The TCM Sanjiao (aka Triple Warmer, Triple Heater & Triple Energizer) and TCM Acupuncture Meridians Exist and Function Within an Omnipresent Liquid Crystalline Membrane System of Collagen 

  How do the TCM Sanjiao (aka Triple Warmer, Triple Heater & Triple Energizer) and TCM Acupuncture Meridians Exist and Function Within an Omnipresent Liquid Crystalline Membrane System of Collagen? 

After obtaining her PhD in Biochemistry from Hong Kong University, Mae-Wan Ho embarked on a distinguished research career that included a postdoctoral fellowship in Neurosciences at the University of California at San Diego, and Fellowship of the National Genetics Foundation, USA. She was a Senior Research Fellow in Biochemistry, University of London, then a Lecturer in Genetics, and then a Reader in Biology, Open University. Her research evolved through biochemistry to molecular genetics, non-Darwinian evolution, and since 1988, she has concentrated on the physics of living organization, defining a new field with her present book. She is widely acclaimed by serious scientists across the disciplines and by non-scientists alike. Ho is lead author of the 1998 research article entitled ‘The Acupuncture System and the Liquid Crystalline Collagen Fibres of the Connective Tissues: Liquid Crystalline Meridians’. Regarding the nature of acupuncture meridians in the body, in the 2014 article, the authors, Ho and Knight (82), state, ‘We propose that the acupuncture system and the DC body field detected by Western scientists both inhere in the continuum of liquid crystalline collagen fibres that make up the bulk of the connective tissues’ (emphasis is mine).

The authors believe that the layers of liquid crystalline water bound to the collagen fibers throughout the body allow rapid intercommunication throughout the entire body due to the conduction of protons. They believe that this ubiquitous liquid crystalline continuum explains such processes as the immediacy of hyperreactivity to allergens and the efficacy of subtle energy medicine, including homeopathy. According to TCM, acupuncture meridians allow energy flow throughout the body and constitute a dynamic communication system throughout the entire body. The acupuncture system is a stand-alone system and is not the same as the nervous system. However, there does appear to be functional interconnection with the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The authors further note that an electrodynamical field is present in all early embryos and also in plants and animals which are devoid of neural or perineural tissues and that while the DC field is mostly outside the nervous system, there is a functional interconnectivity with the nervous system. Further, it is widely recognized that, in many conditions, the speed of information relay within our body is much faster than optimal nerve conduction can produce, along with the fact that nerves simply do not extend to all parts of our body. Subsequently, Dr Ho believes that ‘the acupuncture system and the DC body field detected by Western scientists both inhere in the continuum of liquid crystalline collagen fibres that make up the bulk of the connective tissues’.

In Chapter 32 of my book The ‘Mystical’ TCM Triple Energizer. Its Elusive Location and Morphology Defined, I explore in depth the topic of the continuum of water-induced liquid crystalline collagen fibers present in connective tissues and membranes, as this aspect is pivotal to my theory. This easy-reading informative book is essential for anyone wanting to know details about the intricacies of the hydroelectric function and the physical location of the Sanjiao (aka San Jiao, Triple Warmer, Triple Heater, Triple Burner, Triple Energizer). This enlightening book can become the pride of your library by clicking the ‘BUY NOW’ button at the bottom of this page. 

32.1 The DC Electrodynamical Field and the Acupuncture System Have a Common Anatomical Basis

Regarding the nature of acupuncture meridians in the body, the 2014 article by authors Ho and Knight (82) states, ‘We propose that both the DC electrodynamical field and the acupuncture system have a common anatomical basis. It is the aligned, collagen liquid crystalline continuum in the connective tissues of the body with its layers of structured water molecules supporting rapid semi-conduction of protons’ (emphasis is mine). The authors explain that this mechanism allows for communication throughout the entire body and coherence is maintained.

32.2 The Entire Human Organism Is Believed to Be a Liquid Crystalline Continuum

With regard to the nature of the entire human organism, in the article entitled ‘The Acupuncture System and the Liquid Crystalline Collagen Fibres of the Connective Tissues: Liquid Crystalline Meridians’, the authors, Ho and Knight (82), explain that one prerequisite for an intercommunication system is a continuum capable of carrying information, and they suggest that the living human organism is actually such a continuum. They note that it is now accepted that human cells are interconnected both electrically and mechanically in a solid state or tensegrity system such that ‘all the cells in the body are in turn interconnected to one another via the connective tissues’ (emphasis is mine).

