Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
"Meridians" is a term that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. Thousands of years ago, the Chinese discovered that when certain people fell ill, red, hot lines would appear on their bodies, and massaging these lines could cure diseases. These individuals were generally referred to as "meridian people," and only a few exhibited this phenomenon. Therefore, it can be said that the theory of meridians developed from therapeutic experiences and is one of the most important parts of TCM.
During the Han Dynasty in China, a rebel leader named Wang Sunqing was executed and subjected to vivisection. Thin bamboo strips were inserted into his blood vessels to observe their flow. It was found that the blood vessels in the human body did not match the meridians described in medical texts. This anatomical experiment was considered a failure in terms of meridian theory. Consequently, in the field of Chinese medicine, human dissection was abandoned, and anatomy became knowledge necessary for coroners rather than a subject doctors needed to study.
Later, when Western anatomy was introduced to China, Chinese doctors could not find meridians in their dissections. Coupled with China's weak national strength at the time and the society's push for complete Westernization, all Western sciences were seen as symbols of advancement, leading to a complete loss of confidence among the Chinese. The attitude towards TCM also shifted, especially as Western medicine demonstrated clear efficacy in treating some fatal infectious diseases, further eroding confidence in TCM. At one point, TCM was even considered an unfounded metaphysical practice. During Wang Jingwei's puppet regime in Nanjing, there was even consideration of legislating the abolition of TCM.
In the 1960s, a North Korean scientist named Kim Bong Han claimed to have discovered meridians, naming them "Bonghan ducts." This discovery caused a sensation in the global medical community and sparked interest in meridian research worldwide. Japan quickly organized a large group of scientists to study meridians, vowing to unravel the mystery within fifteen years. Naturally, China, which viewed TCM as an ancestral heritage, also nervously organized a large group of scientists to visit North Korea for on-site learning and intensified research, fearing that other countries might solve the mystery first. In the following years, global scientists repeatedly demanded that North Korea publish its research findings, but North Korea could never provide concrete evidence. Eventually, Kim Bong Han, unable to produce evidence, committed suicide by jumping off a building, and the matter was left unresolved.
This incident left scientists involved in the research deeply embarrassed, with many abandoning their studies. Some even denied the existence of meridians outright, relegating meridians to the realm of superstition. It wasn't until 1970, when U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China, that the Chinese government demonstrated open-heart surgery under acupuncture anesthesia to the American delegation in Beijing. The bloody yet miraculous scene left the visiting American experts in awe. However, by then, the Chinese medical community was divided into two factions: one believed that there were no meridians, only acupuncture points, as this was the only way to explain the phenomenon of acupuncture anesthesia; the other still insisted on the existence of meridians but could not provide concrete evidence. These discussions gradually became more subdued.
In the early 1990s, the Chinese government's top leadership considered meridians a cultural heritage that required investment in research. However, most experts leading scientific research at the time opposed this, with only Professor Fei Lun from Fudan University (the guiding professor of this book) arguing that meridians had existed for thousands of years. Although no concrete evidence had been found, it was possible that past methods or technological capabilities were insufficient. With scientific advancements, new methods might uncover evidence of meridians. Despite strong opposition, the project was nearly rejected with a 13-to-1 vote. Due to the overwhelming opposition, the research was allocated minimal funding, and Professor Fei Lun was tasked with leading the project.
Since Professor Fei was a chemist skilled in molecular physics rather than a doctor, he approached the research with methods entirely different from previous studies.First, they abandoned the traditional approach of establishing formal organizations and adopted a new type of organization called a virtual organization. There were no full-time researchers in the project; instead, they flexibly mobilized various relevant scientists and equipment in Shanghai as needed for the research. After nearly a decade, they finally found concrete evidence of the existence of meridians.
This research initially posited that, given the advanced state of anatomy today, there should be no undiscovered linear or tubular tissues. Therefore, they focused their search on analyzing tissues near the meridians. Due to advancements in modern biomolecular science, the tools and methods available were far more advanced than those twenty years ago. Additionally, the team members were no longer primarily medical experts but rather experts in basic sciences such as chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Starting from the most fundamental laws of matter, their chances of success were particularly high.
Prior to this research, a team in Tianjin had discovered that when acupuncture needles were inserted into acupoints, a large number of calcium ions were generated around the acupoints. The report did not specify where these calcium ions came from. Common sense suggests that calcium in the human body is mainly found in bones, but calcium in bones cannot be released instantaneously upon needle insertion. Therefore, it was hypothesized that there must be a calcium reservoir near the acupoints that can release calcium ions at any time. Finding this calcium reservoir could provide material evidence for the existence of some acupoints.
