Spleen -the main factory of the essential substance for the body-
What is the essential part of the body?
Traditional Eastern Medicine (TEM) has its anatomy and physiology, as Western Medicine has its own. In TEM anatomy and physiology, also there is a general idea for organs in the body. Among all organs in the body, five organs called the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney are the essential organs. Even among these five, the most important organ is the spleen, which function is digestion. Why is this the most important? Because it is the factory to create essential substances for the body from foods and water that nourish all body parts (including spleen itself as well). When the body gets ill, the primary thing is treating the digestive system in TEM. Thus, acupuncture points or herbs that are associated with the digestive system are selected and used. How to manage a digestive system in good shape is the key to longevity and health in TEM. Let’s explain more detail about this.
The function of the spleen
Each organ has a paired organ which is like a subordinate or brother and works together. As for the spleen, the stomach is the paired organ. Functions of the stomach in TEM are quite similar to Western medicine, such as digestion of the food. However, in TEM, the spleen works together with the stomach as a digestive system. When the food has digested in the stomach, the nutrition of the food sends to the spleen. The spleen sends the extracted nutrients to other organs, and this nutrients transform into other substance forms such as energy (= Qi in Eastern Medicine terminology), blood, and body fluids for delivering all over the body.
Why is the spleen the most essential?
Among all organs, the heart is the highest hierarchy, which called a king. The heart integrates and manages all mental and physical activities (more mental aspect is dominant, though). When the heart has stopped its work, it means death. Despite the importance of the heart, why still the spleen is the most priority to be treated when a person gets sick? Even the heart is the highest hierarchy among all organs; the spleen nourishes the heart. When a human body gets weak by illness, nutrition is the most needed to build up the body. Why people get sick is his/her body isn’t nourished well; thus, the body is vulnerable against pathogens.
A route for the pathogen entering into the body
Why people get sick is for various reasons. As for chronic illness, it comes from dysfunctions and disharmonies of internal organs. Meanwhile, the acute disease is by the attack of an outside pathogen. Usually, the body has a protection system. The energy, which is working as the first protection, battles with the outer pathogen. When the spleen can afford enough materials to other organs, the body has enough essential substances to fight against the pathogen. However, if the spleen can’t provide enough to other organs, the body allows the pathogen to enter the deep inside of the body directly. In this case, still building up the spleen function is the primary due to making the essential substance for the body not only for recovery but fight.
When a digestive system is weak
In TEM, also the small and the large intestines exist in its anatomy and physiology. Although they pair with other organs (the large intestines are with the lung while the small intestines are with the heart), it categorizes as the part of the digestive system; thus, they are working with the spleen and the stomach. As long as all of them work smoothly, a metabolic process, which is digestion, absorption, and excretion, is without issues. However, if the spleen has something problem, it affects all other digestive organs’ functions. In other words, the spleen is likely the general idea for digestive system in modern medicine. When the spleen and the stomach are strong, people are healthy with good immune system. It means that as long as the main factory has a massive product line, their supply chain can provide abundant materials to end-users to build up a firm foundation. Even though ancient wise guys didn’t have any fancy medical devices, they had already known “the essential matters”. It is incredible. Thousand years has been passed since Traditional Eastern Medicine was born in ancient China, but “the genius” doesn’t change its value, yet, the modern science has caught up with the ancient wisdom finally.
