Neil Blacklock
D.Ac.,R.Ac.
Doctor
of Acupuncture
D.Ac.,
M.Sc. Acupuncture (UK), B.Sc. (Hons), Dip Ac, CBT, DHP, MBAcC
Abstract
The
study investigated whether it was possible to directly image Qi
using the GDV technique1 (an advanced form of Kirlian
Photography).
Two
special acupuncture channels were investigated, namely the Du Mai
(Governor Vessel) and Ren Mai (Conception Vessel). The hypothesis
was that the Qi of these vessels might be photographed at the the
index fingertip. It was proposed that a holographic image of the
whole body might be mapped onto the index fingertip. Thus, the two
major vessels that are considered by Traditional Chinese Medicine
to run along the mid-line of the front and back of the body (Ren
and Du Mai respectively) might then be mapped onto the medial and
lateral sides respectively of the fingertip. Fractality Quotients
were calculated for the lateral and medial sides of the fingertip
corona. Results showed that 70% of subjects (n=10) displayed a
reduction in fractality (increased uniformity, wholeness) in the
‘Target’ vessel when it was opened. 60% of subjects displayed
an increase (reduction in uniformity, wholeness) in the fractality
quotient in the Target meridian when the ‘Control’ meridian
was opened. The study therefore demonstrated it is possible to
identify the presence of two meridians at the fingertip, that
these are the Du Mai and Ren Mai and that they function in an
energetically mutually supportive manner.
Introduction
Over
the years, two primary areas of difficulty have consistently
plagued researchers into Kirlian Photography. It has always been
notoriously difficult to, firstly, obtain reliable and
standardised results with Kirlian Photography primarily because of
the wide variety of equipment being used and, secondly, to define
exactly what it is that is imaged. The first of these difficulties
has largely been overcome in recent years through the development
of computer software to analyse the Kirlian-type fingertip coronas
as produced by the GDV technique. Having investigated the second
issue, this study proposes that, through the use of acupuncture,
it is in fact Qi (or more accurately, Jing) which is imaged in
Kirlian photographs.
For the purposes of this study it is useful to briefly examine how
ancient Chinese philosophy viewed Qi and to have an understanding
of the more relevant qualities of a special group of channels
known as the ‘Eight Extraordinary Vessels’.
Understanding
Qi
Qi
(pronounced chee) is understood in Traditional Chinese Medicine to
be the basis of life and movement (O’Connor, 1981) and has
variously been translated as ‘energy’, ‘material force’,
‘vital force’, ‘life force’, ‘moving power’, etc. (Maciocia,
1989). Everything in the universe, organic and inorganic, is
composed of and defined by its Qi. Qi has been described as “matter
on the verge of becoming energy, or energy at the point of
materialising” (Kaptchuk, 1983). Qi functions to animate the
body. Chinese philosophers considered the body itself to be the
product of the interaction of the Qi of Heaven and the Qi of
Earth. The 'Simple Questions' in Chapter 25 says: “A human being
results from the Qi of Heaven and Earth. The union of the Qi of
Heaven and Earth is called the human being”. The concept is very
similar in nature to the formation of holographic interference
patterns as discussed later. Within the body Qi flows through an
invisible network of ‘meridians’ or ‘channels’. Disease is
reflected in the nature of the Qi flowing in the channels, for
example, Chapter 1 of the Simple Questions indicates that where
there is no circulation of Qi there is pain. A primary aim of
acupuncture, therefore, is to regulate the flow of Qi in the
channels and organs (ZangFu) so as to restore balance to the body
as a whole.
The
Eight Extraordinary Vessels
The
meridian system is made up of a number of discrete ‘groups’ of
channels -the more well known are the ‘twelve regular channels’2
, however the two ‘meridians’ used in this study (the Du Mai
and Ren Mai) are two of a special group known as the ‘Eight
Extraordinary Vessels’. These vessels do not have direct links
to the organs of the ZangFu system but have their own special
characteristics such as correcting structural problems and
imbalances, the regulation of growth cycles and, of most relevance
to this study, a unique ability to function as energetic
reservoirs and to transport a special kind of Qi known as Jing
around the body.
Reservoirs
Rather
than acting a conduits or channels ‘transporting’ Qi around
the body the Extraordinary vessels act more as reservoirs (hence
the name of ‘vessels’ rather than ‘channels’). While the
twelve regular channels act as ‘rivers’ of energy to irrigate
the organs and tissues with Qi and Blood, the Eight Extraordinary
Vessels function as reservoirs, storing and feeding energy into
the twelve organ channels as required, or taking up the overflow
when they get overloaded,
“When there are heavy rains, canals and ditches are full to the
brim… similarly the Eight Extraordinary vessels are left out of
the channel-system so that they can take the overflow from the
main channels “.
