Some time ago, Mr. Liu stayed up too much, and his eyes were uncomfortable. He went to see a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, and the result was that his liver was full of fire, which could be recuperated by dietotherapy. It happens that his sister-in-law works in the West Hospital. He took the opportunity to find his sister-in-law for a liver examination and abdominal color Doppler ultrasound. As a result, the doctor said that his liver was fine and there was no problem. Mr. Liu wondered: Chinese medicine said there was something wrong with the liver, but western medicine said nothing. Who should I listen to?
Ms. Zhang suffered from hepatitis before and has been treated. After her liver function was normal, she left it alone and didn't go for a reexamination. Last year, she began to feel a dull pain in her liver. She felt that there was something wrong with her liver, so she went to the drugstore to buy some drugs to protect her liver. As a result, she suddenly had unbearable abdominal pain while eating some time ago and went to the hospital for examination. It turns out that Ms. Zhang has developed cirrhosis, which has caused blood vessel rupture. If she was not sent to the hospital in time,
The above two clinical cases are actually to help you ask a question. Why is the "liver" of Chinese medicine and western medicine so different?
On the whole, the "liver" referred to in TCM refers to the "liver" (wood) in the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements of TCM, which is an abstract concept and refers to different physiological systems and mental and emotional phenomena dominated by "liver", which is equivalent to some functions of endocrine system, blood system, reproductive system and nervous system in modern medicine.
The liver in modern medicine refers to the human organ, which is located under the right rib and is a large solid organ in the abdominal cavity. It is responsible for detoxifying, assisting digestion, sugar metabolism and defending against diseases. It is one of the most important detoxification organs in human body and the largest digestive gland in human body. The liver has a certain hematopoietic function even in the embryonic period of human beings.
Therefore, it seems that the livers of Chinese and Western medicine are similar as a whole, but there are more differences and cannot be equated. So what are the specific differences?
The "liver" in traditional Chinese medicine
Liver of traditional Chinese medicine refers to a theory derived from ancient philosophy in its traditional medical theory. We use its functions more:
1, the liver stores blood, indicating that the liver has the function of storing blood. This aspect is similar to modern medicine, based on anatomical principles. So the liver here refers to the solid liver, which is actually mainly related to the function of the blood system.
2. The liver governs the drainage. Here, the liver is more of an abstract concept, which means that the liver can release qi and blood, and it is an important organ to regulate the operation of qi and blood. If there is something wrong with the liver, it will lead to abnormal excretion function, which will lead to the problem of poor circulation of qi and blood, and then lead to abnormal functions, such as excessive liver fire, palpitation and insomnia, dry eyes and acne on the face. However, from the perspective of modern medicine,
What western medicine calls "liver"
There is a big gap between the liver mentioned by western medicine and the liver mentioned by Chinese medicine, and its function is also very different. Generally speaking, western medicine believes that the liver has the following functions:
1, synthesis function: the liver is the most important chemical plant for human body, which synthesizes nutrients absorbed by human body into various substances necessary for human body, including sugar, fat, protein, etc.
2. Decomposition and transformation function: The liver can decompose the food and drugs that enter the human body, which helps to avoid the harm caused by ingesting toxic substances.
3. Glucose metabolism function: the liver can convert excess glucose into liver sugar and excess fat into lipid for storage. When the human body lacks energy, it will convert liver sugar and lipid into glucose or fatty acid to meet the energy demand of cells.
4. Blood storage function: equivalent to blood storage in traditional medicine. Indeed, the gap between liver cells and cells in the liver can store a lot of blood. Under normal circumstances, about 10% of human blood is in the liver, so the liver can also regulate human blood volume.
5. Promote digestive function: The liver is the largest gland in the human body, secreting a variety of liquids that help digestion. Among them, bile is well known. Bile is due to the reaction in liver cells after heme is converted into bilirubin, which generates bile and flows into bile duct. It plays a role in digestion and contributes to the digestion of fat.
From the perspective of western medicine, there are three kinds of liver diseases that have great influence on people's health, namely viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Traditional medicine is deficient in the treatment of these three kinds of liver diseases, so modern medicine should be given priority to treat these three kinds of liver diseases so as not to delay the treatment opportunity.
1, check the liver regularly.
As we mentioned earlier, there are differences in liver between Chinese medicine and western medicine. When we realize this for the first time, we will understand that the "liver" we know through pulse-taking, listening and consultation is not the real liver, but the liver that needs liver examination to understand the viscera.
These tests include: liver function, hepatitis test, alpha-fetoprotein index and abdominal color Doppler ultrasound. Through regular related examinations, we can know the actual situation of the liver.
2, do not hurt the liver.
Combining the principle of nourishing the liver with traditional Chinese and western medicine, don't drink, smoke, eat chemically treated or pickled food, eat unconfirmed remedies, eat western medicine indiscriminately, and eat various health care products indiscriminately.
3, a balanced diet
Chinese and western medicine have the same requirements for diet. Intake natural and fresh food, no shortage of various nutrients, low salt, low sugar and high fiber, and make good use of oil.
4. Life and rest should be normal
Get into the habit of normal work and rest, don't stay up late. Staying up late will lead to endocrine disorders, decreased immunity, and also affect the health of the liver.
Step 5 vaccinate against hepatitis B.
If there is no hepatitis B and no antibody, you should be vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid being infected by hepatitis B virus.
6. Review regularly
If you have been infected with viral hepatitis, in addition to routine treatment, you should also check it regularly.
7. Don't give injections, tattoos, tattoos or piercings casually.
Viral hepatitis is transmitted through blood, sexual behavior and mother-to-child, so any behavior that causes trauma to the skin and mucosa of the body should be avoided as much as possible.
There are many kinds of liver-protecting drugs in traditional Chinese medicine, and most of them on the market at present have certain basis, and many of them are made according to the records of classical medicine. However, because the "liver" of traditional Chinese medicine is different from that of western medicine, if western medicine is diagnosed as liver disease, it is not free to take liver-protecting drugs for prevention and treatment.
If you need to take liver-protecting drugs, you should first see Chinese medicine. If the doctor thinks that you can eat first and then eat, on the one hand, the medicine is symptomatic, on the other hand, it can also avoid damage to the liver.
If someone recommends a folk prescription to protect the liver, don't use it, because the folk prescription and secret recipe of unknown origin are nominally the "liver" of Chinese medicine, but they may hurt the "liver" of western medicine, because the liver of western medicine has detoxification function, and eating folk prescription and secret recipe indiscriminately may cause health problems.
People often say that 165438+ 0: 00 pm to 2: 00 am is the time for blood to flow to the liver and inspect the liver meridian, so sleeping at this time is good for the liver. Is this correct?
This is actually the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, which refers to the liver that regulates qi, meaning that the qi and blood of the human body circulate to the "liver" from 1 1 to 2 am every day, but it has nothing to do with the real liver.
However, according to modern medical research, blood flows to the liver more when lying down and less when standing. Therefore, it is reasonable for the liver to stay in bed at the right time. In fact, going to bed early, getting up early and getting enough sleep and rest have positive effects not only on the liver, but also on various organs of the human body.
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