Our body has a giant web called the meridian system that links up different body parts extensively. The meridians originate from the organs, pass through the skin, muscles, tendons and bones, facilitate the blood and qi (vital energy) circulations, and communicate between the inner and outer body. Pathogenic factors spread through the meridian system too, they cause blood and qi (vital energy) stagnations, meridian disturbances, and therefore result in localized redness, heat, swelling, pain, and functional disorders as well.

Regional meridian distributions are important for the development and prognosis of external diseases; TCM physicians will pay special attention to the corresponding meridian pathway when evaluate an external disease. For example, the bladder meridians pass through the sides of the neck spine, where tends to be relatively abundant in blood and less in qi flowing, therefore it is less likely for acute superficial suppurative infections to develop in that region. Chronic ulcerative skin infections in the lower legs is a clinical difficulty, since the three yang leg meridians (relatively more blood and qi flowing ) run through the outer side, and the three yin leg meridians run through the inner side of the lower legs, the wounds in the outer side are more easy to heal than the inner side. As you can see how meridian distributions affect the development of external diseases.

TCM physicians will consider the locations of external diseases, and their corresponding regional meridian distributions when designing remedies.

Affected regions and their corresponding meridians