Our editor of the Old Town Crier tries to set a tone for the next month’s edition by suggesting a theme. The theme for May is either Mother’s Day or Memorial Day. As I often have trouble deciding what to write about, I often find her suggestions helpful and inspiring. I didn’t really think either of these themes were going to work though as far as tying them in with Chinese medicine until I recalled the mother child relationship used in diagnosis and treatment.
This relationship pertains to the seasonal cycle and the elements related to each of the seasons. It starts with spring, which gives birth to summer. The element associated with spring is wood and that of summer is fire. Thus, wood gives birth to fire. Chinese medicine recognizes five seasons rather than our traditional four. Summer gives birth to late summer. The element associated with late summer is earth; thus fire gives birth to earth. Fall, associated with the metal element, follows late summer. Thus, earth gives birth to metal. Winter and its associated water element follows fall which means, of course, that metal births water. The cycle completes itself when water or winter gives birth to wood or spring.
You may be asking yourself how in the world any of this information could be pertinent for diagnosis. I will try to explain the thought process. Each of the elements and seasons also has associated organ systems. The liver and gall bladder relate to wood and spring. The heart and small intestine relate to fire and summer. The spleen and stomach relate to earth and late summer. The lung and large intestine relate to metal and fall and the kidney and bladder relate water and winter.
If I suspect that an organ system is out of balance, I may decide to focus more on the “mother” organ system in order to nourish the “child”. For example, a patient comes to my practice complaining of insomnia, anxiety, and an inability to focus. All of these symptoms generally fall under the jurisdiction of the heart. Rather than targeting the heart meridian for treatment, I may focus on the liver meridian, or wood, which is the “mother” of fire, or the heart. By treating the liver and balancing this meridian system, the child becomes nourished and the symptoms abate. The principle behind this treatment plan is to nourish the “mother” in order to nurture the “child”.
Another example, a patient comes in complaining of fatigue, seasonal allergies and shortness of breath. As allergies and shortness of breath indicate a deficiency in the lung meridian system and fatigue may also be associated with the lungs or the spleen meridian, I focus on balancing and supporting the spleen meridian system in order to correct the deficiency found in the lung. In this example, I’m treating the earth element or the spleen in order to support the metal element or the lung.
This theory also carries over to everyday life. I see so many women in my clinic who have depleted themselves by caring too much for their families and ignoring their own needs. They have no zest for life because they have no reserves to call upon. They’ve given so much to others for so long, they’ve forgotten what it is to take time for themselves. In talking to them, they often express that they feel guilty about the way they treat their family when they are so exhausted because they have nothing more to give.
I try to help these women by urging them to place themselves higher on their own priority list and point out to them that by taking care of themselves they are actually taking better care of their families. They will have more energy because they have replenished themselves and therefore have more to share with others. Nourish the mother in order to nurture the child.
Linda Lloyd is a Licensed Acupuncturist and owner of the Acupuncture Center of Northern Virginia located near Landmark Mall in Alexandria. Visit her website at www.acupuncturenova.com.
