I will be writing a new mini-series about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In each article, I will focus on one of the 5 Yin Organs - Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidney and Lungs. Yin organs have a tendency to not have empty cavities and function to produce, store, transform and regulate the fundamental substances in the body such as Blood, Qi (energy), and body fluids. Today I am focusing on the Heart. Stay tuned for more articles about TCM in the coming months!
Chinese medicine is a complete medical system which has diagnosed, treated and prevented illness for over two thousand years. Within this medical paradigm, there are various organ systems which have different functions in keeping the body and mind healthy. The heart, also known as “Shen” or Mind, is considered to be the most important of all the internal organs in TCM. Its 5 most important functions are mental activity (including our emotions), consciousness, memory, thinking and sleep. The Heart is also related to the emotion of joy! On a physical level, the heart is important in controlling Blood and blood vessels, very similar to the function of the heart in western medicine. Some diagnostic measures used with TCM include the tongue and pulse diagnosis. The next time you look into the mirror, stick out your tongue and have a closer look at it. A deep midline crack and a red tip might indicate a weaker heart constitution!
Chinese medicine is a complete medical system which has diagnosed, treated and prevented illness for over two thousand years. Within this medical paradigm, there are various organ systems which have different functions in keeping the body and mind healthy. The heart, also known as “Shen” or Mind, is considered to be the most important of all the internal organs in TCM. Its 5 most important functions are mental activity (including our emotions), consciousness, memory, thinking and sleep. The Heart is also related to the emotion of joy! On a physical level, the heart is important in controlling Blood and blood vessels, very similar to the function of the heart in western medicine. Some diagnostic measures used with TCM include the tongue and pulse diagnosis. The next time you look into the mirror, stick out your tongue and have a closer look at it. A deep midline crack and a red tip might indicate a weaker heart constitution!