The team first conducted three-dimensional localization of acupoints on living subjects and observed the actual needle insertion points using MRI equipment. Simultaneously, they prepared a dissected human leg for comparison. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupoints are divided into three layers—Heaven, Human, and Earth—based on depth. During acupuncture, reaching each layer produces a specific sensation: the patient may feel soreness, distension, or numbness, while the practitioner may feel a "sticky needle" sensation. This experiment focused on the Earth layer of the stomach meridian on the leg. After localizing and dissecting the acupoints, they found that all the Earth layer acupoints on the stomach meridian of the lower leg were located on the interosseous membrane between the fibula and tibia, a type of connective tissue previously understood only for its role in connecting tissues in the body.
The team then excised a section of this interosseous membrane and sent it to a physics laboratory for analysis using a proton accelerator. They discovered that seven elements—calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and chromium (Cr)—showed significant differences in concentration between acupoints and non-acupoints, ranging from 40 to 200 times higher. The diameter of an acupoint is about five to eight millimeters, and all these enriched molecules were found only on the surface layer of the interosseous membrane, approximately one micron thick. This was an extremely exciting discovery, marking the first time material evidence of the existence of meridians had been found. From then on, no one could doubt the reality of meridians and acupoints.
Next, the team continued to analyze the structure of this interosseous membrane and found that it was composed of three collagen fibers forming a fiber strand, with five such strands twisted into a bundle. Numerous bundles were then arranged into a sheet-like structure, somewhat resembling the ribbon cables in computers. Further molecular-level analysis of the collagen fibers revealed that they were composed of several different protein molecules, forming a bio-liquid crystal substance.
According to the principles of physics, crystalline materials exhibit unique properties in response to sound, light, electricity, heat, and magnetism. Drawing from past experiments by Shanghai Jiao Tong University on individuals with special abilities, it was known that a significant component of the "energy" emitted by qigong practitioners was far-infrared light of specific wavelengths. Therefore, the team began their physical property testing of the connective tissue by examining its far-infrared light transmittance.Soon, another exciting result was achieved. Experiments demonstrated that collagen fibers exhibit nearly 100% transmittance for far-infrared light in the 9-20 micrometer range along the radial direction, while being almost completely opaque in the transverse direction. This indicates that collagen fibers possess physical properties akin to optical fibers within this frequency range.
Subsequently, from international medical research literature, it was understood that all tissues in the human body, down to individual cells, are connected by at least two collagen fibers. These fibers likely serve as an internal information superhighway within the body. Additionally, the protective membranes surrounding human organs are densely packed with optical fibers. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) divides meridians into primary (Jingmai) and collateral (Luomai) vessels. Jingmai are the main pathways, typically depicted in TCM meridian charts, while Luomai are branches that spread throughout the body, aligning closely with the research findings.
The research paper was first published in March 1998 in China's "Science Bulletin," followed by presentations at the World Health Organization's "Traditional Medicine Symposium" in 2000 and the "Cross-Strait Traditional Chinese Medicine Symposium" in 2001. Although these reports garnered significant attention, the ultimate impact of this research is expected to extend far beyond these initial recognitions.
This evidence of meridians represents only a small part of the research focused on the "earth" level among the three layers of heaven, human, and earth in TCM theory. Beyond this evidence, meridians and acupoints must exhibit other phenomena. Dr. Ding Guanghong, leading a team at Fudan University in Shanghai, later discovered that most capillaries in the human body are irregularly shaped, except near acupoints, where they form regular parallel lines aligned with meridians. Fluid dynamics calculations revealed that a pressure difference between adjacent acupoints creates an interstitial fluid flow field around the capillaries along the meridians. This resembles ocean currents—no pipes, yet water flows. It also parallels the concept of "Wei Qi" (defensive energy) described in the *Huangdi Neijing*, where "Rong Qi" (nutritive energy) corresponds to blood in vessels, and the discovered interstitial flow field may represent Wei Qi. This research is ongoing, but current technological limitations make it challenging to observe this phenomenon directly in living subjects. In deceased bodies, once blood pressure ceases, meridians no longer function, making observation impossible. This remains the greatest difficulty in meridian research: understanding subtle changes in living systems.
