My Spleen is What? Understanding TCM Organ Systems

One reason that people sometimes get confused about Chinese medicine is that it uses terms that we know from Western medicine, such as Liver, Spleen, or Kidney but it gives them broader and additional meanings.  For example, while Western Medicine (WM) knows the spleen to be a lymphatic organ that filters the blood and produces some anti-bodies, the TCM Spleen is a much broader category that includes the spleen, pancreas, and duodenum, as well as some of the function of the thyroid and adrenal glands.

Organ systems in TCM also house aspects of the mind or spirit.  So when a TCM practitioner talks about a Spleen disharmony, they are including digestive and immune function, blood quality and production, muscle quality, and the intellectual aspect of the mind.  An Organ system in Chinese medicine does not equal the organ that is named exactly, rather it signifies a broader category of processes.  So if your TCM practitioner tells you that you have Liver Qi stagnation, please don’t go to your WM doc and ask for a liver blood panel!  If your TCM practitioner says you have Heart Qi deficiency, your EKG results may not show anything wrong with your heart organ.  [Please notice that for the purposes of this blog, I am using lower case letters to name an organ as understood by Western medicine (ex. liver) and upper case letters to name an organ system as understood by Chinese medicine (ex. Liver).]

TCM's understanding of these Organ systems developed over many centuries of observation and anatomical dissection and are still the basis of the medicine today.  TCM's treatment approaches to herb and acupuncture point selection grew out of this understanding.   Of course, those ancient physicians did not have the benefit of microscopes and advanced testing equipment, but they did make some interestingly astute observations about the organs and their associations.   Here's a few examples of overlap between the two systems of thought:

In TCM, the Kidneys are associated with the water element and the taste associated with the Kidneys is salty.  It's obvious to any anatomist that the kidneys have a lot to do with urination, but not as obvious to the naked eye is their role in water and sodium re-absorption.   Two typical symptoms of deficiency of Kidney Qi in TCM are frequent urination and craving salty foods.

TCM Kidneys are associated with the bones.  In WM, the bones store calcium and phosphate, therefore cooperating with the kidneys to regulate the blood levels of these ions.  The kidneys also secrete erythropoietin, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.   TCM Kidneys also have a special relationship with the Heart, which is partly mirrored by the kidney-heart relationship as seen in cases of hypertension, for example.

Just as the cellular function of the kidneys in WM is much more complicated than these few examples, the Kidney system in TCM is also much more complicated, and the two systems do not always mirror each other.  For instance, the TCM Kidneys are associated with a lot of the growth and reproductive functions that we attribute to the endocrine system in WM, as well as a lot of the hereditary influences that WM considers to be the realm of genetics.  However, these similarities do pop up throughout TCM, and show how observant the early TCM physicians were without the use of complicated equipment.  Most importantly, TCM's system of treatment developed from its own understanding of the Organ physiology, just as WM's treatments come out of its own physiological system.

The Spectrum of Yin and Yang

Everybody wants to ask about Qi, but even more fundamental to acupuncture and TCM theory is the spectrum of Yin and Yang.   TCM's idea of balance in the body is based on the concept of Yin and Yang.  Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medical theory was developed by people who paid very close attention to nature and the world around them.    They observed that everything on Earth has both Yin and Yang aspects and they saw the human body as a

You've probably heard of these two words, or at least seen a Tai Ji symbol like this one.  Yin and Yang are two ends of a spectrum, not separate entities.  Everything Yin contains a little bit of Yang and everything Yang contains a little bit of Yin.They always exist in relation to each other. Let's get a better understanding of these two concepts:

Yin is on one side of the spectrum, representing the substantial, material aspects of the world, while Yang is at the other end, representing the insubstantial, functional aspects of the world.

So for example, cold temperatures, which make matter solid, are Yin, while hot temperatures, which melt solids and evaporate liquids are Yang.  In nature, water is a Yin substance, while wind is Yang.  Within the reality of water, though, there are some yang manifestations of water (whitewater rapids, ocean waves) and some yin types of water (ice, stagnant marsh water).

Within the body, Yang is the physiological function while Yin is the anatomy and substance of the body.  Some examples of Yin substances are blood, organ tissue, body fluids, or waste products, while Yang aspects are Qi, organ function, breath, or body heat.  Think of sweating as an example.  The actual sweat is a Yin substance, while the body's ability of the pores to open and close is the Yang aspect.

Disruption in the balance of Yin and Yang in the body is the beginning point for poor health and disease.  You may develop a certain ache or pain out of the blue.  You might just 'not feel right' or feel 'out of sorts'.  Western doctors may tell you all your tests are normal, but you know something is off.  You might be sleeping more or feeling colder or hotter all the time, or you've seen a change in your appetite or thirst.  Imbalances may have been around for a while already by the time you actually notice symptoms of a disease.   Determining these imbalances is the first thing an acupuncturist will do when you see them.

What is this Qi (Chee) you're always hearing about?

Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine is more than acupuncture needles and herbs. It begins with a whole world view. That view is based in a reverence and understanding of nature and how the natural world works.

TCM's early doctors looked at the body as a microcosm of the natural environment. They saw that just as the seasons change, there are seasons of the body. They saw that while the land needs rain, too much rain can bring destruction. They saw that fire, while destructive, helps the ecosystem recycle and rejuvenate. In short, they saw that while nature is always changing, it will always strive for a state of balance.

They also saw that our bodies act like nature. Chinese Medicine's systematic approach to medicine is based on the concept of balance and the idea that the mind/body system has the ability to heal itself if balance is restored.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete medical system that has its own understanding of physiology (how the body functions) and its own diagnostic system. It has developed over the course of 3,000 years, based on direct empirical observation by its practitioners. While early TCM doctors long ago did not have sophisticated microscopes with the ability to observe the workings of cells or the presence of bacteria, they still made astute observations about the functional systems of the body and how the body relates to the world around it that continue to be applicable today.

The idea of balance in TCM is a lot like the concept of homeostasis in Western medicine. When your body is too cold, you shiver to warm up, when it is too hot, you sweat to cool down. This is how your body maintains balance. But what happens if there's a blockage that keeps your sweat pores from functioning correctly? You wouldn't be able to sweat and your body wouldn't be able to reach homeostasis on its own. Here's where TCM can step in. By regulating the function of the body, to open sweat pores for example, your body will be able to restore the balance or homeostasis that it is hard-wired to maintain.

Chinese Medicine's use today is not meant to displace Western Medicine, which has brought us many important advances in our understanding and treatment of disease. However, Chinese Medicine can provide a comprehensive approach to pain and common lifestyle diseases in our society, and is often helpful for problems for which Western Medicine has few options. While Western Medicine commonly offers either surgery or pharmaceutical drugs that correct or control local symptoms, Chinese Medicine looks at the body as a whole and corrects imbalances so that the body can actually heal itself over time.

Chinese Medicine is often used today to address chronic pain, functional pain, fertility in both men and women, menstrual irregularities, allergies, digestive problems, sleep issues, anxiety and depression, headaches, chronic fatigue and other auto-immune diseases, and addiction issues, among other conditions. It is also commonly used to address effects of stroke, side effects of chemotherapy, and post-operative pain.

There are a lot of concepts that we talk about in Chinese medicine that may be completely new and foreign to many people. These concepts are often strikingly simply once you understand them, so always ask for more information! The best place to start to understand the TCM mindset is with the concept of yin and yang.