Thursday, August 22, 2013

What's this 'Spleen' you keep talking about?

By Caroline Adams, L. Ac. 

Many of you have heard me talk a lot about your Spleen. When your MD starts talking about your Liver or Spleen, it’s usually a fairly serious conversation about a disease like hepatitis or Epstein-Barr. Acupuncturists, on the other hand talk about the functions of these organs regularly! There’s no reason to be alarmed, it’s all normal and good. Chinese medicine doesn’t look at these organs in the same way as Western medicine.
From the Western medical perspective, the Spleen filters and stores the blood. It contributes to the production of red and white blood cells and helps the body fight infection. In Chinese medicine, the organs of the body fulfill energetic roles. Each organ is assigned a number of interrelated processes. The Spleen is not just a fist-sized organ  tucked under the left side of your ribcage, it’s a conglomeration of specific activities needed to keep the body healthy and functional. 
The Spleen’s main job is taking the food that you eat and making it into Qi or vital energy for your body needs to run away from a tiger, solve an engineering problem or heal an injury. For Chinese medicine, the Spleen is the main organ of digestion in the body. This is usually where I explain that what your acupuncturist calls your Spleen really has very little to do with the physical organ “the spleen”. We’re not sure why the ancient Chinese understood it this way. One theory is that they understood the Spleen and Pancreas to be one organ. People sometimes have their Spleens removed and want to know if something horrible is going to happen from a Chinese medical perspective. I tell them the energy and processes of the Spleen are still there and functional even though the physical organ is missing. It may be weaker, but the “Qi” of the Spleen remains intact.  
When the Spleen is doing a good job you feel energized after you eat, you have no stomach or GI upset, and stools are formed. If you’re Spleen is underperforming, you may feel tired after eating, have gas and bloating, little appetite, and loose stools. Here’s an example: after I eat Thanksgiving dinner, I usually feel like curling up on the couch and taking a nap. My kids on the other hand, although grumpy and tired before a meal, become super-charged after eating! They are still young and their Spleens are in good shape; mine, not so much.
When the Spleen is underperforming it creates what we call “Dampness”. Dampness is what gives you “brain fog” after you eat lunch. You were planning on writing up that report right after lunch and now you can’t remember a thing you wanted to say. Sound familiar? If you’re prone to allergies and asthma, dampness can become mucus that ends up in your sinuses and bronchi. It can also make your muscles feel heavy as if it takes extra energy to lift them. In the GI tract, dampness causes gas, bloating, loose stools, and diarrhea. 
Over time, dampness congeals into “Phlegm”. Phlegm can manifest as adipose tissue (fat), persistent sticky nasal discharge, constant post-nasal drip, a feeling of “stuckness” in the throat, swellings in the skin and lumps.

As you can see, it's important to keep your Spleen in tip top shape to feel your best and have the energy you need for your day.

One of my main tasks as an acupuncturist is making sure your Spleen functions correctly. I use a variety of points on your lower legs to make sure that your food gets digested properly so it gets turned into energy that you can use to go to the gym, think big thoughts, and do what needs to be done. Almost everybody's Spleen is weak to one degree or another; it's a fact of life. Ways to support your Spleen are: 

1) Eating your biggest meal of the day in the morning and smallest in the evening.
3) Eating 3-5 meals throughout the day (ie not skipping meals)
4) Chew each bite thoroughly!
5) Stop eating before you're full
6) Avoid processed foods, sugar, wheat and dairy
7) Cook most or all of your food 
8) Do not eat and work at the same time
9) Have a nice leisurely walk after meals

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Acupuncture & Daydreaming: Is There a Connection?


Dennis Weigel, L. Ac.
     The key concept in Chinese Medicine is balance and harmony between the Yang or active state, and Yin or passive state.  American culture values hard work, goal achievement, and doing tasks at home on the weekends, and not much emphasis is placed on leisure, time with friends and family, and rest.  With this mindset comes an increase in cases of stress related ailments such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression.  Many are encouraged to engage in meditation, exercise, and more downtime to help with their symptoms.  Acupuncture has always been used to treat stress related ailments, and now scientists are investigating how it may work.

      In recent years, a plethora of studies have been conducted in the field of neuroscience using frequency magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) to study the effects of acupuncture on the brain.  One area of focus is the Default Mode Network (DMN), which was first introduced to neuroscience in 2001 and identifies a network of brain regions involved in a resting state.  Characteristics of DMN activation include resting, daydreaming, allowing the mind to drift freely, and introspective awareness.  This is in contrast to the Task Positive Network (TPN) where the brain is actively involved in a task.  This includes working, problem solving, thinking of future events, and extrospective awareness.  In a healthy individual, these two networks can toggle freely as needed, and are anti-correlated, meaning when one is active the other is inhibited and vice versa.  Ample time spent in each mode is necessary for optimal brain functioning.  When enough time is spent in the DMN phase, the brain recharges itself resulting in better performance, decision making, and clear thinking while performing tasks.  Studies show that in various mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, there is a lack of cohesive communication within the DMN.

     As this topic is being studied scientifically, most mental disorders are being shown to involve a disruption in the DMN such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer’s and many more.  Acupuncture is being shown to activate the DMN, restoring healthy communication among its involved brain regions, giving rise to improved mental states.  These results have positive implications on acupuncture’s ability to treat a variety of mental disorders.  As more studies are done, and eastern medicine and western medicine collaborate, perhaps a more holistic approach to treating illnesses will make its way into mainstream medicine, and the value of balancing work with rest will become a staple in maintaining good health.

References:
1.      http://resource.isvr.soton.ac.uk/staff/pubs/PubPDFs/Pub10650.pdf
2.      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3579200/
4.      http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcolumbiachronicle.com%2Fneuroscience-advances-highlight-emotional-network-in-brain%2F&h=uAQGNVOpj