergent meridians, are not jing, and they are not called meridians in the Chinese. The texts tell us that there are only twelve meridians, but now these eight are also called meridians, and at the symbolic level of eight they represent the organisation of the territory inside the body and control all the great powers of life which create the human body and to keep it in balance. Allowing the manifestation of the great principle of cosmic balance within the body, but not having any relationship with the external surroundings. These eight extraordinary meridians are not exactly dividing the bodily territory or area into eight parts as do the twelve ordinary meridians. Generally speaking, they share pathways and their pathways may have common origins, as for example with du mai (governor vessel), ren mai (conception vessel) and chong mai (penetrating vessel), while this ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 3

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 kind of sharing of pathways does not happen at all with the twelve ordinary meridians. We can see that the division is much more clear cut for the twelve meridians than for the eight extraordinary meridians. Therefore, although they are also called meridians, they do not have the same purpose. They are rather for the inner organisation of life and are preparing the way for the twelve meridians of the adult, which just act in their own areas and are able to resonate and respond to external influences. That is why these meridians are called qi, extraordinary, marvelous, singular, and so on, as this character has a lot of very interesting meanings.

Qi is extraordinary, surprising and strange, because etymologically speaking it is a man uttering an exclamation of surprise. But qi can also mean marvelous, so marvelous that it is beyond compare, utterly unique. With unique we get to the meaning of single, and also odd, like the odd numbers which are single and unique because they are not divisible by two. Another meaning can be irregular, against the norm, because if you are unique you are very close to being an anarchist. Another important meaning, which is also a classical one, is of a kind of fraction, the remainder of a fraction in division, or small remainders when you have cut time or space geometrically. For instance, the day has twelve or 24 hours which is very efficient and useful for our watches and our schedules but astronomically speaking is not quite true, there are always some seconds remaining. In Chinese this is called qi. It is the same for the year; there are 365 days but it is not exact, and this remainder is also qi. These meridians are singular, extraordinary, because they are different from the other meridians which are called zheng, correct, ordinary, without any diversion, right. The extraordinary meridians are not so tied by principles, not so constrained and constricted. The twelve ordinary meridians relate to each other in couples in a face/interface, internal/external, biao/li relationship and they make couples as foot and hand meridians. They also have a special relationship with the zangfu, each meridian having its proper zang or fu. These normal meridians also have a correspondence to the five elements through the zangfu, and through the external heavenly influxes, cold, heat, wind, damp, dryness and fire, and according to Ling shu chapter 12 they have a special correspondence with the rivers on earth: ... the Jing mai relate on the exterior to the twelve water courses, and on the interior are under the authority of the five zang and the six fu. It is very strange and extraordinary, but the qi jing ba mai have none of that, they have no paired relationships. In some later texts a kind of relationship is mentioned for example between du mai and yang qiao mai, but that was much later, and it has nothing to do with the biao/li, face/interface relationship, it has another meaning. These eight meridians also have no hand and foot differentiation, they are hardly seen in the legs and not at all on the arms. As far as du mai ren mai chong mai and dai mai are concerned, there is no quality of yin and yang in their names. There is no special relationship with the zang and fu. Not that they do not relate in any way to the zang and fu, but these relationships are not regular and systematic. It is not a question of the relationship between one extraordinary ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 4

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 meridian and one zang or one fu, but rather how the extraordinary meridians represent the original organisation of the yin, and the original organisation of the yang everywhere in the body. With the twelve meridians there is always the relationship with the elements, the months of the year or with external influences. Remember Ling shu chapter 11: The twelve meridians themselves united with the twelve months and the twelve constellations and the twelve articulations of animation (jie), the twelve watercourses, the twelve double hours of the day, the animating network of the twelve meridians. It is through the animating network of the twelve ordinary meridians that man lives, interacts and that illnesses are manifest. Through them one can treat. All study begins with them and all working ends with them, because the acupuncture points are only on the twelve meridians, du mai and ren mai, the other extraordinary meridians have no points of their own. If these meridians are so strange and they are not in this kind of correspondence and resonance with the elements, the seasons and the external influx, how can they be meridians or 'norms' for the animation? If we look at the texts of the Nan jing we can see that there are some kind of special correspondences. NAN JING DIFFICULTY 27 The first presentation and explanation is given in Nan jing difficulty 27. The mai include the qi jing ba mai, the eight mai of the extraordinary meridians, eight mai which are not linked with the twelve meridians. What can one say of them? Well, there are the yang wei, there are the yin wei. There are the yang qiao, there are the yin qiao; there is the chong, there is the du , there is the dai, there is the ren. That is to say there are eight mai which are not connected to the twelve meridians. It is because of this that one talks of the qi jing ba mai. The meridians are twelve, the luo are 15; in all that makes 27 qi, they follow each other, rising and falling. Why are these not included in the meridians? Well, the scheme for the saintly man (sheng ren) lays out canals and channels (gou qu) for an easy circulation (tong) of the waterways (shui dao); this is to guard against unexpected circumstances. When rain descends from heaven, canals and channels fill up to create rambling (overflow, wang xing), then at the moment the saintly man can no longer turn to his ordinary scheme the luo mai are full up and overflow. This is why the twelve meridians cannot be the system of reference for the extraordinary meridians. From this text we have the idea of the eight extraordinary meridians as some kind of reservoir for the overflowing of the ordinary meridians. It is also the origin of the theory that the extraordinary meridians do not exist except when there is a fullness of the ordinary meridians. But that is not in the Chinese text. That is not exactly the meaning of this difficulty of the Nan jing and it is certainly not possible in context of all the other Chinese texts, especially the Nei jing. It is impossible to say that the extraordinary meridians only exist when the overflowing of the ordinary meridians demands it, ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 5

