Pericardium

The Heart Protector

(Xin-Bao)

心包

The fire element, which peaks during the summer season, not only governs the heart but also the small intestine, triple burner and the PERICARDIUM.

WHAT IS THE PERICARDIUM?

The word pericardium is derived from Latin Peri (around) and Cardium (heart). Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as the “Heart Protector” or “Circulation-Sex” Meridian, the pericardium is associated with the FIRE element and the HEART. The pericardium protects the heart from emotional trauma, constricts the chest to protect the heart, and helps to express the joy of the heart. The pericardium protects the heart from potential damage caused from the strong fluctuations in energy caused by emotional ups and downs of the day. The pericardium also helps in the regulation of blood circulating in and out of the heart. The pericardium is considered a yin organ paired with the yang organ, San Jiao.

The network of the pericardium includes the pericardial sac, the pericardium meridian, the small intestine, and parts of the brain associated with the pericardium channel.

The pericardium consists of two layers; an outer and inner coat. The outer layer of the pericardium is called the parietal pericardium. The inner part of the pericardium that closely envelops the heart is called the visceral pericardium or epicardium. The tough and thickened parietal pericardium loosely covers the heart and is attached to the central part of the diaphragm and the back of the sternum (breastbone). The visceral pericardium is a double layered with one layer closely adherent to the heart while the other lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being filled with fluid. The potential space between these two layers is called the pericardial cavity. This space normally contains 15 to 50 ml of serous fluid, which serves as a lubricant to reduce friction and as a barrier against infection.

The pericardium is  the heart opener, as well as the heart protector.  It relates to both intimacy and trauma, particularly to family dynamics of  adoption, separation, abuse, sexual improprieties, death. If the heart is not protected, love and joy disappear allowing sadness and fear to rise. We lose our spiritual connection and we may experience internal disorder. An unprotected heart may be vulnerable and easily hurt or “heartbroken.” When the Heart Protector is doing its job, it keeps out those things that are harmful and allows those to pass into the heart that are trustworthy, loving, fun, and good for our fire. I went to a continuing education class in Vermont with a practitioner that could detect a divorce in the pericardium pulse position.  For real y’all!.  I haven’t mastered that party trick but it’s possible.

TRUE NATURE RADIO PODCAST

I am once again sharing a podcast featuring Dr. Heiner Fruehauf. This episode of Nature Radio features a discussion of the pericardium network in Chinese Medicine.  Dr. Heiner Fruehauf has studied Chinese medicine for more than 30 years and is a founding professor at my alma mater, the National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon.

For an audio discussion of the pericardium, give this podcast by True Nature Radio a listen.

PERICARDIUM MERIDIAN

The PERICARDIUM Meridian is a yin meridian and is coupled with the yang Triple Burner Meridian.

Companion Meridian: Triple Warmer

Element: Fire

Physical Imbalances: Heart disorder, chest discomfort, issues with the stomach and mind

Emotional Imbalances: Difficulty feeling and expressing emotions, depression, and phobias

When Balanced: Joy, happiness and healthy relationships

Peak Hours: 7 pm – 9 pm

This meridian begins in the middle of the chest, at the pericardium. A branch descends internally through the diaphragm to the upper, middle, and lower burners – Triple Warmer. From the starting point a branch of the main channel crosses the chest to emerge just outside the nipple. It then ascends on the surface around the front of the armpit and extends down the arm, through the biceps muscle. At the elbow crease, it passes just to the inside of the biceps tendon, then down the middle of the front of the forearm, between the heart and lung channels to the wrist. It crosses the middle of the palm to PC8 where it divides. The main channel continues to the outer corner of the middle fingernail.

Examples of pericardium meridian ailments:

PC1 – Tianchi – Laryngitis, mastitis, breast feeding problems, cough, chest congestion, asthma

PC3 – Quze – Angina pectoris, palpitation, stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea

PC4 Xi –Imbalances in the heart and circulatory system.

