The organs in Chinese Medicine are viewed differently than in Western Medicine.
The lungs are responsible for breathing and oxygen absorption, and are also a vital organ for our immunity.
The lungs transmit energy and heat to the skin, ensuring we can effectively withstand external attacks. Good resistance to cold, moisture, pollen, microbes, and bacteria is ensured by good lung energy, which transmits sufficient energy and heat to the skin, creating a strong thermal shield that can withstand all external attacks.
The liver also plays another role in acupuncture. It ensures that energy flows smoothly through the body’s meridians. It is very sensitive to stress, which causes energy to become blocked and stagnant. Tension and stress literally make people tense, causing muscles to feel stiff and painful. Emotionally, people also become tense and irritated, with dark feelings and a tendency toward depression.
Unblocking the liver through acupuncture points often resolves many problems and leaves people feeling more relaxed and less irritated. The liver also plays a significant role in the menstrual cycle. Painful menstruation with clot formation, fibroids, dark blood, and cramps are signs of stagnation, which improve with improved liver function, which restores the energy’s smooth flow. Inability to conceive can also be treated from this perspective.
The kidneys also serve as a filtering station, as in Western medicine, but at the same time, in Chinese medicine, the kidneys are considered a “reservoir” for our genetic makeup.
Our constitutional strength. People who live to be older have strong kidney energy. Our ability to reproduce is also determined by this kidney energy.
The quality of eggs and sperm is ensured by good kidney energy. Infertility is treated by stimulating kidney energy. The kidneys are also the driving force behind our entire development.
The power that allows a baby to grow into a toddler, preschooler, teenager, and adult lies in kidney energy. When this goes wrong, acupuncture explains it as weaker kidney energy.
The heart is also a pump that pumps blood through the veins, but in acupuncture, it’s also an organ that determines our emotions, is sensitive to stress and worry, and determines our mental fitness, clarity of thought, and alertness. Hyperventilation, shortness of breath, chest tension, and nervousness can all be related to heart dysfunction.
Western medicine is excellent at detecting structural defects in the heart, much better than Chinese medicine. If there are structural problems, cardiac surgery and medication are a blessing, having already saved many lives. Therefore, it’s important that a Western interpretation of complaints always precedes acupuncture treatment. But often, “heart disease” isn’t structural, and in that case, acupuncture offers an interesting approach.
The digestive system is also very important in acupuncture. Lack of appetite, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, excessive hunger… are signs of an imbalanced digestive system. This is crucial, however, because blood and energy (qi) are produced through our food and the digestive system. Fatigue, lethargy, heaviness in the limbs, and especially excessive mucus are indications of a poorly functioning digestive system. The digestive system (and what we eat) plays a significant role in our overall fitness.