OBLIGACIONES DEL CONTRATISTA

The lung, called “fei” in Chinese, is the “prime minister”, controlling the body’s vital energy and blood. According to Chinese medical thinking, life is sustained and operated by vital energy. Vital energy is produced from the combination of “heaven energy”, which is derived from the fresh air we breathe in, and “earth energy”, derived from the essence of food and drink.

The lung is where “heaven energy” or cosmic energy is taken into our body as fresh air, and waste products in a gaseous state are exchanged as stale air. The lung is closely connected with the heart, where “earth energy” in the form of nutrient essence is found.

When vital energy is abundant, the skin is radiant and healthy, indicating that the lung is functioning properly. Dry and wrinkled skin shows that lung functioning is inefficient.

Lung diseases are manifested through the nose, such as blocked nose, running nose and loss of smelling sense. These diseases may be caused by deficiency of lung energy, with symptoms like shortness of breath, weak voice, being afraid of cold, easily tired, dry skin, pale-coloured tongue, and weak pulse; or by “lung heat”, meaning the lung system is being attacked by exo-pathogenic agents, with symptoms like fever, cough, yellow phlegm, dark yellow urine, solid faeces, redness at tip of tongue, and yellow fur covering the tongue.

In the meridian system, the counterpart of the lung is “da chang”, or colon, which is figuratively described as the “conductor”, as its main function is to conduct the waste product it has received from the intestine out of the body through the anus, absorbing water in the process. For its operation, the colon derives its energy from the lungs. Hence, if the colon does not function properly, it is often because of weak lungs.

Diseases of the colon may be caused by “wetness” and “heat”; which means it has been attacked by exo-pathogenic agents. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, feeling hot at the anus, short and reddish urine, weak pulse, purging and fever.

According to Chinese medical philosophy, the most important organ for a person’s vitality is “shen”, or kidneys. Many sexual problems, like men’s sexual impotency and women’s infertility, which have baffled western doctors, have been successfully treated by attending to the patients’ kidney system. Here is a rich area where western medical science can benefit much from Chinese medical knowledge.

Besides carnal pleasures and physical activities, the kidney is also responsible for mental performance. Ancient masters figuratively refer to the kidney as the “work minister” — responsible for both physical and mental work.

The most important function of the kidney is to store and regulate essence and energy. There are two types or aspects of essence, namely nutrient essence for daily

activities, and sexual essence for procreation.

There are also two types or aspects of energy, namely pre-natal energy and post- natal energy. Pre-natal energy is the primordial energy which first developed the person, and was derived from the father’s sperm cell and the mother’s egg. Therefore, it was from the kidney that the rest of the foetus developed, and the initial energy (or whatever that remains of it) is still located there. The kidney is sometimes called the “pre-natal source of energy”. Post-natal energy is the vital energy produced from the reaction of “heaven energy” (fresh air) and “earth energy” (food).

The kidney is also connected with memory, intelligence and other mental activities! This is because kidney energy is used for the production of “sui”, which is marrow. According to Chinese medical thought, marrow flows in a continuous circulation in hollows of bones, through the vertebrae into the brain to nourish the brain, like blood circulation to nourish other parts of the body. Hence, kidney energy directly affects the quantity and quality of marrow, which in turn affects the performance of the brain.

Again, if readers find this information odd, this is because of biased western medical perspective, which does not acknowledge such information yet. Chinese clinical experience shows that Chinese physicians have been successful in applying this knowledge to improve patients’ memory, cure giddiness and overcome insomnia by means of nourishing their kidneys to enhance marrow.

The condition of a person’s kidney is reflected in his bones. If the bones are dry and brittle, for example, his kidney does not function properly. Luckily, you do not necessarily have to take out somebody’s bones to know his kidney’s condition, because “the kidney’s glory is manifested in his hair, and expressed in his ears.” So, by the lustre or otherwise of a person’s hair, you may have some idea of his sexual and general vitality. Deficiency in kidney energy often results in hearing loss, or ringing noise in the ears. If you start hearing noises, the problem may not lie with your ears, but with your kidney.

The kidney is closely associated with “pang guang”, or the urinary bladder. The main function of the urinary bladder is to extract nutrient essence from body fluid, and discharge the impure liquid as urine. The nutrient essence is sent to the kidney, from which it derives its energy for its operation. Weakness at the urinary bladder, therefore, may indicate weakness at the kidney. Ancient masters described the urinary bladder as the “waterways minister”.

The meridian supervised by the urinary bladder covers an extensive area, stretching from the head down the back to the legs. The urinary bladder meridian is particularly connected with the muscle system. Deficiency of urinary bladder energy, therefore, directly affects the muscles, with the result that toxic waste at the muscles may not be effectively disposed of.