(Classic of Difficulties, Chapter 27)
Circulation
of Jing
The
Extraordinary vessels also circulate a kind of energy, or Essence,
known as Jing around the body. Jing is a deeper level essence that
is related to our constitutional energy. Jing is associated more
with slow developmental change and growth in the body from the
beginnings of life in the womb and, ultimately, to death. The
source of pre-natal Jing is the primal creative force of the
universe and at birth this essence is stored in the kidneys.
Clinical
experience
During
my clinical work as an acupuncturist I often use Kirlian
Photography to take shots of patient’s fingertips both before
and after treatment. These photographs almost always invariably
show an increase in both brightness and coronal integrity
following acupuncture treatment (see Figure 1). Gaps in coronas
more often than not reduce significantly in size or disappear
altogether.
Over time, there appeared to be a consistent correlation between
the location of the gaps and the presenting pathology of the
patient. Patients who came with disorders that related to organs
sited in the front of the body (thoracic and abdominal regions)
tended to show gaps in the medial side of their corona. Similarly,
patients with primarily musculoskeletal problems, specifically in
the back, displayed gaps in the lateral side of their index finger
tip coronas.
More
work was necessary, therefore, to determine what mechanism was at
work that enables such a correlation to be made. How is it that an
image of the whole body can be mapped onto the corona at the
fingertip? The study proposed that it is the holographic3 nature
of Qi that allows such a mapping. Qi (specifically in the Ren and
Du Mai) is the connecting medium that allows the fingertip coronas
to be used as diagnostic images reflecting the presence of
imbalance and disease. No other obvious connecting medium
(acupuncture channels, nerves, blood vessels, sinews, fascia etc)
between ‘source’ and ‘target’ areas can be identified.
There is nothing physical, neurological or biochemical that
appears to connect, for example, the back and the lateral side of
the index finger tip corona.
Qi, the hologram
Pathology
in a particular area of the body, for example, the back, can only
be reflected in distortions or gaps in the finger tip corona
because Qi at that location contains the sum total of all the
information contained in the Qi of the body as a whole. It is
natural to assume, therefore, that information about all imbalance
and disease throughout the body may be accessed in the corona
produced by the Qi of the fingertip. In fact, because Qi is
everywhere in the body, according to the principle of holography
(the Qi at any point in the body contains the information of the
whole body), any part of the body may therefore be used to
determine the health (or lack) of any other part of the body.
Our
ability to use this principle in diagnosis and treatment of
disease is limited only by the structure, size and accessibility
of such ‘target zones’. The relatively recent development of
Micro Systems Acupuncture which uses specific areas of the body to
both diagnose and treat pathology elsewhere in the body is based
on the principle of holography, eg. in 1972 researchers in the
People’s Republic of China mapped the body onto the ear based on
Nogier’s Ear acupuncture system (Dale, 1974).
Other systems include nose, face, scapula, hand and head
acupuncture even the underside of the tongue. One seemingly
popular system is Dr. Zhang’s ECIWO Biology (Embryo Containing
the Information of the Whole Organism) which mainly uses the first
metacarpal bone (but can also use other long bones in the body)
for both diagnosis and treatment of disease. Because it would be
difficult (and very painful!) to use the fingertip region for
treatment it cannot strictly be classed as a Microsystem
Acupuncture. And while Microsystem acupuncture requires that the
same location/area be used for both diagnosis and treatment,
nevertheless, the fingertip has proved a very effective and
convenient region for in energy based diagnosis (see the work of
Prof. Korotkov and colleagues).
Acupuncture
systems based on the principle of holography that use specific,
clearly defined sites on the body to diagnose and treat diseases
elsewhere in the body have increased in popularity over the years.
While there is a great deal of evidence supporting the fact that
such treatments do work (for example, the ‘5 point protocol’
in auricular acupuncture for drug and alcohol withdrawal has
proven very effective) there is little to explain how they
actually work.
The
purpose of the study, therefore, was to investigate the
feasibility of mapping a holographic image of the whole body onto
the corona and to determine which acupuncture meridians (if any)
were involved.
