Sagging Bosom

Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have long been viewed as two distinct and divergent medicines. Their approaches to physiology and healing appear quite different in perspective. While Western medicine separates the various systems and organs of the body and delves deeper and deeper into the particles that comprise matter, Chinese medicine views the body and further, the whole person, as a unified organic whole. Spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects are all seen as interrelated and interdependent.

Western medicine treats illness by isolating the diseased area and giving drug medications to alter and counteract the individual problem. Chinese medicine treats illness by identifying which parts of the whole are out of balance and the resulting energy patterns they form. These are then treated with energetic therapies and herbal medications to correct the imbalance and bring the whole to stasis.

TCM Spleen

The spleen is seen as a paired complex in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) of the Earth element, the spleen being the yin component and the stomach being the yang. They work together and imply the other's functions. Because the spleen is the deeper yin organ where the energy of food and fluid is transformed, it is the more vital of the pair and so the one most often referred to. In TCM the spleen has the following functions:

a. Rules the transformation and transportation of food and fluids in the body. The spleen transforms food to extract the energy from it and then transports the resulting food "energy" to various organs and parts of the body where the body's energy and blood are produced. Thus, the spleen is seen as the basis for the production of energy and blood in the entire body. The spleen also controls transformation, separation and movement of fluids. It separates the usable and the unusable from the fluids ingested and these are then transported to their appropriate places. Thus it plays a central role in nourishing the body and promoting development.

b. Governs the blood. The spleen keeps the blood circulating in the vessels. It also provides the extracted energy from food and sends it to the heart to be mixed with Kidney energy to form blood. In TCM the spleen is a source of vital energy and blood and a controller of blood circulation. When spleen qi is weak it's blood controlling function is disturbed and bleeding results. Further, the production of blood and qi are decreased. In the blood routine examinations of patients with diarrhea attributive to the deficiency of spleen energy, there was revealed a decreased hemoglobin level. Other patients who had pale lips, sallow complexion and bleeding had fewer mitochondria in the parietal cells of the stomach and these had obviously damaged cristal membranes.

c. Rules the muscles, flesh and the four limbs. It does this by transporting the body's energy and blood to the muscles, flesh, arms and legs. Consequently, overall muscle tone, strength and appearance, especially that of the arms and legs, reflects the health of the spleen.

d. Opens into the mouth and it's brilliance is manifested in the lips. Chewing prepares food for its digestion. If the spleen is healthy there is a good sense of taste and all five tastes can be distinguished. Further, the lips are moist and rosy

e. The spleen produces a lifting effect along the midline of the body and keeps the internal organs in place so they do not sag or prolapse. Mitochondria are found in almost all tissues and cells of body. In deficient spleen qi patients with sallow complexions, pale lips, a flat taste in mouth, abdominal flatulence, shortness of breath, debilitated defecation and visceroptosis, the mitochondria are found to be decreased in number and many are damaged and swollen.

f. Rules thought. The spleen influences our capacity for thinking, studying, focusing, concentration and memorizing. 

Signs of Spleen Dysfunction in TCM

1. Abdominal distention, aching or pain relieved by local warmth and pressure

2. Lack of appetite and flat taste in the mouth

3. Abdominal flatulence after meals, aggravated by stress

4. Abnormal stool such as watery, first well-shaped then loose or diarrhea.

5. Chronic hemorrhage or blood in the stool, vomit, mucus or under the skin, not caused by blood heat evils and trauma

6. Sallow complexion or pale lips

7. Pale and swollen tongue, or with teeth marks on its margin

8. Emaciation, or puffy appearance

9. Weakness in the arms and legs or muscles.

The presence of any or more of the above could indicate a spleen deficiency.

Causes:

• Poor diet — too much cold foods like cold citrus fruits
• Weak digestion or injured digestion
• Too much mucus forming foods like cheese and ice cream
• Those who are prone to flu and colds.

Treatment:

The key is to improve function of the spleen, warm it up and dispel dampness. Herbs like Semen Amoni can be used for warming the spleen, Semen Coix Lachrimajobi for improving the function of the spleen, Agastachis Herba and Poria Cocos Wolf for transforming dampness and stimulate the spleen.