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 because we have descriptions of them independent of this kind of fullness, where they have their own functions and responsibilities. For instance in Su wen chapter 1 we have ren mai and chong mai responsible for fertility in women, and there is no question of overflowing of the main meridians. And if the qiao mai are responsible for the circulation of the defensive qi, and for the alternation of sleeping and waking during night and day, they are always functioning. But here we have something very interesting. First, why are these eight mai not linked with the twelve meridians; why are they not the same thing as the twelve meridians? The answer is purely that they do not have the same relationship between inside and outside as the twelve meridians do. They really are different, which is another meaning of qi. So what exactly is the meaning of these canals and ditches for an easy circulation of the waterways? I think that it is a representation in the body of the organisation of territory by the pattern of the waterways, such as was done by Yu the Great; because the organisation of life, whether on earth or inside the body, must obey the same general rules. There is no difference. If you take care of all the ditches and canals and channels you can avoid all overflows or floods, so this is a way to provide protection. The extraordinary meridians are like ditches between great rivers, and in the body they have the function of passages and openings between the twelve or twenty four ordinary meridians. They provide a way to have some preventive measures against unforeseen circumstances. But is this the only meaning, that they are like reservoirs, full with an unexpected arrival of something like rain, causing an overflow of water on earth? I think that is just an image. The meaning is that because these meridians are older, more ancient than the ordinary meridians, when extraordinary circumstances exist outside, and the twelve main meridians can no longer ensure the maintenance of the twelve areas of the body, there is a return to a more ancient and deeper regulation of life. Here we have one of the meanings of these extraordinary meridians and of their role: it is to preserve the norm, but at a deeper level. Su wen chapter 2 gives us a presentation of the four seasons. The first part of this chapter is the presentation of spring, summer, autumn and winter, the proper qualities of each of these seasons and the appropriate conduct to adopt and follow in order to respond to the season and be in good health. But in the second part we have an example of extraordinary, unforeseeable circumstances, very bad weather with hurricanes, tornadoes, very heavy rain, or drought - the kind of circumstances which endanger all living beings. In this case, the saint of the text is able to prepare within himself the regulation of his animation, to correct the movement of all the circulation, and this is the reason why he has no extraordinary illness. This is the same word 'extraordinary' (qi) and in this context the meaning is that this extraordinary illness came about through very strange and unusual circumstances. An ordinary man who is unable to return to something deeper than the twelve meridians in the organisation of his life, is unable to cope with this circumstance and to resist the perversion of his surroundings. And we can see that this is one way in which the extraordinary meridians regulate in the depths because they are the last resort, or the deepest resort, like a kind of prototype of the whole organisation and the relationships that take place in the unfolding of the body. We can find the same opposition which is at the same time complementary between what is zheng, correct or ordinary or usual, and qi , extraordinary. ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 6

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 In the books on military strategy, especially in The Art of War, zheng designates the usual armed forces, and qi designates something which is not in the norm or in the usual principles for a battle. This qi can refer to all kinds of unexpected movements of troops, such as suddenly coming from behind, with an effect of surprise. The Art of War says that if the enemy sees that an operation is an extraordinary operation, it then becomes an ordinary operation, because the element of surprise is lost. Sun zi also says that you can begin the battle with ordinary forces, but normally can be victorious only with the use of extraordinary forces. We see that it is not a case of opposition, but a perpetual movement between that which is ordinary and that which is extraordinary in order to win the battle. To win the battle on the battlefield is the same as winning the battle of life: to remain always in the best state of health and life. And we have to use both at the same time, the ordinary and the extraordinary, one being like the invisible part of the other. The extraordinary is like the invisible part of the ordinary, as it was in the battle. In the body it is not exactly the same, but it is useful to draw comparisons. The last meaning of qi is the kind of remainder of a fraction, a little space of time which is the remainder of the day, or the year. For example, Ling shu chapter 76 describes the circulation of the defensive qi and because the time is divided very strictly into divisions of 14 minutes there is a unity of time, and the defensive qi has a particular movement. But because this strict outline of time and the length of all the pathways of animation of the body do not completely correspond, there is a little difference between the external measure of time and the circulation of the defensive qi. This is called qi. In Su wen chapter 9 we have the same thing but with the calendar. If we do not use an intercalary month, sometimes we will find that everything goes out of sync. The Chinese had the double system of the solar and lunar calendar. Some parts of the measurement of time were made by the sun, others with the moon. After a while the difference between them was very apparent and would create problems with agriculture. With this qi, this fraction of time, they would finally introduce an intercalary month every three or five years depending on the particular dynasty. So what does this mean in the context of the extraordinary meridians? It is a way to regulate at a deeper level all the regular cycles which are very exact. In fact they are so just and exact that they are false. It is easier to have 24 hours in a day, but the reality is not quite like that. This qi gives us the ability to re-adjust to a deeper reality, the most primitive reality of life, which lies behind that which is regulated by the seasons and correspondences and so on, which correspond to the twelve. This best interpretation of Nan jing difficulty 27 is to relate it to the rain as an example of the regulation of waterways on earth. Waterways are the usual type of metaphor for the qi and circulation of qi in the body. This kind of overflowing of the luo mai, the ordinary network of meridians, is the inability to re-adjust because the cycles are too regular and too limited by their regularity, and perhaps because outside circumstances are too strong. Claude Larre: There is a difference between the harmony of music and the harmony of acoustic. If you were relying on the acoustic to tune your piano or anything else, you would miss the point each time. So you ask a man who has a good ear with perfect hearing, and this man may make a very small adjustment to the acoustic, but he is tuning to perfection. And here we have the same thing. The ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 7

