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7. Heart-spleen dual vacuity (deficiency)

 

The authors are talking Qi Deficiency and possible Blood Deficiency

in addition to the Heart and Spleen Deficiency. The Spleen plays a

critical role in the formation of both Qi and Blood. If the Spleen

is weak or damaged, Qi and Blood are not being produced like they

should be.

 

When this imbalance results in depression, it also results in

fatigue. Fairly severe fatigue. Some depressed people can go through

the motions of life. But not the ones with Qi Deficiency. Remember,

Qi is roughly translated as " energy " .

 

Another tipoff that there is Spleen imbalance will be that the person

tends to worry a lot. Worry or obsessing is the " emotion " most

associated with the Spleen. Spending too much time studying also can

damage the Spleen. Suspect Spleen imbalance if a person can't get

certain thoughs off their mind and tend to be like " a dog worrying a

bone " .

 

Another tipoff to Spleen imbalance is lack of appetite (though

occasionally the appetite may be excessive depending on other

imbalances). Digestive upsets and a weak digestion strongly point to

Spleen imbalance.

 

Note that the authors call this imbalance Dual Heart-Spleen

imbalance. Spleen Deficiency by itself may not result in

depression. The Heart is one of the Organs particularly associated

with emotional equilibrium. When both are present, if one wants to

successfully treat the Heart imbalance, one is going to have to

address the Spleen imbalance. If the Spleen is failing to produce

enough Qi and Blood, the Heart isn't getting enough. If Heart-Blood

is Deficient, the Shen is not properly anchored. (See the comments

under Blood Deficiency for more details.

 

In treating this one, a person must be careful not to overdo. The

reason the person is not very active is not because the person is

depressed but because the person is Qi (energy) Deficient. Both the

depression and the fatigue are coming from the same Root, the Qi

Deficiency. If one forces oneself to do regardless, this can further

damage the Qi and the Spleen, making the person even sicker and

making both the fatigue and the depression worse.

 

8. Spleen-Kidney Yang Vacuity (Deficiency)

 

Yang heats, activates, and dries. This is a person who feels cold a

lot and has problems warning up. The fatigue from Qi Deficiency is

severe; the fatigue from Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency is

profound. There is no greater fatigue than that found in cases of

Yang Deficiency.

 

Another symptom of Kidney Yang Deficiency is loss of libido (sexual

desire). Hypoglandular states - especially hypothyroidism are

common. (Though please keep in mind that a person can be hypothyroid

and not be Kidney Yang Deficient.) Yang activates; hence, the

tendency to hypoglandular states. There is not enough Yang to

activate the body properly or warm it properly. The tongue may be

swollen with possible toothmarks indented in it.

 

The person may need to sleep a lot. Again, the extreme fatigue and

the need for sleep are not coming from the depression, but all the

symptoms are coming from the Kidney Yang Deficiency. The lower back

and knees also may be weak and sore in cases of Kidney Yang

Deficiency. The digestion tends to be very weak in cases of Spleen

Yang Deficiency. The bowels will be loose. Occasionally, there will

be constipation which is more properly described as " colonic

inertia. In contrast to the hard, dry stools associated with Heat,

colonic inertia bowel movements are characterized by a lack of the

wavelike motions which move fecal material. When the bowels finally

do move, they may be quite watery or mushy.

 

List of imbalances comes from Curing Depression Naturally with

by Rosa N. Schnyer and Bob Flaws.

 

To be continued.

 

Victoria