Yin and Yang

[Guest guest]

All,

In my last post I referred to what Shudo Denmei calls the "heart excess" constitution. He covers excess and deficiency types for all the yin organs in his book on introductory meridian therapy. This reminds me of a controversy I have with myself. It seems to me that the yin and yang or eight-principle aspects of all things should be possible in theory and in practice. Why is it then that TCM never or almost never speaks clinically of Heart excesses, Lung Yang Repletion, Kidney Repletion (I know this is supposedly covered by the Bladder, but is it really?), Spleen Qi Repletion, Liver Qi Vacuity, and so on. Is it so that these things never occur, or is it possible we blind ourselves to them when they confront us because we're not supposed to see them?

Joseph Garner

[Guest guest]

Jason wrote:

>>>How does one have too much kindey energy?(It is just viewed as positive).  It seems to be a relative balalnce of yin and yang (def and excess). I.e. when

one of the physiological functions decreases then somewhere some

pathology arises. I.e. Liver yin xu --> yang rising.  W-cold (there is

some wei qi xu)... granted there are excess conditions that are just

i.e. purged, but my feeling is there is some underlying xu that

allowed that... If I'm not mistaken, even in japaneses acu, there is

always a xu underlying the excess.  This makes perfect sense to me. 

What would a kidney excess look like?? (especially without an

underlying xu) - or what Rx do you know that addresses an kindey

excess without an xu.<<<

 

Jason,

I would agree that there is never an excess/repletion without a concomitant deficiency/vacuity. If there is repletion one place, there is bound to be vacuity somewhere else. In one Chinese face reading

source I read, puffy bags, especially gray ones, under the eyes, are said to be a kidney excess leading to water collecting. Emotionally it is said to be a lack of needed tears. We say that there are kidney vacuities leading to bladder repletions, but what about bladder vacuities leading to kidney repletions? Are these not also possible? Considering the fact that one can drink too much pure water

and can hyperventilate, which is to say that too much of anything is by definition too much, then at least theoretically there can be too much wei qi, essence, etc.

 

Certainly in 5-element theory, any element can be in excess, leading to vacuity in its controlled and/or insulted element. It seems to me that a weak, yielding but not thin liver pulse is an indication of liver qi vacuity, often combined with an excess spleen/stomach pulse, which fits 5-element theory perfectly. I am not putting down thousands of years of thought, but I do believe that if Li Dong-Yuan, Hua Tuo, Sun Si-Miao and Qi Bo, etc. were on the list that they would not close their minds to all possibilities.

 

In specifics, I wonder if Chai Hu is really a strengthener of liver qi. Certainly we speak of qi xu leading to qi yu leading to depressive fire, and this xu is usually blamed on spleen xu. If someone has a weak liver pulse, concave glabella, sparse eyebrows, poor detoxification but is otherwise not particularly fatigued nor has digestive problems to speak of, could this not be a case of liver qi vacuty? If someone has an excess of willpower and is therefore a control freak, could this not be a case of kidney excess? Cannot one have excess heat entering the kidney channels and perhaps therefore the kidney organ?

Joseph

[Guest guest]

> then that TCM never or almost never speaks clinically of Heart

excesses, Lung

 

 

> Yang Repletion, Kidney Repletion (I know this is supposedly covered

by the

 

 

> Bladder, but is it really?), Spleen Qi Repletion, Liver Qi Vacuity,

and so

 

 

> on. Is it so that these things never occur, or is it possible we

blind

 

 

> ourselves to them when they confront us because we're not supposed

to see

 

 

> them?

 

 

Joseph,

 

 

 

 

This is a good question, but 1st liver qi vacuity is discussed in

chinese much more than in english (also check out qin bo wei) - I

think the answer you look for has to do with normal physiological

function vs. pathology. there seems to be certain fx's or attributes

that are postitive & can seemingly only benifit. another is, liver yin

& xue. can one get a excess of a postive substance? Can one be too

healthy? I.e. too much wei qi? well maybe and that may be autoimmune??

but I don't see that concept (quite like that) in TCM. How does one

have too much kindey energy?(It is just viewed as positive). It seems

to be a relative balalnce of yin and yang (def and excess). I.e. when

one of the physiological functions decreases then somewhere some

pathology arises. I.e. Liver yin xu --> yang rising. W-cold (there is

some wei qi xu)... granted there are excess conditions that are just

i.e. purged, but my feeling is there is some underlying xu that

allowed that... If I'm not mistaken, even in japaneses acu, there is

always a xu underlying the excess. This makes perfect sense to me.

What would a kidney excess look like?? (especially without an

underlying xu) - or what Rx do you know that addresses an kindey

excess without an xu. SO it seems if we are blinded it is 2000 years

of blinded. - Do have an idea of what these would look like? (just

some early AM ramblings)...

 

 

 

 

-Jason

[Guest guest]

>>>,

 

What are yin and yang? Or what is yin and yang?

Darn good question. The status and meanings of

these two words rank among the most commonly

misunderstood terms in Chinese medicine...not

to mention the whole Chinese language.

 

Originally referring to the advance and retreat

of sunlight on the slopes of a hill, the terms

evoke a primitive understanding of the relentless

change of nature. All you have to do is stand still

on a hill on a sunny day for a few hours to

experience and understand the basic relationship

between yin and yang....

Ken<<<

 

Ken,

You get my vote for poet laureate of the CHA. Thank you for your post. I always feel as if I have received something ineffable when I read your words.

Joseph