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THE ELEMENT WOOD AND THE LIVER
The liver is the organ responsible for: -‐ Evolution -‐ Openness, tolerance -‐ Optimism -‐ Trust and faith -‐ The capacity of making plans and taking decisions -‐ Initiative -‐ Action -‐ Development -‐ Work -‐ Liberty -‐ Love -‐ Commitment -‐ Courage -‐ Spirituality The excess of the liver (wood) energy can lead to: -‐ Impulsivity and impatience -‐ Excessive rigor in work, workaholic -‐ Cant give up, cant stop -‐ Dissatisfaction in everything -‐ Quick to get angry, irascibility -‐ Choleric temper -‐ Verbosity, talking too much -‐ Envy, jealousy, mistrustfulness -‐ Hate, revenge -‐ Violent, argumentative temper -‐ Tyrannical, condescendence -‐ Formalism -‐ Stubbornly looking for the meaning of life, but forgetting to enjoy how live feels -‐ Inflexible, always getting stuck in concepts and rules Liver (wood) energy insufficiency will be indicated by: -‐ Laziness -‐ Inexpressive look -‐ Inconsistency in work, easily getting distracted -‐ Difficulty in making decisions, hard time focusing -‐ Lack of imagination -‐ Inconsistency in plans and goals -‐ Apathy and resignation -‐ Depressive behavior, pessimism -‐ Incapacity of seeing in to the future -‐ Cynic and sarcastic -‐ Inactive and grumpy -‐ Mean and envious
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Easy changing of beliefs, masters and therapists
The liver
The liver meridian is connected internally and externally with the gall bladder. The most important physiological functions are: -‐ The storing of blood -‐ Maintaining the free flow of energy -‐ Governs ligaments and tendons -‐ Maintains the nails and -‐ Opens in the eyes Storing the blood and adjusting the blood volume flowing trough our veins are two of the functions governed by the liver. Vigorous physical exercise will make the liver to release more blood in to the body, while during prolonged rest or through the night when sleeping the volume of blood always decreases. The free flow of energy. One responsibility of the liver is to remove depression. The stagnation of energy at its level, caused by emotional distress, can affect the free flow of energy and it will manifest in three ways, as follows: -‐ The liver and emotional activity – liver dysfunctions is frequently accompanied by sudden emotional changes like depression and agitation (distress). -‐ The liver and digestion – the liver role of maintaining the unrestricted flow of energy in our bodies is directly related to the ascent and descent of the spleen and stomach energy, but also to the gall bladder discharge. -‐ The liver, the blood and its energy – While the heart and the lungs play the main part in the moving of blood and energy in our bodies, the liver function of maintaining the free energy flow, is necessary and essential for preventing the stagnation of blood and energy. If this stagnation occurs we will experience pressure at the chest level, pain in the hypochondriac region, dysmenorrhea (irregularities of menstrual flow, usually accompanied by pain), and sometimes also the appearance of formations (fibroids and lumps) that cad degenerate in tumors. The ligaments and tendons are directly influenced by liver function and blood deficiency in these areas can create spasms or sluggish movement in the joints. The opposite is also true: overworking your joints and ligaments through excess exercise can weaken the liver. Maintaining the nails: fingernails and toenails are under the influence of the liver, and signs of poor nourishment and deficient liver energy can show up as weak nails: pale, brittle, chipped, ridges, fungus, or missing the half moon at the base. Opens in the eyes. The eyes are the opening to the liver. Signs of unbalanced liver appear as problems in the eyes, as a branch of the liver meridian flows into the eyes. Deficient liver Qi can cause blurred vision, dry or swollen eyes, and floaters. Overuse of the eyes can also lead to deficient liver energy. In conformity with the five elements theory, the liver corresponds to element wood, color green, (in Qigong it corresponds to the color dark blue), and direction
4 East. The excess feeling that affects the liver is anger, and that’s why, when we experience anger and stress related to anger, the whole body energy flow and balance is disturbed. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE ELEMENT FIRE AND THE HEART
The heart is the organ responsible for: -‐ Action -‐ The mental -‐ Communication -‐ Intelligence and mental agility -‐ Vitality -‐ Open heartiness -‐ Humor -‐ Compassion -‐ Achievement, finalization -‐ Enthusiasm -‐ Rituals A person with fire (heart) energy in excess will manifest the following symptoms: -‐ Loud and in excess laughing -‐ Fast speaker -‐ Talking while sleeping -‐ Unrested and inpatient -‐ Hysterical, everything is grand -‐ Excess, unjust happiness -‐ Alertness -‐ Arrogant, proud -‐ Megalomaniac, eccentric, narcissist -‐ Denigrator, grouchy A person with insufficiency of fire (heart) energy, can manifest the following symptoms: -‐ Unhappy -‐ Exaggerated need to sleep -‐ Serious personality, no humor -‐ Hard time in assimilating and understanding information -‐ No enthusiasm -‐ Low ambition -‐ Chronic fatigue -‐ Easily loosing control -‐ Can’t finish what started -‐ Communication difficulties, dyslexia -‐ Disoriented, lost, scared -‐ Mute, taciturn, distant
