Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 My note: Also see Wiseweeds for more information on herbs that help the liver. -- --------- Forwarded Message --------- DATE: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 00:42:01 Dagmar Riley <dagmar-riley Letter-from-China _____ LETTER FROM CHINA February '00 (1) A newsletter on and modern China by Dagmar Riley ______ In this issue: THE 5 ELEMENTS ....(A)Short Revision ....(B)The organ associated with Wood: The Liver BEIJING MEMOIRS OF MY CANADIAN FRIEND ROBIN ....the Silk Market DISCLAIMER SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE information ______ Please feel free to FORWARD this newsletter to friends. ______ THE 5 ELEMENTS - WOOD (A)SHORT REVISION: The 5 Elements are a symbol for the 5 basic energies of the Universe. The 5 Elements are: Wood - Fire - Earth - Metal - Water. The Element WOOD is associated with: Spring - Birth - Anger - Wind - Liver - Gallbladder - Eyes - sour. WOOD energy is a strong, dynamic energy of expansion and growth. For the BACK ISSUE on " East and West - 2 ways of perceiving the same world " and other back issues of this series, please visit http://www.topica.com/lists/Letter-from-China or send an e-mail to gesund2000 (B)THE ORGAN ASSOCIATED WITH WOOD: THE LIVER As you read about the function unit of the body that the Chinese call the Liver, it is helpful to keep 2 things in mind: One of the main differences between Chinese and Western medicine is, that internal organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are not defined as physical matter but as functions [see last issue: " East and West - 2 ways of perceiving the same world " ]. Don't despair if you can't grasp all the foreign concepts like Qi, Ethereal Soul, the Liver " controlling the sinews " etc with logic. It takes a while, or as the Chinese say: " Man man lai " - take it slowly! The Chinese Liver has 6 main functions: *It maintains the smooth flow of Qi. *It stores blood. *It controls the sinews. *It manifests in the nails. *It " opens into the eyes " . *It houses the " Ethereal Soul " . MAINTAINING THE SMOOTH FLOW OF QI The nature of Wood-(and therefore also Liver)energy is a strong and dynamic energy of expansion and growth. Consequently, what harms this energy most is obstruction: We said that personalities that pertain to the Wood Element can't deal well with any obstruction to their personality, their ideas or projects: They flare up in uncontrolled anger (the Wood emotion)and are aggressive and frustrated. As the Liver is part of the same Wood energy, it is not surprising that the Liver is the internal organ most sensitive to obstruction of Qi (Qi can be translated as vital energy). Liver Qi needs an atmosphere (within and without the body) of harmonious movement, free flow, suppleness and flexibility, the characteristics associated with a healthy Wood Element and a healthy Liver. Any symptoms of an impaired Liver will bear opposite characteristics. An obstruction of the function " maintaining a smooth flow of Qi " is the most predominant pattern of all Liver disharmonies and is also called " Liver Qi Stagnation " . Qi, (vital energy) flows in all organs, body tissues, acupuncture channels - in short, everywhere in the body. An impaired flow of Qi ( " Liver Qi Stagnation " )can therefore have an effect on the whole body, but it has an especially strong influence on the following 3 areas: 1)The emotions Wood personality types are especially prone to this imbalance, but anyone suffering from " Liver Qi Stagnation " can experience (repressed) anger, frustration, irritability or depression. These emotional states are often accompanied by a feeling of oppression in the chest or a lump in the throat. Note that this is a reciprocal relationship: Emotional tension, repressed anger and frustration have a very strong impact on the Liver function of maintaining a smooth flow of Qi and are probably cause number one of " Liver Qi Stagnation " ! As all Liver functions are interrelated and dependent on each other, emotional tension may cause other symptoms of " Liver Qi Satgnation " , it can for example easily affect area number 2: 2)Digestion (Spleen and Stomach) In order for digestion to work properly, it is crucial that Stomach Qi moves downwards and Spleen Qi moves upwards. A smooth flow of Liver Qi upholds the proper flowing direction of Spleen and Stomach Qi. " Liver Qi Stagnation " may prevent Spleen Qi from flowing upwards causing diarrhoea and obstructing the proper transformation