All in the Family: A Chinese Meridian Perspective

The body is an organic whole. This means that all of its parts relate to and interact with other parts. The engineers in the audience may have to correct me, but an organic system stands in contrast to an inorganic system by virtue of the sheer degree of possible interactions of a live system, as opposed to a closed, mechanical system. The urinary, respiratory, and circulatory systems, for example, are interacting. However, in so-called Western medicine, these systems are viewed discretely. In fact, specialization orients the acquisition of knowledge with ever greater specificity at the cost of the whole. By contrast and even in circumstances where a doctor of Chinese medicine specializes, Chinese medicine necessarily seeks to establish relationships between the various systems and organs of the body. Interestingly, the language used to establish these interactive dynamics is framed in terms of familial relationships. Hence, a tip of the hat to "ole Awchie" wherever he is, as we embark for the next few missives upon a novel discussion about family dynamics as it relates to Chinese Meridian Theory.