Distinct from solid crystals, liquid crystals are flexible, malleable, and responsive, and characteristically experience rapid changes in orientation when subjected to electric and magnetic fields. This is why modern technology utilizes this property of liquid crystals in display screens. Liquid crystals are sensitive to many varying parameters, including changes in ambient temperature and pressure, hydration rate, and local shear forces. As biological liquid crystals convey static electric charges, they are also affected by the pH, salt concentration, and the dielectric constant of the solvent they are immersed in. The late George William Gray was a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Hull. He was the inventor of long-lasting materials used to make liquid crystal displays so commonplace today. He set up and systematized the science of liquid crystals. Interestingly, he referred to liquid crystals as tunable responsive systems and proposed that they would be the ideal medium for synthesizing organisms.

The authors (82) reported that it is widely acknowledged that all the major components of living organisms may well be liquid crystalline in nature. This includes the lipids present in cellular membranes, DNA, and most likely, all proteins, especially including cytoskeletal proteins, muscle proteins, and the proteins in connective tissues, including collagens and proteoglycans. Remarkably, very few biochemical researchers accept the concept that living organisms may be principally liquid crystalline in nature in spite of the fact that recent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies have confirmed that muscles in living human subjects are highly suggestive of being ‘liquid-crystalline-like’ in their composition.

Interestingly, the conception that living organisms are liquid crystalline in nature is not at all a recent construct. In 1927, Hardy suggested that molecular orientation may be a significant parameter for living protoplasm, and in 1929, Peters believed there was a direct connection between molecular orientation and liquid crystals in living systems. Joseph Needham was a member of the Club for Theoretical Biology in Cambridge and was instrumental in the creation of the field of molecular biology. As long ago as 1935, Needham proposed specifically that organisms actually are liquid crystalline in nature. Only recently, Ho (82) and co-workers have provided direct evidence for that assertion. They utilized an interference color technique that magnifies weak birefringences, and the results suggested that the images of live organisms were typical of biological liquid crystals.

32.3 Collagen Fiber Orientation and the Acupuncture System

The authors note that, due to the water bound within the collagen fibers, they are expected to conduct (positive) electricity along the fibers, and they suggest that these same conduction pathways may correspond to conductive acupuncture meridians. Regarding the fact that acupuncture points generally possess lower electrical resistances than the surrounding skin, they suggest that acupuncture points may occupy the gaps between adjacent collagen fibers or be positioned at locations where the collagen fibers are positioned at right angles to the dermal layer. They stated, ‘A number of structures mentioned earlier, which are at or near acupuncture points, have a common feature in that they are located in local gaps in the fascia or collagen fibres’ (emphasis is mine).

32.5 Collagen Liquid Crystalline Mesophases and Memory

In the 2014 article by Ho and Knight (82), the authors note that researchers have confirmed that subtle changes to the three-dimensional configuration of the collagen triple helix cause the collagen to express altered biological activities. Collagen is known to regulate the growth and movement of cells when contact is made, and numerous cell membrane proteins recognize specific sites of the collagen protein. When subtle errors occur in the amino acid sequencing during the formation of collagen, the outcome can be profound, yielding hereditary disorders, including chondrodysplasias, osteogenesis imperfecta, and Ehler-Danlos syndrome. The authors state, ‘As the collagens and bound water form a global network, there will be a certain degree of stability, or resistance to change’ (emphasis is mine).

Note that the authors stated, ‘The collagens and bound water form a global network.’ Note that as the hydrophilic collagen network is the fixed infrastructure, the attracted water is essentially drawn to the collagen and goes along for the ride throughout the entire body. That sounds remarkably like the major function of the Minister of Dykes and Dredges, the Triple-Energizer organ complex (San Jiao), which is ‘the official in charge of irrigation and it controls the water passages’.