These unique phenomena near meridians suggest that the human meridian system is not merely an ancient Chinese conceptualization. As technology advances, more evidence of meridians will likely emerge. For instance, evidence of meridians at the "heaven" and "human" levels remains to be discovered by scientists.
The process of biological evolution began with single-celled organisms. In early, simpler life forms, many lacked brains but possessed connective tissue (the earliest meridian-like structures discovered by the research team). Brains are organs found in more advanced organisms. This observation suggests that the regulation and control of human organ functions may not solely depend on the brain but could be directly managed by the meridian system.
Using modern computer terminology, the human body may not be a single-computer-controlled system but rather a network of multiple computers connected by a high-speed communication network, with the brain akin to a CEO's terminal in a corporate network. This also explains why, in our ancestors' classification of the body's organs, the "five zang" (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys) and "six fu" (small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, bladder, and triple burner) were included, while the brain was notably omitted.Modern medicine is built on the foundation of anatomy. The meridian system, during the era when anatomy was developing, was not visible due to the limitations of technological capabilities. It wasn't until the end of the last century that human technology had just begun to uncover partial evidence of meridians. If, as we speculate, "meridians are the information superhighways within the human body," then traditional anatomy might have missed the most crucial part of the human body. This is akin to observing a tree and seeing only the leaves but not the trunk; or dissecting a computer and seeing only some of the hardware, assuming that's all there is to the computer, unaware of the existence of software, let alone the concept of the internet.
The decline of traditional Chinese medicine today is largely due to the modern teaching methods in Chinese medicine schools. Students are first taught a superficial understanding of anatomy, which implants in their minds a human body structure devoid of meridians. When they are later taught about meridians and acupoints, their minds are filled with doubts, making it difficult for them to truly grasp the essence of Chinese medicine.
With the emergence of material evidence for meridians, it is foreseeable that this will have a significant impact on the entire medical community in the near future. Traditional anatomy will need to be adjusted accordingly, and the entire modern medical system based on anatomy will inevitably undergo substantial changes.
The diagram shows the content of various elements on the surface of the interosseous membrane at acupoint locations, while the figure below shows the content at non-acupoint locations. Among these, argon is a constant. Compared to the various elements in the next figure, the elements at acupoints are at least an order of magnitude higher than those at non-acupoints.
Source: "The User's Manual for the Human Body" Part One, Chapter Two.
What are Meridians?
During the Han Dynasty in China, a rebel leader named Wang Sunqing was executed and subjected to vivisection. Thin bamboo strips were inserted into his blood vessels to observe their flow. It was found that the blood vessels in the human body did not match the meridians described in medical texts. This anatomical experiment was considered a failure in terms of meridian theory. Consequently, in the field of Chinese medicine, human dissection was abandoned, and anatomy became knowledge necessary for coroners rather than a subject doctors needed to study.
Later, when Western anatomy was introduced to China, Chinese doctors could not find meridians in their dissections. Coupled with China's weak national strength at the time and the society's push for complete Westernization, all Western sciences were seen as symbols of advancement, leading to a complete loss of confidence among the Chinese. The attitude towards TCM also shifted, especially as Western medicine demonstrated clear efficacy in treating some fatal infectious diseases, further eroding confidence in TCM. At one point, TCM was even considered an unfounded metaphysical practice. During Wang Jingwei's puppet regime in Nanjing, there was even consideration of legislating the abolition of TCM.
In the 1960s, a North Korean scientist named Kim Bong Han claimed to have discovered meridians, naming them "Bonghan ducts." This discovery caused a sensation in the global medical community and sparked interest in meridian research worldwide. Japan quickly organized a large group of scientists to study meridians, vowing to unravel the mystery within fifteen years. Naturally, China, which viewed TCM as an ancestral heritage, also nervously organized a large group of scientists to visit North Korea for on-site learning and intensified research, fearing that other countries might solve the mystery first. In the following years, global scientists repeatedly demanded that North Korea publish its research findings, but North Korea could never provide concrete evidence. Eventually, Kim Bong Han, unable to produce evidence, committed suicide by jumping off a building, and the matter was left unresolved.
