Spleen Qi Deficiency and Expectations

[Guest guest]

Hi Group, this came to me privately because the author is concerned that it

won't be of value or interest to the group. However, I think that it does

raise some issues in regards to case management that are good to explore

collectively.

 

<someone wrote:

 

>

> By western standards, I'm in very good health - almost 59 but still slim &

> active. [...]

>

> But I know from the TCM view, my Spleen Qi is deficient. And it's almost

> always been. Not by the way my tongue has always looked as I wouldn't

> remember but by symptoms. You know the Spleen Qi deficiency symptoms -

> gurgling stomach noises, food seems to be retained longer than normal in

> the

> stomach, stools show some undigested food, tend to be loose (never

> constipated), excess gas ( & none too nice either!), appetite less than it

> should be & food tends to lack taste. It's why I prefer very strong

> flavoured

> foods - ordinary foods taste bland to me.

>

 

While there is some Spleen qi deficient signs that you've mentioned, it is

up to the TCM practitioner to organize them into a workable narrative for

your particular issues.

 

In other words, I might not agree that this is entirely Spleen Qi

deficiency. In particular, I see that " food seems to be retained longer... "

that actually speaks of " food stagnation " .

 

Food stagnation can be thought of as having three different potential

causes. Reason #1 is qi stagnation (and this too can have a few different

causes), reason #2 is diet. Diet and Spleen qi have to dance nicely with

each other. If your Spleen is strong, you can eat crap and do just fine.

However, if the Spleen is weak (reason #3), you can't eat what others do

with no problems. So, just defaulting to " Spleen qi deficiency " as the

source of all your problems is perhaps true, but perhaps not.

 

Keep in mind that TCM practitioners approach your case not with a set of

practice guidelines based on research such as are common in biomedicine. TCM

folks approach the use of herbs closer to how we might see two different

chefs famous for a particular specialty. Even if they both cook marinara

sauce (tomato sauce for pasta), the ingredients may be very different beyond

the usual tomatos, etc.

 

However, in the case of the TCM practitioners, not only will their recipes

be different, but their assessment of your needs (diagnosis) will be

different. This is considered by some to be a weakness of TCM, others

consider this a strength.

 

I also realise that regular habits & regular times for eating is important

> in

> maintaining proper Spleen Qi. The herbal teas prepared by my TCM doctor for

> my Spleen & Stomach trouble helps a great deal & it normalizes for a

> *short*

> while. But no matter what I do or how regular I eat, it reverts back to

> this

> state. I don't understand why.

 

 

If you lack a leg, everytime you remove your crutches, you'll limp again. If

your Spleen qi is entirely gone for whatever reason, you'll need to keep

taking your herbs.

 

I think that your expectations are what need to be treated here. I'm

certainly not pointing my finger at you saying that you're " wrong " or

anything. However, as a culture, we're looking at herbs with the

expectations of drug effects. If you take a drug such as an antibiotic,

after a while your problem is gone. This is how we would look at treating an

" excess " problem such as excess fire, or excess anything. We remove it.

(purge through intestines, clear through urine, vomit it out, sweat it out,

etc.)

 

However, the treatment of deficiency can end up looking more like hunger

being treated by food. When we've finished a good Thanksgiving meal, and we

lean back on the living room couch for an afternoon of schmoozing with

in-laws, we don't expect to never be hungry again. Same thing with herbs.

There are some deficiencies that need to be treated on an on-going basis.

The effects of the herbs might be more appropriately thought of as the fat

you gain after a big meal. You'll be hungry again soon enough, but a little

bit of that meal has gone to filling out an emaciated body.

 

This is a difficult bit of news to provide to a patient who comes with the

expectations of something such as Spleen qi deficiency being *cured* rather

than *managed*. So practitioners may gloss that over. Or (just as likely) we

have our fingers crossed that you'll get better forever and tell all your

friends.

 

Still, I take herbs on a daily basis and my formula changes once every month

or three. I have deficiencies and expect to keep them managed till the day I

die. Perhaps it is taking these herbs that will allow me to forego the usual

pharmaceutical interventions that are so popular among the elderly in the

USA.

 

Perhaps it would be helpful to mention that this seems to be a problem with

> my

> mother (mind you, she's 86) but also one son who's only 32 & like me,

> healthy

> in all other respects.

 

 

So, if you have a constiatutional issue (as evidenced by the genetic

relationships), we can't expect to fix a problem that is hard-wired into

your DNA. We can however manage it forever presumably.

