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tx
nervous system
Meniere's disease
psychospiritual approaches
metaphors and correlations
Tinnitus: refusal to listen; not hearing the inner voice; stubbornness. (Hay, 1984, p. 186)
Vertigo: flight; scattered thinking; a refusal to look. (Hay, 1984, p. 162)
Hearing loss: rejection, stubbornness, isolation; don't bother me; what don't you want to hear? (Hay, 1984, p. 162)
Chinese psychophysiology:
Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will); expresses ambition and focus; produces the Marrow which generates the spinal cord and "fills up" the brain; nourishes the brain to sustain concentration, clear thinking, and memory; carries the constitutional endowment from the parents; manifests through the ears and equilibrium; and displays the effects of sexual dissipation, overwork, chronic degenerative processes, and extreme stress.
» Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance.
» Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch. As always, Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Empty Fire and/or acute inflammation.
» Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Often chronic anxiety may induce Xu (Deficiency) and then Fire within the Kidney. (Maciocia, p. 250) Overwork, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).
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); and expresses itself in the fingernails, toenails and nervous system; 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 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.
» 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 joint stiffness, 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.
Small Intestine ~ Xiao Chang receives and transforms food by separating the Clear (Pure) from the Turbid (Impure), with the Clear becoming bodily fluids and the Turbid becoming urine - this function also operates on the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels; regulates quality of Xue (Blood); is responsible for digestion and nutrient absorption; with the Heart, is responsible for sweating; and opens into the tongue.
» Healthy expressions are love, joy, and the ability to discriminate; and, as the Princely Fire, warmth, vitality, and excitement.
» The Small Intestine is affected by sadness which grips a person and destroys the mental clarity and capacity of sound judgment for which this organ is responsible. (Maciocia, p. 273) Weakness, dysfunction, and illness are associated with cruelty, hate, indiscretion, and impatience.
» Small Intestine Deficiency signs include bluish lips with white border, emaciation, profuse sweating (Seem, p. 29); swellings of nodules; hemicrania; tinnitus; pain around the ear; and pain depressing the abdomen.
» Mental signs of Small Intestine channel disorders include poor mental assimilation, a feeling of mental deficiency due to inability to assimilate ideas, and insecurity. (Seem, p. 27)
San Jiao ~ Triple Warmer regulates the relations among the three regions roughly delimited by the chest, abdomen, and pelvis; influences the supply of Xue (Blood), Qi and Fluids; is the source of Wei (Protective) Qi; and relates to the function of heat regulation.
» Mental signs of Triple Warmer channel disorders include emotional upsets caused by breaking of friendships or family relations; depression; suspicion; anxiety; and poor elimination of harmful thoughts. (Seem, p. 28)
therapies
affirmation:
(Tinnitus) I trust my Higher Self. I listen with love to my inner voice. I release all that is unlike the action of love. (Hay, 1984, p. 186)
(Vertigo) I am deeply centered and peaceful in life. It is safe for me to be alive and joyous. (Hay, 1984, p. 162)
(Hearing loss) I listen to the Divine and rejoice with all that I am able to hear. I am one with all. (Hay, 1984, p. 176)
process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: psycho/neurological system)
related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
body reveals: the spirit
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.