Biorhythm: the Chinese Clock

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), temporal processes such as seasons, moon phases or daily rhythms have always played an important role. Traditionally, an important influence on the state of health is attributed to them, so that they are taken into account in both diagnostics and therapy. There is a special connection between time of day and organ function.

This is illustrated by a model based on a clock, in which each 2-hour segment is assigned to an organ (or a so-called pathway) at which it has its highest energy flow, i.e. it is particularly active but also susceptible to disorders. If complaints occur repeatedly at certain times of the day, this may indicate a disorder in the assigned organ:

3:00-5:00 a.m.
The lungs take off: People with heart failure often wake up at night between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. because they have trouble breathing. The water in the body has then reached the lungs and the lungs are working at full speed. The body responds to this peak performance.
As a subsystem of the lungs, the skin plays a special role in temperature sensing: many sufferers get cold and the cold wakes them up.

5.00-7.00 a.m.
The colon gets going: many healthy people have a bowel movement between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. This regularity also allows conclusions to be drawn about the timing and nature of the last meal the day before.

7.00-9.00 a.m.
Stomach time: digestion occurs most smoothly during this time and hence the popular recommendation to dine like an emperor in the morning. People with low blood pressure experience a drop in blood pressure around 11:00 and can counter this with a cup of broth or other light, salty food.

12 hours later (19:00-21:00), the stomach is pretty much not working at all. The food remains in the stomach until the other morning and you get up in the morning already feeling full. Therefore, you should not really eat any food after 19.00, because the food has 12 hours to ferment and rot at 37 degrees Celsius.

9.00-11.00
Spleen and pancreas are stimulated: During this time, the pancreas works at full speed and releases the most enzymes and ferments. Therefore, the individual’s mental learning ability is at its best during this time. Exams during this time take place under optimal conditions. Surgical procedures are also best performed during this time, as enzymes prevent inflammation and accelerate wound healing.

11.00-13.00
Maximum time of the heart: since the heart works continuously for 24 hours, these 2 hours serve mainly as regeneration time for the heart and it must be spared for this period. For many advocates of biorhythm, physical exertion, stress, or surgery are not justifiable during this time.

13.00-15.00
A full belly… In this phase the small intestine needs an optimal blood supply. Additional muscle work is not called for now, as the resulting shift of blood to the periphery leads to indigestion. The midday nap after eating or even the ban on swimming with a full belly can be traced back to this fact.

15.00-17.00
The bladder is working at full speed: within this period, most urine is usually excreted.

17.00-19.00 h
The kidneys are particularly active

19.00-21.00 h
The circulatory system has warmed up: It is the time of rest and relaxation of the main organs.

21.00-23.00
Regeneration of the endocrine glands

23.00-1.00
Maximum time of the gall bladder

1.00-3.00 p.m.
Maximum time of the liver: alcohol is well broken down during this time. Once the breakdown is complete, many people wake up because the sugar level in the blood has decreased sharply due to the metabolic process. Incidentally, Western medicine is also familiar with such a phenomenon: for example, emergency doctors see biliary colic particularly frequently around midnight, asthma attacks in the early morning hours and heart attacks in the morning.