The Meridian Clock

Just like the circadian clock, which charts the biochemical and hormonal cycle of the body, there is also a bio-electrical clock, the 24-hour meridian clock. Each of the 12 main meridians reaches a peak of activity during a specific 2-hour period.

When the meridians are in balance, one usually does not notice any disturbance. When there is an imbalance in the meridian cycle, however, abnormalities can be more or less clearly perceived.

Clients may say that they “always wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning”, “have palpitations in the middle of the day”, “get headaches at 9 o’clock or “get very tired around 3 o’clock in the afternoon” – This particular energy dip in the afternoon time  relates to a lack of Qi in the bladder meridian.

I then suggest ways how to support the adrenals (Vit C, zinc, a cup of salty broth, putting legs up for a while, taking a hot bath, drinking warm water during the winter time and massaging BL60 and KD3 points at the ankles) – so clients can support themselves well beyond my Shiatsu session. And we often see already improvements by the time they come back for a follow-up session a few weeks later.

These observations are important clues for Shiatsu therapists and others who work with Oriental medicine, as they can quickly figure out where there may be an imbalance and what the cause might be. One then treats not only the symptom but also the cause.