In order to explain clearly the disharmony between liver and spleen, we must first look at the five elements of the two.
Liver belongs to wood, spleen belongs to soil.
The liver belongs to wood, and the wood is smooth. The liver is responsible for dispersing qi and regulating human qi, so the human qi should be dredged normally. Only by ascending and descending can qi and blood run normally and the physiological functions of the human body play normally.
Spleen belongs to soil, and spleen is like a grain granary. Food enters the stomach to digest and absorb food and drink, and the nutrients extracted after digestion are transported to various parts of the body through the transport capacity of the spleen. Therefore, the spleen plays a management and coordination role in the stomach, which is of great significance to the digestion, metabolism and absorption of the whole human body.
Liver and spleen belong to wood and soil respectively, which is very consistent with their properties.
However, in the five elements, Mutuke, in other words, controls the soil with wood. Under normal circumstances, the liver should take care of the spleen, and the spleen can't do anything by itself. It must be controlled by the liver. So how does the liver manage the spleen, and how does the liver's ability to drain the spleen play a management role? In traditional Chinese medicine, the spleen is responsible for clearing up and promoting good things, while the stomach is responsible for reducing turbidity and discharging bad and garbage things. Therefore, there is an opportunity to operate in the process and there is a need to remove it. Therefore, the liver regulating qi plays a management role, which can help or manage the spleen to play a better role in clearing heat, and the stomach with the spleen can better reduce turbidity.
From the perspective of modern medicine, it can also be understood as: where does the liver control excretion? It is the diaphragm of the body. Liver storing blood in traditional Chinese medicine is the function of liver in liver anatomy, but at the same time it is mainly responsible for excretion, which is to regulate the diaphragm of human body. As soon as the diaphragm is adjusted, the pressure in the chest cavity and the pressure in the abdominal cavity can be naturally balanced and adjusted, so the rhythm of organs in the abdominal cavity, especially those mainly in the gastrointestinal tract, can be normal and their physiological functions can be normal. Therefore, the diaphragm is very important. There are many ligaments in the liver anatomy, which directly belong to the diaphragm. Therefore, the liver mentioned in Chinese medicine not only has the concept of storing blood in the anatomy of the liver, but also has the ability and function of regulating the diaphragm, that is, the function of stopping diarrhea.
Spleen governs transport and transformation. Spleen refers to the anterior abdominal wall, including muscles and fascia layers attached to bones. This layer of structure protects and squeezes human internal organs. It's exactly where the rib arch is attached, at the junction with the diaphragm here. One is inside and the other is outside. The spleen is attached to the costal arch, and the diaphragm is in the costal arch. The two meet here, and their functions are linked.
This is a part of the concept of spleen in traditional medicine from the perspective of modern medical anatomy. Obviously, it is the liver tube spleen, so what will happen if the liver tube spleen excessively?
In our daily life, we often encounter such a situation. For example, a mother is in charge of everything for her children and can't say anything. If this doesn't work, then it doesn't work. If you say children can still have autonomy, of course not. Therefore, children should not be too strict and too dead, and teachers should give full play to students' initiative when managing students.
Therefore, in the physiological state, the liver cannot over-manage the spleen. If it is over-managed, it is called that the liver takes advantage of the spleen. When it is too strict, that is, when it is angry, when the liver qi is stagnant, and when symptoms such as abdominal distension, stomach pain and hypochondriac pain occur in the case of disharmony between liver and spleen, people often have some emotional discomfort, and it takes a long time to be depressed for a long time. These conditions lead to the state of liver depression, which doubles the spleen and leads to the suppression of the spleen.
I once met an old lady who was nearly eighty years old. She has a bloated stomach, a stomachache, a full stomach and a little uncomfortable. She can't eat anything. I put her pulse. Her pulse has a typical feature. The left hand is called heart, liver and kidney, and the right hand is called lung and spleen. According to the diagnosis of Cunkou pulse, I found that the pulse in her left hand was very excited and the pulse in her right hand was very weak, so the pulse in her left hand was a string pulse, and it was an obvious jump. Chord pulse is a typical feature of liver depression. Then I asked her, I said that you are so old, why are you still angry? The old lady said that the old man was angry with me and talked for a long time.
Then I told the old lady, I said you had a stomachache, and your bloating was due to gas. This is called liver depression and spleen deficiency, and liver wood occupies spleen soil. I said your zang-fu organs have been fighting. As long as you don't fight in your life and your viscera don't fight, your mood will be better. Call the old man and I'll talk about him. When the knot is untied, the stomachache and abdominal distension will naturally ease.
This is a situation. Don't think that the liver and spleen are not harmonious. This is the only situation. Every two or three patients come to a female patient in her sixties. She also has abdominal distension, stomachache and burps. Then tell me that my stomach has been like this for many years. I said, why are you here? Are you popular? Feel your pulse. I said you don't seem very popular. She said I was happy and there was nothing at home. I said, do you have poor spleen and stomach function all the year round? She said yes, since childhood, the spleen and stomach have been weak and afraid of cold, and it is difficult to digest anything if they are afraid of cold, which belongs to the spleen and stomach weakness type.
So at this time, if the tongue of the former old lady is obviously different from that of a female patient in her sixties. The former has a thick and greasy tongue coating and is dry. Although both sides of the tongue are red, red is both sides, indicating that the liver and gallbladder are in such a state that the liver yin is insufficient and the liver yang is hyperactive. In short, the stagnation of the liver is in the side, followed by the spleen, and the spleen also has the phenomenon of decreased transport function and phlegm resistance. The latter tongue is fat and white, belonging to spleen deficiency tongue.
Stagnation of liver-qi and phlegm in front, followed by spleen deficiency. Pathogenesis is different, although it is said that liver and spleen are not harmonious, the former is liver depression and spleen deficiency, while the latter is diagnosed as spleen deficiency and liver depression. The latter is based on spleen deficiency and supplemented by liver depression. In other words, the child is too weak between the two, showing that the mother is stronger. The former is that the mother's voice is too loud and she is in charge of her child. Now the relationship between the two is different, so the methods used in the treatment process are obviously different. The former is mainly to soothe the liver and relieve depression, supplemented by phlegm, and the latter is of course supplemented by invigorating the spleen and soothing the liver.
Specific to daily life, if you meet different types, then the methods of acupoint self-care will be different. Then, of course, the former is mainly soothing the liver, so the stimulation site is in the ribs. Don't forget that the spleen is the location of the rib arch attached to the abdominal wall, bordering the liver. So this area is a very important part of soothing the liver and relieving depression, so you will rub this part with your palm. This method is called rib rubbing or rib rubbing.
When you do this, it will stimulate several key acupoints in this part, such as Qimen and Riyue. Step gate is the point of nourishing liver, and sun and moon are the points of nourishing gallbladder. In addition, under it, there is a point of spleen meridian called abdominal sorrow, which means fullness, and sorrow means letting it decline.
Therefore, the abdominal pain point is also above the rib arch, and these points are combined. You don't care if you can guess the exact part. All you have to do is put your palm here and rub the lower edge of the rib arch back and forth, which will definitely stimulate these acupoints. Your liver and spleen are not harmonious. If liver depression is the main cause, do so.
If you have disharmony between liver and spleen, spleen and stomach weakness, spleen deficiency and liver depression, then what should you do, focus on strengthening the spleen, and see the chapter "Most Spleen-Strengthening Acupoints"!