The Skin

[Guest guest]

>What about the skin? Isn't that an organ?

 

In TCM the skin is considered part of the Lung system.

 

The Lungs control the skin. Maciocia writes, " If the Lung funciton of

dispersing fluids is normal, the skin will have lustre, the hair will be

glossy, the opening and closing of the pores and sweating will be normal. "

(p. 85) Suspect and rule in or out Lung imbalance in abnormal sweating

patterns.

 

Protective (Wei) Qi which flows just under the skin and which protects the

body from Exterior Pernicious Evils and pathogens also is under control of

the Lungs.

 

The Lungs open into the nose, so the nose also is a part of the Lung system.

A poor sense of smell can be a symptom of Lung imbalance.

 

Note: Lung imbalance is not the only possible Root of skin problems. Note:

The Lung is Yin Metal; the Large Intestine is Yang Metal. Skin problems

also can be linked to constipation as well as to problems in other systems.

 

The Lungs and Large Intestine are particularly vulnerable to Dryness. The

Kidneys (Yin Water) and Bladder (Yang Water) are particularly vulnerable to

Cold, but the Lungs also " loathe Cold. "

 

The Lungs govern the voice. We're talking about the strength and tone of

the voice here. The Heart governs speech, and speech defects like

stuttering often have a Root of a Heart imbalance.

 

The Lungs also have a descending function. They're responsible for sending

Qi and Fluids to the lower part of the body. If Lung Qi doesn't descend, it

doesn't communicate with the Kidneys, and this can result in Kidneys

Refusing to Grasp Qi (one of the Roots which can manifest as asthma). The

failure of Lung Qi to descend also can result in one type of constipation

due to the Large Intestine not having the Qi for a bowel movement. Lung Qi

failing to descend is one of the things which can result in retention of

urine (especially in old people).

 

The Lungs house the Corporeal Soul (Po). Much like the ancient Egyptains

who believed that the individual has more than one soul, the Chinese also

believe something similar. The Po or Corporeal Soul does not survive death.

The Ethereal Soul which resides in the Liver does.

 

The Lungs are especially vulnerable to grief and sadness. They " constrict

the Corporeal Soul, dissolve Lung-Qi and suspend our breathing. " Maciocia

says that very shallow and rapid breathing 0 breathing only from the top of

the lungs near the neck - is an " expression of the constraint of the

Corporeal Soul and Lung_Qi. (Foundations, p. 86) He adds, " For this reason,

treatment of the lungs is often very important in emotional problems

deriving from depression, sadness, grief, anxiety or bereavement. Liequie

LU-7 has a powerful releasing effect on constrained emotions, hwile Pohu

BL-42 tonifies Lung-Qi and firms the Corporeal Soul .... " (pp. 86-87) (BL =

Bladder).

 

From what you've learned about the two-way street between emotions and the

body, you know that Lu 7 and Bl 42 would be good points to use in helping

someone who was having trouble working through grief. Note: Feelings of

grief and bereavement aren't restricted to a loved one dying. It can be the

loss of a job, the loss of a home, the end of a friendship, the loss of

health, the loss of vigor, etc. These may be good points to consider using

when treating some PWCs (People With CFIDS). PWCs who experience a lot of

ups and downs in health have a lot of grief to work through. They're

constantly being presented with a need to grieve the loss of abilities and

energy due to the waxing and waning nature that CFIDS can have from day to

day, even hour to hour and minute to minute. (Other PWCs feel very bad all

the time and aren't having to constantly grieve the loss of abilities.)

 

Victoria

 

 

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