A Story About How Interesting It Was to Look at the Body Through Both Western and Eastern Medicine: The Palm Edition
When you were a child, haven't you ever been told this?
If you're nervous, write the character for 'person' on your palm three times and swallow it.
Maybe people don't say that much anymore. But I think many people know this story.
I used to think it was just a superstition.
However, when I looked into it, I found an interesting commonality when viewing that action from the perspectives of both Western and Eastern medicine.
I know I'm being persistent, but I am a specialist in the body. lol
So, when I see these kinds of traditional actions, I can't help but think about them in terms of bodily mechanisms.
This article is the second installment of the previous 'Body Axis Edition'.
Previous article
A Story About How Interesting It Was to Look at the Body Through Both Western and Eastern Medicine: Body Axis Edition
I received many likes. Thank you very much.
The theme this time is the palm.
Let's get right to the main topic.
🖐️ The palm is a 'dense zone of nerves': A Western medicine perspective
The palm is a quite special place in the body.
Along with the soles of the feet, it is an extremity where sensory nerves are extremely dense. Blood vessels are also finely spread throughout.
When you are nervous, your palms sweat. This is what is known as emotional sweating.
This is also proof that the palms are deeply connected to the autonomic nervous system.
What happens when you consciously stimulate this area?
Blood flow to the extremities is promoted, the balance of the autonomic nervous system is adjusted, and a whole-body relaxation effect can be expected.
'Clenching your hands makes you calm,' 'Massaging your hands makes you feel at ease.'
I think many people have heard this.
I think that sensation is difficult to dismiss as merely a trick of the mind.
It is not uncommon for people to find that consciously moving their palms acts as a stimulus, helping to release a bit of tension.
At the very least, old superstitions seem to have an aspect of being actions that calm the body.
✋ The palm is a "pathway for qi": A perspective from Eastern medicine
In Eastern medicine as well, the palms and the soles of the feet are special places in the body.
Eastern medicine views the body's functions through the concept of meridians (pathways for qi). The terminology and acupoints used in acupuncture and moxibustion are also addressed in WHO-related standardization documents.
The palms and soles are key points where those meridians concentrate. They are, so to speak, like switches for the body, where applying stimulation influences the circulation of qi throughout the entire body.
Even in classical texts, there are descriptions that emphasize stimulation of the palms.
And almost in the center of the palm, there is an acupoint called "Laogong".
The name is interesting.
"Lao" means to work. "Gong" means a palace. The fact that it is a high-ranking acupoint is inscribed in its name.
Now, please try doing this here.
Write the character for "person" (人) on your palm.
Write the first stroke. Write the second stroke. The place where the two lines intersect.
That is where Laogong is located.
In other words, when you write the character for "person," you pass over Laogong once with the first stroke and once more with the second stroke.
The superstition was an action that stimulated the acupoint twice.
And then you "drink" it.
Cup the written character with your palm and bring it to your mouth.
In terms of Eastern medicine, it is an action to take the good qi gathered at Laogong into the body.
From this point on, it is half based on my own intuition, but I believe there are people who can feel more at ease just by having someone they trust hold their hand. The act of having someone write the character for "person" on your palm might also carry the power of assigning meaning.
Two perspectives, pointing to the same place again
In the previous article, the Dantian and the center of gravity of the human body were in the same place.
This time, too, Western medicine and Eastern medicine are pointing to the same place.
Western medicine calls it a "dense zone of nerves and blood vessels," while Eastern medicine calls it a "key point of the meridians."
And the act of writing the character for "person" and swallowing it, which at first glance looks like a superstition, seems logical when viewed from both perspectives.
People in the past might not have known the theory.
But as a result of continuing to listen to the body's voice, they arrived at the same answer.
I feel that traditional medicine contains the wisdom of observation that has been passed down for a long time. Of course, there must be aspects that have been passed down as culture and custom, not just the realization of its effects. That is precisely why I think it is interesting to re-examine it from a modern perspective.
The wisdom of our ancestors from thousands of years ago. I really like that.
🤝 Just one more thing. Handshakes and holding hands
Some of you may have realized this after reading this far.
Shaking hands. Holding hands with someone you like.
That sense of security can also be explained from both perspectives.
In Western medicine, it is thought that skin-to-skin contact with a trusted person promotes the secretion of hormones related to a sense of security and happiness. Because the palms are densely packed with sensory nerves, the sense of security at the moment of touch is easily transmitted to the whole body.
In Eastern medicine, when palms touch each other, the Laogong points of each person face each other. The places where the exchange of Qi occurs overlap.
I feel like my feelings were conveyed through a handshake. I feel at ease holding hands.
That is not just in my head. It might literally be because of "Qi," or it might be because of nerves and hormones.
Either way, I think the palm is a place that connects people to people.
And one more thing that I am curious about.
Newborn babies reflexively grasp anything that touches their palms. This is a primitive reflex known as the palmar grasp reflex.
Even though they haven't learned anything yet, their bodies react automatically to stimulation on their palms.
When you think about it, that moment when a baby grips a parent's finger is their first experience of connecting with another person through their palm.
Perhaps the body knew from the very moment of birth that the palm is a special place.
However, there are risks such as infectious diseases. I am not recommending that you touch hands with others indiscriminately, so please do not misunderstand that.
Conclusion
Since there are various views on evidence, I will leave that to you, the readers, and the experts.
However, there is one thing I can say.
People thousands of years ago said, 'Pressing here calms you down,' and modern medicine says, 'Nerves are densely packed here.'
Those two things meet at the same spot on the palm.
The body is one. The perspectives are two.
And this time, too, the two perspectives arrived at the same answer.
The next time you feel nervous,
try writing the character for 'person' on your palm and 'swallowing' it.
If you do it, exhale slowly while writing it on your palm three times, making the characters large. Instead of writing in a hurry, try to savor the action itself.
Whether you think of it as a charm or as medicine, it doesn't matter.
If it makes you feel a little better, it might be one coping method you can use.
However, if your tension or anxiety is strong or persists for a long time, please do not hesitate to consult a medical institution.
📎 If you have time, please check out this article as well
Give Me Your Energy: A Story About Eastern Medicine and Dragon Ball That I Realized After Listening with My Ears
https://note.com/kind_fish6099/n/n7137a932402a
A story about discovering the 'Qi' of Eastern medicine in the world of anime. Reading this along with the current article will make Eastern medicine feel much more familiar.
For those who can't relax even when told to 'let go'. A 10-second care routine to loosen facial tension
https://note.com/kind_fish6099/n/n87def53ca6e0
For those who want to relieve not just palm tension, but facial tension as well. This is part of a self-care series.
A story about how interesting it was to look at the body through both Western and Eastern medicine
https://note.com/kind_fish6099/n/nc2e985c07307
The first part of this article. A story about how the Dantian and the center of gravity are in the same place. If you haven't read it yet, please start here.
A video created by a visually impaired video creator
Feeling security through touch. Even piggyback rides or pushing are excellent ways to cooperate
By touching, you can perceive the other person's presence. You can also feel the theme of 'palms connecting people' that I wrote about in this article through the video.
#VisuallyImpaired #EasternMedicine #SelfCare #TotallyBlindCreator #BodyVoice