April 3, 2013 #1

Greetings from the office of Dr. Song! I am here again to learn from the wealth of knowledge that is Dr. Song and the textbook she gave me. To start off the hour I started reading about the liver.

The liver plays an important role in the health of our body. The four major functions it performs are: 

1. Storing blood

2. Maintaining the free flow of qi/chi.

3. Controlling the tendons and manifesting in the nails.

4. Opening to the eye

1.) Blood Storage

The liver has to maintain blood storage and the volume of blood in circulation through the body. The reason being is appropriately distributes blood to different parts of the body depending on the type of activity we do. For example when we are asleep our body does not need as much circulating through the blood if we were exercising. And since the lover is in charge of the flow of blood it is closely related to the zang-fu organs I talked about in the last blog. If there isn't enough blood flow, then it could result in blurred vision, muscle spams, numbness in the four limbs and so on. 

2.) Maintenance of the free flow of qi

The liver keeps the chi in our body moving and if it disrupted or stagnant it could affect our emotional state, liver function, digestion and the flow of blood. When the chi in the body is normal and harmonious our body and mind are at ease. However, if the flow of chi is dysfunctional we can experience things such as mental depression or paranoia. On the other hand, when the chi overactive insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, dizziness and vertigo can result.  

Since the liver governs the flow of chi and is closely related to the spleen and stomach, the flow of chi can greatly affect the digestive system. When the flow of chi is stagnant then pain the chest, mental depression and irascibility can result. 

3.) Maintenance of tendons and Manifestation of nails

Basically the liver ensures that tendons are in tip top shape. It's a common belief that for every inch a tendon can stretch it is an added 10 years to a person's life. Thus if liver blood is consumed tendons can become weak and numb. It can also be seen in the nails. If the nails are strong then liver blood is ample and vice versa, soft and thin nails signal deficiency of liver blood. 

4.) Opening to the eye

Lastly by looking at a person's eye you can immediately tell the state of the person's liver. The meridian channel that the liver functions on connects to the eyes, basically the liver chi is always in contact with the eyes. Therefore dryness of the eyes, blurred vision or night blindness are signs that yin and liver blood is low. 

That concludes the first hour with Dr. Song.