and transportation of nutrients. If the downward movement of Stomach Qi is disturbed, nausea, vomiting, no appetite or sour regurgitation may result. Does this disharmony ring a bell? Right, within the restricting relationship of the 5 Elements, this disharmony corresponds to Wood (Liver) overrestricting the Earth (Spleen/Stomach)[December '99 (3) issue]! We all have experienced this disharmony in a commmon form: Somebody or something has made us so angry/given us an emotional shock, that we suddenly have no appetite and feel like we can't even take one bite - disturbed emotions affecting the smooth flow of Liver Qi which in turn is causing Stomach Qi not to flow downwards so that food won't go down. In , there is no separation of body and mind: A disharmonious mind can impair the body and vice versa, and a harmonious mind can cure the body as well as harmonising the body will cure the mind. 3)The gallbladder is the second organ associated with Wood. Stagnant Liver Qi can obstruct the flow of bile excreted by the gallbladder, bringing about belching, a bitter taste, or jaundice. STORING BLOOD The Liver's function of storing blood has 2 aspects: a)The Liver is regulating the blood volume throughout the body according to our level of activity. During activity, blood streams to the extremities to nourish the muscles and provide them with energy, during rest the blood returns to the Liver and we are able to regenerate ourselves. b)The Liver's function of storing blood is of great importance in gynaecology. If the Liver stores blood normally, menstruation is normal. If Liver Blood is in excess or hot, this may cause an excessive flow of menses or irregular uterine bleeding not associated with menstruation. Deficient Liver Blood may lead to a diminished flow during the menstrual period, infrequent occurrence of menstruation, or absence of menstruation. Liver Qi disharmonies can also influence menstruation, since the correct flow of Qi in the blood vessels affects the blood flow. " Liver Qi Stagnation " can lead to blood stagnation, resulting in symptoms like painful periods, clotted blood, premenstrual tension. Blood nourishes and moistens the body tissues, incluing the skin and hair. An impaired Liver affecting the blood can also cause skin rashes or other skin dieases, and make the hair lose its healthy shine. CONTROLLING THE SINEWS The term " sinews " includes the tendons and, in part, the muscles. Liver blood nourishes and moistens the " sinews " and ensures smooth, harmonious and flexible movements . If Liver blood is deficient and can't nourish the " sinews " , muscle cramps, contraction of the tendons, inflexibility of the joints, weakness or numbness of the limbs, tremors or convulsions may be the consequence. MANIFESTING IN THE NAILS Abundant Liver blood produces healthy, moist, flexible, pink nails. Deficient Liver blood causes the nails to be pale, thin, dry, cracked or indented. OPENING INTO THE EYES Every internal organ in has a sense organ connected to it. The Liver is connected to the eyes, which will be moist and whose vision will be good when Liver blood is sufficient. An impaired Liver is the cause for many eye problems or visual defects: Deficient Liver blood may cause dry eyes, bad or blurred vision, shortsightedness, night blindness or colour blindness. Liver Fire may cause the eyes to be bloodshot. The health of the Liver also determines the clarity of internal vision, as we shall see next: HOUSING THE ETHEREAL SOUL The Ethereal Soul is linked to clarity of mind, a sense of vision, creativity and the ablity to find a direction in life. An person with an impaired liver may lack the clarity of mind and sense of vision to find his place and direction in life. He will be confused and his mind will float without being rooted to a purpose or any goals. If he has goals, he/she may lack the creativity to make goals become reality. WIND, the climatic factor of the Wood energy: An already imparied Liver is easily affected by wind, and people with an impaired liver will often complain of headaches and dizziness during or after windy days. The properties of Wind also characterize many symtpoms of Liver disharmonies: Often, symptoms show a sudden onset and change quickly like the Wind: A sudden onset of a skin rash, that quickly spreads over the body, or the sudden attacks of muscle tremors or convulsions that appear like an internal wind, rattling the " branches and leaves " of the body. COMMON PATTERNS OF LIVER DISHARMONIES It is true that every patient and every situation is unique and represents its own unique pattern of disharmony. Nevertheless, a number of typical disharmony patterns have been detected for each internal organ that loosely fit a lot of clinical cases and that can be used as a starting point in diagnosis, somehow like a template. A good doctor will always fine-tune this " template " to come as close as possible to the unique pattern of each patient. The fine differences in treatment are often what makes the success or failure of recovery of the patient, or in other words the genius or ineptitude of the doctor. 