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The Heart
The heart is the center of your body, but its capacity and power extend beyond the physical organ. A peaceful and nourished heart is the key to holistic health inside and out. The heart meridian is connected to the small intestine, and the most important functions are: -‐ Controlling the blood and blood vessels -‐ Houses the spirit -‐ It manifest at the face level -‐ Opens in the tongue The governing of blood circulation: the heart, along with the liver, governs blood circulation. Adequate blood supply and proper blood circulation nourishes normal mental activity. Also, a strong heart can supply itself with nourishing blood. Because it provides its own blood supply, it can house your spirit, which supports healthy activity in body, mind, and spirit. The heart is the house of the “spirit” and is responsible for all mental activity, such as thinking, intelligence, emotions and memory. Mental illness and sleep abnormalities may result from an unbalanced heart. If your heart is energy deficient, it cannot house your spirit, therefore, you may have an uneasy or restless feeling and even mental dullness and memory loss. A strong, balanced heart strengthens these important facets of consciousness. The best way to care for your heart is to listen to your inner wisdom. A peaceful, open heart nourished by experience and continual self-‐reflection manifests a balanced, full life. As the portal to your soul, the condition of the heart affects all dimensions of your body — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The heart Yang energy insufficiency can lead to amnesia, palpitations; the heart Yin energy insufficiency can lead to nocturne abundant perspiration and insomnia. Manifestation at the face level: the state of the heart is reflected in the condition of the blood vessels, especially those in the face. A pale white face may indicate blood deficiency, while an overly red face may reveal excessive fire or heat. Broken blood vessels around the nose and varicose veins can also indicate hardening of the arteries. The heart opens in the tongue. The Chinese traditional medicine considers the tongue as the “window” to the heart. The condition of the heart can be seen in the tongue. A healthy red tongue indicates balanced heart energy. However, a pale white tongue may reveal depleted heart energy, and a dark purple tongue may indicate blood stagnation. Rapid-‐fire speech suggests an overactive heart, whereas the inability to speak at all may indicate blockage in the heart. The heart corresponds to the element fire, color red, direction South, and the excess feeling that affect the heart the most is joy (happiness). _________________________________________________________________________________________________
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THE ELEMENT EARTH AND THE SPLEEN
The spleen is the organ responsible for: -‐ Transformation -‐ Receptivity -‐ Sociability -‐ Moderation -‐ Thoughtfulness, cautiousness -‐ Carrying, supportive -‐ Empathy -‐ Good mediator -‐ Willingness to build a family -‐ Money cautious, thinking about the future A person with earth (spleen) energy in excess will manifest the following symptoms: -‐ Over caring -‐ Manipulative -‐ Excess in social contacts -‐ Possessed by obsessive ideas, imagining things -‐ Over compassionate -‐ Exaggerating with trying to be useful -‐ Accepting too much from others, “buying” love -‐ Scarifying itself that much that provokes the feeling of guilt -‐ Unmerciful and inflexible -‐ Complicated and slow A person with insufficiency of earth (spleen) energy, will manifest the following symptoms: -‐ Uninterested in all things, distracted -‐ Cant think clear -‐ Feels unsure and unwelcomed -‐ Stressed in sentimental relations -‐ Wining -‐ Greedy and ungrateful
The spleen
The spleen is considered to be the key organ for healthy digestion as well as several other processes in your body. In traditional Chinese medicine, the spleen is grouped together with the pancreas as a spleen system. The spleen meridian is connected to the stomach, and its main functions are: -‐ Governs the transformation and transportation -‐ Controls the blood -‐ Governs the muscles and limbs -‐ It opens in the mouth and lips -‐ Houses thought