Method
Subjects
(n=10), five male and five female, were used in the study. A ‘crossover’
type procedure was used whereby each subject was used as their own
‘control’. For each subject the finger tip of the right index
finger was divided into two halves (Sectors) with a vertical line
by the Crown TV software. Both sides of the corona (lateral and
medial Sectors) were then quantified individually and then
compared in terms of their degree of fractality, i.e. how broken
up and non-uniform they were. The lower the fractality figure (the
lower the better) the more uniform and ‘whole’ would be the
corona. The medial and lateral Sectors were considered to
correspond to the Ren Mai and Du Mai respectively.
Procedure
1.
GDV photograph taken of right index finger.
2. Corona mapped with two sectors corresponding to Ren (medial
side) and Du
Mai (lateral side).
3. Base line fractality scores were obtained and compared for both
meridians.
• The meridian with the higher fractality score was labelled ‘Target’,
the one with lower fractality score was labelled ‘Control’.
4. Control meridian opened4
• GDV photograph taken.
• Target and Control meridian fractality scores obtained.
5. Target meridian opened.
• GDV photograph taken.
• Target and Control meridian fractality scores obtained.
The
side of the corona that was the most ‘complete’ (least
fragmented) was labelled as the Control5 . The side of the corona
that showed the higher degree of fractality (most fragmented) was
labelled as the ‘Target’ sector.
In terms of acupuncture, a highly fragmented corona, with
inconsistencies in colour and intensity, reduced in size and
possibly with gaps is likely to indicate a meridian that is out of
balance or deficient in some way. Similarly, a meridian that is
full and balanced will produce a corona with no gaps and will be
comparatively uniform appearance, colour and intensity.
Results
Activation
of all Extraordinary Vessels is performed by the insertion of an
acupuncture needle into the meridian’s ‘Master’ and
(optionally) ‘Coupled’ points. This then ‘opens’ the
meridian.
It was found that:
1. when the Target vessel was opened, its GDV image showed a clear
increase in uniformity (decreased fractality) in 7 out of 10
subjects (70%). This was a mean increase in uniformity of 528.6%
over all subjects.
2. when the Control meridian was opened6 , 60% of Subjects showed
a negative change in uniformity (increased fractality) in the
Target meridian. This represented a mean decrease in uniformity of
6.36%.
3. following additional quantitative computer analysis, important
additional coefficients such as ‘brightness’ and ‘size’ of
the corona increased in both the Control and Target meridians on
opening the Target meridian.
From analysis of the results of 1 and 2 above it was found that
the energy (Qi) at the finger tip exhibited the following three
types of response when the specific opening points of the Du and
Ren Mai were used:
• differential response
• point-meridian specific response
• reservoir response
Differential
Response
To
identify the existence of two relatively separate meridians at the
finger each has to respond in a unique way when opened. If, as
predicted by the experiment’s hypothesis, it is possible to
image the energy of an Extraordinary meridian at the finger tip
then it should be possible to elicit a different response
according to which meridian was actually opened. A generalised
response (undifferentiated changes in uniformity) across both
Sectors would therefore indicate an absence of more than one
identifiable meridian. In other words, if one meridian is opened,
its sister meridian should either remain unaffected or respond
differently.
The experiment did in fact show opposite sides of the same corona,
in the same subject, responded differently depending on which
meridian was opened. This, therefore, supported the objective of
being able to target a particular Extraordinary vessel by opening
its own ‘activation’ points. We were therefore able to
identify the presence of two discrete energetic entities, that is,
two separately functioning meridians because of this differential
response.
Point-Meridian
Specific Response
Activating
opening points that are specific to a particular meridian should
open that meridian only. Opening one meridian should have no (or a
minimal) effect on any another. In the study it was found that
both meridians did in fact respond differently to activation of
their own specific opening points. For example, when the Target
was opened, and this could have been either the Ren or Du Mai,
most Subjects (70%) showed an increase in uniformity in that
particular meridian. This ‘return to balance’ is how an
Extraordinary meridian would be expected to respond to opening (a
weaker, more imbalanced meridian should show a greater degree of
change than one which is more balanced on opening). Both meridians
responded directly to opening their own related points, but to
differing degrees.
The meridian that showed the greatest degree of fragmentation,
(most out of balance and least uniform) was selected as the Target
meridian. And it was this meridian which showed the greatest
improvement (from a baseline to a final figure). Table 1 shows the
amount of change in each meridian when both its sister and itself
were opened.
From
the results it is clear there was comparatively little change any
of the meridians when they were opened except the Target (which
was the meridian which was most out of balance). Traditional
Chinese medicine tells us that we can open the Du and Ren Mai
individually with their own specific Master and Couple points. If
these meridians are represented holographically in the energy at
the fingertip then a different degree of change between the pair
should be seen when one is opened dependent on the meridian’s
original condition. The results given in the table above shows
this to be the case.