1)STAGNATION OF LIVER QI often caused by emotional factors *some possible symtpoms: feeling of distension in the chest and hypochondrium, sighing-like breaths, moodiness, depression, dizziness, bitter taste in the mouth, loss of appetite, nausea, irregular or painful menstruation, distension of breasts before period. This pattern often appears in combination with the pattern " Liver overrestricting the Spleen " , hence the digestive problems. A long-term Stagnation of Liver Qi tends to develop into STASIS OF LIVER BLOOD, *some possible symptoms: painful irregular periods, abdominal pain, blood clots in the menstrual blood, dark menstrual blood colour. 2)LIVER FIRE FLAMING UP *some possible symptoms: strong headaches, dizziness, buzzing in the ears, impaired hearing, blood-shot eyes, red face, irritability, outbursts of anger, bleeding from the nose, coughing up blood, dry mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, troubled sleep with much dreaming, dry stools, sparse urine. 3)LIVER BLOOD DEFICIENCY *some possible symptoms: pale face, pale lips, blurred eyesight, deficient amount or absence of menstruation, no self-esteem, tendency to break into tears, irritability, insomnia, brown spots in the face, numbness of limbs, muscular weakness or spasms, cramps, dry and brittle fingernails. 4)LIVER YIN DEFICIENCY a continuum of Liver Blood deficiency. *some possible symptoms: red cheeks, hot palms and soles of the feet, bad eyesight, dry eyes or other eye problems, nervousness, dizziness. 5)LIVER WIND STIRRING WITHIN Liver Wind can arise because of extreme heat in the Liver, Liver Yin deficiency, or Liver Blood deficiency. *some possible symptoms: dizziness, convuslion, spasm, tics, paralysis. 6)DAMPNESS AND HEAT IN LIVER AND GALLBLADDER *some possible symptoms: fever, jaundice, feeling of fullness or pain in the hypochondrium and chest, bitter taste, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, painful swelling of scrotum, vaginal discharge. 7)STAGNATION OF COLD IN THE LIVER CHANNEL *some possible symptoms: pains stretching along the Liver channel in the area of the scrotum, lower abdomen, testicles. The pain is relieved with application of warmth. We've covered a lot of ground today! Stay tuned for next time when you'll learn about methods of balancing your Liver. ______ *********************Ad 1******************************* READ MY SECRET E-Zine Promotion Diary. You're invited to follow our progress each week as I reveal what works and what bombs in the world of E-zine promotion. Subscribe at: ezu- or drop by the campus at http://www.ezineuniversity.com *********************Ad 2******************************* Need to manage your home, organize your life, find time to get everything done? Read the FREE Home Management Gazette! It's full of household hints, ideas for organizing your home and your life, time management tips, information on parenting, ways to make life more fun and much more! Subscribe at http://www.thelinenstrap.com NOW! *********************End Ad***************************** ______ BEIJING MEMOIRS OF MY CANADIAN FRIEND ROBIN [i had the opportunity, over the past year, to visit China. My husband is a refrigeration mechanic who was sent to Beijing to build an ice rink in a shopping plaza so that you can skate and shop. Since I love to travel, I quit my job to follow him. This is the story as it unfolds.] Well, we are back to the real world and things are chugging along. It has been hovering around 0 C for the last week (a weather system from Mongolia) and it has been giving me the shivers. Since Michael is now working every day I decided to go to the Silk Market to find a warmer coat for the winter in Beijing. I packed my backpack and off I went. To start with I was most excited when I hailed a taxi and told him in Chinese where I wanted to go. He understood me without the use of my piece of paper with it scribbled down in Chinese