Spring is the season when all things in nature come back to life, and it is also the golden period for the human liver to be conditioned. According to Chinese medicine theory, spring corresponds to the liver. The liver is like the grass and trees that grow vigorously in spring. It likes to grow and is particularly active in spring. Understanding the secrets of the liver and mastering the correct liver care methods are crucial to our health.
The liver has rich and key functions, which are mainly reflected in the two aspects of regulating and dispersing and storing blood:
The liver is responsible for regulating and dispersing, which means that the liver qi has comprehensive physiological functions such as dredging, regulating, growing, and dispersing, which echoes the yang qi that grows in spring. This function is specifically manifested in regulating emotions and making people emotionally stable; promoting digestion and absorption, ensuring nutrient intake; maintaining the circulation of qi, blood, and semen, so that all parts of the body are nourished.
The liver is responsible for storing blood, which means that the liver can store blood and regulate blood volume. When people are resting or emotionally stable, the body needs less blood, and a large amount of blood is stored in the liver; when working or emotionally excited, the body needs more blood, and the liver discharges the stored blood to supply the demand, just as "when people are moving, blood flows to the meridians, and when people are quiet, blood returns to the liver". The nutrients in the blood nourish the liver when people are calm or resting. If you always get angry, the liver blood will be over-consumed, which will lead to insufficient liver blood, damage liver function, destroy the balance of yin and yang in the body, and cause various diseases, including various types of viral hepatitis.
People with irritable tempers will get angry at the slightest dissatisfaction in work and life. Most of them are accompanied by symptoms of high blood pressure, dizziness, and headache. This is a typical type of hypertension caused by hyperactivity of liver yang, which is mainly caused by long-term emotional instability and excessive liver fire. This also confirms the harm of hyperactivity of liver yang in liver qi disorder. If men often get angry, they are prone to this kind of health problems.
When liver qi is out of balance, it is mainly manifested as hyperactivity of liver yang and stagnation of liver qi. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the liver governs anger, and anger is the most damaging to the liver.
Men tend to vent their anger easily, which manifests as hyperactivity of liver yang, and are prone to high blood pressure, cerebral congestion, coronary heart disease and other diseases. For example, some leaders and managers who have great work pressure and no time to relieve it are usually hot-tempered, impatient and irritable. In addition to the above symptoms, they also have symptoms such as red face, dizziness, headache, bitter mouth, dry stool, and yellow urine. Women are usually used to being depressed and sulking, which is often manifested as liver depression and qi stagnation, and are prone to stomach problems, breast hyperplasia, uterine fibroids, etc. There is a female patient who is more introverted and always bears troubles silently. A while ago, she always felt breast pain and went to the hospital for examination. The result was breast hyperplasia. The doctor told her that this has a lot to do with her long-term liver qi stagnation. Breast hyperplasia is considered by TCM to be caused by liver qi stagnation, qi stagnation and blood stasis; dysmenorrhea is not a normal phenomenon, but it is often ignored by many women. It is related to the liver meridian and can also be treated by soothing the liver and regulating qi; uterine fibroids are also caused by liver meridian passing through the uterus in the abdomen, and liver qi is not smooth.
Male impotence can be treated from the perspective of the liver in addition to the kidney, because the liver meridian runs through the external genitalia, and many male impotence is caused by mental stress, which is related to the dysfunction of the liver's drainage function. A male patient had impotence due to great pressure at work. He tried many methods of tonifying the kidney but the results were not good. Later, under the advice of TCM, he started to regulate the liver and regulate qi, and the situation gradually improved. In addition, headaches are often caused by blocked meridians, poor blood circulation, and stagnation of qi and blood stasis, which can be treated by soothing the liver. The liver opens to the eyes. Insufficient liver blood will cause blurred vision and night blindness. Liver yin deficiency will cause dry eyes and decreased vision. Liver fire inflammation will cause red and swollen eyes. Office workers who look at computers for a long time will have dry eyes and tears in the wind. These problems can also be solved by treating and nourishing the liver. Chrysanthemum tea that you usually drink has the effect of clearing the liver and improving eyesight. Depression belongs to the category of depression in traditional Chinese medicine. It is caused by emotional injury, liver qi stagnation, and liver dysfunction, which causes the disharmony of the five internal organs. In addition to soothing the liver and regulating qi, psychological treatment is also required during treatment. One of my colleagues fell into deep self-blame and depression because of a major mistake at work. He became silent and uninterested in everything. After seeing a Chinese doctor, the doctor used drugs to soothe the liver and regulate qi, and suggested that he cooperate with psychological counseling. After a period of conditioning, he gradually walked out of the shadow of depression.