*PC6 – Neiguan – Angina pectoris, palpitation, stomach ache, vomiting, hiccup, insomnia, dizziness, epilepsy, migraine * Click here for acupressure instructions.   We commonly prescribe sea bands – which work on this acupoint – for travel sickness or persistent nausea related to pregnancy or cyclic vomiting syndromes!

PC7 Great Mound –Mental conditions, insomnia, schizophrenia, and bi-polar conditions

PC8 – Laogong – Angina pectoris, palpitation, vomiting, foul breath, oral ulcer, sunstroke, mania, epilepsy, toothache.  This is a master qi gong love emission point! So channel that luminous heart love into the world.

Emotionally, pericardium energy is related to the loving feelings associated with sex and is linked to the physical and emotional aspects of sexual activity.

Pericardium energy is related to the loving feelings associated with sex

Pericardium Imbalances: A pericardium imbalance manifests as chronic unhealthy relationship patterns, chest inflammation and discomfort, fluid around the heart, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and vertigo and very often irregular heartbeat. Other emotional signs of imbalance include frigid emotions, unhealthy vulnerability, excessive joy, inappropriate and excessive laughter, mental disturbance, phobias, inappropriate sexual behaviors and fear of intimacy, depression. A pericardium excess can give cause uncontrollable laughter, while a deficiency can manifest as profound sadness.

Pericardium Balanced: Like the triple burner, when the pericardium is in balance, a person displays characteristics of emotional joy, healthy sexual lifestyle and personal relationships, mental stability, and emotional joy.

Medical Qigong

Dr. George Love, Jr., DOM., founder of LOVE CHINESE MEDICINE is a Florida licensed primary care physician and certified Acupuncture Physician since 1986. He received his Qigong Master certification from Ju Shi Lin Taoist Scholars Council in 1994. He has been a teacher of Blue Dragon Qigong since 1983. He is author of ten self-healing manuals, producer of multiple Qigong videos and radio talk show host for 20 years.  

Medical Qigong utilizes breathing, meditation, exercise, and self-massage to heal bones, joints and internal organs.

Take a few minutes to check out this video of Dr. Love, Master of Blue Dragon Immortal Qigong, demonstrating exercises for the heart and small intestines meridian and exercises for the pericardium and triple warmer meridians. Typically, Qigong, traditions are rooted in martial or shamanic styles.  This is a martial style.  My training is from a shamanic lineage.  Both styles, activate the meridians and begin balancing the system.  

Qigong is considered an ‘internal’ tai chi.  Meaning, that the focus is on balancing the internal meridian, organs, and body systems. There is evidence for acute physiological and psychological effects of qigong exercise in older practitioners. I am currently working with a Qi Gong sequence from my cohort, Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc that was gifted to me this February in Hara Mara, Nayarit, México.  When the time is right, I will be sharing this love sequence with our community.  I encourage you to visit her site, explore her story of Love Heals. Period., and be inspired by her love notes and medicine. Dr. Rachel Eppinga’s soul story is told in the film linked below.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR PERICARDIUM

Summer is the season associated with the pericardium, the element is fire, and the taste is bitter. To support pericardium energy, increase activity and play this summer season. Take an early morning walk and enjoy nature, absorb the sunshine, and eat juicy fresh fruits.

Foods that nourish the pericardium include: watermelon, bitter greens, peanuts, cherries, red lentils, nasturtium leaves, radish, rhubarb, oily fish, dates.

Dr. Jennifer Rodriguez is an interventional cardiologist at Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Meridian, Mississippi

Dr. Rodriquez and Dr. Cox

We asked Dr. Rodriquez a few questions about pericardial and heart health. See our Q&A below.

Q: What are the early warning signs for pericardial disease?

A. Symptoms include chest pain, typically sharp, can be worse with deep breaths, and is usually better when sitting up and leaning forward.  A slow build up of fluid, or scarring from prior irritation, can present as shortness of breath or dizziness.  Sometimes people have a flu-like respiratory or gastrointestinal viral syndrome beforehand.

