Unless you are well versed in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of Zang Fu may be difficult to wrap your head around. It is quite different than traditional western medicine!
The Zang Fu Organ Theory is a strategy that has been a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM ) for over 2,000 years. Zang Fu literally translates to “solid hollow” and consists of all the organs in the body (both zang and fu) In TCM, organs are considered either solid (like the liver) or hollow (like the stomach). When discussing the Zang Fu Theory, one must first realize that “organs” in western medicine are quite different than in TCM, although some share the same duties as their western counterpart.
The Zang Fu Theory is considered more holistic than western medicine in that it treats the patient as a whole, with all parts of the body interconnected by Qi and/or blood. Zang Fu also focuses on how the organs interact with each other.
TCM doctors, herbalists, holistic medicine practitioners, and acupuncturists often rely on the Zan Fu Organ Theory when diagnosing and treating a patient. Organ structure, function, disease and/or pathology ( zang or fu) is taken into consideration. The TCM practitioner can “pinpoint the root cause” of a disease or illness based on the patient’s external symptoms and signs which relate to a particular zang or fu organ.
Each organ in the Zang Fu Theory can either have an excess, blockage, or deficiency of Qi energy. TCM practitioners will often first look to the zang organs in order to diagnosis excesses or deficiencies. In order for there to be optimum health, there must be balance and harmony between the zang and the fu organs, including how they relate and react to each other. When illness, disease, or imbalance is diagnosed, TCM practitioners have many different modalities at their disposal in order to restore balance and harmony. In this sense, the Zang Fu theory is very similar to the theory of Yin and Yang: everything is interconnected and must be in balance and harmony.
In the Zang Fu Theory, there are five zang and five fu organs. Each of the five organs has a corresponding element and meridian. Because Zang Fu is a theory or concept and not hard science, some practitioners have different opinions and list the Pericardium and/or the Triple Burner as part of the Zang Fu Theory, even though neither is actually an organ.
Zang organs are yin (passive) and govern both the body’s physical and mental states. They also store Qi energy. Every zang organ has a corresponding fu organ which possess yang (active) energy. Fu organs govern the exterior of the body and deal with food and waste transforming and elimination.
Below are five zang organs with their corresponding fu organs (zang organs are listed first):
Lung - Large Intestine
Spleen - Stomach
Liver - Gallbladder
Heart - Small Intestine
Kidney - Bladder
In TCM, the Spleen is mainly responsible for digestion. Whereas, in Western medicine, the spleen, for example, is responsible for filtering blood. As you notice, Spleen in TCM is capitalized. That is to differentiate it from the spleen in western medicine. Another example is the heart. While the heart functions in both TCM and western medicine by pumping blood throughout the body, in TCM, the Heart rules the spirit. In this context, spirit refers to a person’s “mental, cognitive and intellectual abilities”. In other words, their mental acuity. TCM and western medicine just have two different ways of looking at what the organs do. One is not superior, they are only different.
You may wonder how all this relates to Tai Chi and Qigong. Bill Douglas (author and founder of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day), considers Tai Chi as a “daily tune-up” of the body’s energy flow. Both Tai Chi and Qigong massage the internal organs by stimulating acupressure points through movement. The gentle, deep breathing relaxes the mind as well as the body. Western medicine has come to realize that the mind has a strong connection with the health of the body. In addition, both Tai Chi and Qigong increase flexibility and balance, which in turn has a positive effect on the Zang Fu organs as well.
Even though TCM and western medicine look at the body in different way, it makes sense to consider both on your journey to improved health and happiness.
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