Case Studies and Meridians

Everyone's body is different, and every body has different complaints, aches and pains. In our [massage therapy] class at the Oriental Healing Arts School of Massage we were able to take our personal complaints and were able to help treat them or subside the issue.

Over a period of time, we were taking massage, acupressure, tai chi and qi gong, as well as our own personal home care such as dieting, exercising, and essential oils to change the complaints that we had.

There were many different types of case studies that were covered, from fatigue to joint pain, previous bone injuries, tiredness, skin problems, and insomnia. All case studies were treated differently according to what acupressure points were right for that person, as well as different types of qi gong for every individual.

The five elements played a big role in defining what a person had a deficiency in or where stagnation was in the body. The five elements all compliment each other, and every organ is is linked to an element. 


What is the 5 element theory?The Five Element theory is based on the observation of the natural cycles and interrelationships in both our environment and within ourselves. The foundation of the theory rests in the correspondences of each element to a variety of phenomena.

Depending on the complaint that the individual had, we were given specific acupressure points to trigger in the one hour relaxation massage. All meridians were covered during the massage yet specific points helped subside the complaint the person had.

Some major meridians are the Bladder meridian, Spleen and Gallbladder meridians, Stomach, and Triple Burner meridians.  Qi gong exercises were also given to the person. In most cases the qi gong exercises that were given were moves that the person felt comfortable with. If your body feels like it needs that type of movement, in many cases it means it is effective. For example a type of Qi Gong for the water element is listed below. 


* Reaching for Heaven and Earth
* Pumping the kidney qi 
* Drawing the bow

Some of the individuals in the case studies were given different kinds of essential oils to use, as well as following a healthier diet that included foods that were beneficial to the complaint. When using multiple tools to help the issue you were able to tell the difference in a short period of time.


The result:
At the end of the treatment sessions you were able to tell dramatic differences right away. Problems that the individuals had were either gone or were mild. The change was fascinating because it not only made you feel better but also look at the issue differently.

Massage is such a great and effective way to help treat many problems someone may have, and with multiple types of massage you are able to subside many problems. 

The Secret

Life has many different secrets that human beings still have to discover. Meridians and their points are one of these secrets. Personally, it made medicine make a lot more sense to me. I have a better understanding of how the body works now that I have learned about meridians and their paths. Meridians are like a map of your body with secret treasure points. Each point corresponds to different organs, which effects your body in different ways.

Everyone wants to be healed from their sickness. It doesn't matter how significant the sickness is, everyone wants to be free of it. It's human nature to want to be healed or want someone else to be healed like a family member or close friend. Meridians are the new hype these days because its a secret map of where your body needs help healing. If one of your meridians are deficient then it's a possibility that maybe the meridian organ its connected to is deficient as well. For instance, if your GB21 (Gallbladder) feels tight and knotted, then it may make your neck or shoulder stiff.

If someone feels dizzy, cold, or has a shortness of breath then they could look up which meridian corresponds to those symptoms. After you have found which meridians help the symptoms then you could massage those points and the symptoms would most likely disappear. This new kind of thinking has really opened my eyes. It's been around for centuries and I had never heard of it before.

I am almost out of massage therapy school and I am glad that they taught us about meridians and their points. This is information that I will use for the rest of my life because it makes sense that your whole body is connected. So, if a certain organ isn't up to par it would definitely have an effect on other areas of the body. Something about disease made a lot more sense and gave me hope for the future. Learning about meridians was another puzzle piece to my big picture of life.