As practitioners of life cultivation, we use the inner vision technique to feel our inner organs to find out if they are abnormal physiologically or functionally. Once we find the organ that is going bad, we can then try to return it to normal operation as soon as possible, using the various Mustang Cultivation Techniques. This will help us to maintain the health of our body without resorting to medication or surgical operation in later days.
In a previous article, we have briefly discussed each of the important organs as a learning reference. Now we will discuss in depth how we apply the inner vision technique to find out what is wrong with each of our organs.
The Spleen
The spleen is located in the middle section of our body, below the diaphragm.
Its main physiological functions are transportation and transformation of water and nutrients, and the clearing of blood.
The spleen and stomach are life mirror images of each other. Both are major digestive organs.
After our birth, the maintenance of life activities and the metaplasia of vital-energy, blood and body fluids depend on nutrients transported by the spleen and stomach. They are called the originators of blood and vital-energy and the foundation of life after-birth.
The spleen and stomach are the controllers of foods, and the five flavors come out from them—–Huangdi Neijing, Suwen Section.
The health of the spleen is reflected by the mouth, and represented by the lips. The spleen controls the muscles in the body and thus dominates the limbs. The function of the spleen governs transportation of water and nutrients and the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Herbal medicine believes that after the food is digested and absorbed by the digestive system represented by the spleen and stomach, it must rely on the transportation and transformation function of the spleen to convert water and nutrients into subtle substances such as blood, vital-energy, body fluids, and so on.
It must rely on the spleen’s transfer and dispersal functions to disperse water and nutrients throughout the body, so the internal organs, limbs and other tissues get sufficient nutrition to maintain normal physiological functions.
Conversely, if the spleen fails to function properly, there will be loss of appetite, abdominal distension, loose stools, indigestion, and even fatigue, weight loss and other pathological changes of insufficient blood and vital-energy.
If the function of the spleen is normal, it will prevent the stagnation of water in the body, which also prevents the formation of pathological products such as excessive moisture, phlegm, and water. If the function is abnormal, it will lead to the stagnation of water in the body, resulting in pathogenic factors such as excessive moisture, phlegm, and water, and various diseases such as edema and diarrhea.
Spleen governs the upward transportation of water and nutrients. The function is reflected in the following two aspects.
First, the water and nutrients are transported to the heart and lungs, and through the actions of the heart and lungs, blood and vital-energy are transferred and transformed to nourish the whole body.
Second, the spleen is believed to hold the internal organs in their normal positions. Therefore, if the spleen fails in its function, water and nutrients will be dispersed all over the wrong place, which may lead to symptoms such as mental fatigue, dizziness, abdominal distention and diarrhea.
If the spleen fails to function properly, water and nutrients will go downward, leading to visceral sagging, such as gastroptosis, uterine prolapse, etc., or long-term ejaculation and prolapse of the anus.
The spleen governs the blood, which means that the spleen can control the blood and vital-energy to circulate in the proper place. If the spleen is weak and loses its function of controlling blood, the blood may then overflow outside its proper place, and some kind of bleeding syndrome may appear, such as blood in the stool, subcutaneous hemorrhage, uterine bleeding, etc., accompanied by some symptoms of spleen deficiency.
The health of the spleen is reflected in the mouth, and represented by the lips. The normality of food taste and appetite is closely related to the transportation and transformation function of the spleen.
If the spleen functions normally, our appetite and taste will be normal. Conversely, if the spleen is not healthy, there may be a loss of appetite or abnormal taste, such as bland taste, sweet taste, greasy taste and so on.
The color of the lips is related to whether the whole body has sufficient blood and vital-energy, and the spleen and stomach are the source of blood and vital-energy, so whether the color of our lips is ruddy is actually an external manifestation of the functional state of the spleen.
The spleen influences the health of the muscles and dominates the limbs. The human body relies on the subtle nutrients provided by our foods which are transported by the spleen to make the muscles plump and developed and the limbs active.
Therefore, whether the spleen’s transportation and transformation function is sound or not is often directly related to the strength and thinness of the muscles and whether the functional activities of the limbs are normal or not. If the spleen is not healthy and the muscles lose their nutrition, they will gradually lose weight or become weak and loose, and the limbs will be atrophied and useless.
Call to Action
Folks, that is all for now. If you think this article may be beneficial to your friends and loved-ones, feel free to forward this article to them. Life cultivation is mostly for older people with declining body health. If you are young and energetic, this may not be your cup of tea. However, if you have family members or friends who are middle-aged or older, they may want to practice life cultivation to maintain a life without pain or medication.
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Stay tuned for the next episode: Health of our Lungs.
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