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Transformation and transportation. The spleen transforms food and liquid processed by the stomach into energy and blood. It also extracts nutrients from food, and then transports these nutrients all around the body. The spleen also regulates water metabolism by absorbing and circulating water in the body. The spleen hates excessive humidity and congestion. Urinary tract infections, vaginal discharges, and candida yeast infections are conditions of depleted spleen Qi. These conditions can lead to an accumulation of internal dampness, which blocks the spleen's ability to transport nourishing energy throughout the body. Signs of deficient spleen function include water retention, congestion, appetite loss, poor digestion, bloating, and weight gain. The blood control consists of the fact that the spleen controls the right circulation of the blood in the blood vessels preventing extravasation (the leakage of blood from a vessel into tissues surrounding it). Healthy spleen energy keeps the blood flowing within the blood vessels. Signs of deficient spleen function include vomiting of blood, nosebleeds, bruising, internal bleeding, and varicose veins. Muscles and limbs are dominated by the spleen, which controls their nourishment with water and food. Proper spleen function builds good muscle tone and warm limbs. The nutrients extracted from healthy digestion maintain muscle thickness and strength. However, atrophied muscles and cold, weak limbs indicate deficient spleen function. Opening at the mouth and lips level is actually related to the food intake and the taste in our mouth. Digestion begins in the mouth, and a sign of healthy spleen function is a good sense of taste. Spleen function reveals itself in the lips, which, in turn, mirror the condition of the digestive tract. When the lips are rosy pink and moist, the digestive tract is functioning well. Conversely, when the lips are pale and dry, digestion is deficient or impaired. The house of thought. More than one organ plays a role in regulating thought and memory. Spleen function is associated with concentration, focusing, and activities like study and memorization. Spleen Qi influences your ability to perform these tasks. Deficient spleen energy manifests as cloudy thinking accompanied by a lack of concentration and poor memory. However, overthinking, extreme concentration, and over studying can stagnate and weaken the spleen. The theory of the five elements perceives the spleen as corresponding to the element earth, color yellow and direction Center. The excess sentiment that affects this organ is overthinking (concern). _________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE ELEMENT METAL AND THE LUNGS
The lungs is the organ responsible for: -‐ Stability -‐ Recovery -‐ Corporal Soul -‐ Introspection, meditation
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Emphasizing traditions Justice, precision, correctness Discipline Exterior beauty Clarity, purity
The excess of the lungs (metal) energy will be recognizable by: -‐ Rigid posture and formal attitude -‐ Over controlling feelings -‐ Hardly ever cries -‐ Extremely critical -‐ Never talks about self -‐ Unsympathetic, cold, cruel -‐ Full of prejudice, great accuser The insufficiency of lungs (metal) energy has the following symptoms: -‐ Negligent attitude -‐ Sad facial expression -‐ Desperation -‐ Spreading sadness around -‐ Weak convincing power -‐ Lack of judgment -‐ Hypocrisy
The Lungs The lungs Meridian is connected with the large intestine, and has the following physiological functions: -‐ Controls the energy (Qi) and the breathing -‐ Distributes the defensive energy in the body; controls the skin and body hair -‐ Directs the descent of energy and governs the water metabolism -‐ It opens in the nose Controlling the energy and breathing has two aspects: one, the formation of breathing energy (Qi), and second, the control of the energy in the whole body. The distribution of the defensive energy in the body; the control of the skin and the body hair. The lung sends defensive energy to the layer between the muscles and your skin to build up warmth and protect your body's surface. It is the reason why the skin and the body hair are immediately connected with the lungs. If your lung function is weak, your energy defense shield can become impaired, making you vulnerable to viruses. Performing breathing exercises is one way you
9 can improve your immunity. The lung's condition is reflected in the quality of your skin. Healthy radiant skin can be an indicator of balanced lung function. However, deficient or weak lung Qi can cause wrinkles along with rough, dry, or itchy skin. Controlling the descent of energy and governing of the water metabolism. The lungs direct energy to descend in the body. If this function is obstructed, we can experience symptoms associated with ascending, such as asthma, phlegm, runny nose, stuffy chest, and coughing. The lung ensures proper water metabolism by directing water downward to be eliminated. If this function is weak, since the lung and its paired with the large intestine, this can become stagnated, and we can have as effect constipation or diarrhea. Opening in the nose. In traditional Chinese medicine, the nose is the opening to the lung. When the nose is open and your sense of smell is intact, your lung function is healthy. But if your nose is stuffy and your sense of smell is lost, lung function may be imbalanced. Equally, nosebleeds may be a sign of overheated lung chi. The lungs correspond to element metal, color white, direction West, and the excess feelings that affect them are grief and sadness. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE ELEMENT WATER AND THE KIDNEYS