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 regulation of the twelve can be corrected through the system of the eight, which is more permissive, it allows more room for adjustment. Question: When you mentioned that it was more primitive do you mean preceding in time? Elisabeth Rochat: I think that it is also that, yes. There is no Chinese text that says that exactly, but the eight are beneath and behind the twelve meridians. For example, chong mai is behind both the kidney and stomach meridians. And the explanation is either that it is the emanation of both these meridians or that both the kidney and stomach meridians are a double emanation of all the richness of chong mai. In this case we have a process of differentiation from the extraordinary meridians to the twelve meridians. It is more confused at the level of the extraordinary meridians in the sense that everything is more mixed together, less differentiated. Look, for example, at the common origin of the chong mai, du mai and ren mai. They are in that sense undifferentiated. The three are together at the origin, and just a little later they begin to be differentiated like the first divergence into three branches. It is a kind of territorial construction, but there is definitely something primitive, even in time, in the extraordinary meridians. The twelve ordinary meridians are for the circulation of the blood and qi, for example in the Nan jing difficulty 23: ... the jingmai circulate blood and qi, they ensure free communication of yin/yang so that the body can flourish.. The extraordinary meridians ensure the regulation and the first laws for the relationship and circulation of blood and qi essences and qi and yin and yang. So with the blood, the circulation is originally regulated by ren mai and chong mai and after that, when all the functions of the body are more and more differentiated, the meridians and zangfu, for example the liver, kidneys and heart, take this circulation of blood under their authority. The liver meridian is important, for instance, because the circulation of blood refers not only to a good circulation through the blood vessels, but also to menstruation, and all kinds of particularities of the blood in a man, for example to enable his beard to grow, as we can read in the Ling shu. It is all these inner regulations which are the main problems of life and of the human being, and it is the first structuring of the blood and qi within the body which is the task of the extraordinary meridians. Du mai can be seen as the first elaboration of qi and yang in the body and ren mai as the first elaboration and structuring of the blood and yin. In this way du mai is not just a meridian on the back of the body, but, as we shall see, it has a more complex pathway and trajectory. Du mai is the tension of all the yang qi in the body and ren mai brings together within the whole body the blood and the yin and the liquids. Chong mai is like an harmonious conjunction of both and the bursting out of vitality. In each living being there is always a conjunction of opposition of the two aspects of reality, like yin and yang, water and fire, blood and qi and so on, and chong mai sums it all up in a kind of unity, which is the reason why we see it as a great motivator of life. Dai mai encloses the space of a living being within its natural boundaries, which gives us the beginning of a framework, a container which contains and conducts at the same time.

ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 8

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 We can also see how yin and yang qiao mai are the inter-penetration and rhythm between yin and yang, and how yin and yang wei mai are the inner organisation of each system, the yang and qi and the yin and blood, in order to maintain the particular cohesion in each system. After this framework is established, all the more complicated relationships can take place through the complete system of the twelve meridians. LI ZHONG ZI ... Yang wei has a special mastery over the exterior, biao. The yin wei on the interior, li. This is the reason why the yang wei and yin wei mai are the equivalent of the two trigrams qian and kun. Qian being the trigram representing the powerful effects of heaven, and kun those of earth. We are not going to go into depth about the relationship between the eight extraordinary meridians and the trigrams, and in some texts yang wei and yin wei are not related to these same two trigrams, but with others. ... Yang qiao has a special mastery over the yang on the left and right side of the body and the yin qiao a special mastery of the yin on the left and right side of the body... This is in order to indicate order, rhythm and interrelationship and is the reason why the yang qiao corresponds to the east, and yin qiao to the west. Also, because all the rising up movement occurs on the left and the descending movement on the right, east is on the left, and west on the right. ... Du mai has mastery over the yang at the rear of the body, and the ren mai over the yin at the front. This is why they are south and north. Dai mai is like an horizontal link tying together all the network of animation, all the circulation, and it corresponds to the six junctions, liu he. In this text there is no mention of chong mai. I think it is because it is like the connection of the power of du mai and ren mai. Li Shizhen, who wrote a special study on the extraordinary meridians, related chong mai with du mai and ren mai. There is no coupled relationship of dai mai and chong mai. But what is the explanation of this strange presentation? We have the six junctions, the vital space between heaven and earth, the first exchange of qi to define the territory where the living being can appear. This fits quite well with the idea of dai mai. Here we have the four directions: south and north, the great axis for rising up and descending, the vertical axis between heaven and earth, and the horizontal axis, east and west, with all kinds of exchanges in daily life between left and right, yin and yang, woman and man, interior and exterior. All this is under the qiao mai and the wei mai. We can see that when the classical Chinese authors want to compare the extraordinary meridians with something in nature they do not use the elements or rivers or seasons or qi coming from heaven, they use the first space of life, the first junction between heaven and earth, the first framework of ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 9

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 organisation of space, in the form of the four directions, and the two first trigrams which express the appearance of the natural forces at the origin of life. They are taking the extraordinary meridians and coupling them with the most basic and primitive orientations of life, to put the living being in the right place within the universe, rather than to make a point by point correspondence. Claude Larre: Within any Chinese text it is usual to start with tian di, heaven and earth, and si shi, four seasons. When the Chinese speak of heaven and earth they are saying that the play of life is between the creative and the receptive. The expressions creative and receptive are used in the Book of Changes because heaven and earth do not give the feeling of change. They give the feeling of two separate entities rather than the play between them. But the hexagrams or trigrams always refer to the change between the two, and life is within that change. If heaven and earth are duplicated we have the four seasons, and the four seasons are also yin yang but seen as four. Putting the two and the four together you have the six which are called the six junctions, and a junction is not the physical entering of this or that, but the idea of blowing and diffusing one towards the other. This idea is given in Zhuang zi where it is said that 'living beings are blowing one towards another'. So this idea of the six junctions is a way to sum up not only the limitations of physical space, but a way to understand the limitation through the exchanges of qi. The six junctions are used as an image of the visible world which is reproduced in each of us as the bodily frame. So whether we are talking about the universe or talking about ourselves there is no difference, the laws are equally true. It is really this exchange of qi which is seen by the author, because qian and kun, east and west, south and north are not so much directions but the ways and the places in which qi is exchanged.