Q: We have both had friends/colleagues with viral pericarditis, how and which viruses damage the pericardium and why does that happen?

A: Pericardial disease can be from a long list of viruses, bacteria, systemic conditions like rheumatology disease, renal disease, malignancy, trauma, radiation, and medication. The mechanism is irritation in the pericardium, which can lead to a fluid collection. The size and rate of accumulation affect how problematic this is. 

Q: What would you like folks to know about cardiovascular health?

A: For cardiovascular health, most risk factors stem from three behaviors (or lack thereof):  diet, exercise, and tobacco use.

三焦

The fire element, which peaks during the summer season, not only governs the heart but also the small intestine, pericardium, and the TRIPLE BURNER. 

SO WHAT THE HECK IS A TRIPLE BURNER?

Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon defines and discusses (click here) this mysterious organ recognized in Chinese Medicine.

The triple burner or triple warmer is a unique concept in Chinese Medicine and there is no similar organ in western medicine. It is a collective term describing the upper, middle, and lower burners. The Chinese word “triple burner” translates to “three parts which burn or scorch.”

The upper burner, located above the diaphragm, includes the heart and lungs. The middle burner includes the region above the naval and below the diaphragm encompassing the spleen and stomach. The lower burner, located below the naval, includes the liver, kidneys, large intestine, small intestine, and bladder. It is noteworthy that these location descriptions refer to a functional meaning of the triple burner and not actual physical locations.

The San Jiao in the body.

The triple burner/warmer is the only primary acupuncture point without a physical organ association.  It is classified as a yang organ, as it rules circulation and regulates energy movement throughout the entire anatomy and organ systems.  In Chinese Medicine, the body is divided into three jiaos (divisions):  upper, middle, and lower.  The triple burner or warmer acts on all three. The upper burner controls intake, the middle burner controls transformation, while the lower burner controls elimination.

Triple burner translates into western medicine concepts of:  immune, glands, lymph, metabolism, neurotransmitter, hormone as well as body composition and temperature.

Basically, processes that are shared among all organs.

All patients, in my practice, with auto immune concerns are treated with a special emphasis on the triple burner and the source organ of imbalance.

TRUE NATURE RADIO PODCAST

Dr. Heiner Fruehauf

I am especially happy to share a podcast featuring Dr. Heiner Fruehauf and Dr Laurie Regan discussing the triple burner network in Chinese Medicine.  Dr. Heiner Fruehauf has studied Chinese medicine for more than 30 years and is a founding professor at my alma mater, the National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon.

For an audio discussion of the triple burner, give this podcast by True Nature Radio a listen.

TRIPLE BURNER MERIDIAN

The Triple Burner Meridian (also known as San Jiao, Triple Heater, Triple Energizer) is a yang meridian and is coupled with the Pericardium Meridian.

In the classic Chinese medical text, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, The Huang Di Nei Jing says that “The triple burner is the controller of the entire circulation of body fluid”. Therefore, imbalance of the triple burner leads to fluid retention (edema) and difficulty urinating. Treatment of these conditions focuses on restoring balance and harmony of the affected triple burner organs such as the lungs, spleen, or kidneys.

An abstract for the Heart Disease Research Foundation, New York, NY explores the meridian-like networks of internal organs and the corresponding Chinese 12 main meridians. Interesingly, the study found that the Triple Burner meridian had additional Testosterone (in the male) and Estrogen (especially Estriol and Estradiol in the female), while the heart had additional Atrial Natriuretic Peptide.

The triple burner meridian begins at the tip of the ring finger, by the outside corner of the nail, crosses between the knuckles of the fourth and fifth fingers, up to the wrist. From the wrist, it ascends between the radius and ulna bones of the forearm, through the elbow, and up the back of the arm to the shoulder. From the shoulder, it moves to the chest connecting with the pericardium, the upper burner, the abdomen and the middle and lower burners. The meridian then exits the chest at the collarbone and moves up the side of the neck and around to the back of the ear.