This incident left scientists involved in the research deeply embarrassed, with many abandoning their studies. Some even denied the existence of meridians outright, relegating meridians to the realm of superstition. It wasn't until 1970, when U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China, that the Chinese government demonstrated open-heart surgery under acupuncture anesthesia to the American delegation in Beijing. The bloody yet miraculous scene left the visiting American experts in awe. However, by then, the Chinese medical community was divided into two factions: one believed that there were no meridians, only acupuncture points, as this was the only way to explain the phenomenon of acupuncture anesthesia; the other still insisted on the existence of meridians but could not provide concrete evidence. These discussions gradually became more subdued.
In the early 1990s, the Chinese government's top leadership considered meridians a cultural heritage that required investment in research. However, most experts leading scientific research at the time opposed this, with only Professor Fei Lun from Fudan University (the guiding professor of this book) arguing that meridians had existed for thousands of years. Although no concrete evidence had been found, it was possible that past methods or technological capabilities were insufficient. With scientific advancements, new methods might uncover evidence of meridians. Despite strong opposition, the project was nearly rejected with a 13-to-1 vote. Due to the overwhelming opposition, the research was allocated minimal funding, and Professor Fei Lun was tasked with leading the project.
Since Professor Fei was a chemist skilled in molecular physics rather than a doctor, he approached the research with methods entirely different from previous studies.First, they abandoned the traditional approach of establishing formal organizations and adopted a new type of organization called a virtual organization. There were no full-time researchers in the project; instead, they flexibly mobilized various relevant scientists and equipment in Shanghai as needed for the research. After nearly a decade, they finally found concrete evidence of the existence of meridians.
This research initially posited that, given the advanced state of anatomy today, there should be no undiscovered linear or tubular tissues. Therefore, they focused their search on analyzing tissues near the meridians. Due to advancements in modern biomolecular science, the tools and methods available were far more advanced than those twenty years ago. Additionally, the team members were no longer primarily medical experts but rather experts in basic sciences such as chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Starting from the most fundamental laws of matter, their chances of success were particularly high.
Prior to this research, a team in Tianjin had discovered that when acupuncture needles were inserted into acupoints, a large number of calcium ions were generated around the acupoints. The report did not specify where these calcium ions came from. Common sense suggests that calcium in the human body is mainly found in bones, but calcium in bones cannot be released instantaneously upon needle insertion. Therefore, it was hypothesized that there must be a calcium reservoir near the acupoints that can release calcium ions at any time. Finding this calcium reservoir could provide material evidence for the existence of some acupoints.
The team first conducted three-dimensional localization of acupoints on living subjects and observed the actual needle insertion points using MRI equipment. Simultaneously, they prepared a dissected human leg for comparison. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupoints are divided into three layers—Heaven, Human, and Earth—based on depth. During acupuncture, reaching each layer produces a specific sensation: the patient may feel soreness, distension, or numbness, while the practitioner may feel a "sticky needle" sensation. This experiment focused on the Earth layer of the stomach meridian on the leg. After localizing and dissecting the acupoints, they found that all the Earth layer acupoints on the stomach meridian of the lower leg were located on the interosseous membrane between the fibula and tibia, a type of connective tissue previously understood only for its role in connecting tissues in the body.
The team then excised a section of this interosseous membrane and sent it to a physics laboratory for analysis using a proton accelerator. They discovered that seven elements—calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and chromium (Cr)—showed significant differences in concentration between acupoints and non-acupoints, ranging from 40 to 200 times higher. The diameter of an acupoint is about five to eight millimeters, and all these enriched molecules were found only on the surface layer of the interosseous membrane, approximately one micron thick. This was an extremely exciting discovery, marking the first time material evidence of the existence of meridians had been found. From then on, no one could doubt the reality of meridians and acupoints.
Next, the team continued to analyze the structure of this interosseous membrane and found that it was composed of three collagen fibers forming a fiber strand, with five such strands twisted into a bundle. Numerous bundles were then arranged into a sheet-like structure, somewhat resembling the ribbon cables in computers. Further molecular-level analysis of the collagen fibers revealed that they were composed of several different protein molecules, forming a bio-liquid crystal substance.
According to the principles of physics, crystalline materials exhibit unique properties in response to sound, light, electricity, heat, and magnetism. Drawing from past experiments by Shanghai Jiao Tong University on individuals with special abilities, it was known that a significant component of the "energy" emitted by qigong practitioners was far-infrared light of specific wavelengths. Therefore, the team began their physical property testing of the connective tissue by examining its far-infrared light transmittance.Soon, another exciting result was achieved. Experiments demonstrated that collagen fibers exhibit nearly 100% transmittance for far-infrared light in the 9-20 micrometer range along the radial direction, while being almost completely opaque in the transverse direction. This indicates that collagen fibers possess physical properties akin to optical fibers within this frequency range.