M ATSUMOTO & BIRCH

(1986)

The eight extraordinary vessels, the qi jing ba mai, constitute a fascinating level of energetic theory and treatment in Chinese medicine. Throughout medical history there have been many different ideas concerning their nature, their pathways, functions, associated symptomology and treatment. Not until the Ming dynasty, when a revolutionary new treatment style developed, had there been any practical consensus regarding these vessels, nor had they been systematically described by reference to the eight "master points." During this period, the famous doctor Li Shi Zhen wrote an entire text devoted to the theory and herbal treatment of extraordinary vessel energetics. Current clinical practice utilizing the extraordinary vessels demonstrates their vast versatility and effectiveness, and allows us to hypothesize some interesting functions and relationships, both in Oriental medicine and Western science. In this book, we will describe the work of two modern Japanese practitioners who use the eight extraordinary vessels extensively, Ms. Michi Tokito and Mr. Osamu Ito. In addition, we will describe the theoretical basis of a powerful extraordinary vessel treatment system developed by Dr. Yoshio Manaka of Japan that demonstrates the clinical use of the extraordinary vessels. He has proposed and clinically proven special techniques of stimulating the ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 10

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 body's intrinsic bioelectrical systems. These procedures involve the use of "ion-pumping" cords, unidirectional diode connectors, that are capable of directed ion transfer. Dr. Manaka's theories of diagnosis and treatment of the extraordinary vessels are the most coherent available and are more widely applicable than any in the medical literature. His use of the ion pumping cords is a substantial practical justification of his theories. The embryological, biorhythmic, physiological and practical details of Dr. Manaka's ideas and procedures are presented in another text in association with the abdominal palpation system necessary for their use. While it is not entirely clear how influential Dr. Manaka's work has been on the work of practitioners such as Ms. Tokito and Mr. Ito, they do utilize concepts that he helped develop in the 1950's and 1960's. Certainly, it would not be possible to do any serious research or scholarship of the extraordinary vessels without referring to his work and that of his associate Dr. Kazuko Itaya. Following Dr. Manaka's practice of examining classical ideas and proposing modern clinical uses, tests and theories, our discussions are intended to stimulate and promote scholarship and research. Absolute statements of principle are for matters much smaller and less central than the extraordinary vessels. The purpose of this text is to present the historical background and the essential theoretical and clinical detail necessary for the use of the extraordinary vessels in acupuncture practice. The clinically oriented sections of the text describe the symptomologies of both modern and classical sources. Terminology Any acupuncture text must explain some common terminology. We assume familiarly with basic terms such as qi, meridians, acupoints, yin and yang. However, some of the key concepts of this text deserve consideration. Bear in mind that simple, definitive meanings are for smaller ideas. Many, if not most, terms in Oriental medicine have numerous meanings, each of which depends on context. Often, there is no simple English equivalent; attempts to create simple cognates result in gross simplification or misuse of terms in some specific contexts. Meanings have flavor. The flavor of a character is often determined by its etymology. In most instances we have left the specialized terms in romanized form; English readers have demonstrated little difficulty in absorbing such words into their vocabulary. Multiplicity is evident. As is clear in some classical quotations, terms often imply function as much as they imply identity. Different words for the different functions of a single entity are not an unknown occurrence. The principal exception to the rule of leaving Chinese words in romanized form is the word "extraordinary" itself. The term qi, that we have translated as "extraordinary," generally refers to something exceptional, unusual, strange, rare or wonderful. For instance, it is used to reference the yang, odd numbers. The oldest usage of this term occurs in reference to an unusually shaped or deformed body, someone hunched over, sloping to one side or handicapped by a physical deformity. Such reference to bodily shape or structure is interesting to many practitioners, notably Dr. Manaka and Mr. Ito, who have found that treatment of the extraordinary vessels is able to correct structural imbalances or deformities. Some of the modem theories of the extraordinary vessels concern their structural and topological qualities. ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 11

