Integrative Health Blog

The fundamental saying in Chinese Medicine is “Tong Zhi Bu Tong, Bu tong Zhi Tong” which roughly means, "Where there is blockage there is pain, where there is no blockage, there is no pain."

Blocked Meridians = Pain

Chinese Medicine bases the majority of its healing practices on the theory of meridians.  Meridians are like rivers that run through the body but instead of rivers full of water, they are rivers full of the vital substance known as Qi.   

Qi feeds our bodies, and keeps our organs, muscles, tendons, and bones functioning and healthy. Just like any other river, there can be blockages in the meridians leading to Qi obstruction.   We believe that this blockage and the subsequent lack of flow of Qi is what contributes to the presence of pain.

So why is it that the joints are specifically affected by these blockages in the meridians? 

According to Chinese medical philosophies, the joints are considered the “dense” areas of the body.  They are subject to a narrowing of sorts and as all the meridians are “squeezed” through the joints there can be an increased "bottleneck" type of situation.