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digestive system
gastroenteritis
psychospiritual approaches
metaphors and correlations
Gut level fear, dread, anxiety; griping and complaining. (Hay, 1984, p. 170)
Inflammation: fear; inflamed thinking; seeing red; anger and frustration about conditions in one's life. (Hay, 1984, p. 170-1)
Chinese psychophysiology:
Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion; transforms food into Qi and Xue (Blood); resolves Dampness and Phlegm; governs the Xue (Blood); maintains upbearing; and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel centered and balanced.
» Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence.
» Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; pale lips; loose stools; and muscular weakness. Unresolved Spleen Xu (Deficiency) will ultimately shift into Spleen Shi (Excess) as Dampness accumulates. Spleen Xu (Deficiency) increases the susceptibility to "invasion" by the Liver.
» Spleen Shi (Excess) signs include heaviness (excess "form"); large abdomen; great sighing; sadness; obsessions and nightmares (Seem, p. 28); abdominal pain; irregular appetite; stickiness in the mouth and on lips; red lips; chest congestion; fatigue; and constipation. Dampness and Phlegm Shi (Excess) usually derive from Spleen Yang and/or Qi Xu (Deficiency).
» The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen and may lead to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis). This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise and excess consumption of sweet and/or Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen. Environmentally, the Spleen is highly susceptible to attack from external Dampness and Cold.
Stomach ~ Wei is the Sea of Nourishment and origin of all fluids; transforms and digests food so that the Spleen can separate the distilled food essences; with the Spleen, is the root of post-natal Qi; and as Earth, relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel balanced and centered.
» Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, and nurturance.
» Weakness, dysfunction, and illness are associated with worry, anxiety, and overthinking. Worry will cause Stagnation of Qi in the Stomach and will manifest as a niggling, burning pain, belching, and nausea. Excessive mental work over a period of years leads to Deficiency of Stomach Qi. Anger, frustration, and resentment affect the Stomach indirectly through Liver Qi Stagnation which invades the Stomach. (Maciocia, p. 267)
» Stomach Xu (Deficiency) signs include slow digestion; vomiting after meals; painful eyebrows; emotionality; teariness; sadness; cold feet (Seem, p. 28); cold and shivering in the abdominal area; abdomen swollen and full; gastritis; loss of appetite; diarrhea; nausea; and leg weakness. As always, chronic Deficiency predisposes to Excess.
» Stomach Shi (Excess) signs include nightmares; acne; skin eruptions; excess stomach acid (Seem, p. 28); heat in the abdominal area; overactive digestive system causing hunger and thirst; dark yellow urine; gluttony; halitosis; swollen gums; red dry lips; pains and cramps in legs.
Liver ~ Gan is the residence of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; cleanses the Xue (Blood); maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); and reflects emotional harmony and movement.
» Healthy expressions are kindness, spontaneity, and ease of movement.
» Liver Xu (Deficiency) signs include impotence; frigidity; pain in thighs, pelvic region, and throat; ready tendency to "the blahs" (Seem, p. 28); timidity; depression; irritability; vertigo; pruritus; dry eyes, skin, and/or tendons; asthma; aching at the waist; hernia; and difficulty raising head up and down. Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to the Shi (Excess) conditions of Liver Wind, Liver Yang Rising, and Liver Fire Blazing.
» Liver Qi Stagnation reflects and accentuates emotional constraint as the Liver's function of facilitating smooth flow in the body is constricted. Stagnation is associated with frustration, irritability, tension, and feeling stuck. With time this pattern tends to produce a gloomy emotional state of constant resentment, repressed anger or depression, along with tightness in the chest, frequent sighing, abdominal tension or distension, and/or a feeling of a lump in the throat with difficulty in swallowing. (Maciocia, p. 216) Xue Yu (Blood Stasis) often begins with Qi Stagnation.
» Liver Shi (Excess) signs include discontent; anger; pain in lumbar region and genitals (Seem, p. 28); muscular tension; excessive sex drive; insomnia; moodiness; excitability; genital diseases; red, tearing eyes; compulsive energy; and bitter taste in the mouth. Chronically suppressed anger can implode and give rise to Fire in the Liver and Gall Bladder with symptoms of irritability, bitter taste, headaches, etc., and a tendency to "invade" the Stomach, Spleen, and Intestines.
Large Intestine ~ Da Chang absorbs water; governs transformation and conveyance of waste from food to form stool; relates to strength and sustainability as the Yang aspect of Metal.
» Weakness, dysfunction, and illness are associated with sadness, grief, and worry. Worry depletes the Lung Qi which fails to descend and assist the Large Intestine in its functions.
» Healthy expressions are righteousness and courage.
» Large Intestine Shi (Excess) signs include dry mouth; parched lips; hot body (Seem, p. 29); warmth and swelling along the course of the channel; distended abdomen; dizziness; constipation; and yellow-orange urine.
» Stagnation of Qi in the Large Intestine produces spastic abdominal pain and constipation, with small stools alternating with diarrhea.
therapies
affirmation:
I digest and assimilate all new experiences peacefully and joyously. (Hay, 1984, p. 170)
(Inflammation) My thinking is peaceful, calm, and centered. I am willing to change all patterns of criticism. I love and approve of myself. (Hay, 1984, p. 170-1)
psychotherapy:
In cases of stomach disorders and digestive complaints, ask some related questions:
» What is it that I am unable or unwilling to swallow? Assimilate? Let go of?
» Is something eating me up inside? What am I feeling so sour about?
» How am I handling my feelings? How am I coping with my aggression?
» To what extent am I avoiding conflicts? Am I longing for the conflict-free time of childhood when I was secure, loved, and cared for? (Dethlefsen, p. 134)
Those who are prone to inflammations are attempting to avoid conflicts. The following questions may be useful:
» What conflict am I failing to see? hear? feel? move?
» What conflict am I dodging? What is my relationship to it?
» What conflict am I failing to admit to?" (Dethlefsen, p. 108)
process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: digestive system)
related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
converting a symptom to a signal
affirmations: guidelines and precautions
process paradigm
footnotes
Reprinted from The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, Giovanni, 1989, by permission of the publisher Churchill Livingstone, a division of Elsevier Limited.