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 In English literature we often find the term qi of qi jing ba mai loosely translated as "extra" or "secondary. These translations imply that these vessels are subordinate to the twelve meridians. This is an unfortunate mis-translation that more accurately reflects the order of teaching acupuncture concepts than it demonstrates the place of the extraordinary vessels in human energetic anatomy. As we will see, the extraordinary vessels are more primary than the twelve meridians. Functionally, they are certainly not simply additional trajectories. The names of the vessels are also a key to how we think of them. The term du, often translated as governing refers to a general, someone who controls. Ren, usually translated as "conception," refers to pregnancy, responsibility, or obligation. It can mean "to accept" or "to hold something in front of the abdomen. Dai refers to a belt or girdle that acts as a support. Chong means a street. It is used to express the idea of passing or transformation. In some contexts chong refers to alchemical transformation, two entities "crashing together" to produce something different. Qiao generally means "the heel," or "to stand on the toes. It often indicates the action of the heel rising up; it further means to walk on one's toes with the legs stretched. Most interestingly, it refers to the action of kicking one's foot as high as possible. Wei denotes a rope and is often translated as "link," or "bind. Specifically, it refers to a rope that is tied around something, pulling it down and securing it. Dr. Manaka discovered important clinical rules for the use of the qiao mai and wei mai vessels because of differences in the meaning of the characters. He was able to posit that the wei mai controlled downward movement, while the qiao mai controlled upward movement, because of the "pulling down" and "rising up" connotations of the terms. Through clinical corroboration of this theory, he has determined that it is preferable to treat the wei mai before treating the qiao mai using the ion pumping cords, when there is evidence that the patient's qi is rising. Given the clinical prevalence of "rebellious qi," this is indeed useful. Sources Point indications in the classical sources used are ... consistent. The Zhen Jiu Ju Ying (Gao Wu, Gathering of Eminent Acupuncturists, 1529) and the Zhen Jiu Da Cheng (Yang Ji Zhou, Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1601) give nearly identical information in almost all cases. These two books drew their information extensively from the Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing (Huang Fu Mi, Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 282 AD), the Tongren Shu Xue Zhen Jiu Tu Jing (Wan Wei Yi, Bronze Statue Textbook, 1027 AD) and the Ming Tang text contemporary to the Su Wen. The Ming Tang is referred to only in the older books and is no longer extant. Historical Review Three major components comprise the study of the extraordinary vessels: their pathways, the various theories that describe their function and the symptoms, and treatments associated with each vessel. The earliest descriptions of the extraordinary vessels concern the pathways. Most, if not all, later commentaries offer variations, additions or opinions concerning the descriptions found in the Su Wen and Ling Shu. Descriptions of the extraordinary vessels are scattered among many chapters of both the Ling Shu and Su Wen. When the twelve meridians are described in the Ling Shu, the entirety ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 12

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 of Chapter 10 is devoted to their pathways. Many of these early discussions contradict each other, intimating that different authors produced different sections. This suggests that the function and use of the extraordinary vessels was not fully developed during the early and middle Han dynasty. Certainly, the ideas were still evolving. In modern discussions of the extraordinary vessels there is a general consensus regarding their pathways, a result of of the considerable work accomplished in the period bridging the compilation of the Su Wen and the arrival of the Ming dynasy. This same evolution is apparent in discussions of symptomology and treatment. There are symptom descriptions in the Su Wen and Ling Shu, some of which are unclear. The Nan Jing, an important early acupuncture text and a major commentary and expansion of the Su Wen and Ling Shu, written circa 100 BC to 100 AD, systematized and simplified both the pathways and symptomology. Clearly the author of the Nan Jing was a clinician of considerable skill. In his work there was a constant attempt to cut through the theoretical knots of the earlier books; the descriptions of both pathways and symptoms were concise. Ironically, as is the case with many great clinicians, the treatment descriptions were neither complete nor systematic. Some description of pulse types associated with each of the extraordinary vessels was given by Wang Shu He, who wrote the Mai Jing, the famous pulse classic, and a major commentary on the Nan Jing, circa 300 AD. These representations appear to be the basis of Li Shi Zhen's description of the pulse types for each of the extraordinary vessels. While the descriptions of both Wang Shu He and Li Shi Zhen are evocative and interesting, they are as equally difficult to understand and translate. We have included Wang Shu He's descriptions in this text only as an historical reference. From a practical viewpoint, his descriptions remain somewhat unclear. The theories from the Nan Jing and Wang Shu He regarding the extraordinary vessels are the stepping stones between the often obscure and contradictory information in the Su Wen and Ling Shu and later systematic presentations. In the Nan Jing we find a clear development of the energetic theory of the extraordinary vessels. This theory provides a perspective that distinguishes the extraordinary vessels from five element and meridian energetics, and provides us with insight into the nature of the body's energies, the nature of life and the rationale of the treatment procedures associated with these vessels. Wang Shu He had a profound understanding of Nan Jing, and contributed greatly to the theories of the extraordinary vessels with his attempts to systematize treatment points, pulse diagnosis and biorhythmic descriptions. These descriptions are rooted in Nan Jing energetics. The author of the Nan Jing, though probably not the originator of all these ideas, is nonetheless a powerful protagonist. The enthusiasm with which he champions these ideas has caught the attention of many practitioners and scholars through the centuries. Many Asian commentaries on the Nan Jing attempt to clarify these ideas. Most scholars feel that these theories are rooted in Daoist philosophy and contemplative practice. Certainly, many of the concepts may be found in later Daoist literature. If the Daoist influence on the development of extraordinary vessel theory was pervasive, the sparcity of the Han dynasty texts might be explained by the intellectual environment in which they were written. The Su Wen and Ling Shu descriptions of the extraordinary vessels may have been brief references to Daoist knowledge. Obviously, there is a considerable probability that the ideas were simply at the

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ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 nascence of their evolution. Although the beginning of a systematic treatment approach could be found in Wang Shu He's commentary, clearly the development was still partial. The first complete and systematic treatment description of the extraordinary vessels is found in the Zhen Jiu Da Quan, written in 1439 AD wherein the eight master or treatment points are clearly described. By the time of the Zhen Jiu Da Cheng in 1601 AD, there was a precise and thorough treatment approach for the extraordinary vessels, following the style established by the earlier Da Quan and describing the eight master points, their uses alone, their use in pairs and in combination with other points. The Zhen Jiu Da Quan also made other important contributions. It clearly described a systematic, biorhythmic treatment style based on daily and bi-hourly stem and branch changes. These biorhythmic treatments are some of the most interesting and useful parts of acupuncture theory and practice. It is impossible to say with certainty that these ideas were developed earlier and transmitted by oral tradition, or were the development of Xu Feng, the author of the Da Quan. Whatever the heritage or source, these remarkable theories, positing that the human body is affected by cosmological cycles, have enlarged the idea of environment in Oriental medicine. Xu Feng described the eight extraordinary vessels with reference to the temporal sequence of the trigrams and to their eight treatment points. These points are usually called "master" points and sometimes "respectable" points.

