"Cheating Time"- An Ancient Approach to Beating 20th Century Jet LagScanned from an article by John A. Amaro D.C., F.I.A.C.APart I ----March 1, 1989Somehow, I feel a drum roll or blaring trumpets are quite appropriate for the introduction of this article.However, if I know you're reading it with undivided attention, that will suffice.In November 1985 and again in November 1988 I was honored to receive an invitation from the ChineseMinistry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. The invitationwas to escort a group of American physicians, both medical and chiropractic, to observe acupuncture andtraditional medicine and to exchange any Western methods which may be of interest to the Chinese. I hadpreviously visited China in 1973 and again in 1980, so I was familiar with the country, customs and protocol.Very little has changed in China regarding lifestyle since my first glimpse 16 years ago. However, it is quiteobvious the Peoples Republic of China is just on the threshold of entering the 20th century, led by theever-capable example of "corporate America' The hotels and facilities provided for foreign travelers are inmany cases mind-boggling in their splendor. I can't say the same for the citizens of China cities andcountryside. They're obviously still locked into a 1949 time warp socioeconomically. Travel to China is as easytoday as simply reserving your seat on your choice of airlines that regularly flies to the Orient on a multi-dailyschedule. In fact, it's far easier to fly from any major American city to many ports of call in the Far East than itis to fly from Orlando, Florida, to Butte, Montana.This ease of travel is not unique to flying "west." European destinations are just as accessible. In viewing thenumerous racks of literature in any travel agent's office. It becomes quite evident the world is at our fingertipsand beckons for us to travel wherever our time and pocketbook allow.However, there is one major problem about international travel - or for that matter to a lesser extent, but stillsignificant, American coast-to-coast travel that is a prime concern for the experienced traveler and strikes fearinto the hearts of the inexperienced. It's a problem which causes travelers to give up coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes. Which causes them to eatlight one day and splurge the next. Which causes them to fast for two meals and eat nothing but boiled chickenthe third. Which causes travelers to darken the windows three days prior to an overseas flight at one o'clock inthe afternoon and set the alarm clock at 10:00 P.M. in preparation for their "Grecian holiday." It causes them tobeef up their daily intake of specially formulated vitamins and minerals. ingesting them at odd times, and mostimportantly with distilled water. All in an attempt to "Beat Jet Lag. "Marco Polo did not concern himself with it, nor did Columbus, nor the Pilgrims 200 years later. Jet lag is aproblem of modern society, affecting those passengers comfortably seated in a jet aircraft, cruising at an altitudeof seven miles above the surface of the earth, moving through Easterly or Westerly time zones at ground speedsapproaching that of the speed of sound.2Travelers and airline crews know too well the symptoms of extreme fatigue, nausea, headache, memory andattention lapse, clouded thinking. disturbed sleep and appetite, increased susceptibility to infection. mentaldepression, anxiety, malaise, lethargy and a host of varied related complaints.Prior to my third visit to China in 1985, I began to experiment with a hypothesis that jet lag may be avoided byaltering the body's biological clock by using an ancient law of acupuncture regarding what is referred to as thehorary cycle. In the theoretical foundations of Chinese medicine, it has been established that vital energy flows systematically throughout the body over 12 primary pathways referred to as meridians. This electromagneticenergy flow is continuous, with one meridian leading into another in a cycle that corresponds to the 24-hour-clock. The 12 meridians are each associated with an organ or function of the body and affects what it's namedafter or what it courses through. The health or proper function of the organ is dependent upon a normal energylevel as it courses through the meridian pathway. The goal, therefore, in acupuncture is to maintain the balanceof energy in the meridians in order to maintain normal health. This is accomplished by stimulating one or moreof the acupuncture reflex points which communicate with the skin along the course of the meridian. This actionis not unlike fine-tuning your radio when the signal is not coming in clear.From ancient times each of the 12 meridians has been associated with a particular two-hour time span where theenergy is at its zenith as it moves through the body. Since balance is the key in acupuncture, it becomes quiteapparent that high speed jet aircraft moving through time zones will alter the delicate balance of the body'sinternal clock, creating undesirable effects.In the clinical and historical application of the 24-hour cycle (horary cycle), it is common knowledge to thepractitioner of acupuncture that if a patient consistently experiences a worsening of symptoms at a particulartime of day, a point on the body known as a "horary point" is the most effective point on the body for thatparticularly condition at that particular time of day. Each meridian has its own special horary point. As there are many different types of acupuncture reflex points on the body with many different functions, thehorary point found on each of the 12 meridians is by far the most active point on the body during thetwo-hour time span corresponding to the involved meridian. Thus, if a patient consistently experiences aparticular symptom (regardless of what it is) between the hours of 3-5 A.M. the lung meridian is at fault.Whereas, a patient experiencing symptoms between 7-9 P.M. the pericardium meridian is to blame.Stimulation of the specific horary point will restore balance to the involved meridian.In the next issue we will address the specific technique enabling you to beat jet lag and to function at the time ofday you have traveled to as opposed to the time of day you departed.John A. Amaro D.C., F.I.A.C.A3"Cheating Time"- An Ancient Approach to Beating 20th Century Jet Lag - Part II In the last issue I introduced a technique utilizing acupuncture principles