32.7 Ho Proposes the Acupuncture Meridian System Exists within the Continuum of Liquid Crystalline Collagen Fibers

After reviewing supporting evidence from biochemistry, cell biology, biophysics, and neurophysiology, authors Ho and Knight (82) state, ‘We have proposed that the acupuncture (meridian) system and the DC body field detected by Western scientists both inhere in the continuum of liquid crystalline collagen fibres and the associated layers of bound water that make up the bulk of the connective tissues of the body’ (emphasis is mine). They suggest that the established TCM acupuncture meridian system may be allied with the layers of bound water that coexist externally to collagen fibres and that this construct provides the conduit system for proton conduction pathways throughout the body to allow for rapid bodywide intercommunication of information.

Thus, in the quote above, the authors are plainly stating they believe that the established TCM acupuncture meridian system exists as a permanent functional structure within ‘the continuum of liquid crystalline collagen fibres and the associated layers of bound water that make up the bulk of the connective tissues of the body’. Interestingly, Pollack has proven that when bulk water and hydrophilic surfaces come together in the presence of biophotons, highly structured liquid crystalline EZ water is generated with its maze of dynamic electrical properties. This structure would provide ‘proton conduction pathways for rapid intercommunication throughout the body’. This is exactly what the acupuncture meridian system does. Note too that Ho and Knight (82) comment that defined acupuncture points have different morphology than surrounding tissues. Has this been substantiated by other researchers? Yes. In the next section, Dr Weber discusses this topic in more detail.

32.8 New CT Scans and Scientific Microsensing Apparatus Reveal Acupuncture Point Locations

In the Panaxea article entitled ‘New CT Scans Reveal Acupuncture Points’, Daniel Weber (100) discussed major findings from a research article that was published in 2013 in the Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena. He advised that ‘acupuncture points have a higher density of micro-vessels and contain a large amount of involuted microvascular structures’, while non-acupuncture points did not have these properties. The acupuncture points (for example, ST-36 (Zusanli) and ST-37 (Shangjuxu)) displayed very distinct structural differences from surrounding areas. The acupuncture points displayed local high-density vascularization, which was not found in non-acupuncture point areas. Weber advised that the researchers stated that other investigators have determined unique structures associated with acupuncture points and acupuncture meridians using various analytical methodologies as diverse as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), LCD thermal photography, infrared imaging, and ultrasound along with other CT imaging methods. Weber (100) continued, ‘The researchers commented that many studies using these technological approaches have already shown that acupuncture points exist.’ They note that ‘the high brightness, wide spectrum, high collimation, polarization and pulsed structure of synchrotron radiation’ facilitated their discovery. They concluded, ‘Our results demonstrated again the existence of acupoints, and also show that the acupoints are special points in mammals.’

32.9 Partial Oxygen Pressure Is Significantly Higher at Acupuncture Point Locations

With regard to modern scientific microsensing apparatus being used to detect anatomical structures, Daniel Weber (100) reported that, using an amperometric oxygen microsensor, researchers detected variations in partial oxygen pressure at various locations on the palmar surface of the wrist. The outcome was that researchers determined that the partial oxygen pressure is significantly higher at the location of acupuncture points. It is important to note that these scientific measurements were not made after the acupuncture points had been stimulated by needling or moxibustion but represented the natural resting states of the acupuncture points. Weber concluded the article by pointing out that the research yielded a truly unique finding, namely that acupuncture points definitely exhibit special oxygen-related characteristics.

32.10 Acupuncture Points and Fascia

The author of the article titled ‘Fascia: The Under Appreciated Tissue’ (99) states, ‘Acupuncture points appeared to correlate with areas of greater amounts of connective tissue. These points are located where nerves, arteries and veins collectively penetrate the fascia. Twisting the needle appears to manipulate the fascia, which help reduce pain. Body work also appears to work in this way.’ The author continued, saying, ‘The majority (82%) of perforation points are topographically identical with the 361 classical acupuncture points in traditional Chinese acupuncture.’