Part of the explanation for these relationships among the extraordinary vessels and the sequence of trigrams is that functionally the eight vessels are four paired sets:

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These relationships are described further as:

The Zhen Jiu Da Cheng also makes interesting comments about the eight vessels as they relate to areas of the body: The yang qiao, yang wei, du and dai mai mainly treat diseases of the shoulders, back, lumbar and thighs that are superficial. The yin qiao, yin wei, ren and chong mai mainly treat diseases of the heart, abdomen, ribs and sides of the body that are in the lining {inside}. The selection of these four pairs of points is probably based on the same point pairing in an earlier text, the Zhen Jing Zhi Nan, Acupuncture Text South Pointer, written circa 1295 AD. In this text, SP-4 was paired with PC-6, LU-7 with KI-6, SI-3 with BL-62 and GB-41 with SJ-5. However, no clear mention was made of the eight extraordinary vessels in regard to these four pairs of points. The pairs were described as special points, that when treated singly or together would control and cure many disorders. Thus, this text likely influenced Xu Feng's theories. Many of these developments survive in modem clinical practice. In Dr. Manaka's work, areas where the vessels meet or that may be treated through the extraordinary vessels are often significant diagnostic sites. This is also apparent in the treatment systems described later in this text. The Nan Jing Theory The Nan Jing extraordinary vessel theory depends on the concept of an energetic center in the body, the "moving qi between the kidneys. In many texts the moving qi is identified with, or related to, ming men, the "small heart" and qihai dantian. The energetic center was known as: ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 15

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The root of the twelve meridians, fundamental to the five yin and six yang organs; the source of the triple warmer, the gate of breathing; the source of the vital qi. While this center is located in the body, it is also the site of many energetic transformations that reach beyond the body. Ultimately, the source of the center is the heaven-person-earth interaction from which life is generated. Thus, the energies of the center are the essential procreative and generative energies of jing and shen. The energies produced in the center are the main energies of nutrition and protection and the meridian qi. The macrocosmic/microcosmic analogy of Chinese cosmology is completed in the body's center. Just as heaven has a point of origin or energetic center, "tai yi, the great one, so too does the body. The moving qi between the kidneys is the tai yi of the body, the great one from which yin and yang evolve. It is the root and origin of all the body's energetic systems. In the Nan Jing and the Daoist treatises, one concept used to name the origin of human energies within the cosmos was "no form.. The master of the heart, pericardium and the triple warmer have "a name but no form. According to the Daoists, no-form is the "tiny jing" that is the precursor of all material substance. It is the ancestor of matter; it's child is light; it's grandchild is water. All is created from no-form. No-form arises directly from the tai yi, the great one, from which everything else materializes, heaven and earth, yin and yang. No-form creates form, the body, which is continually transformed and animated by shen, sometimes called the spirit. The traditional Chinese idea of no-form stretches the credulity of those who cannot accept that an ancient society produced powerfully sophisticated ideas. It is clearly interpretable as the universal matrix of energy from which springs all material, animate and inanimate. As it notes the birth of water, the symbol of the ultimate source of matter, from light, energy, it is a direct parallel of modern ideas of the energetic origin of matter. It posits no-form as what we would now call the unifying field. David Bohm's idea of an "implicate order" a "vast ocean of energy" in "space," a vast universal hidden matrix, is much like this ancient cosmological concept. The transformations of no-form into the energies that are the basis of acupuncture theory occurs in the energetic center, the abdomen, the hara. The triple warmer, master of the heart, pericardium and ming men are the energetic creations of no-form, the first materializations of energy that precede all other material and energetic processes in the body. They function to "step down" the energies of the universe, transforming them to energies that function in the human body. These energies are the center of the body's energetic systems, the first materializations of yin and yang, symbolized as fire and water. The energies of the cosmic no-form focus at ming men. They project forward to the area of the moving qi. Ming men is related to the master of the heart and pericardium. The triple warmer begins or is centered in the area of the moving qi. Ming men, master of the heart and the triple warmer have an energetic nature closer to no-form and thus transform this cosmic energy and stimulate the moving qi. Here, the prenatal and postnatal energies are transformed. Ming men, master of the heart and the triple warmer support all the body's energetic transformations, including the five element and ten ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 16

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 stem relationships, the cycles of the twelve meridians and collaterals and their associated organ systems and functions. All are rooted in the moving qi.

The eight extraordinary vessels are also rooted here, originating at the tai yi, the moving qi. The ren, chong and du mai are frequently described as having their beginning in the uterus. Often, the uterus is equated with the moving qi or described as the site where the moving qi resides. The term we translate here as "uterus" does not refer exclusively to the physical structure, but as well to a set of functions. One conceptual approach may be drawn from considering the embryogenesis of the ren, chong and du mai as they relate to the primordial germ layers of the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The chong mai is sometimes identified with the moving qi. The du and ren mai are usually described as the yin/yang branches of the moving qi. The chong and du mai were seen as the "way" of the twelve meridians, responsible for their movement and return to the meeting point at LU-9. Thus, the twelve meridians, the organ systems, the triple warmer system and the extraordinary vessels were each seen to begin at the center. The image emerging from the classical texts is that of a vortex. The cosmic energies come to a point at the center of our being; these energies are the powers of life, the generative force of the universe. From this center the cosmic energies change, transmute, merge and radiate in concentric systems. The concept is symbolically powerful and complete. Heaven, the archetypical creative, yang force represents the entire set of kinetic energies. Earth, the ultimate yin symbol, is the representative of all that is formative. These cosmological energies pre-exist man, yet are essential to human life. Both meet, focus and are transformed in human life. The physical location of these transformations lies between ming men at the back, and the hare. The more generalized energies take on different aspects ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 17