Examples of triple burner meridian ailments:

TW2 – Yemen – Headache, malaria, sore throat, eye redness, deafness, numb fingers

TW10 – Tianjing – Migraine, deafness, pain in elbow and arm, epilepsy

Not only does the triple burner meridian control the movement and transformation of solids and fluids in the body, it also governs the production and circulation of life nourishing and protective energy.

Triple Burner Imbalances: Issues with the head, ears, eyes and throat as well as diseases involving the parts of the body where the meridian runs including the gallbladder meridian, pericardium meridian, small intestine meridian.

Triple Burner Balanced: When the triple burner is in balance, a person displays characteristics of kindheartedness, social warmth and interaction, mental stability, and emotional joy.

PLACES OF POWER

In my opinion, our relationship with place is ruled by the triple burner/warmer.  Places have energetic, karmic, and historic imprints that resonance with each of us individually and collectively.  There are places on the globe in which we feel ‘grounded’ and other places in which we feel ‘scattered’; places where we thrive and places where we are challenged; places that bring our best qualities and places that bring out our worst qualities.  So be aware or become aware of how place influences your health, your success, your dreams. Find your sacred space.

This week, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians celebrates at Nanih Waiya.  The sacred mound is the origin location of the Choctaw Nation.  It was returned to the Choctaw Nation in 2008 by the State of Mississippi after private landowners appreciated the cultural significance enough to deed it to the state as a park. An elder in the tribe shared the following with me: a very long time ago when the tribe was journeying, wandering, seeking a place to settle, the medicine man would stick a pole in the ground each night where they camped. Every morning he would lead his people in the direction that the was pole leaning. One morning the pole was standing upright. This site marks Nanih Waiya – the beginning of the Choctaw Nation (the end of their journey). This sacred site and nearby cave have powerful and rejuvenating energy as it is the birthplace of the tribe.

ENERGY MEDICINE

Teacher of energy medicine and author of Energy Medicine, Donna Eden teaches people to direct their energies for health and happiness, using methods similar to acupressure, therapeutic touch, and qi gong. According to Donna, the triple warmer affects the immune system and our ability to manage stress.  The exercises below, from Donna’s program, can help relieve tension and bring calmness. 

Triple Burner Exercises

• Place your fingers at your temples. Hold for one deep breath, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth;
• On another deep breath, slowly slide your fingers up and around your ears, smoothing the skin while maintaining some pressure;
• On the out breath, slide your fingers down and behind your neck and hang them on your shoulders;
• Push your fingers into your shoulders, and when you are ready drag them over the top of your shoulders and smooth them to the middle of your chest over your heart.

This exercise can calm anxiety and worry.

• On the back side of your hand, find the groove between the ring and pinky fingers;
• Tap into the groove while thinking of stress (You can also rest your flat hand on your heart and tap in the groove.).

Take a minute to check out this video demonstrating how to use some of the techniques for the triple burner based on Donna Eden’s methods.

And last but not least!

The Triple Burner Benefits from Green Juice and Smoothies

The triple burner benefits from green juice, green smoothies and lots of clean, green infused waters. With the garden still producing cucumbers in abundance, mint in the ground, and pears on the trees, try a cucumber and pear smoothie blend.

I like to puree and freeze green produce in ice cubes to toss in the blender for a quick, light meal, or pick-me-up refreshment on the go. The night before I travel, I blend the perishables that don’t make it into my travel cooler, in this case lots of cucumbers. Ice cube trays are perfect to quick freeze, pop, and bag my fruit and veggie blends.   I get pretty creative with the blender and rarely use a recipe for my smoothies! 

• pear (or kiwi): seasonal sweetness
• cucumber: freshness, electrolytes
• mint:  digestive support
• seeds, chia or pumpkin, or nut butter, almond or  cashew:  protein energy (ideally soaked the night before)
• hemp protein powder: optional
• Add a dash of cinnamon or ginger for excitment
• Blend it all up with some unsweetened almond milk or green tea!

ENJOY!