Margulis cited Becker’s work from The Body Electric, where he discusses that acupuncture points behave as hundreds of little DC booster amplifiers throughout the body, situated only a few inches apart, to prevent the current flow within the acupuncture meridians from fading out and dying completely before the information is correctly transmitted along the bioelectrical conduit. The principles of electrophysics suggest that if acupuncture points and meridians actually behaved as conductors and amplifiers, the surface skin above the structures would possess specific electrical properties different to the surrounding skin. According to known laws, the resistance should be less and the electrical conductivity should be greater, and a DC power source should be discernible directly over the acupoint. 

32.13 The Properties of Collagen Fibers and Acupuncture Meridian Acupoints

Summarizing Becker’s findings pertaining to key research on trigger points, collagen, acupuncture points, and meridians, Rena K. Margulis (101) stated:

• Trigger points are electrically different from the surrounding tissue.
• There is a 71% correspondence between published locations of trigger points and classical acupuncture points for the relief of pain.
• Acupuncture points typically represent local maxima in conductance, elevated by a factor of 10 to 100.
• Acupuncture meridians have the characteristics of electrical transmission lines.
• Collagen in connective tissue, which reaches every cell in the body, can act as a semi-conductor.
• Collagen is liquid crystalline in structure.
• In response to pressure, collagen will produce electricity through the piezoelectric effect.
• Collagen in dilute solution ‘melts’ at 40 °C; melting may enable the collagen fibers to better realign and hence increase conductivity.
• Bound water surrounding collagen fibers can serve as a vehicle for proton-jump conduction.
• Proton-jump conduction is much faster than conduction of electrical signals by the nerves.
• The conductivity of collagen increases strongly with the amount of water absorbed.

32.16 Circulation of Energy (Qi) to Every Cell in the Body through Connective-Tissue Channels that Form Acupuncture Meridians

On the website tandempoint.com, Rena K. Margulis (102) presents a 2000 paper entitled ‘Acupuncture Theory’, in which she explains that acupuncture practitioners believe that a native energy (Qi) circulates throughout the body via many cross-linked channels so that the Qi reaches every single cell in the entire body. Margulis uses a brilliant analogy in which she explains that every single home in the USA can be accessed by the established road system, be it via a large-capacity superhighway or by a small gravel track. They are all interconnected. She noted that ancient Chinese philosophy used a similar analogy that involved waterways rather than roadways and included rivers, tributaries, irrigation channels, and reservoirs. Just as large-capacity superhighways carry more traffic, the larger channels in the body carry more Qi. Similarly, just as the small gravel tracks carry less traffic, the smaller channels carry less Qi. She points out that this analogy includes the notion that there is a prevailing direction of energy flow throughout the meridian channels within the body. In the article, the author (102) advises that there are many different channels. Some channels are very superficial, and some are very deep. The differing forms of channels include cutaneous channels, minute collateral channels, sinew channels, luo-connecting channels, primary meridian channels, divergent channels, and the eight extraordinary channels.

32.17 Fascia Is an Omnipresent Connective-Tissue System that Permeates the Human Body

In the 2014 Journal of Chinese Medicine article, authors Steven Finando and Donna Finando (103) quoted Findley et al. when they stated, ‘Fascia is defined as the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body . . . aponeuroses, ligaments, tendons, retinaculae, joint capsules, organ and vessel tunics, the epineurium, the meninges, the periosteal and all the endomysial and intramuscular fibers of the myofasciae.’ They continue:

The fascia of the human body is a continuous sheath of tissue that moves, senses and connects every organ, blood vessel, nerve, lymph vessel, muscle and bone. It is a continuous, three-dimensional, whole-body matrix, a dynamic metasystem that interpenetrates and connects every structure of the human body, an interconnected network of fibrous collagenous tissues that are part of a whole-body tensional force transmission system. (Emphasis is mine)

32.18 Research Has Demonstrated that the Fascial System Should Be Considered an Organ

With consideration to the fact that fascia contributes to the optimal functioning of all body systems, in the 2014 Journal of Chinese Medicine article, authors Steven Finando and Donna Finando (103) note that, up until recently, fascia was incorrectly considered to be simply ‘packing material’ for encasing and padding all the various tissues within the body and contributing to the body’s bodily form. Its two predominant functions were considered to be separation and allowing gliding between structures and the connection and transferring of forces within the body. However, modern research has confirmed that fascia should actually be considered as an organ that delivers a unified environment that ensures the functioning of all body systems.

