Dear Tutor, I need some help in the distribution path of body fluids. In Chapter 3 Section 4 we are told that the food enters the stomach and and the refined nutrient food and essence of food and drink goes to the spleen and then to the lung, which then regulates the passages and transmits the Qi of the water to the bladder below and the Qi of the water spreads in four directions (which four directions?)and travels along the meridians of the five zang organs. This is all done through the governance of the triple energizer. My first question is " Does the bladder first take in all the water and then distribute it out into four directions along the meridians of the Zang Fu organs and/or does it expel the water as urine?" Later we are told more fluid, again after passing through the small intestine to the spleen and the lung, obviously from the stomach is excreted as sweat. (Is this the Qi of the water as well?)Like wise more water is excreted as urine. (This seems like a double up.) Is the bladder an organ which expels and directs? As I would understand it food passes through the stomach into the small intestine where the spleen transmits it to the lung and the bladder and some water is retained to be eliminated in the large intestine. Where do the kidneys get their water so they can control the flow? There seems to be a gap in the information. Some fluid has to be retained for the formation of blood. I would have thought that the spleen directs the water to the lung, to the kidneys and throughout the body, with the kidneys relaying excess water to the bladder for expulsion. How is the water that is expelled from the colon accounted for? TCM has its theories on body fluids, could you please help me in my understanding?
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Wayne Butcher
[size=18:43e451eb10][quote:43e451eb10]My first question is " Does the bladder first take in all the water and then distribute it out into four directions along the meridians of the Zang Fu organs and/or does it expel the water as urine?"
Later we are told more fluid, again after passing through the small intestine to the spleen and the lung, obviously from the stomach is excreted as sweat. (Is this the Qi of the water as well?)
Like wise more water is excreted as urine. (This seems like a double up.) Is the bladder an organ which expels and directs? As I would understand it food passes through the stomach into the small intestine where the spleen transmits it to the lung and the bladder and some water is retained to be eliminated in the large intestine.
Where do the kidneys get their water so they can control the flow? There seems to be a gap in the information.
Some fluid has to be retained for the formation of blood. I would have thought that the spleen directs the water to the lung, to the kidneys and throughout the body, with the kidneys relaying excess water to the bladder for expulsion. How is the water that is expelled from the colon accounted for? TCM has its theories on body fluids, could you please help me in my understanding? [/quote:43e451eb10][/size:43e451eb10]
Dear Wayne,
I have to say the translation of the material is not good!
First of all, it's not "four direction", it should be translated as "everywhere" instead.
Secondly, the original in the Internal classic says the water moves from the lung to the urinary bladder through the descending of lung Qi, but majority of TCM experts in China would take here the bladder as the kidney and bladder.
When you read the functions of kidney I am sure you know how the water is metabolized by the kidney, so herein I won't repeat.
Yes, part of the fluid will be sent to urinary bladder through the small intestine which will be excreted as urine directly.
The translation of Qi of water is also stupid!
It should be directly translated as water!!!
What about the sweat?
What are you talking about?
A part of the food and drink, after the rough digestion by stomach, will be sent down to the small intestine!!! So therein, some water, of course the waste one is sent further down to the urinary bladder. That's the basic similar understanding as that of western medicine.
Of course the urinary bladder is not the organ for the excretion and for directing!!!
The bladder is only working for storing the urine, as the text states.
As I have mentioned, kidney has the water through the descending of lung Qi.
As to the formation of blood, it's rather through the lung and the small intestine, for the lung works to spread the water all over the body, so the water could be distributed to the collaterals (capillaries) thus to make the blood.
The small intestine will also replenish the blood with fluids.
That's basically the theory of body fluids in TCM. While one more organ we must mention is the triple energizer, which is understood as the water passageway.
Tutor
Yes
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