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Autism, Body work, and Children TCM Traditions In understanding how acupressure might help the autistic child, let's first take a look at the principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). According to TCM theory, the body has six yang meridians that converge on the head which provide communication and coordination of brain activities with other parts of the body. The six meridians are the Triple Burner, Gallbladder, Urinary Bladder, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Stomach (Head Meridians & Acupressure Points, page 85). It is believed that any disorders along any of these meridians have the potential to affect the development of the brain. Conversely, any disorder of the brain could affect these meridians and, therefore, the organs they feed. In addition, these meridians also connect and re-energize the three burners, or energy centers, located in the head, chest, and belly, which are the energy sources for the entire body. The Upper Burner refers to the upper part of the body and is comprised of the heart, lungs, and pericardium. The Middle Burner is related to the spleen, which, according to Western medicine, has enormous immunological functions after birth. In TCM, however, the spleen metabolizes and transports the nutritious qi (also known as universal life energy) from food and drink to the rest of the body after the stomach has broken it down. Accordingly, the spleen assimilates usable nutrients from food and drink and builds up physical strength and vitality in the body. Entire schools of Chinese medicine were founded in past centuries around the study and treatment of the spleen. The Lower Burner refers to the lower section of the body and includes the small and large intestines, kidneys, and urinary bladder. The Flow of Energy In TCM, the practitioner is focused on how and where energy circulates. The pattern of energy flow in a healthy person is as follows: energy flows out the top of the head and down the outside of the body along the yang meridians to the feet, and up again inside of 84 massage & bodywork september/october 2013 the body along the yin meridians to renew the three energy sources, or Triple Burners. The meridians along the head create and support mental growth, the meridians along the chest are responsible for social and emotional growth, and those in the belly area create and support physical growth. Growth depends on the free and abundant circulation of blood, which is moved by qi. Any blockage of qi will cause circulation to slow down and even stop. This, in turn, will impede mental health, resulting in cognitive delay and also delayed development of social skills. How can a blockage of qi in one single meridian, or even a small part of the body, have such comprehensive effects? The answer lies in the fact that all the 12 main meridians and their branches form an interconnected whole that transmits energy to every physiological system, organ, tissue, and cell. One can liken the interconnectedness of all meridians to a spider's web. Any tension or slack in one section is almost immediately felt in other sections. Making Connections In 2010, acupuncture physician Shui Yin Lo made a thermographic, or infrared, study of the six yang meridians that converge on the head in order to find out which meridians were truly involved in autism.4 In the autistic children studied, results showed energy concentrations in the form of heat along three yang meridians, and hot spots that concentrated around the acupressure points on these meridians. The concentrations of heat indicated areas of inflammation in the tissues through which these meridians traversed. The meridians with the most inflammation were the Urinary Bladder, Gallbladder, and Stomach. All of these meridians originate on the head and face. From an anatomical viewpoint, Yin Lo revealed that most hot spots and meridian lines of inflammation ran along the side of the head and front of the face, and crossed the thyroid gland and armpits. In the study, the subjects' armpit lymph nodes were swollen, probably as a result of an overactive immune system. The findings of these thermographic studies, though, had to be correlated to signs and symptoms,