37. The Principles of TCM. 3. Biological clock

It is said that this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine went to the scientist who discovered the mechanism of the biological clock. The biological clock is a theory that all living things recognize light, set their own time accordingly, and maintain an optimal physiological state by carrying out various physiological metabolism based on this set time.

In the East, since the Yin Dynasty 3,600 years ago, the Heavenly Ganji has been used as an almanac, explaining the energy and movement of heaven and earth and applying it to daily life. Sixty Gapja is the product of the Heavenly Gan (天干), Gaeul Byeongjeong Mugi Gyeongsin Imgye (地干), and the Earthly Gan (地支), Jachukinmyojinsaomishinyusulhae (10 Gans * 12 Ji = 60 Gapja). So this year is the year of Jeongyu and next year is the year of martial arts.

(Just a moment here. Although it is not yet an established theory, the Yin Dynasty is known as a country founded by the Dongyi people(Korean), and considering the fact that Chinese characters were used during the Yin Dynasty, there is also a theory that the original Chinese characters were characters created by the Dongyi people(Korean). The author also actually treated the Chinese scholar class when practicing medicine in China. I remember receiving inquiries from several times.)

A 2,200-year-old book called Emperor’s Internal Classics applies the Heavenly Stem Guide to the physiology and pathology of the human body and provides detailed explanations of the biological clock, health care methods, and even treatment methods, and it is called Zhao Yuzhou (子午流注). Zi (子) symbolizes water (yin), the source of life, and o (午) means fire (火), which is yang (陽). It represents the time of day and night, as well as summer and winter. , It represents both north and south, that is, time and space, and also means yin and yang, or life and death.

The theory is that the organs and meridians of the human body move in rhythm according to the external environment of time, season, and direction. For example, between 7 and 9 in the morning, the stomach meridian mainly operates, so it is good to eat breakfast at this time, and between 9 and 11, the spleen meridian mainly operates and digests the food eaten. Oriental medicine views nature as a macrocosm and humans as a microcosm, so it suggests health care methods according to changes in nature by time of day or season. When using acupuncture and medicine, externally, time and season are taken into consideration, and physiologically, the flow of organs and meridians is examined for treatment.

Dr. Jin-man Kim, director of Peace Oriental Clinic