Detecting The Body's Subtle Energy
In the ancient art of Chinese Medicine, which acupuncture and acupressure are based on, the body is said to be crisscrossed by a network of energy lines, called meridians, that connect the various organs of the body to each other. These meridians have been mapped out over thousands of years of study and when a health problem appears, Chinese Medicine says it is because Chi, or the body’s vital life force, is blocked in a certain meridian, and must be unclogged to continue its natural flow. Thus the art of acupuncture uses needles in the skin to accumulate energy in that meridian area so that it can break through the blockage.
A surprisingly similar tradition of health care can also be found in India under the name of Ayurvedic medicine. Instead of meridians, however, Ayurveda describes energy lines called nadis, which literally translates as “rivers,” which flow with the Hindu version of Chi, Prana.
Dr Hiroshi Motoyama, a Japanese scientist holding multiple PhD’s, has devoted his life’s research to proving the existence of these energy pathways within the context of contemporary Western medicine. To do so he has developed a machine called an AMI device (apparatus for meridian identification) which reads the galvanic electrical impedance in the skin of the fingertips, much like a lie detector test, to read the flow of energy through the meridians of the body. The device is capable of creating a graphic representation of how much energy is flowing in each energetic system, and if there are any extremes, wether too much energy or too little, appropriate therapies can be prescribed to correct the imbalance.
Because an energetic balance is indispensable to good health, the ideal is to have an even flow of energy through all meridians. This can be accomplished by various stretching and flexibility exercises, like those found in Yoga or Tai Chi. In fact, the reason these traditional exercises were developed was for that exact purpose, to bring about a healthy energy balance in the body.
At the California Institute For Human Science in Encinitas, California, technicians trained in the use of Dr. Motoyoma’s AMI device offer body scans. By understanding which meridians are experiencing energy flow issues, patients are able to pinpoint which Yoga Asanas or other stretching exercises will releive their symptoms. Or they can take this information to an acupuncturist, naturopath, or other Dr trained in alternative medicine, who understands meridians, and receive appropriate treatment.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Charles Hutchins