characters. We didn't even go on a tour of the city. We arrived at the Silk Market and I strolled past hundreds of stalls packed with jackets, cashmere sweaters, hats, scarves, mitts, shoes, and boots - everything you might need to keep warm. There were many tourists there - mostly from Russia and Germany - but as I walked past the booths and people said " Hello " and I replied " Ni hao " the attitude changed - I was a local! After I had seen many short " down " ski jackets I came across a booth with knee length " First Down " coats that I thought would be nice and warm. Unfortunately the price was 700 Yuan which is about $140 Cdn. And so regretfully I told him I didn't have that much and went on my way. On my return circuit he called me back and said how much do you want to pay? I said I only had 300Y (about $55.00 Cdn) to which he replied " Where are you from - USA? " When I said no I come from Canada or Dshanada as they pronounce it, he said " Okay you can pay 300Y " I tried it on and since it fit perfectly I decided that even if it was " fibre filled " it would work. Clutching my bag stuffed with the coat, I returned home. That night we had to go to the work site as they were moving the equipment in and so I thought this would be a good test. As I stood around in 0C temperatures I was kept very warm and I was excited to discover a feather coming from one of the seams. I had, in fact, purchased a REAL down coat for only $55. Cdn so I was extremely pleased. Unfortunately, I have caught the bug and I am itching to go back and buy the place out. Since Michael needs a warmer jacket for work I will be able to try my hand again... Tonight a fellow from Canada, who we met the first night we arrived, wants to take us out to dinner to a place which has many small restaurants with food from the north of China, near the Mongolian border. Apparently they all want you to eat at their restaurant so they jump out at your car to get you to stop and park to eat at their establishment. It should be interesting. It seems such a shame to cook the usual food at home when there is such a large selection of local cuisine to experience. So we are going to add to our book of stories and try it out. On Saturday night there is an 80's party at the pub where we have been playing pool and we were invited to go. As we know a lot of the people that go there it will be fun and another opportunity to meet more of the " ex-pat " community. We have met archaeologists from Yale, business people from England, New Zealand- basically from all over the world. We met a fellow from Toronto the other night and he sat there while I caught him up with all of the TV shows from Canada - Friends, Star Trek DS9 and Star Trek Voyager. He had been here for 3 years so there was much to tell him. I had an opportunity to discover a new experience in going to the washroom. We were in a local restaurant and I needed to use the facilities. Michael had already been there and had warned me of the equipment that was being used. Instead of the usual toilet I found basically an enamel trough in the floor and apparently the method was to squat and aim (for females)- who said women couldn't pee standing up! Another " story " to add to the collection. Well that is all for now- stay well and happy. Robin ______ DISCLAIMER The material in this newsletter is intended for informational purposes only. I do not prescribe and I do not diagnose. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of a health professional, you prescribe for yourself, which remains your constitutional right, but the author assumes no responsibility. _______ SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE The Letter from China is published every two weeks on Fridays. New rs will be forwarded the current issue. by sending a BLANK email to: Letter-from-China- by sending a BLANK email to: Letter-from-China- submit your own personal stories gesund2000 and write " article submission " in the subject line. comments, suggestions or criticism gesund2000 and write " comment " in the subject line. for back issues gesund2000 and write " back issues " in the subject line or visit http://www.topica.com/lists/Letter-from-China _______ Copyright ) 2000 by Dagmar Riley ___________ Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list! http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk --------- End Forwarded Message --------- --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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