Amazingly, regarding the Connective-Tissue Metasystem, the authors state that modern research has confirmed that fascia should actually be considered as an organ that delivers a unified environment that ensures the functioning of all body systems. TCM theory teaches that the Sanjiao (Triple Energizer) ‘ensures the functioning of all body systems’. Regarding these two omnipresent systems, note further that both of them have ‘no form’. I believe that they are actually one and the same metasystem.

32.19 The Numerous Recently Elucidated Functions of the Fascial Metasystem

Regarding the numerous recently elucidated functions of the fascial metasystem, in the 2014 Journal of Chinese Medicine article, authors Steven Finando and Donna Finando (103) state:

Recent research has shed light on the various functions of the fascia. Langevin . . . considers fascia to be a metasystem—a complex communication network that both influences and is influenced by every muscle, organ, blood vessel and nerve, and which is intimately connected to every aspect of human physiology. In addition, the fascial system provides form to the entire body. It is the ground in which all organs and systems function, and it connects and influences all physiological systems. Guimberteau . . . refers to fascia as a single connecting organ that is related to every aspect of human physiology—a unified whole and the environment for the functioning of all body systems. Stecco et al. . . . have developed the concept of the ‘organ-fascial unit’, in which the functionality of an organ system is inextricably bound to its associated fascial connections. Oschman . . . describes fascia as a body-wide communication system. He has coined the term ‘“living matrix” includes the connective tissue and fascial systems . . . as well as the transmembrane proteins (integrins and adhesion complexes), cytoskeletons, nuclear matrices, and DNA.’ Panletti . . . suggests that to some extent fascia is involved in every type of human pathology. . . . which connects the fascia to cellular nutrition and metabolism . . . Fascia is directly involved in haemodynamic processes, particularly venous and lymphatic circulation . . . . . . link fascia to chronic disease. Pischinger . . . views the fascia as a link between the external world and the internal environment, and he connects the fascia to the initial, nonspecific immune reaction of the human body to invading pathogens. (Emphasis is mine)

Note that the various descriptions of the fascial metasystem given by numerous recent scientific researchers exactly describes the Sanjiao aka Triple Energizer Metasystem.

32.20 Tensions Applied through the Fascial System Affect Biochemical Changes at a Cellular Level

In the 2014 Journal of Chinese Medicine article, authors Steven Finando and Donna Finando (103) explain that fascia is a tensional network that is fundamental to physical movement and muscle function throughout the body. Fascia safeguards the body from both external forces and internal stresses and simultaneously supplies lubrication, insulation, and structural integrity. The authors report that Chen et al. demonstrated that ‘tensions applied through the fascial system have been found to affect biochemical changes at a cellular level via mechanochemical transduction. This means that numerous critical cellular processes, including gene expression, cell differentiation, and growth and ongoing survival can be directly altered by mechanical stresses applied to the fascia on a macro scale.’

32.23 The Omnipresent Triple-Energizer Metasystem and the Fascial Metasystem Are the Same

Expanding on the fact that fascia is a metasystem that connects every aspect of human physiology, authors Steven Finando and Donna Finando (103) note that ‘fascia, therefore, can be understood as a metasystem that connects every aspect of human physiology’ (emphasis is mine). They note that fascia is directly connected with circulation, metabolism, immune function, pathology, insulation, protection, and movement. They further note that fascia is integral in proprioception and interoception, which is critical for optimal human functioning. The fact that fascia is ‘directly involved in circulation, metabolism, immune function, pathology, insulation, protection and movement’ is a remarkable comment. While the authors believe that the fascial Connective-Tissue Metasystem is intimately involved with the Acupuncture Meridian Metasystem, I thoroughly agree with them, but I further believe that the fascial Connective-Tissue Metasystem is also intimately associated with the Triple-Energizer Metasystem. Remember, in the commentaries on the 38^th Difficult Issue of Unschuld’s (1) translation the Nan Ching, Li Chiung declared, ‘The Triple Burner represents nothing but membranes.’

