My experience in treating mental diseases (reformed variant)

kgar

What about a first signs of physiologic aging, such as impaired vision, menopause, changes of liver functions in blood test? Aren’t they signs of liver Qi deficiency? And what is a difference between signs of liver Qi deficiency and liver blood deficiency?

kgar

The aging is usually understood to be in relations with the kidney and spleen, the former is the congenital foundation (the foundation of the prenatal existence) while the latter the acquired foundation (the foundation of the postnatal existence). For sure the aging should be involved with all the other organs but these two are the most important theoretically.
As the signs mentioned by Sophia, we can see "impaired vision" in aging, could be the sign of blood deficiency; while the "menopause" is the process of aging due to the insufficiency or even declining of kidney Yin and kidney essence, so the "Tian Gui" is going to the end. So the Chong and Ren meridians become empty. Thus no blood comes regularly every month. Here the liver is not mentioned in the ancient literatures of traditional Chinese medicine, so I think the Chinese ancestors were so intelligent that they found the menopause is not because of the insufficiency of liver blood, it's rather related with the kidney (including the adrenal functions).
The changes of liver functions in blood test are more complicated, but generally speaking they are more related with the liver proper.
Finally, "a difference between signs of liver Qi deficiency and liver blood deficiency" is the most difficult one to answer!!!
First of all, since there is not any universially accepted idea about the liver Qi deficiency, so it's a bit difficult to say what are the symptoms and signs of liver Qi deficiency.
While the liver blood deficiency, I think I don' t need to list here for we do have it in the text of course B.
Personally I think the liver Qi deficiency is not the same as that of the Qi deficiency of other organs, e.g. the shortness of breath and general weakness are not so obvious. As I mentioned in my last post that I got the liver Qi deficiency because of the overdosed Qigong practice for soothing the liver Qi, what I did feel abnormal was the low spirit, the low mood, no anger, no frustration, no worry, but just didn't want to do anything, even I could manage to work normally, but no any passion to do anything though physically I was quite strong.
See, the liver Qi deficiency is a different case.
While the a difference between signs of liver Qi deficiency and liver blood deficiency?

kgar

[quote:f0dd0bae83="Feathered Serpent"]

So, in my opinion, there are three possibilities:
[list:f0dd0bae83]
-Liver Qi deficiency exists, it is rare but must be taken into account.
-Liver Qi deficiency exists, but it is so rare it doesn't matter.
-Liver Qi deficiency exists. It wasn't very common before the 19th or 20th century, but now it definitely is.
[/list:u:f0dd0bae83][/quote:f0dd0bae83]

Personally I think the first one of the three is most possible, and I don't think it's really so RARE!
As I said before, nowadays, the liver could be a major source of many diseases, so the dysfunction of liver should include the liver Qi deficiency. But majority of the modern physicians and scholars would observe the sayings from ancient time that liver Qi would never be deficient. However the new idea is flourishing that there should be liver Qi deficiency.
In fact, in the modern society, the emotion is much more affected than the body in many cases, so the liver would be undermined. The long term irritation to the liver would cause the stagnation of liver Qi which is well known in traditional Chinese medicine, but the stagnation of liver Qi could lead to many subsequent results, and one of them should be deficiency possible.

kgar

Dear Dr. King,
Thank you very much for you explanation. Now I have rich information for serious cogitation.

kgar

Dear Sophia,
You are sounding really SERIOUS!
You even use the word "cogitation".
Ok, it's VERY VERY interesting for all of us to have this good discussion, which is brought about all by your topic. Thank you very much indeed!
Any new ideas of yours?

kgar

Indeed, not often does one hear or see the word "cogitation", except when around very smart people

Thank you both, as this discussion has been very enlightening for me.