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Thread: Bubishi and activation of meridians

  1. #1
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    Default Bubishi and activation of meridians

    If you have looked at the Bubishi you are probably aware that different acupuncture meridians are more active at different times of the day. It is also common knowledge in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts. What I have never seen however is any thing indicating:
    Does daylight savings time affect activation times?
    Does working odd shifts?
    How about jet lag? First couple days in a new time zone are we on the old time zones cycle?
    Any help is always appreciated.
    Respectfully,
    Len McCoy

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    Note, too, solar time varies from clock time, and that standardized time didn't get created until the railroad and steamship schedules of the late 19th century. And, if you're in China, the whole country, which is at least five time zones, runs on Beijing time, which has nothing to do with your local solar position at noon. This also works best at mid-latitudes rather than close to the Pole.

    That said, the traditional times were done by two-hour increments (i.e., the length of burning of a candle). So, if you assume most folks are living in Okinawa and never travel too far (and if they do, then it is to Japan or Fujian, meaning one time zone at most, in a similar latitude), then you're looking at times that are more like "middle of the night," "around sunup," "mid-morning," and so on.

    In other words, atomic clock this ain't.

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    I have no source to back up my hypothesis, but I suspect it has more to do with a person's activity than with an external time source. In other words, when a person is sleeping, different brain centers and nerve complexes are active than after he's been up and about for most of the day, etc. The same would make sense for the meridians. In an age when most people kept very similar schedules based on the rising and setting sun, it would be natural to assign rather fixed times to these activation periods, but in today's world of electric lights and 24/7/365 lifestyles I wonder if they still hold true.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens View Post
    I have no source to back up my hypothesis, but I suspect it has more to do with a person's activity than with an external time source. In other words, when a person is sleeping, different brain centers and nerve complexes are active than after he's been up and about for most of the day, etc. The same would make sense for the meridians. In an age when most people kept very similar schedules based on the rising and setting sun, it would be natural to assign rather fixed times to these activation periods, but in today's world of electric lights and 24/7/365 lifestyles I wonder if they still hold true.
    Personally I wonder if they ever held true. The scientific basis for meridians is scant at best, and the time-based activation of them is even less so.

    Having spent the years looking into meridians, etc, I think there are far more valid explanations of how and why pressure points work than meridian theory.
    Des Paroz
    Shorinjiryu Karate
    Sydney, Australia
    www.Kengokai.com
    The Applied Karate Show Podcast

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    Well I got an answer. Thought I would post in case anyone else interested. I took a class recently with a doctor of both traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine. She said meridian activations are set by sun time where you are at. She further stated that this affects her opinion on optimal sleep times. Working midnight shift does not change your meridian activation times and she had special advice for people working odd shifts because of this. By the way I am not a ki true believer so if you want to discus if any of this makes sense be my guest but don't expect me to argue with you.
    Respectfully,
    Len McCoy

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