The kidneys are the organs responsible for: -‐ Wisdom (understanding the profound truth) -‐ Will -‐ Perseverance -‐ Endurance -‐ Sensibility -‐ Good memory -‐ Concentration -‐ Love for justice -‐ Sincerity -‐ Objectivity -‐ Calm, serenity -‐ Loneliness -‐ Quietness -‐ Protection under anonymity -‐ Cautiously spending -‐ Modesty -‐ Solitude tendency -‐ Understanding of the essential truth A person with water (kidney) energy in excess can manifest the following symptoms: -‐ Withdrawn from social activities -‐ Introverted
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Extremely critical Sexually crazed
A person with water (kidney) energy insufficiency can manifest the following symptoms: -‐ Physically and mentally exhausted -‐ Weak will -‐ Liar, untruthful -‐ Fatigued -‐ Frigidity -‐ Complicate mind, chaotic, unreliable -‐ Subjective -‐ Lack of perseverance -‐ Difficulty in to accepting the reality
The Kidneys
The kidney performs many energy functions that are important to our overall health. The kidney meridian is connected with the urinary bladder and has the following functions: -‐ Storage the vital essence and control the growth and reproduction; -‐ Regulate the water metabolism; -‐ Receive the energy; -‐ Control the bones, produce marrow to fill up the spine and the brain; Kidneys Meridian manifests in your hair, opens in the ears, and controls the two “Yin” (anterior-‐ anus and posterior-‐urogenital organs). The storage the vital essence and controlling the growth and reproduction: the kidneys store the “kidney essence” which is a combination of “inborn Qi” that we inherit from our parents along with “food Qi” acquired from food. This kidney essence is then transformed into Qi or blood and is used by the whole body. Inborn Qi determines your mental and physical constitution, your longevity, but also governs the growth and development of your body, and supports the function of the reproductive organs. Signs of deficient inborn Qi can appear as infertility, impotence, and repeated miscarriages. The governing of the water metabolism: it refers to the quality of maintaining the right balance of the body fluids. First, the kidney distributes nutritive fluid created from food throughout the body and second, the kidney disposes of waste fluids that are byproducts of organ and body functions. Drinking excess water (as suggested by some dietary trends) can overburden and unbalance the kidney. Receiving the energy: the Chinese traditional medicine considers that, although the breathing is controlled and performed by the lungs, the kidney is the primary source of Qi for your body and helps support the function of your other organs The control over the bone marrow production and the bones itself: the kidney nourishes the skeletal system, bone marrow, brain, and spinal cord. The
11 Chinese traditional medicine sees the brain as “a big marrow produced by the kidneys”. The teeth are considered to be extensions of the bone and are also supported by kidneys. Tooth decay at an early age can indicate weak kidney function. The opening in the ears and controlling the two “Yin’s” (anterior and posterior): the hearing depends directly to the kidneys energy. Earaches, tinnitus, excess earwax, and loss of hearing can indicate deficient kidney Qi. Often after birth, mothers have problems with hearing, due to the dropping of kidneys energy, since they share that energy with the newly born. In conformity with the theory of the five elements, kidneys correspond to the element water, color black, direction North. The feeling in excess that seriously affect the kidneys is fear. To stimulate them one have to massage the lateral sides of the lumbar region, sacrum and coccyx, and the little finger from base to the tip. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The aromas corresponding to the five organs and their actions: Liver – SOUR – collects Heart – BITTER – strengthens Spleen – SWEET – transforms Lungs – SPICY – disperse Kidneys – SALTY – softens The five actions affecting the five organs: Prolonged walking – muscles and tendons – LIVER Prolonged gazing (watching, contemplating) – the blood – HEART Prolonged sitting – muscle mass – SPLEEN Prolonged laying (horizontal) – energy – LUNGS Prolonged standing – bones – KIDNEYS The five externalizations of the organs: Liver – ANGER Heart – HAPPINESS Spleen – CONCERN Lungs – SADNESS Kidneys – FEAR The five transformations in liquids: Liver – TEARS Heart – SWEAT Spleen – SALIVA Lungs – MUCOSITIES Kidneys – SLOBBER
