-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
cutaneous system
tinea/ringworm
psychospiritual approaches

metaphors and correlations

• Skin problems represent anxiety, fear, being threatened; old, buried stuff. (Hay, 1984, p. 183)

Chinese psychophysiology:
Liver ~ Gan is the home of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; stores and cleanses the Xue (Blood); maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); has an intimate relationship with the genitals and Lower Warmer; 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 Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) predisposes to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis) and Xue (Blood) Heat. Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Shi (Excess) conditions such as Liver Wind.
» Tumors and other masses are considered a form of Xue Yu (Blood Stasis) and thus ultimately are derived from Qi Stagnation. 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)
» Liver Wind derives from Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) and/or Liver Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) and their subsequent inability to embrace the Yang, and can manifest as dizziness, tremor, paralysis, convulsions, rashes, itching, and neurological problems. Wind can also be internalized after exposure to inclement, especially windy, weather and any concomitant influences of Damp, Cold, and/or Heat.

Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion; transforms food into Qi and Xue (Blood); governs the Xue (Blood); resolves Dampness and Phlegm; 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; muscular weakness; and, indirectly, obesity. Unresolved Spleen Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Spleen Shi (Excess), particularly accumulation of Dampness and Phlegm, as the Spleen's functioning declines. The Heat produced by Liver Stagnation may then transform the Dampness into Damp-Heat.
» The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen. This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise and excess consumption of sweet and Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen. Environmentally, the Spleen is highly susceptible to attack from external Dampness and Cold.

Lung ~ Fei is the home of the Po (Corporeal Soul); governs the Qi; facilitates the immune function by assisting the dispersal of the Wei (Protective) Qi; regulates the rhythm of respiration, the pulse, and all bodily processes; relates to strength and sustainability; moves and adjusts fluid metabolism; extends through the skin, controls the pores, and manifests through the body hair.
»
Healthy expressions are righteousness and courage.
»
Weakness, dysfunction, and illness associated with excessive grief, sadness, worry, and depression.


therapies


affirmation:
• (Skin) I lovingly protect myself with thoughts of joy and peace. The past is forgiven and forgotten. I am free in this moment. (Hay, 1984, p. 183)

theotherapy:
(skin problems) Dionysus, Heracles, Orestes, Pelops (Lemesurier, p. 115)

psychotherapy:
• Whatever happens to the skin corresponds to an inner process. The diverse functions of the skin (protection, contact, expression, excretion, respiration, temperature regulation, sexuality, etc.) are associated with a common theme that alternates between the two poles of separation and contact. Something is bursting through our limits, or trying to armor an inner sensitivity. Questions to ask in the event of skin problems:
» What is it that is getting under my skin? What is trying to burst through barriers?
» How easy/difficult is it to make contact with other people? Do I desire intimacy?
» Have I condemned myself to solitary confinement? What is useful about this?
(Dethlefsen, p. 162, 170)

process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
• What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: cutaneous system)

related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
skin metaphors and correlations
converting a signal to a symptom
affirmations: guidelines and precautions
theotherapy
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.