 

 

> My son was given a pro-kinetic medication to help him

> empty his stomach faster & has found relief but it's NOT the route I want

> to

> go. I've also never suffered from heartburn in my life - not even when

> pregnant. On the contrary, when I have burped up part of a recent meal,

> it's

> not really that acid like others say it is.

 

 

burping mostly air = qi stagnation

burping the taste of your meal = qi deficiency (or normal)

burping up sour foul taste = food stagnation

burping up bitter fluids = gallbladder heat

 

 

> I have found that taking betaine

> HCl capsules (to help supply extra stomach acid) with pepsin (a enzyme made

> in the stomach to digest protein) has helped a great deal. But not to the

> extent I'd like it to.

 

 

I like HCl capsules and pro-biotics too. I eat yogurt now and then too. Too

much causes dampness, just the right amount is more of a qi tonic for me. It

improves my appetite and eating more is often a challenge for me. (I'm

healthy, but tall and thin.)

 

So basically, my question is why is my Spleen Qi (not quite sure how Stomach

> fits in) so weak?

 

 

Very good question, and the answer to this question will also provide a

prognosis of sorts. If this is your constitution, you'll perhaps never fix

it, any more than you can change your racial background.

 

If however, the problem is aggravated by stress and/or one's menstrual

cycle, that's a simple enough condition to address with herbs as the need

arises.

 

Spleen qi deficiency can arise secondary to a Kidney Yang deficiency (if you

always feel cold, this may be your situation), and again this may prove to

be constitutional.

 

Spleen qi deficiency can arise with excessive intellectualism. This is, in

my opinion, kind of a nature thing too meaning people are kind of born more

" thinky " and overweight. Or, it can be aggravated by excessive time reading

or sitting at a computer.

 

There are plenty of reasons, and each one responds a little differentely to

therapies such as herbs and/or acupuncture.

 

 

> I think, though I may be wrong, that it contributes to my

> restless sleep, excess dreaming & lack of stamina that's become worse as

> I'm

> older.

 

 

Restless sleep is generally due to heat arising and disturbing the (Chinese

concept of the) Heart. The hard part is locating the source of the heat. I'm

going to go with your food stagnation as the cause, personally. If this is

the case, consider eating (big meals) no later than four hours before bed.

 

When things " get worse as I'm older " , this usually points toward deficiency

as a cause. Many have a mixture of excess and deficiency. In your case, the

Spleen may be deficient, but now there is excess fluids in your stomach and

excess food (stagnation) gumming up the intestinal peristalsis (downward

squeezing action). So, its a mixture of both that a TCM person has to sort

of unravel to really get you feeling better such that therapeutic effects

may last longer.

 

 

> I've also been thoroughly checked over & was diagnosed with narcolepsy

> but not to the point where I fall over asleep. Just to the point where I

> get

> a lot of daytime sleepiness & the strange dream/sleep pattern that goes

> with

> narcolepsy.

 

 

I'm not sure what the tests are for this, neurological? If it is really

severe, we might call that phlegm misting the Heart orifices, or

wind-phelgm, or some other phlegm issue. There's an old saying " weird

diseases are phlegm " . Narcolepsy is kind of weird, I'd say. Internal

dampness can transform or age in to phlegm. This may be how someone like me

would treat this, but I'd also look for a thick tongue coating to support

that theory.

 

Lacking that, I'd go with the " Clear Yang not rising " or as it more commonly

termed " Spleen qi not lifting " . This is a symptom of Spleen qi deficiency,

basically. You might also find some dizziness upon standing too with this

condition (orthostatic hypotension).

 

 

>

> I know TCM can't " cure " & solve all problems but I feel frustrated with

> this

> continuing digestion problem ( & lack of stamina).

 

 

Look, I have ongoing digestion problems too but have only in the last six

months or so really gotten serious with sticking with a particular formula

to see how it effects me over time.

 

While the particular issue that I've been focusing on hasn't completely

resolved, the tongue has improved and the pulse has changed. This is an

ongoing thing that I don't expect to see change overnight, especially a

constitutional issue (something you're born with.)

 

So, I don't know for sure what to tell you, but I have enjoyed at least

looking at the relationship between expectations and medical efficacy.

 

In China, patients used to go from one practitioner to another collecting a

number of prescriptions before deciding which to take. This is of course

kind of difficult when your understanding of the herbs is lacking (we're ALL

trying to fix that one.) But if you would like to pass on the ingredients of

your past formulas, some of us can kind of give you a second opinion on the

nuances of the formula.

 

-al.

 

--

, DAOM

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

 

 

 

--

, DAOM

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.