Subsequently, from international medical research literature, it was understood that all tissues in the human body, down to individual cells, are connected by at least two collagen fibers. These fibers likely serve as an internal information superhighway within the body. Additionally, the protective membranes surrounding human organs are densely packed with optical fibers. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) divides meridians into primary (Jingmai) and collateral (Luomai) vessels. Jingmai are the main pathways, typically depicted in TCM meridian charts, while Luomai are branches that spread throughout the body, aligning closely with the research findings.
The research paper was first published in March 1998 in China's "Science Bulletin," followed by presentations at the World Health Organization's "Traditional Medicine Symposium" in 2000 and the "Cross-Strait Traditional Chinese Medicine Symposium" in 2001. Although these reports garnered significant attention, the ultimate impact of this research is expected to extend far beyond these initial recognitions.
This evidence of meridians represents only a small part of the research focused on the "earth" level among the three layers of heaven, human, and earth in TCM theory. Beyond this evidence, meridians and acupoints must exhibit other phenomena. Dr. Ding Guanghong, leading a team at Fudan University in Shanghai, later discovered that most capillaries in the human body are irregularly shaped, except near acupoints, where they form regular parallel lines aligned with meridians. Fluid dynamics calculations revealed that a pressure difference between adjacent acupoints creates an interstitial fluid flow field around the capillaries along the meridians. This resembles ocean currents—no pipes, yet water flows. It also parallels the concept of "Wei Qi" (defensive energy) described in the *Huangdi Neijing*, where "Rong Qi" (nutritive energy) corresponds to blood in vessels, and the discovered interstitial flow field may represent Wei Qi. This research is ongoing, but current technological limitations make it challenging to observe this phenomenon directly in living subjects. In deceased bodies, once blood pressure ceases, meridians no longer function, making observation impossible. This remains the greatest difficulty in meridian research: understanding subtle changes in living systems.
These unique phenomena near meridians suggest that the human meridian system is not merely an ancient Chinese conceptualization. As technology advances, more evidence of meridians will likely emerge. For instance, evidence of meridians at the "heaven" and "human" levels remains to be discovered by scientists.
The process of biological evolution began with single-celled organisms. In early, simpler life forms, many lacked brains but possessed connective tissue (the earliest meridian-like structures discovered by the research team). Brains are organs found in more advanced organisms. This observation suggests that the regulation and control of human organ functions may not solely depend on the brain but could be directly managed by the meridian system.
Using modern computer terminology, the human body may not be a single-computer-controlled system but rather a network of multiple computers connected by a high-speed communication network, with the brain akin to a CEO's terminal in a corporate network. This also explains why, in our ancestors' classification of the body's organs, the "five zang" (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys) and "six fu" (small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, bladder, and triple burner) were included, while the brain was notably omitted.Modern medicine is built on the foundation of anatomy. The meridian system, during the era when anatomy was developing, was not visible due to the limitations of technological capabilities. It wasn't until the end of the last century that human technology had just begun to uncover partial evidence of meridians. If, as we speculate, "meridians are the information superhighways within the human body," then traditional anatomy might have missed the most crucial part of the human body. This is akin to observing a tree and seeing only the leaves but not the trunk; or dissecting a computer and seeing only some of the hardware, assuming that's all there is to the computer, unaware of the existence of software, let alone the concept of the internet.
The decline of traditional Chinese medicine today is largely due to the modern teaching methods in Chinese medicine schools. Students are first taught a superficial understanding of anatomy, which implants in their minds a human body structure devoid of meridians. When they are later taught about meridians and acupoints, their minds are filled with doubts, making it difficult for them to truly grasp the essence of Chinese medicine.
With the emergence of material evidence for meridians, it is foreseeable that this will have a significant impact on the entire medical community in the near future. Traditional anatomy will need to be adjusted accordingly, and the entire modern medical system based on anatomy will inevitably undergo substantial changes.
The diagram shows the content of various elements on the surface of the interosseous membrane at acupoint locations, while the figure below shows the content at non-acupoint locations. Among these, argon is a constant. Compared to the various elements in the next figure, the elements at acupoints are at least an order of magnitude higher than those at non-acupoints.
Source: "The User's Manual for the Human Body" Part One, Chapter Two.
2021/11/17 06:33