In Chinese Medicine the snake is the animal associated with the spleen in the system of the 12 organs. Though the animals were ascribed to the organs much later in the Medicine's history, there are remarkable parallels that can be drawn by meditating on the relationship between an organ and its animal. Sometimes, modern research will even point it out for us. Recently, it has been discovered that the snake can decrease its metabolic fasting rate by around 70%. Even at such a low rate, they still remain very alert and cognizant of possible approaching food. The mechanism isn't known, but some guesses are that the heart and liver cells down-regulate mitochondrial production or activity.
In Chinese Medicine the Spleen is a very important organ that raises the clear Qi from the food received by the stomach. The Spleen "steams" this clear Qi up to the lung to be combined with the Qi from the breath. When we discussed the Spleen in class we noted how snakes can eat nearly anything (including an entire kangaroo). Thus it shouldn't be surprising, considering typical Chinese duality, that something that can eat nearly anything can survive for an extended amount of time on nearly nothing. I say nearly nothing, because I think there may be ways to survive without eating anything at all but by absorbing this clear Qi through other methods.
4 comments:
Great post, Brandon. Whenever I connect Spleen to snake I focus more on the dampness aspects of both, but of course this digestive stuff is just fascinating.
I love the zodiac animals as symbols. So simple for anyone to understand, yet with such depth that you could never comprehend it entirely.
Are you going to become a solarian? :)
Eric
Thanks Eric. On a related note I was reading the Portland Mercury the other day and they were talking about how people in Portland don't dance when they go see live music. I've found this to be generally true and got to thinking about dampness and the Willamette valley in general. Dancing (a form of QiGong) would probably be very theraputic for many people in Portland, but the dampness may be keeping them down.
I find the solarian idea intriguing, if only for financial reasons. Unfortunately, I'm probably far too hedonistic.
Thanks for your comments on the spleen. I've had an enlarged spleen for about 7 years (I also had Hodgkins Disease, from which I have been in remission for 5 years). What dietary/lifestyle suggestions would Chinese medicine suggest to positively effect the spleen? At present the spleen measures about 17 cm.
Hi richard, thank you for your comment. If you have an enlarged spleen i would recommend seeing a qualified practitioner of chinese medicine. I say this because the reason your spleen is enlarged might not be because your spleen is at fault. There might be a weakness elsewhere that is causing your spleen to overcompensate. In Chinese Medicine, it is important to know why the spleen is enlarged and then go about resolving the condition by addressing the root cause of the problem. I could tell you what benefits the spleen, but without knowing the full picture: pulse, tongue, etc. my suggestions would be purely academic and may or may not help you. Because Hodgkins is a lymphoma it makes sense that your spleen is still ailing; as you probably know the spleen is the largest lymph organ in the body. One thing that i can unequivocally recommend is some sort of movement and breathing therapy that gently moves the blood in the body: Tai Qi and Qi Gong are both excellent examples of this therapy. Also, as I mentioned in the post some forms of dancing are appropriate. Best of luck to you.
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