(A Threesological analysis)
http://threesology.org
As with other home pages, for those who are not necessarily familiar with "Threenking", permit me to offer a few links to a variety of perspectives, even though the words "Threenking", "Threenkers", "Threesology", "Threesological", etc., may not be part of their present vocabulary. In short, some value of a "three" (in theory, example, application, etc.,) is used deliberately by some and unknowingly by others. None-the-less, it can be found that many people have a penchant for looking at the world through a singular telescope, (dual) binoculars, or three-lens microscope:
- (Tricyclopedic) Book of Threes (By Michael Eck)
- List of Threes in human anatomy (By Dr. McNulty)
- Triplicity- The Phenomenon of Threeness in Life (By Simon Kelsey)
- Mathematical Dimensions of Rhetoric: Three is the dominant
numerical motif (By Dr. Allen H. Merriam)
- Phenomenology - Threefoldness (By Tom Van Gelder)
- People in Threes Going Up in Smoke... and Other Triplicities in Russian
Literature and Culture (By Dr. L.B. Croft)
- "The Third Way of Evolution"(By James Shapiro, Raju Pookottil, and Denis Noble)
- Metabolic Code Triads (By James LaValle, RPh, CCN and Andrew Heyman, MD, MHSA.)
Here are three links for Dr. Dundez's article "The Number Three in the American Culture" which appeared in an old 1967-1968 book entitled "Every Man His Way" (which is a collection of different Cultural Anthropology readings):
This present article is to feature a web page whose reference was submitted to me by the continuing invaluable assistance of Simon Kelsey. While the notion of → "Metabolic Code Triads" ← is interesting, it does not answer the larger philosophical questions many of you have raised in your personal queries. For example, while the idea provides us with an additional array of "threes" to add to our growing list, it does not serve to address the Big "Why?" of threeness as opposed to some other number-entity value. It is not my intent to lessen the intended value of the idea as an application to promote better health, but to give a relative assessment of its presentation in the context of Threesological research. First, let me provide the information from the web site:
The Metabolic Code Triads were developed by James LaValle, RPh, CCN and Andrew Heyman, MD, MHSA. The methodology of the Triad assessment is to define important physiologic interrelationships that mediate health and disease. The purpose is to simplify complex clinical presentations and to create a common framework and language between practitioner and patient.
Five Triads comprise the organizational elements of the Metabolic Code system. Each Triad contains three interrelated biological domains where common clinical patterns often reside. By focusing on groupings of data – qualitative and quantitative – a much clearer and more powerful outline emerges of the individual’s metabolic weaknesses and strengths.
- Triad 1: Energy (Adrenal – Thyroid – Pancreas)
- Triad 2: Resiliency (Gut – Immune – Brain)
- Triad 3: Endurance (Cardio – Pulmonary – Neuro-Vascular)
- Triad 4: Detoxification (Liver – Lymph – Kidneys)
- Triad 5: Potency (Testosterone – Estrogen – Progesterone)
The triads piece together complex cases and simplify the process of patient care to maximize outcomes. The Metabolic Code unifies the domains of medical, functional, and wellness restraints into a powerful, successful model.
What are the Triads?
