Also when working on a person why does the heart rate slow down? We know that normally cardiac muscle contracts rhythmically without nervous stimulation. The pace is controlled by the autonomic nerves supplying a microscopic group of cells in the upper wall of the right atrium near the entry of the superior vena cava called the sinoatrial node. This area is supplied with parasympathetic fibres from the vagus nerves (tenth cranial nerve) and sympathetic fibres from the cardiac plexus and both end at this point, again receiving this dual stimulation. When stimulated each releases a different neurotransmitter; parasympathetic stimulation releases acetylcholine, slowing the heart rate, and sympathetic stimulation releases adrenaline and noradrenaline, speeding up the heart rate so the rate and depth of breathing are also increased. When working on the reflex points that correspond with these organs the body’s systems know whether the heart needs a boost or needs to be calmed down.
Pressure is known to relieve pain. Fitzgerald spoke of how he induced a state of inhibition throughout a zone when he used pressure, and then many of the pathological processes would disappear. He said, ‘We know lymphatic relaxation follows pressure’. He was repeatedly being called upon to expand on the theory of zone therapy and he stood by the idea that certain control centres in the medulla oblongata are stimulated, or more shocked, when pressure is applied to corresponding areas; alterations in function are then carried out by the pituitary body secretions affecting the many nerve pathways. He believed man to be of chemical formation but controlled by electrical energy and vibration. When Fitzgerald was in Europe he must have come into contact with many articles and papers that were published in those days, by the many neurologists who were studying the disorders of the nervous system.
Fitzgerald stated in his book Zone Therapy that manipulation of the fingers or hand over any injured place prevents a condition known as venous stasis, a state in which the injured surface becomes discoloured. Pressure helps inhibition of the nerve pathways to the brain; also when applied over any bony prominence that corresponds to the location of injury it will tend to relieve pain. If the pressure is correct and long enough it will produce a condition of anaesthesia. This is what led to the discovery of zone analgesia. Fitzgerald also emphasised that it made a difference whether the upper, lower or side surfaces of the joint were pressed. He stated that this pressure therapy had a great advantage over any other method of pain relief because this zone pressure not only relieved the pain, it also removed the cause of pain, no matter where it originated from.
The philosophy of acupuncture and acupressure relies on the connection between a specific area on the skin and a specific organ (see chapter 1). Traditionally these are through the meridian pathways that link the organs. According to some TCM authors, these meridians are not the same as the neural pathways; however, that is a theory expounded by some Western acupuncturists. For example, according to Dr Felix Mann in Acupuncture, How it is Used Today: ‘Nowadays acupuncture can be explained by a wave of electrical depolarisation that travels along a nerve’. This author also refers to the similarity between the TCM idea of Qi transmission along the meridians being like water flowing along a river bed, and the propagation of a nerve impulse along a nerve. Further on in the same book he states:
The mechanism of acupuncture is elusive. Nevertheless, I have developed the following theory which I think will soon be generally recognised as the scientific basis of acupuncture – albeit with modifications and considerable clarification in detail.
If a patient has a pain in the head or neck, it may under certain circumstances be alleviated in one second, by putting an acupuncture needle into the correct acupuncture point in the foot. This speed of conduction, from one end of the body to the other, is only possible in the nervous system. It would take about half a minute for the blood to flow such a distance, and the lymphatic system is even slower.
Acupuncture is based on the fact that stimulating the skin has an effect on the internal organs and other parts of the body.
Many of the meridians follow the line of a nerve, so the neural pathways must be involved; the above theory is open to conjecture, but the evidence is almost conclusive. The same hypothesis is appropriate for reflexology. By stimulating the precise point a response is felt in the body. In an example that Dr Mann gave, if a person had a headache one would work on the brain reflex and head-related areas; the trigeminal nerve reflex has a definite effect on head-related problems, and these points are on the big toe. Also the liver reflex would be worked as the toxin levels would be quite high; this point is on the plantar area of the foot, but there is no meridian depicted here, showing that the response obtained is from the nerve pathways.
Looking at each meridian in detail reveals that many of them follow nerve pathways; these connect with all the structures along their course: the bones and the deeper muscular branches of their respective muscles, organs, arteries and veins. Thus the pathway could be seen as a direct line to the area of the problem and everything connecting with this pathway is potentially helped. Also, a particular nerve pathway goes in one direction, but a two-way transmission is set up through returning nerve pathways. The following looks at each meridian in detail, typical associated disorders and the nervous connections.
The Lung meridian
The Lung meridian (figure 2.8) is a Yin channel with 11 points. This meridian originates in the stomach and then communicates with the paired organ, the large intestine. As it ascends it connects with the relevant organ, the lungs, the first surface point on this meridian is above the nipple in the first intercostal space. The meridian then passes to the throat from the chest and clavicle along the radial border of the arm, to the middle of the elbow, back to the radial border descending to the thenar eminence and ends at the thumb on the lateral edge of the nail bed. This channel not only communicates with its paired organ the large intestine, but also associates with the kidneys and stomach. So points on this meridian (e.g. LU-10) will help fluid problems as well; it is ideal for oedema and retention of urine.
The nerve line arises from the lateral cutaneous branches of the first intercostal nerve, the medial and lateral pectoral nerves, median, radial, interosseus and cutaneous nerves of the arm, which then connect with the dorsal digital branches of the palmar digital nerve.
Figure 2.8 The Lung meridian (the dotted line shows how it connects with its paired organ, the large intestine)
Disorders of this meridian, with signs and symptoms, include: chills, fevers, hidrosis, anhidrosis; pain above the clavicle, or in the chest, upper back, shoulder, forearm, elbow, wrist and hand; headaches; any nasal obstruction, asthma, cough, dyspnoea; fever; sore throat; trigeminal neuralgia, or any twitches in the face. The thumb point is helpful for any cerebral congestion, insomnia, headache, or nervous anxiety.
The Large Intestine meridian
The Large Intestine meridian (figure 2.9) is a Yang channel with 20 points. It commences on the tip of the radial side of the index finger. It ascends the arm on the lateral surface up to the shoulder connecting to the cervical spine and the Governing Vessel on the back. From here it descends to the clavicle and communicates directly with the paired organ, the lungs, and passing through the diaphragm it connects with the relevant organ, the large intestine, to terminate on the face near the nose.
Figure 2.9 The Large intestine meridian (the dotted line shows how it communicates with its paired organ the lungs and connects with the large intestine)
The nerve line is along the palmar digital