ACUPUNCTURE
The Nei Jing Su Wen, the 2000 year old seminal classic that gave rise to all of Chinese medicine states that to be a master physician, one must master the use of metaphors as they apply to both medicine and the body. Perhaps the best metaphor for the inner workings of the body as understood by Chinese medicine is that of the cooking pot suspended over fire.
In a normal healthy individual, there is a harmonious flow of blood and Qi in the organs and meridians. Disease happens when blood and Qi is stagnant. This stagnation can happen in organs or meridians. The basis of treatment in Chinese medicine is to remove the stagnation and restore flow of blood and Qi. This can be done via acupuncture, using the five elements or eight principles.
KIDNEYS AND BLADDER (LOWER JIAO)
The best place to begin a discussion of the cooking pot analogy is with the fire underneath the pot. In Chinese medicine this fire and the fuel that supplies it are the main contribution of the Kidneys. Just as the fire is located underneath the pot, the Kidneys are located in the lower third or Jiao, of the body. In animals this is equivalent to the caudal abdomen.
Kidneys are the source of both the Yin (fuel) and the Yang(fire). The Yin and Yang are stored in the body as Essence or what Western medicine recognizes as gonadal and developmental hormones. When necessary the Essence is mobilized and ignited to provide the fire underneath the pot, known as Source Qi . Yang acts upon Yin the way a spark ignites a puddle of fuel to create a visual flame of life.
Kidney disease happens when either the Yin or the Yang components are affected and that leads to the disruption of all aspects of the cooking pot.
SPLEEN AND STOMACH
The major action of the Spleen and Stomach is to nourish the body by transforming food into usable energy. Not surprisingly, these organs that feed the rest of the body occupy the central region of the body, known as the middle Jiao. The Spleen and Stomach equate to the cooking pot hung over the fire of the Kidneys.
The Stomach is the Yang counterpart of the Spleen. It is the organ in which the digestion is initiated or cooking happens. The Spleen is the part of digestion relating to assimilation If the Spleen function is inadequate, the products of the Stomach’s effort show up as watery, painless diarrhea with weight loss.
If the cooking pot is not working properly, then the cooking is not adequate. There is no generation of the body fluids like blood, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and body goes into a downward spiral, with muscle loss, fatigue, dry joints etc.
LUNG AND LARGE INTESTINE
The major action of the Lungs and Large Intestine is to gather and descend. The Lungs are the lid of thee cooking pot, gathering the Qi raised by the Spleen. In addition, they gather the Qi that is inhaled during respiration. All the Qi gathers in the Lungs in the center of the chest, underneath the acupuncture point known as Dan Zhong( Chest Center; Conception Vessel 17). From here the Qi descendsto the Kidneys, where it is stored and used to augument the Source Qi. Not all the Qi gathered in the chest descends to the Kidneys, Some also enters the pathways and meridians othe body, where it circulates in intimate contact with the Blood. Both Qi and blood circulate through the meridians and organs, restoring and balancing Yin and Yang in the farthest reaches of the body.Large Intestine is the Yang component of the the Lungs, doing the dirty work of gathering and descending, by moving ingesta from the Small Intestinge back to the outside world.During this process pure fluid is absorbed from the Turbid contents of the lumen of the Large Intestine.
HEART AND SMALL INTESTINE
The Heart houses consciousness or Shen. The immediate survival of an organism hinges above all else, on its ability to engage in an appropriate manner with its environment. The responsibility of the Heart for this power of discernment has earned it the title of Emperor of the body.
The Heart is perched within the Lungs, which are filled with clear pure Qi. Its location here gives it the clarity it needs to wisely rule the rest of the body. As When this claritity is lost the body looses conscioness . In that case the orifices of the heart are said to be obstructed. A common condition in which this occurs is grand mal seizures.
The Small intestine is the Yang counterpart of the Heart. It interacts with the environment and separates the clear from the turbid in the chyme received from the Stomach.
LIVER AND GALL BLADDER
The Liver guides Qi to maintain the smooth flow of blood around the body. To maintain its function it needs adequate blood production from the Spleen. The blood is used to nourish the extremities and sinews or tendons and ligaments.
Gall bladder is the Yang counterpart of the Liver. The Gall bladder has an important impact on the harmonious movement of the limbs, just as Liver has influence on the smooth movement of Qi and Blood.