The Metabolic Code is based on 30 years of clinical research and application. It is founded on the theory of Metabolic Triads, which examines Triad physiology and pathological patterns, reviews common patient presentation within each Triad, and recommends key dietary (nutritional supplements and diet) strategies to improve health outcomes. Following is a summary of the five Triads:
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Triad 1: Energy (Adrenal – Thyroid – Pancreas) encompasses the relationship between three important hormones: cortisol, insulin, and thyroid, which reflect the state of stress, glucose balance, and metabolism. In their most basic function, each is responsible for energy production. When Triad 1 is balanced, a person feels vital and healthy, but when unbalanced, a person feels fatigued and has a higher propensity for being overweight or obese. Read More |
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Triad 2: Resiliency (Gut – Immune – Brain) is comprised of the digestive tract, immune system, and the central nervous system. Together, these intelligent body systems make moment-to-moment decisions with regard to absorption and assimilation, and set key boundaries physically, immunologically, and mentally. When Triad 2 is normal, the person feels organized and secure within themselves and their environment, and when out of balance, this physiologic network becomes disordered and unpredictable. The key concept of Triad 2 is resiliency. An immune system that appropriately responds; absorption and utilization of nutrients; and clarity of mind are central to a balance within Triad 2. Read More |
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Triad 3: Endurance (Cardio – Pulmonary – Neuro-Vascular) includes the cardiopulmonary unit, autonomic nervous system, and the vascular tree. This Triad reflects the relationship of the mind and heart and is mediated by the respiratory cycle. When Triad 3 is in balance, the individual has plenty of metabolic resiliency and strength to meet the challenges of life. The key concept in this Triad is endurance and stamina. The delivery of oxygen and the pliability of the vascular tree along with the sense of neurologic balance are key constructs of this Triad. Read More |
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Triad 4: Detoxification (Liver – Lymph – Kidneys) contains the drainage organs of the liver, lymph, and kidneys. These organs form a functional unit for detoxification and elimination, metabolic processing and removal of toxins, and enzymatic activities. They allow us to thrive in a toxic world. When Triad 4 is in harmony, there is a smooth flow of substrates and emotions, and when out of balance, inflammation, stagnation, and retention ensues. Read More |
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Triad 5: Potency (Testosterone – Estrogen – Progesterone) includes the reproductive hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone which play a central role in the reproductive life cycle. They confer a sense of potency, power, and self-esteem for both men and women. Read More |
Additionally, there is the concept of "Triad stacking" – meaning one Triad may affect another Triad either positively or negatively. By correcting one Triad another Triad may autocorrect itself; conversely, the opposite is also true. The goal is to identify where metabolic weaknesses are most prominent and create personalized protocols to target these weaknesses through the use of nutritional supplements, diet, and exercise. This process results in measurable outcomes on the way a patient looks and feels, as well as their biochemistry and metabolism. The Metabolic Code creates a common language of health between healthcare practitioners and their patients. For the practitioners, the Metabolic Code helps to organize their thinking while creating a different grouping, so they do not end up in a maze of dietary supplements, drug therapy, or other remedies.
The Metabolic Code assesses:
- Aging/Inflammation
- CardioMetabolic
- Cognitive/Mood
- Detoxification Risk
- Glucose Balance and Insulin Regulation
- Immune Balance
- Energy/Vitality
- Intestinal Health
- Metabolic Damage
- Methylation
Very few patients are versed in medical terminology. The Metabolic Code helps them play an active role in their health by answering a survey that is symptom based. The survey questions are centered on:
- Fatigue
- Mid-day energy crash
- Insomnia
- Weight gain/Belly fat
- Aches and pains
- Foggy headed
- Short term memory loss
- Anxious and worried
- Feeling over-committed
- Feeling emotionally flat
- Burned out
- Cravings
Symptoms often show up long before they create a metabolic shift in a person's lab values. These symptoms are critical in implementing an efficacious prevention program before any changes take hold and alter a person's chemistry in an unpredictable and undesired disease based outcome.
As with other triadic formulas used in different areas of interest (medicine, religion, sociology, biology, sports, gaming, music, etc...), we must ask why the Metabolic Code Triads formula works for those who apply it? Indeed, why does the trinitarian concept work well for those who apply it to their respective lives? No less, why does the triadic structure work for those mathematicians interested in mathematical triads or those using triadic distinctions when writing computer code... despite the presence of an overwhelming binomial (zeros and ones) application related to on and off electrical switching? Or how about the usage of a triadic structure when constructing sentences such as using the period, question mark and exclamation point? Why do the various "threes" work? If we say that a triple structure is inherent in the observed information, we must nonetheless philosophically ask why "three" and not some other pattern? Is it genetic based due to a triple coding system? And if so, why? If we generalize by saying it is physiological, we must then ask why and look upon the environment as being influential in this respect.
Yet, since our triplet code genetics is assumedly billions of years old, then there must have been a triple patterned environmental/planetary event to "encourage" such a development... and that this event may still be present, even if it isn't obvious to us. For example, could the placement on the third planet from a source of solar energy be the "reason" for a triple pattern in and of itself, or are there three-parts to the overall three-patterned influence... such as in recognizing the presence of three solar "moments" known as dawn-noon-dusk whose irradiation over billions of years would have been different in its intensity and occurrence due to changes in the ozone layer of protection and the incremental decrease of a fast revolving Earth which would have caused the three moments to produce a stroboscopic irradiation effect on biology's impressionable development? We must also wonder if the three-patterned event still exists as it did billions of years ago, or has it undergone a deterioration as the planet and solar system have diminished?