The
difference in the degree of change when comparing the Target
meridian’s response when the Target was opened (528.6%) and the
Control response when the Control was opened (-18.38%) may be
explained simply by the fact that the meridian which requires most
Qi gets it and the idea that an Extraordinary vessel “... will
only respond when there is a related imbalance…” (Matsumoto
& Birch, 1986). The Control meridian was relatively balanced
and therefore required, comparatively speaking, less additional
Qi, in fact it appeared to have some to spare, hence the resulting
reduction in its own Qi.
Reservoir
Response
As
described earlier, an important function of the Eight
Extraordinary Vessels is to act as ‘reservoirs’, taking excess
energy away and feeding energy into the 12 regular channels when
necessary. The results indicate that the meridians imaged at the
fingertip were not only able to function in this way but were also
acting as reservoirs of Qi in a mutually supportive fashion
between themselves.
An unexpected but highly significant result was the apparent ‘loss’
of Qi in the Target when its sister meridian (the Control) was
opened. The experiment was primarily interested in seeing whether
it was possible to isolate the effect of opening a specific Target
meridian. However when the results were analysed it was clear that
not only did the Target values increase when it was opened (as was
predicted) but that when its sister channel was opened the Target
values actually decreased. This would therefore indicate that
there is some kind of mutual energetic support occurring between
these two meridians. When the stronger meridian (the Control) was
opened its sister meridian (the Target) lost some of its Qi; when
the Target itself was opened it gained a tremendous amount of Qi.
This
result appears to indicate that not only will a meridian respond
when there is energetic imbalance but that a meridian will also
match the level of its response to the degree of that imbalance.
The amount of support between meridians is clearly matched to
need. The results showed that when the Target meridian was opened
its degree of uniformity changed, on average, in a positive
direction whereas when the Control meridian was opened the Target
changed in a negative direction. In other words, when the Control
was opened the Target meridian uniformity, decreased by some 6%
suggesting the Target actually ‘gave up’ some of its Qi to the
Control. The Control being relatively more in balance and complete
required less Qi and therefore drew less on the Target. The Target
being most out of balance and therefore requiring most Qi drew the
most and accordingly increased its level by a factor in excess of
500%
Additionally, and as a comparison, the Control meridian showed
only a 21.58% degree of positive change after opening the Target.
Reasoning along the lines above, the Control had a lower Qi
requirement (because it was more in balance than the Target) and
the Target had comparatively less Qi available and so the Control
experienced only a 21% increase compared to the weaker Target’s
improvement of over 500%. Furthermore, a much lower degree of
response (if any at all) would be expected from the Control on
activating the Target meridian’s opening points.
Therefore,
not only was it possible to identify two discrete meridians at the
fingertip but that these meridians showed evidence of mutually
supportive reservoirs of Qi, a quality unique to the Extraordinary
vessels.
Finally, Result 3 above indicated that the ‘brightness’ and
‘size’ of the corona increased in both the Control and Target
meridians after the Target meridian was opened. This was a largely
expected result as from experience just about any healing ‘procedure’
(acupuncture, Reiki, massage, etc.) nearly always produces
brighter and larger coronas.
Summary
To
summarise therefore, the results presented appear to demonstrate Kirlian Photography (in the form of the GDV technique) is
able to image the ‘Qi’ (Jing) of the Du Mai and Ren Mai at the
index finger tip. This is possible because we can get a
differential response between both Sectors (meridians), we can
selectively target either meridian using its own opening points
and there is evidence that these meridians clearly behave as
Extraordinary vessels in that they function primarily as energetic
reservoirs.
In conclusion, therefore, because of its apparent ability to image
Qi, its imbalances, deficiencies and distortions, as demonstrated
by this study, Kirlian Photography has enormous potential as an
effective diagnostic tool and as a useful adjunct to the practice
of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
This
study has demonstrated it is possible to image Qi and to observe
how it changes, moves and adapts under the influence of
acupuncture.
The energy around the fingertip appears to function
in same way as does the Qi (Jing) of the Extraordinary vessels.
There does appear to be some correlation with Dr Korotkov’s work
in Russia. Much more work needs to be done, however, in order to
develop energetic coronal maps, particularly of the Zangfu, which
are accurate enough for consistent and reliable diagnosis and,
therefore, effective acupuncture treatment.