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 as the triple warmer and the master of the heart. In turn, these functions precede and support each of the more specialized energetic systems. This idea has important therapeutic implications that are the base of the asymptomatic tradition in acupuncture: great physicians treat root problems before attending to local symptoms. Certainly, in both classic and modern treatment sources, distinctions are made between root and local treatments. The model of human energetics just described provides a practical basis for these distinctions. Essentially, problems of the energetic center are root problems. Problems that arise in the branches, the meridians or organs, are symptomatic problems. Problems of the tai yi are given priority in treatment. In Japan, tradition teaches that this may be accomplished at the level of either the five elements or the extraordinary vessels. In modern Chinese tradition there is less specific reference to this distinct separation of root and local treatments in practice. Obviously, the concept is present and used. The open point systems that are still in use in China and the diagnoses of underlying dysfunctions that give rise to symptoms are both evidences of this concept. Dr. Zhang Xin Shu, who has developed a treatment system where six pairs of points on the arms and legs are treated to control various body zones, describes these points as root treatment points. His book Wan Ke Zhen, Wrist Ankle Acupuncture, will be discussed later. Although related by the idea of root treatments, element or meridian problems are not equivalent to extraordinary vessel disease. The Nan Jing was first to state this distinction clearly. The meridian system and the diagnostic and therapeutic theories of the five elements represent a different energetic strata than the extraordinary vessels. Though all the energetic systems share an origin in the center, problems that manifest in the branch systems are not necessarily problems of the center: If the {twelve} meridians are full {replete, overflowing}, this fullness {spills over} goes into the eight extraordinary vessels, never to return. In the Nan Jing the extraordinary vessels were believed to function like the system of dikes that was used in China to drain fields when rivers overflowed. The yin and yang qiao mai, which were seen as two of the fifteen luo vessels described in the Nan Jing, were particularly important, being the first to receive the energy that spilled over. However, later discussions make little note of this function. This was the earliest attempt to rationalize a general function for the extraordinary vessels. Earlier discussions had focussed on the individual functions of the extraordinary vessels. The Nan Jing attempted to place these vessels in the context of a global view of the human body. This idea may be represented by a series of diagrams. The tai yi, the great one, starts to separate at the level of no-form. It then divides to become the two, yin and yang. Yin and yang then divide twice. On the one hand, the two become the three, the three warmers, their associated qi and functions. The three divide to become the six, the five elements and their source, or the six pairs of meridians: tai yang, shao yang, yang ming, tai yin, shao yin, and jue yin. These pairs further divide producing the twelve meridians. On the other hand, the second branch of the yin/yang division becomes the four, the divisions of the body, which become the eight, the extraordinary vessels. ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 18

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Using any of these pathways we can treat the root. The means chosen depends on the specific imbalance. Local treatments are somewhat outside of this scheme. However, clinical experience indicates that local treatments work much better if the root problem is corrected first, or simultaneously. Modern treatments provide two basic approaches for reaching root problems through the extraordinary vessels. The first style we have chosen to represent this methodology is the work of Ms. Michi Tokito. She works at the level of no-form, before the first division of yin/yang, water/fire. Imbalances determined by the five element theory are treated simultaneously with the extraordinary vessels. The second style, represented by the work of Mr. Osamu Ito, includes the use of extraordinary vessel treatments supplemented by adjunctive local treatment. To this system we have added a methodology for simultaneous five element treatment. Though simple, these treatment procedures have profound effects. Each system is based in the essential understanding of the Nan Jing: all energies begin in the center. The Extraordinary Vessels and Body Structure It is not absolutely possible to distinguish the energetic structure of the body from the material structure. Practitioners have noticed that treating the extraordinary vessels frequently corrects structural problems such as tension, right/left imbalance, length differences or postural quirks. This discovery is both recent and intriguing. Using ion cords on the extraordinary vessels will release muscle tension in areas that had been tense on palpation. Using electrically active metals and magnets ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 19

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 on the extraordinary vessels ameliorates imbalances of the neck, lower back and knees. The patient's physical bearing adjusts as these treatments relieve structural stress. These experiences directed attention to various classical discussions of the structure of the extraordinary vessels, yielding through research both a better understanding and a therapeutic advance. Dr. Manaka developed this understanding of the extraordinary meridians from a topological approach. If we look at the eight extraordinary vessel pathways, we become quickly aware of a certain symmetry. There is a vessel that ascends the front of the body on the midlinethe ren mai. One ascends the back on the midline the du mai. A horizontal vessel circles the body around the waist the dai mai. Thus may we derive a basic picture of the body:

In further development of this idea, Dr. Manaka discusses these divisions in relation to the right and left sides of the body, the upper and lower, front and back. He maps the body in eight sections or areas, coining the term "octants."

