JULY 2006 RESONANCE ARTICLES

The Heart Governs Sweat / Bad News About Antiperspirants / How To Choose An Acupuncture Point / Heart Facts / Why Are Some Chinese Terms Capitalized

THE HEART GOVERNS SWEAT
“The Heart Governs Sweat” is one of the 6 stated functions of the Heart in Chinese medicine. Although this may sound surprising to most people who are not familiar with Chinese medicine, even more surprising may be the amount of discussion Chinese medicine has pertaining to sweating.

On a physical level, sweating has to do with the balance between the Wei Qi and the Ying Qi. Wei Qi is coarse defensive Qi that circulates superficially in the muscles and skin. Ying Qi is refined Qi that circulates deeper through the regular meridians. The topic to which these pertain is external pernicious influences, one of the 3 causes of disease in Chinese medicine (the internal causes are the emotions, the external causes are the weather, and the neither internal nor external causes are diet/lifestyle, trauma, and several miscellaneous factors). These pernicious influences are wind, cold, damp, heat, summer heat, and dryness. They enter the surface of the body through the skin and penetrate the acupuncture points, meridians, tissues and organs. The presence or absence of sweating, along with its nature, location, prevalent time of day, and amount, reveal information about both the nature of the pathogen and the defensive Qi of the body. For example, if a person experiences simultaneous chills and fever, along with body aches and an absence of sweating, this indicates a cold invasion (there are many further differentiations of types). If there is sweating, and the sweating does not relieve the illness, this still indicates a cold invasion but with a dysregulation of Wei and Ying Qi. A weakness in the body’s defensive layer permits leakage of sweat from the pores. Herbal formulas for this type of imbalance are centered on Cinnamon Twig Soup.

I mention this formula because it is a good way of leading into a discussion of internally induced sweating disorders. In the context of a Heart imbalance, the same mechanism that causes a person to sweat when they are sick is the same mechanism that causes a person to sweat when they are nervous. That is, dysregulation of the Ying and Wei. In particular, this is a function of the Pericardium and Triple Heater, two of the other fire element organs. These two organs act like gates around the Heart. In health, they are able to spontaneously open and close to regulate the Ying and the Wei – they keep out what needs to be kept out, let in what needs to be let in, keep in what needs to be kept in, and let out what needs to be let out. They form barriers, and regulate the aspect of our fire that encounters the world. Sweating disorders indicate a fire imbalance, a problem with the Heart’s ability to constrain fluids, and possibly an issue related to contact.

Cinnamon twig formulas treat a personality type where excessive or deficient contact is apparent. Thus, the person might be very outgoing, or else shy. A common modification to Cinnamon Twig Soup is to add oyster shell and dragon bone (fossilized wooly mammoth bones), thereby adding an astringing component to the formula. This formula falls under the interesting category of formulas that stabilize and bind. Here, formulas that treat all types of leakage can be found.

Said another way, Qi has five functions in the body. It transforms, transports, warms, protects and holds. Heart Qi holds sweat. Too much sweating is a sign of deficient Heart Qi, and lack of sweating is sign of constrained Heart Qi. Excessive perspiration damages the Qi and wastes the fluids of the body. It is one of the types of leakages of vital fluids that should always be treated quickly. Proper sweating with heat or exercise is considered normal. All of this is why the Chinese say that the Heart governs sweat.

BAD NEWS ABOUT ANTIPERSPIRANTS
If you have read the above article on sweating, it should be apparent that normal sweating is an important bodily function that should not be artificially altered. The Heart channel begins at the center of the armpit with Heart 1, Jiquan, or Supreme Source. Blocking the mechanism of sweating here directly blocks the Heart channel. Furthermore, this point is the entry point to the Heart channel from the Spleen channel. Qi flows through the meridians in a set cycle, following the order of Lung – Large Intestine – Stomach – Spleen – Heart – Small Intestine – Bladder – Kidney – Pericardium – Triple Heater – Gall Bladder – Liver – Lung. Blocking the flow of Qi into the Heart channel may back up Qi into the Spleen channel. In the region of the body where the Spleen and Heart channels connect, the Spleen channel runs through the lymphatic system. Blocking the flow of Qi here can result in nodulation and sluggish lymphatic drainage.

Although deodorants do not back up the meridians directly, it seems worthwhile to say something about them. Commercial deodorants contain ingredients that kill bacteria under the armpits in much the same way that antibiotics kill bacteria in the intestines. A healthy balance of bacteria will actually reduce the odor produced by some of the organisms on the skin. The more a chemical deodorant is used, the more that bacterial imbalance takes place, and the more that odor is produced. Thus, more deodorant is needed.

In the case of both antiperspirants and deodorants, at the very least, both products tend to contain a host of known toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. In particular, there has been a good deal of discussion around two issues. One is aluminum toxicity. The other is the estrogen-like effects of certain compounds that are commonly used in these products. Both of these are especially important concerns for women. Chemicals absorb into the skin more readily when the armpits are shaved. Also, the fatty tissue of the breasts more readily stores these compounds.

There a large number of natural deodorants available. They are not as harsh as chemical deodorants, and do not cause the problems described above. My personal favorite is Alvera Aloe Roll-On Deodorant. I have used the product for 20 years, and it is composed primarily of aloe and water. Most health food stores will carry this or one of the many other natural brands available.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN ACUPUNCTURE POINT
People often ask me what the points are for while I am needling them. There is no easy answer to this question, as understanding the function of acupuncture points requires understanding all of Chinese medicine. The best answer is that the points being needled are for the person – they are in resonance with that person’s energetic make-up. The person, the illness, the diagnosis, and the treatment, all the same.

Having said that, one way of speaking about acupuncture points (and there are many) is to say that all of the points on a channel have some relation to the functions of the organ system it is named after. Thus, all of the points on the Heart and Small Intestine meridians (both fire element organs) in some way deal with aspects of the Heart that are discussed in this newsletter. As an example, take the last point on the Small intestine channel – SI 19, Tingong, or Listening Palace.

Located right in front of the ear, this point is used to treat ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing, and jaw pain. But there are many points that treat these issues. This point is used when the underlying theme is difficulty in sorting. The person may be burdened with information and unable to sort through it, creating an obstruction to accurate perception and communication that leads to an accumulation of heat and tension in the region of the ear and jaw. This imbalance may also manifest as digestive difficulties in the small intestine. Needling this point helps a person learn to listen inwardly, imparting the quality of detecting what is most essential. As a contrast, ear and jaw problems related not to sorting essential information but to the capacity to act upon it are often treated through the Gall Bladder meridian.

HEART FACTS
Heart meridian imbalances may manifest as
• Multiple symptoms on the left side of the body
• Frequent accidents (even if you do not think they are your fault)
• Excessive or deficient perspiration
• Difficulty listening or paying attention

WHY ARE SOME CHINESE TERMS CAPITALIZED
It is common practice in Chinese medicine (in languages other than Chinese) to capitalize terms that either have no real translation (such as Qi), or that mean something different in Chinese medicine than they might mean in another system (such as the term Heart in western biomedicine). Similarity in term does no imply the same meaning, and Chinese physiology is based on a very different model than we are used to in the West. If an organ name is capitalized, it means the Chinese medical concept of that organ, not the one you may be more familiar with.