So, how should we nourish the liver in spring?
First of all, emotional regulation is crucial. We must correctly understand ourselves, adapt to the environment, learn to communicate, be good at communication, maintain a calm state of mind, avoid emotional ups and downs, and reduce damage to the liver. For example, when we encounter difficulties at work, we should not be anxious and angry immediately. We can take a deep breath first, calm down and then find a solution. There was a patient who used to be impatient and often quarreled with colleagues because of disagreements in teamwork. Later, he realized that this not only affected the working atmosphere, but also was not good for his health. So he began to learn emotional management. Whenever he was about to lose his temper, he would count 10 numbers in his mind to calm himself down first. Slowly, he found that his emotions became stable, his relationship with his colleagues became more harmonious, and his body felt more comfortable. Secondly, regular work and rest are essential. Ensure adequate sleep, especially patients with liver disease should rest more, so that the liver can store blood normally.
Generally speaking, people over 80 years old should sleep eight or nine hours, teenagers need to sleep 8 hours, and people over 60 years old should sleep about 7 hours. People with weak and sick bodies can increase their sleep time appropriately. People with irregular lifestyles, heavy workloads, and excessive thinking are prone to spring sleepiness. Taking good care of the liver can help them tolerate fatigue and reduce spring sleepiness. If conditions permit, you can develop a habit of taking a nap. If conditions do not permit, you should lie flat for 15 minutes at noon to allow the blood and qi to fully flow back to the liver before being distributed to the brain.
Another patient is a senior "night owl" who often stays up late to watch TV series and play games. As soon as spring comes, he yawns all day long, his work efficiency is extremely low, and he always feels exhausted. Later, under the persuasion of his family, he began to adjust his work and rest schedule, going to bed early and getting up early every day, and taking a nap on the recliner in the office at noon. After a while, he found that his mental state was much better and the symptoms of spring sleepiness were also alleviated a lot. In addition, the diet should follow the principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer". Eat more foods that warm and nourish yang, such as onions, garlic, and leeks. Leeks are best eaten in spring and are the most delicious. Onions are both food and medicine. The leaves can benefit the five internal organs and eliminate edema. The white part of the scallion can promote yang and sweat, disinfect and detoxify. The juice of the scallion can disperse blood stasis, relieve pain and detoxify. The root of the scallion can treat blood in the stool and eliminate hemorrhoids. Eat more vegetables and wild vegetables, such as spinach, celery, rapeseed, lettuce, etc. They are rich in vitamins, inorganic salts and trace elements, can clear away heat and moisten dryness, and dissipate the accumulated heat in the body. Among them, spinach nourishes blood, stops bleeding, and moisturizes dryness, and lettuce clears heat and promotes diuresis, and promotes urination. At the same time, avoid eating greasy, raw, cold, sticky, and spicy foods, such as chili, pepper, and prickly ash, which are easy to disperse and consume qi and reduce immunity. Try to drink less or no alcohol.
Appropriate exercise can promote the circulation of qi and blood. Walking and flying kites are good choices. Combing your hair more often is also beneficial. "Combing your hair 100 to 200 times every morning in March" can help to promote yang energy and make your body and mind feel comfortable. An elderly friend, although he is old, gets up early every day to go to the park for a walk, and sometimes flies kites with old friends. He has always been in good health and energetic. He often said that these simple exercises made him feel full of energy, especially in spring, we should go out more and feel the vitality of nature.
In this vibrant spring, let us start with little things, take good care of the liver, lay a solid foundation for health throughout the year, and enjoy the beautiful spring.
