zang fu theory and depression

Over the last few weeks my class has been presenting case studies on different disease patterns according to the Zang Fu theory. I decided to look into more disease patterns such as depression and found some AMAZING information.

To give a short explanation of Zang Fu theory first the translation is " "theory about solid organ-hollow organ". It is the model of the body according to TCM. The Fu organs are yang and include the gallbladder (the gallbladder is also an organ belonging to a set of special organs "Curious" which include the brain, vessels, and the spinal cord). Their function is to  receive, breakdown and absorb food and fluids needed to manufacture the vital substances... (yang organs will never store vital substances.. discussion about that in class the other day.. ;) ).. Yang organs also transport and excrete waste. They are also external. The five organs that are Zang are the heart, lung, spleen, liver and kidney. These organs nourish the body and are yin. Their job is to produce, transform, regulate and store vital substances. Yin organs not yang organs store all vital substances. The Zang organs are also home to our emotions. Each organ holds a specific emotion. The heart holds the spirit also known as "SHEN", the spleen holds excessive worry, liver stores anger, fear and fright are stored in the kidney and the lungs hold grief and the inability to "let go".

If one of these Zang organs or more than one become disturbed or there is a flow interruption, there will be an emotional state of imbalance of some sort. In all cases the SHEN is the primary target to be hit and especially for depression. In a lot of cases the liver and the lungs are greatly disturbed as well, but always the Shen. There are several different patterns of disharmony concerning depression and Chinese Medicine, below described.

Lung Qi Deficiency- characteristics of this type include the following: aversion to speaking, weak voice, shallow breathing, fatigue, dislike cold, catches colds easily, will have a bright white complexion. Depression manifests as the "inability to let go" . The tongue will be pale and have a thin white coating. The pulse will be thin.

Liver Qi Stagnation- characteristics include moodiness, poor appetite, irritablity, hypochondriac, muscle tension, chest pain.Tongue will be dusky and the pulse is wiry-weak. Things to avoid if the liver qi is stagnant would be things such as heavy meals that are complex, spicy foods, coffee, black tea, soda, alcohol, beef and lamb are too heavy of meats. Should eat more basics. For example instead of cutting up a bunch of fruit and making a fruit salad, eat one fruit at a time since the body is already agrivated and irritated taking on too many flavors could irritate the digestive system. Something very important in having liver qi stagnation is to have a creative outlet. If there is no creative outlet, you begin to feel trapped and stuck.. hence stagnation! Eat plenty of broccoli and water with lemon.

Qi and Phlegm clashing- depression manifests as something being caught in the throat. Characteristics include a feeling of feeling tight in the chest as well as the throat and having a hard time swallowing.  Thinking unclearly is very common since the attack of phlegm causes you confusion and the feeling of being scattered.  Lack of appetite and having a hard time waking up in the morning are also characteristics of this type depression. The tongue will be slimy or will have a sticky coating. The pulse will be slippery or wiry.

So here we have a few causes of depression according to Chinese Medicine. Here are a few things to help with these disharmonies:

1. Gong Qi
2. Meditation
3. Exercise
4. Herbs such as St. Johns Wort for anxiety, insomnia, mild to moderate depression, passionflower for calming the nervous system, and ginseng which helps the body to resist stress.