Guest guest Posted May 15, 2001 Report Share Posted May 15, 2001 What does it mean to have excess of the liver (is it excess of yin/yang, or chi); and what would cause this type of problem. Can Liver excess cause pain in the tendons(in the feet, behind the knee etc.) How would you treat a case of liver excess combined with spleen chi deficiency (teeth marks around the edge of the tongue). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 24, 2001 Report Share Posted May 24, 2001 >What does it mean to have excess of the liver (is it excess of >yin/yang, or chi); and what would cause this type of problem. Can >Liver excess cause pain in the tendons(in the feet, behind the knee >etc.) How would you treat a case of liver excess combined with >spleen chi deficiency (teeth marks around the edge of the tongue). A brief review for those new to TCM: When problems are created by there being too much of something, this is called Excess. For example, Yang or Yin can be in Excess. When Yang (which activates and warms) is in Excess, the person will be too active and too hot. When Yin (which cools and calms) is in Excess, the person will be too sluggish and too cold. (I'm simplifying things here.) Likewise, Deficiency problems are caused by there being too little of something. Too little Yang means the person and physiology will be too cold and too sluggish because there is not enough Yang to warm and activate the body properly. Too little Yin means the person will be too hot and too agitated because there's not enough Yin to cool and calm the body properly. A person also can be Qi Deficient or Blood Deficient. In addition, other conditions are classified as Excess or Deficiency. Qi Stagnation (Qi not flowing smoothly or even blocked), Blood Stasis (Blood not flowing properly), and Phlegm are classified as Excess because any Qi Stagnation, Blood Stasis, or Phlegm is too much and creates problems. In addition to these, problems with the direction of the flow of Qi also are classified as Excess or Deficiency. There is a proper direction of flow of Qi. For example, Stomach Qi is supposed to descend. When it doesn't, when it Rebels (ascends) instead and causes problems like belching, nausea, vomiting, etc., this is called Stomach Qi Rebelling, and Rebellious Qi is classified as an Excess pattern. Stomach Qi is supposed to descend, but Spleen Qi is supposed to ascend. When Spleen Qi descends instead of ascending, this is called Spleen Qi Sinking, and this is classified as a Deficiency problem. The reason TCM healers pay attention to Excess and Deficiency classifications is because this will dictate healing strategies. In general, one supplements or tonifies what is missing in the case of Deficiency. In general one disperses, sedates, or gets rid of what is in Excess. Although problems with Qi Stagnation and proper direction of flow can occur anywhere in the body and from different causes, one Organ system in particular is linked to Qi Stagnation and flow problems. " The main function of the Liver is that of ensuring the smooth flow of Qi. " (Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of , p. 215.) The Liver " ensures the smooth flow of Qi. This is the most important of all the Liver functions and it is central to nearly all Liver disharmonies. The impairment of this funciton is one of the most common patterns seen in practice. " (Foundations, p. 78.) " The normal direction of movement of Liver-Qi is upwards and outwards in all directions to ensure the smooth and unimpeded flow of Qi everywhere This explains the importance of this function, as it involves all parts of the body and can affect all organs. " (Foundations, pp. 78-79.) For example, one of the possible causes of Stomach Qi Rebelling is the Liver Invades the Stomach. Sometimes the Stomach is invaded because it is weak; sometimes the Stomach is invaded because the Liver is in Excess. The Liver Qi has been blocked, dammed up, etc. (The number one cause of this is emotional though other things like infection, trauma, surgery, diet, inappropriate herbs, parasites, misalignment of the spine, and toxins also can cause this to happen.) What writers usually are talking about when they speak of Liver Excess are problems with the smooth and proper flow of Qi It is common to see mixed patterns of Excess and Deficiency. For example, when the Liver Invades the Spleen because the Liver is in Excess, this may be a pure Excess pattern. But when the Liver Invades the Spleen because the Spleen is weak, this may be a mixed Deficiency (the Spleen weakness) and Excess (the Invasion by the Liver Qi) pattern. (I want to point out that sometimes the Primary Root of the Qi Stagnation problems are in the Liver - usually with an emotional basis. But, it's also possible for the Primary Root of the Qi Stanation problems in the Liver to be elsewhere. For example, when Spleen Qi is Deficient, this can trigger Dampness accumulation, and the Dampness accumulation can in turn cause Liver Qi Stagnation problems. The Qi can't flow properly because of the Dampness.) Liver imbalance most definitely can affect the tendons. " The state of the sinews (including tendons) affeccts our capacity for movement and physical activity. The contraction and relaxation of sinews ensures the movement of joints. The sinews' capacity for contraction and relaxation depends on the nourishment and moistening of the Blood from the Liver. The 'Simple Questions' in chapter 21 says: 'The Qi of food enters the Stomach, the essence extracted from food goes to the Liver and the excess Qi from the Liver overflows into the sinews' " (Foundations, p. 79) " If Liver-Blood is abundant, the sinews will be moistened and nourished, ensuring smooth movement of joints and good muscle action. If Liver_Blood is deficient, the sinews will lack moistening and nourishment which may cause contractions and spasms or impaired extension / flexion, numbness of limbs, muscle cramps, tremors, tetany or lack of strength of the limbs. This is why the 'Simple Questions' in cahpter 1 says: 'When Liver-Qi declines, the sinews cannot move.' " (Foundations, p. 79) Qi Stagnation problems can trigger Blood Stasis problems. If the Blood is not flowing properly to a part of the body because of Blood Stasis problems, this means that the Blood is not performing the proper moistening and nourishing function for that part of the body. In considering pain (or other sensations such as unusual cold, heat, numbness, redness, etc.), also consider if it is occuring along the course of a meridian. You didn't mention specifically where the pain in the tendons of the feet is. All of the tendons or in just one area of the foot? There are a number of channels which run through the feet and legs, including the Liver channel. The one that runs down the back of the leg and behind the knee is the Bladder channel. The Bladder channel also runs down the outside of the feet and ends at the little toes. I mention this because sometimes channel problems will worsen Interior problems. For those new to TCM, sometimes the tongue will be so swollen it will be teeth-marked from pressing against the teeth. This is also called a " scalloped tongue. " When a tongue is scalloped, this usually is a sign that the person is Qi or Yang Deficient. " A survey in China of 425 patients with tooth-marked tongues found that 345 suffered from qi or yang deficiency. " (Giovanni Maciocia, Tongue Diagnosis in , p. 83, citing Qian Xin-Ru, " Analysis of Clinical Observation of Patients with Tooth-marked Tongue " , Journal of Traditional 32, no. 1 (1991): 33.) The reason why a swollen or even scalloped tongue shows up so often in people who are Qi or Yang Deficient is because one of the functions of Qi is to transport and transform fluids. If Qi is in short supply, fluids tend to accumulate. This is especially true if Yang Deficiency also is present as then there is the added factor of Deficiency Cold slowing things down even more. Victoria _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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