Another aspect of the above Metabolic Code Triads philosophy is the usage of "five" triads, that can metaphorically be viewed as fingers or toes... or as a symbolic grasping motion. In other words, the recurring physiological "five" seen in our triadic ensemble of fingers, toes and senses (hearing, smelling, touching, tasting, seeing)... despite the auxiliary notions of six, seven or more extra-sensory perceptions; is another recurrence seen in our underlying metabolic-linked biochemistry. Nonetheless, the "five" is an example of the overall conservation of number seen in human cognition that appears to be related to the constraints imposed on biology by an environment headed along a course of incremental decay.
While medical professions taken into account the decreases in health involved with old age debilities, they do not necessarily take into account the ensuing decay of the planet and its effects on health... even if man-made pollutions are part of their considerations. As such, because triadic structures have been used in various ways in different eras, there is the suggestion that they are part of a system of cognitive rationalization as a survival mechanism in an environment headed towards a decay via incremental deteriorations. As such, we make "rationalized adjustments" to our belief systems in order to maintain some semblance of equilibrium.
No less, let us also look at those situations in which individuals consciously or unknowingly reject the usage of triadic thinking and prefer to use patterns-of-two that may be called dichotomies, dualities, division, partitioning, splitting, etc... Why is it that we encounter those who exhibit a world-view involving patterns-of-two instead of patterns-of-three? Is there a subtle difference in brain structure indicated by someone's preferred orientation and life-style organization with respect to an enumeratable pattern such as twos and/or threes... despite someone having a favorite number other than a 2 or 3 or multiple thereof?
Can the Metabolic Code Triads idea help those who harbor a penchant for seeing the world in a dichotomous fashion and would insist that the world is based on a series of dual patterns such as right/wrong, good/bad, rich/poor, smart/dumb, my gang/your gang, legal/illegal, hot/cold, strong/weak, tough/weak, pretty/ugly, fast/slow, etc...? Does the efficacy of the Metabolic Code Triads rest upon a large measure of belief because a given person already uses patterns-of-three in their lives even if they are not aware of such? Can the Metabolic Code Triads application be made more applicable to a variety of people if they were to receive some form of "threes" education? Is it less effective for those whose lives are two-patterned oriented... even if the person is not cognizant of such behavior? In other words, can the Metabolic Code Triads idea be made more effective to more people by expanding its philosophical underpinnings?
I had an opportunity to take part in a Metabolic Code Triads web cast. This particular webcast dealt primarily with the business/economic model employed for physicians. As typical of most businesses, it is primarily capitalistically focused as opposed to a patient/person wellness orientation. Since the webcast and my short query/response, I have had the opportunity at a nearby V.A. medical facility during a medical visit, to ask my physician's assistant whether they were aware of the Metabolic Code Triads idea. She was not. Then again, her anatomical medical training did not introduce her to the recurrence of triads as outlined by Dr. McNulty in his List of Threes in human anatomy. She was taken aback when I made mention of the idea by providing several examples. However, her presence in the exam at the time did not afford her the apprehensibility of deducing the circumstance of a repetitive "threes" recurrence as having any larger application at the moment. In other words, she was not particularly able to think outside the conventionalities of her particular medical training. Neither she nor the female physician had a wider breath of appreciating such a pattern. In other words, while they were competent as general partitioners exhibiting a common medical perception, neither of them could engage in divergent considerations as many a PhD student can. Both of them appeared to lack a wide breath of knowledge.
Here is the short response to the webcast I sent via e-mail:
Ms. Coffey,
While I enjoyed last evening's webcast presentation, let me also say that I would like to have seen more emphasis placed on elucidating the value of the Metabolic Code Triad ideology distinct from its application in a business/economic model... even though the website promotes such an elucidation... for those familiar with medical terms.
The presentation appeared to be focused on business-based physician orientation and not on a patient/person- based wellness perspective. In other words, it did not provide an argument for the triad model's efficacy... though retrospectively considered, that was not the intent of the presentation. Specifically, how will the "Triad" model help to enhance a person's health status if the "balancing" act of the triad distinctions are not set into a visible chart easily understood by the person/patient without requiring a technical interpretation from a physician?
