The Spleen and I

January 5, 2013 — organ health, Spleen, vent

To vent one’s spleen is an expression that means to express anger. The spleen is located in Thoracic Park, on the upper left side of your ribcage. It has very important work to do as part of the lymphatic system. In history it has been thought of in different ways, as has all anatomy and physiology. I have been studying the spleen and learning what it likes in order to make mine happier.

Your spleen likes to be warm and dry…What? It wants to be dry in terms of not waterlogged by stagnation, and warm in terms of internal energy combustion. Diet and exercise are the remedies to use to create the warm and dry conditions your spleen desires. Heaviness or lethargy is referred to as moisture in the system in Chinese Medicine, a clinical example being arthritis. This moisture is regulated throughout the body by the spleen, which works in concert with the pancreas. The happy spleen is given a diet of orange vegetables, ginger, garlic, cardamom, corn,mushrooms, barley and rye. The problem with my spleen seems to be that a happy spleen also avoids SALSA!!!!, citrus, alcohol, coffee,tofu, avocados, and some other staples in my diet. One can only hope these can be brought back in moderation after my spleen and I are on better terms.

The earth element represents support. Since my spleen supports me by filtering my lymphatic system and producing white blood cells, I feel very loyal to it. I am going to give it the kind of attention it needs and wants, including lots of core strength exercises. Plenty of movement is essential for healthy spleen Qi, including abdominal moves that help pump the lymph. Stagnation is a result of too much unhealthy food and lethargy. Together they form the vicious cycle of spleen gone out of whack. My lucky spleen has had strong advocates showing me the error of my ways. I hear you and promise that spleeny and I will be charting a better course, thanks to your professionalism.  I am now ever so aware of the neglect and negligence on my part which lead to this condition.  I applaud  and appreciate my spleen for sticking with me while I learned how to mend my ways. I have many nice orange vegetables on hand to feed it.