&
ACUPUNCTURE
10
April 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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Chinese Medicine and
Vital Organs
Ancient practice designates these a
powerhouse or transporting
By Tara Bissell, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac., L.Ac., Artemesia
We usually
don’t give much
thought to our
organs and their
amazing daily
functions until we’re told we have
a problem with them. In Western
medicine, we are often diagnosed
with a disease that focuses on
one organ, such as heart disease,
asthma, diabetes or gallstones. In
Chinese Medicine, organs are portrayed as the “Officials” that are the
esteemed individuals in charge of
various jobs. These Officials each
have attributes, much as we have
individual human personalities and
gifts. In fact, as you read further,
you may also discover your own
personality and talents are quite
like those of one of these organs,
and this discovery would be a clue
to your “innate constitution,” a way
Chinese Medicine seeks to understand your inherent body type and
disposition.
In Chinese Medicine, the body’s
organs are divided into two groups:
the “Vital” powerhouse organs
and the supportive “Transporting”
organs. The Vital organs are the
Heart, Lungs, Spleen, Liver and
Kidneys. These organs filter and
pump blood and oxygen and produce energy for the body to use.
They are essential to our existence
– we cannot live without them.
The Transporting organs include
the Stomach, Small Intestine, Large
Intestine, Gallbladder and Urinary
Bladder. These organs are hollow,
and they hold and transport fluids
and solids throughout the body.
Each is partnered with a Vital organ
to work together.
The roles the ancient Chinese
assigned to the organs reflect
their cultural view of the world at
that time in history. The Chinese
thought of the body’s organs
and systems as being like various
government rulers presiding over
different realms for the smooth running of society. In some ways, these
attributes are very similar to the
functions we recognize in our own
Western medicine, but there are a
few differences.
First, note that organ names are
capitalized in Chinese Medicine
to show we are speaking about an
Official, much as we would capital-
ize someone’s name or title. For
example, here is a short description
of the Traditional Chinese view of
the Vital organs:
The Heart is the sovereign ruler
of the body. It is where our spirit
and consciousness reside and it is
in charge of the blood circulation.
Its natural emotional state is joy,
and the spirit residing in HX\