The eight extraordinary vessels directly relate to these eight areas of the body. In effect, the ren and du mai divide the left and right sides of the body. The dai mai divides the upper and lower parts of the body. The gallbladder and triple warmer meridians divide the front and back parts of the yang aspect. ACU CENTRE, Suites 2 & 11, 219 Balaclava Rd., Caulfield North. Victoria. 3161. Australia 20

ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 The pericardium and liver meridians divide the front and back parts of the yin aspect. The treatment points of the yin and yang wei mai lie on the pericardium and triple warmer meridians, PC-6 and SJ-5 respectively. The treatment points of the chong mai and the dai mai are found on the spleen and gall bladder meridians, SP-4 and GB-41. This parallels the idea that these four meridians divide the front and back portions of the yin and yang aspects of the body. The sole exception is SP-4. Theoretically, the liver meridian would be a better fit. However, the spleen meridian has a similar pathway up the inside of the legs and travels higher and closer to the energetic center as it ascends the trunk. Thus, these four extraordinary vessels divide the front and back sides of the body and connect the upper and lower parts. The yin and yang qiao mai, through their connections to the kidney and bladder meridians (their treatment points are KI-6 and BL-62) have strong relationships to the ren and du mai. The trajectory of the kidney meridian is proximate to the ren mai. The bladder meridian is equally close to the du mai. Thus, these too relate to the front and back, upper and lower portions of the body. Understanding this connection has important consequences in treatment, as this knowledge helps to differentiate problems of the eight extraordinary vessels from problems of the twelve meridians. When thinking of the twelve meridians and the five yin and six yang organs, we are thinking in terms of corresponding functions and symptoms. When thinking about the extraordinary vessels we are advised to relate the eight extraordinary vessels to the eight areas of the body. This appropriately implies that there is a greater physical element to the function of the extraordinary vessels. Since the extraordinary vessels are at a deeper level in the energetic strata of the human body, they are more closely allied to the formative energies; their function is broader and strongly related to the growth of the physical form. Many practitioners who have become expert at the use of the extraordinary vessels have relied on palpation, for it is this method of assessment that most directly accesses information about balance and form. Thus, to diagnose the extraordinary meridians, we should focus our attention on body balance and symmetry. When we treat the extraordinary vessels we restore balance. In the differentiation process, we should not inordinately attend to the nature of the person's disease, but concern ourselves with the patient's bodily imbalances. Let us remark here that Dr. Manaka is the first to note this approach is an heuristic methodology, not an immobile truth. We can affect energetics and body balance by treating either meridians and organs or areas and octants. However, since this principle is useful in practice and often provides the desired results, it is a good starting point for therapeutic problem solving. In our problem solving we may not forget that at least three of the extraordinary vessels have a direct relationships to the twelve meridians. The du mai is the ocean of the yang; the ren mai is the ocean of the yin; the chong mai is the ocean of the twelve meridians, the five yin and six yang organs, the ocean of blood, and the moving qi between the kidneys. These relationships were discussed by Li Shi Zhen, who saw the ren, du and chong mai as interrelated: The triple warmer is the function of ming men. The ren mai and du mai make contact together at the chong mai

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ACU CENTRE www.acucentre.com.au (613) 9532 9602 He explains this statement by noting that the ren mai and du mai are the fundamental divisions of yin and yang in the body. The chong mai insures the inseparability or oneness of the ren and du mai, the yin and yang functions: The ren mai and du mai are the "midday and midnight" (wu and zi) of the body. The ren mai and du mai are the polar axis of the body. Mr. Hua says, "The ren and du mai are two vessels. {There is} one source, consequently two branches. One movement goes to the front of the body, one movement goes to the teach of the body. The body has the ren and du mai just as heaven and earth have the midday and midnight. Using these we can divide the body, day and night. We can also make connections between them. When we try to divide these, we see that yin and yang are inseparable. When we try to see them as one, we see that it is an indivisible whole. This is why there is one and consequently two, two and consequently one. Again, the ren and du mai represent the basic division of yin and yang in the body. They stem from a single source, the moving qi between the kidneys, the chong mai. This helps us understand the Su Wen discussion of the branch of the "main vessel" of the du mai that follows the ren mai trajectory; yin and yang are inseparable. Ultimately, both are the same and have the same source; they represent the yin and yang components of the same vessel. This also helps us understand Wang Bing's commentary on the Su Wen: This is why we can say the du mai, ren mai and chong mai have different names but are all the same. This is really a statement about their common origin in the abdomen at the moving qi between the kidneys, the uterus. In effect, the classical authors were describing a central energetic field that was named and differentiated by function. Li Shi Zhen's ideas about the extraordinary vessels differ slightly from those presented in the Zhen Jiu Da Quan. He did not use the eight treatment points, nor did he use the ling gui ba fa (eight methods of the spiritual turtle) biorhythmic treatments; he treated principally with internal medicine. However, his theoretical understanding fits well with the general theory. Modern topological ideas merge the Da Quan and Li Shi Zhen with modern practice. They allow us to see the inseparability of the body's structure and energy. This synthesis is particularly clear when we examine the extraordinary vessels from a developmental perspective. The progressive physical development of the human embryo occurs in stages that also describe the energetic development. The inseparability of structure and energy is clear. The first division of the fertilized ovum produces the ren and du mai, the second the dai mai. The work of Tohaku Ishi and others shows a probable relationship of the ren and du mai to the primordial tissues of early development, tracing the connections of the ren and du mai to the anterior and posterior hypophysis and thus the endocrine system. These relationships are natural extensions of the topological conception of the extraordinary vessels. The form and structure of the body begin and mature together.

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While the technology to demonstrate bioelectrical activity in the first cells of animal life is available and has shown such activity, ethical considerations bar research into the bioelectrical activity of the first cells of human life. Thus, data is not available to prove this idea. However, clinical practice demonstrates that treatments based on this assumption are effective. Regardless of the availability of material evidence, clearly the structural aspects of the extraordinary vessels indicate that there are extremely subtle and pervasive forces at work. In addition, the association of extraordinary vessel development with prenatal and conceptional energies helps to explain the relationship of these vessels to biorhythmic patterns as well as the emphasis on prenatal, cosmological energies that is found in the classical texts.

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