Educating physicians on the usage of the business model you have designed may help to convince some that they can generate more revenue by incorporating the idea into their practice, but it does little to assist them in developing a working philosophy for greater patient care that they can use to educate their patients with.
For example... let's take a hypothetical situation in which I go into my physician and ask for a Metabolic Code Triad evaluation, only to find the physician has no idea what I'm talking about. If I am the only one asking for it, the physician might well dismiss the request by addressing the issue with some practice-related dismissiveness because such evaluations are not routine to their particular practice. Such an evaluation may not become a standardized alternative assessment tool unless multiple patients ask for it. However, if people aren't convinced this type of evaluation is a viable supplement to their overall health concerns, the interest might well fall by the wayside.
With respect to viewing the Metabolic Code Triads idea as a tool, it might be best to capitalize on the usage of the term "supplement" because supplements are part of the underlying regime of enhancing a person's wellness through their diet. But again, there needs to be a visible means by which patients/persons can identify their own progress gains or lapses as they might do when watching the loss or gain of weight on a bathroom scale.
Yet, there is another issue regarding supplements which needs to be addressed. Namely, it is disconcerting for a physician to ask a person living on a pension, despite the presence of having medical insurance, that they pay for supplements that can be purchased elsewhere at a greatly reduced cost. If supplements are to be offered, it is more practical and honest for physician's to be able to suggest alternative low-cost sources for supplements then give the appearance of working as a middle man for a pharmaceutical/supplement company whose interest in patient/person wellness are secondary or even tertiary.
But let us take another example of a hypothetical situation in which I sit with a physician who has incorporated the Metabolic Code Triads idea into their practice, except that my world-view is focused on the dualistic Chinese model of Yin and Yang... with its multiple dichotomies of balance, such as the following examples:
| Yin | Yang |
|---|---|
| Feminine | Masculine |
| Negative | Positive |
| Moon | Sun |
| Darkness | Light |
| Yielding | Aggressive |
| Left side | Right side |
| Warm | Cold |
| Autumn | Spring |
| Winter | Summer |
| Unconscious | Conscious |
| Right brain | Left brain |
| Emotion | Reason |
If a physician is not versed in an appreciation of the reality of dualities as they are in Metabolic Code Triads, they will not sound very
convincing to a person whose life has relied on the balance of Diads (Biads) instead of Triads, even though they may also use the presumed I-Ching
trigrams: Trigrams page 1
...which are actually bigrams based on the illustration of using one and two-line configurations and not three-line portraits.
Then again, let us take another hypothetical situation in which a person goes to a V.A. medical clinic but since it is a government bureaucracy, the usage of a Metabolic Code Triad perspective has not and will not be considered without much ado, but a person can get related testing, such as blood work done that is necessary for a MCT evaluation.
The Metabolic Code Triads organization must have a provision where tests taken at one medical facility that does not use the model, can be interpreted through the organization to provide a reading of a person's state of health with respect to the model, and be provided instructional direction so that a person can fully participate in their own wellness without having to be directly attached to yet another physician.
By providing information to patients/people in this alternative manner, the patient/person can then take the information with them to their next scheduled appointment with their own physician as a means of educating the physician on the model's benefits... without having to double up on the costs of having multiple physicians... because they are accustomed to and comfortable with a physician who may have been the family doctor for several years and is trusted.
As mentioned in my initial comments in the previous message, I would like for the webcasts to be presented in more of an open public venue so that fellow colleagues and friends can view the information when they are able to. This will require that the webcasts be recorded and made available whenever it is convenient for different people (in their respective time zone) to view the information and get back to me or directly to you on their perceptions. At present, the proposed business/economic model used for the Metabolic Code Triads application is too constrained for those whose tastes are not accepting of straight-forward Capitalistic ventures. More flexibility must be incorporated into the business model for those whose personal efforts are already pursuing self-prescribed supplement health regimes.
Sincerely,
Herb O. Buckland
Page initially created: Tuesday, 13-June-2017... 5:25 AM
Initial Posting for private viewing: Wednesday, 14-June-2017... 7:06 AM
Updated Posting: Sunday, 18-June-2017... 4:53 AM
Updated Posting for public viewing: Friday, 30-June-2017... 4:21 AM
Herb O. Buckland
herbobuckland@hotmail.com