Seven Affects Etc

Question 1

What are the Seven Affects / Emotions?

Answer 1

• Joy
• Anger
• Anxiety / Worry
• Thought / Pensiveness
• Sorrow / Grief
• Fear
• Fright / Shock

Question 2

Excessive Joy damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 2

• Excessive joy damages HT & spirit, damages HT Qi & Blood (e.g. drug use can cause excessive joy).
• S & Sx: incoherent speech, erratic behavior, faint & fine pulse.
• TX: Nourish HT, Calm spirit.

Question 3

Anger damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 3

• Anger damages the LV. When LV cannot course the Qi, the Qi dynamic becomes depressed & stagnant.
• S & Sx: red face and eyes, dizziness, sudden clouding reversal, breast lumps, menstrual irregularities.
• TX: Clear & subdue LV.

Question 4

Anxiety / Worry damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 4

• Anxiety / Worry damages the LU but also influences the SP.
• S & Sx: deeply depressed affect, cough, SOB, copious thin phlegm, diminished appetite, abdominal distention & sloppy stool, lack of strength in limbs, vacuous forceless pulse.

Question 5

Thought / Pensiveness damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 5

• Thought / Pensiveness damages the SP (our intellect) but also the HT (our spirit, how we create our reality, our imagination).
• S & Sx: fatigue and lack of strength, diminished appetite, abdominal distention after eating, sloppy stools, heart palpitations, SOB, insomnia, forgetfulness, sallow facial complexion (sx primarily reflect SP Qi vacuity, but insomnia & forgetfulness reflect HT vacuity).

Question 6

Sorrow / Grief damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 6

• Sorrow / Grief damages LU (and HT).
• S & Sx: SOB, lack of strength, laziness to speak, spontaneous sweating, sorrow with tendency to cry easily, pale somber facial complexion, fine weak pulse.

Question 7

Fear damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 7

• Fear damages KD (and HT).
• S & Sx: apprehensiveness, urinary & fecal incontinence, deep pulse. Fear results in qi lowering or dropping, so KD qi does not secure the lower orifices.
• TX: Nourish HT, Calm spirit, Secure the KD.

Question 8

Fright / Shock damages what? What are some signs & sx?

Answer 8

• Sudden fearful event, sound, or experience damages HT & KD (though Melanie Katin believes this mainly affects GB & HT).
• S & Sx: heart palpitations, flusteredness, panic, staring of the eyes & inability to call out, chaotic spirit-mind, uncontrollably talking nonsense, stirring pulse.

Question 9

What is the difference between Food Damage, Food Stagnation, and Food Accumulation?

Answer 9

• Food Damage = 1 day food holiday (e.g. Thanksgiving).
• Food Stagnation = 4 day food holiday.
• Food Accumulation = food binge for 7+ days (e.g. cruise ship vacation).

Question 10

What is the cause of Food Damage? What are some signs & sx? What is the treatment principle?

Answer 10

• Food Damage is caused by inappropriate food & drink intake, along with either lack of exercise to move Qi, or excessive exercise.
• S & Sx: aversion to food, N/V, belching, smelly vomit and gas, painful bloating, D/C, foul smelling stool, relief from abdominal pain after moving bowels or gas, tongue is greasy & thick or yellow.
• TX: Disperse food, Abduct stagnation.

Question 11

What is the cause of Food Stagnation? What are some signs & sx? What is the treatment principle?

Answer 11

• Food Stagnation is damage to SP & ST caused by dietary irregularities, overeating, or overdrinking. Contaminated food can also cause damage by cold or parasites.
• S & Sx: palpable accumulations in abdomen, pain & distention worse with pressure, ungratifying defecation, tenesmus, sour & rotten vomit, distention & fullness, malodorous belching, aversion to food, ab pain, ab rumbling, diarrhea, foul smelling BM, thick slimy tongue coat, slippery full pulse.
• TX: Disperse food, Move stagnation

Question 12

What is the cause of Food Accumulation? What are some signs & sx? What is the treatment principle?

Answer 12

• Food Accumulation is generally due to poor T&T function of SP/ST. Food Stagnation leads to Food Accumulation.
• S & Sx: glomus oppression in chest & stomach, hardness w/ lumps in ab, ab pain worse with pressure, bound stools, reduced appetite, rotten belching, acid regurg, thick slimy tongue coat, slippery rapid pulse.
• TX: Disperse accumulation, Reduce stagnation.

Question 13

What is the difference between Phlegm & Damp?

Answer 13

• Dampness sx may be everywhere – e.g. thick tongue coat, thirst but no desire to drink, damp or greasy skin, puffy skin, foggy or muzzy head, limbs feel heavy or full, damp stool that is sticky.
• Phlegm is localized – e.g. soft nodules or masses, lumps in glands & under skin, skin appears thick, cysts, fluid-filled acne that doesn’t heal easily, poly cystic ovaries, substantial mucus in sinuses, mucus in stool

Question 14

What is Blood Stasis?

Answer 14

• Body fluids collecting & stagnation outside the correct vessels or organs.
• Blood spilling out of vessels, accumulating & inhibiting movement of blood.
• NOTE: Blood Stasis is the product of certain pathologies, but it can also be a cause of disease.

Question 15

What are some signs & sx of Blood Stasis?

Answer 15

• Pain of a fixed & stabbing character.
• Pulse: choppy, rough, wiry, may be thready (particularly if combined with blood vacuity).
• Skin is dry, rough, lusterless; may have speckles and/or purple macules; spider nevi & caput medusae.
• Abdominal masses.
• If there is bleeding, there is dark blood & dark clots.