In the words of the Su Wen:
To
wait for the illness to develop
Before remedying it,
For the disorder to form
Before taking care of it,
Is to wait until one is thirsty
Before digging the well,
To wait for the battle
Before forging the weapons.
Is this not too late?
Research
Implications
It
is interesting that there are many regions of the body, perhaps an
infinite number, that lend themselves to ‘holographic whole body
mapping’. How many are there? What are the minimum physical
parameters and qualities of such regions? Which regions facilitate
the most accurate diagnoses and which regions are most effective
for treatment. Is it necessary diagnosis and treatment regions to
be the same to be successful, if at all? Can regions be
energetically defined and therefore accurately mapped out? Are
some regions better at diagnosing (and treating) specific diseases
than others or are all regions (as would be predicted by the
holographic paradigm) diagnostically generic in nature. Do some
regions have an energetic bias towards some diseases and how much
does the practitioner influence such energetic bias?
We
see what we want to see and perceive only that which we are able.
We live and work in a sea of energy. As practitioners and
researchers, when working with energy we are often in danger of
seeing only what it is we want to see and our understanding is
limited by our tools of enquiry.
This
study has clearly shown it is possible to map the two major Extraordinary Vessels
the Du and Ren Mai onto the corona at the fingertip. The quality
of Qi in the Du and Ren Mai can now be assessed by
examination of the corona surrounding the forefinger. As a
consequence of this it is probably safe to make diagnostic
assumptions regarding those aspects of health which are governed
by these two meridians.
The
research however has raised may further questions worthy of
examination. For example, do such investigations
into old and new mappings in some way mould the ‘Qi’ of such
zones into diagnostically useful entities by the action of
investigation and enquiry? Do these structures pre-exist in their
own right or are they created by our intent? Are such mappings
simply keys that decode the energetic hologram which is enfolded
into all parts of the body? By decoding a small part of the
hologram it is therefore possible to access information of the
whole body. Perhaps our ability to tune in and access such
information is entirely dependent the quality of our intent and
focus. Everything is available to us, it seems, as long as we know
where and how to look.
To see the World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
(From: “Auguries of Innocence”, William Blake.)
References
and further reading:
Dale,
R.A. (1974) The Microacupuncture systems. (The Amer. J. Acupun.,4,1,
7-24)
Maciocia, G. (1989) The Foundations of Chinese Medicine
(Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone).
Korotkov, K. (1998a) Aura and Conciousness (St. Petersburg, State
Editing and Publishing Unit Kultura).
Korotkov, K. (1998b) Light After Life (New Jersey, Backbone
Publishing Company).
Zhang, Y. (1990) Progress in ECIWO Biology and Its Applications to
Medicine and Biology in: T. Ang (Ed) Proceedings of the First
International Congress of ECIWO Biology (Singapore, Higher
Education Press
1
The 12 regular charnels correspond to, and are named after the 12
Yin and Yang organs of the bodythus: Yin Organs = Lung, Heart,
Pericardium, Liver, Kidney and Spleen. Yang Organs = Large
Intestine, Small Intestine, San Jiao, Gall Bladder, Bladder,
Stomach. For more details see Maciocia (Maciocia, 1989).
2 The 12 regular charnels correspond to, and are named after the
12 Yin and Yang organs of the body thus: Yin Organs = Lung, Heart,
Pericardium, Liver, Kidney and Spleen. Yang Organs = Large
Intestine, Small Intestine, San Jiao, Gall Bladder, Bladder,
Stomach. For more details see Maciocia (Maciocia, 1989).
3 Holography is the study of three-dimensional images created
using coherent (laser) light waves that create an ‘interference’
pattern. The image created is called a ‘hologram’. Each
portion of a hologram (down to a lower limit) contains within it
an image of the whole hologram
4 An Extraordinary meridian is opened by inserting acupuncture
needles into meridian specific Master (and, optionally) Couple
points. The Du Mai opening points are SI-3 + BL-62 and the Ren Mai
points are Lu-7 + Kid-6. These can be needled bilaterally but the
more usual practice of needling the points unilaterally and
according to the sex of the subject was followed m this study.
5 The Control meridian was not used in the strict scientific sense
of the word. Normally no experimental procedure would be applied
to the Control but in this case it was used in a comparative and
secondary fashion to the Target meridian.
6 The Control meridian was opened and Target scores were obtained
in order to examine the effect on one meridian (the Target) of
opening another (the Control). If there are two meridians present
at the fingertip the Target (and Control) should respond
differently depending on whether the Target or Control is opened.
Summary
of Paper
presented at LifeElectric99
May 1999 in Edmonton, Canada.
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