Summary of Chapter 32

Compiling this Chapter took my breath away. Where do I start to summarize the research observations and findings of the scientists discussed above? I believe the major point regarding my personal hypothesis is what Margulis (102) said when she quotes James Oschman, who said, ‘Connective tissue reaches every cell in the body.’ This is by no means an original thought. Ho and Knight (82) state that ‘collagens and bound water form a global network’ throughout the entire body, and that ‘the “ground substance” of the entire body may provide a much better intercommunication system than the nervous system’. In complete harmony with Pollack, they also state that ‘the hydrogen-bonded water network of the connective tissues is actually linked to ordered water dipoles in the ion-channels of the cell membrane’ and beyond due to the ‘connective tissue-intracellular matrix continuum’. Finando and Finando (103) state, ‘The fascia of the human body is a continuous sheath of tissue that moves, senses and connects every organ, blood vessel, nerve, lymph vessel, muscle and bone. It is a continuous, three-dimensional, whole-body matrix, a dynamic metasystem that interpenetrates and connects every structure of the human body, an interconnected network of fibrous collagenous tissues that are part of a whole-body tensional force transmission system.’ The authors (103) further state that research has demonstrated that fascia should actually be considered as an organ that provides a unified environment contributing to the functioning of all body systems. All these comments show that there is a continuum between all the omnipresent connective-tissue membranes that permeate the entire body right down to the intracellular matrix continuum.

In the book Heart Master Triple Heater, on page 118, regarding how the Triple-Energizer Metasystem ensures free communication and circulation throughout the entire body, the authors (11) quote Hua Tuo, who said, ‘When the triple heater ensures free communication, then there is free communication internally and externally, left and right, above and below. The whole body is irrigated, harmonized internally and regulated externally, nourished by the left, and maintained by the right, directed from above, propagated from below. There is nothing greater!’ So what has been uncovered by recent scientific research regarding the functions and omnipresence of the Connective-Tissue Metasystem throughout the body was perfectly summarized by Hua Tuo, who was describing the Triple Heater. I believe this amazing correlation exists because the Triple-Energizer Metasystem is actually synonymous with the Connective-Tissue Metasystem that is also omnipresent throughout the body.

REFERENCES:

(1) Unschuld, P. U., Nan Ching: The Classic of Difficult Issues (e-book edn, Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1986), 771. With commentaries by Chinese and Japanese authors from the third through the twentieth century.

(11) Larre, C., and E. Rochat de la Vallée, Heart Master Triple Heater (Norfolk: Monkey Press, 1998).

(82) Ho, M. W., and D. P. Knight, ‘The Acupuncture System and the Liquid Crystalline Collagen Fibres of the Connective Tissues: Liquid Crystalline Meridians’, American Journal of Complementary Medicine (in press) (2014).

(99) Anonymous, ‘Fascia: The Under Appreciated Tissue’ (2005). Available from <http://www.fisiokinesiterapia.biz/download/fascia>.

(100) Weber, D., ‘New CT Scans Reveal Acupuncture Points’ (22 August 2014). Available from <http://www.panaxea.com/wrr/au/wrr2014082106.html>.

(101) Margulis, R. K., ‘Possible Scientific Basis for Tandem Point Therapy and Acupuncture for Pain Relief’,. (updated 17 March 2000). Available from <http://www.tandempoint.com/p17.htm>.

(102) Margulis, R. K., ‘Acupuncture Theory’ (17 March 2000). Available from <http://www.tandempoint.com/p3.htm>.

(103) Finando, S., D. Finando, ‘An Introduction to Classical Fascia Acupuncture’, Journal of Chinese Medicine, 106 (2014), 12–20.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

I wish to sincerely thank Dr Paul U. Unschuld for the selfless and tireless work he has committed to make many ancient Chinese medical classics available in English for study and research. My book is based predominantly around his scholarly work ‘Nan-Ching: The Classic of Difficult Issues’. I also wish to sincerely thank Professor Unschuld for permission to use citations of his translation in my book. His translation of ‘Nan-Ching: The Classic of Difficult Issues’ can be purchased from the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Nan-ching_The-Classic-Difficult-Comparative-Studies/dp/0520053729

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