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Holistic Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Clinic
Fundamental concepts of Channel Theory

From ‘Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine – Wang Ju-Yi’s lectures on Channel Therapeutics’ by Wand Ju Yi and Jason D.Robertson

The channels are an interwoven network

The channel system connects the internal organs to one another, to the surface of the body, and to the environment at large. The channel network unifies the other systems of the body – digestive, lymphatic, nervous, reproductive, and others – into a coherent and responsive whole. It is through this network that living organisms adapt to changes in the external environment. Through the prism of channel theory, the human body is viewed as being essentially inseparable from its environment and woven into the larger network of the biosphere. Again, it is important to remember that the network of channels is itself an integral part of physiology in classical Chinese medicine. In other words, the channels are ‘alive’ in the same way that one might consider the heart or lungs to be alive.

The channels are pathways

The channel network is a system of pathways through which the vital energy and nutrition of the body move. The channels can be thought of as conduits within which one might find nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic circulation. In this respect, they serve to unify or integrate the anatomical structures associated with particular internal organs. They act as pathways not only for the flow of substances like the interstitial fluids around these anatomical structures, but also for the flow within the structures. (..)

As one might surmise, not only do these pathways conduct the elements of a healthy physiology, they also serve as conduits of disease. The channels conduct externally-generated pathologies because of their location exterior to the internal yin and yang organs. When an external pathogen invades the body, it often travel first thought the channels. Sometimes disease moves very quickly from the channels to the internal organs, and at other times more slowly. In addition, because of their role of integrators, when organ or emotional dysfunction leads to internally-generated disease, the channel pathways also become involved. Thus, the channels are affected by the presence of either externally- or internally-generated disease, which may cause palpable changes on the body of the surface along the course of the channels. This tendency to manifest palpable change is precisely due to the role of channels as pathways for both physiology and pathology. (..)

The channels are a communication system

The concept of the channels as pathways is one aspect of the channel network. Another is as a system of communication. In classical physiology, the channels are viewed as conveyors of information about the external environment to the internal organs. They also convey information among the internal organs themselves. The concept of qi in the channels is related to this function. The ‘pathway’ function the channels refers more to the conveyance of material substances, while the ‘system’ function is associated more with the conveyance of qi. The two functions are interwoven and sometimes difficult to separate. The progression of disease in the channels, for example, involves ‘material’ changes brought about by relatively ‘non-material’ changes in the flow of qi. (..)

In general, if the channel system is unable to properly respond to or integrate changes in the internal and external environments – which may include changes in air pressure and temperature, as well as changes in organ metabolism or even social conditions- disease or discomfort will ensue. Simply put, when the organs  are not functioning properly, it is the channel system that helps to restore normal metabolism. In a healthy body, organ dysfunction may resolve fairly quickly because of the functions of the channels. This is an important concept and, frankly, one that is sometimes ignored altogether in modern Chinese medical education.

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