I do not think that anyone likes to take medicine. I've never met someone who takes prescription drugs and is happy about it. However, the reality is that most people do regularly use at least one prescription medication, and they have to develop a perspective to help them deal with this. There are two which I commonly encounter in my practice.

Without a starting concept of health it is impossible to have a perspective on disease. I find that the lack of a notion of what the term health implies is one of the biggest stopping points in achieving it. The purpose of this article is to discuss some common obstacles which obstruct the path to health.

The concept of organs in Chinese medicine can sometimes be a confusing topic for patients. In a Western culture, it can be very difficult to understand that Liver depression (this is the technical term for Liver Qi stagnation) is not going to show up on a blood test. This brings up the very important topic that in Chinese medicine, we do not study organs. In fact, there is no study of any body part in Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine does not study tissues, or cells, or organs, but instead studies relationships.

First, it is important to clarify that this perspective is fundamental in Eastern thought. There is no way to study a thing, separate from its function. Object, action, and consequence are inseparable, and their subdivision into pieces is artificial and limited in perspective in Chinese thought.

There are three classifications for the internal organs in Chinese medicine. The Zang, or organs, are the solid Yin organs which are characterized by their capacity to store but not drain. They are the Heart, Lungs, Liver, Spleen, Kidneys, and Pericardium. The Fu, or hollow Yang bowels, drain but do not store. They are the Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Stomach, Gall Bladder, Bladder, and Triple Heater. The extraordinary bowels are hollow but also store vital substance. They are the Brain, Marrow, Bones, Blood Vessels, Gall Bladder, and Uterus.

The Gallbladder is classified both as a Fu and as an extraordinary bowel, as it both stores and secretes bile. As the reservoir for Heat and Dampness in the body, the Gall Bladder is responsible for absorbing excesses from the Liver. One of the functions of the Liver in Chinese medicine is to create smooth flow, specifically of Qi, Blood, digestion, and emotion. Liver depression means lack of free flow, and its specific cause is unfulfilled desires. Depression of free flow creates Heat (specifically, depressive Heat), and excess Heat can be dumped into the Gall Bladder. Gall Bladder dysfunction characterized by Heat is thought of in Chinese medicine as arising from prolonged stagnation, leading to resentment and festering anger (the festering quality arises from Dampness, produced by the Spleen).

An imbalance arising from vacuity of Gall Bladder function, as compared to those of excess described above, is the pattern of Gall Bladder timidity. The Gall Bladder engenders the capacity for courage and bravery. In the West, we speak of having gall to express this quality. Weakness in Gall Bladder function may manifest with a tendency towards fear and timidity. While the Liver is responsible for planning and organizing, the Gall Bladder is responsible for decisiveness and execution. Inability to act may be tied to a Gall Bladder imbalance.

Wind is the concept in Chinese medicine that I find people have the most trouble with. There is no easy Western correlate for the term or the concept. I am including a discussion of Wind in this issue because of its correlation with spring and the Liver. There are two types of Wind - external and internal.

Allergies are one of the most prevalent conditions I treat in my practice. People come for treatment of allergy symptoms related to pollen, dust, molds, foods, chemicals, pollution, even to other people. You name it, and someone is allergic to it. Interestingly, traditionally in Chinese medicine there is almost no discussion of the concept of allergies, and even less regarding the external source of them. I feel this is a very meaningful difference in the perception of symptoms, their cause, and the remedy for them in Chinese medicine as compared to Western medicine.

The first step in addressing allergy symptoms in the West is to identify the substances to which an individual is believed to be allergic. There are then only three possible therapeutic interventions which may take place - reduce exposure to the allergens, suppress the expression of symptoms, or desensitize the individual to the substances. Each of these measures misses a key point - respectively, that there will always be something external to us which we have reactivity towards and it is impossible to alter the environment to suit our own needs; that the expression of symptoms is the body's way of cleansing itself and healing; and that tricking the body into not reacting is dangerous and unhealthy. We have an immune system, and in health it is perfectly capable of handling these issues on its own.

This will be a brief article discussing the concept of causality in Chinese medicine, specifically in relationship to sinus conditions. For a more complete discussion, please see Causality in Chinese Medicine - The Issues of How and Why. I have chosen to discuss this issue again here as I find sinus conditions to be one of the most prevalent for which people attempt to identify causality.

Is it my allergies or is it a cold? Is it my sinuses or is it a migraine? Is it pollen or is it dust? The list of questions people develop to ascertain the cause of their allergy symptoms is endless. Some people frame it in terms of body parts (such as head or sinuses), some people frame it according to allergen (such as dust or pollen), and some according to symptom (such as pain or congestion). In all cases, what is apparent is the confusion between disease, symptom, mechanism, and cause.

Coffee produces more Liver depression than almost any other commonly ingested substance. Caffeinated is worse, but even decaffeinated coffee negatively affects Liver function. Its bitter acrid oils dry the Blood, deplete Kidney Qi and waste the Jing, and depress the Liver's capacity for free coursing of Qi, Blood, digestion, and emotion.