Arnold is a professional and has been working for a large law firm for two years now. He has been disciplined his whole life and has always been responsible and can be counted on like clockwork. He was telling me that, when he was in grade school, he came home every day, and the first thing he did was his homework. No playing, no watching TV or sports. Homework was his number one mission, and he did it before anything else. Arnold always did his homework first and then, after it was finished, he’d allow himself to play, but never before he did the assignment at hand. Now he is in his late forties, and he said, “As long as I can remember, I was highly disciplined in all my studies, my diet, and everything I did. I was always on time for everything to the point of being anal. I never smoked or drank as I never wanted to lose control of anything, and I still don’t, and I always follow the rules to the T.”
The only thing that went wrong for Arnold is he always had stomach problems. After he eats anything, it doesn’t matter what it is – organic, gluten-free or non-GMO – just about everything gave Arnold a belly ache for as long as he can remember. When I examined him, my attention was directed to his spleen. The spleen’s function involves the transformation of water and food into the Qi and blood of the body. The spleen is the principal organ for the production of Qi and blood in the body, and serves a vital function in this capacity. When the spleen is functioning well, a person has a good appetite, strong digestion, and vibrant energy. When this function is weak, you will see issues, such as bloating, reflux, fatigue, diarrhea, poor appetite and/or malnutrition.
In Western medicine, the principal functions of the spleen have nothing to do with digestion (whereas the pancreas has quite a bit to do with digestion). The emotion that is associated with the spleen in Chinese medicine is worry. Arnold worries all the time about not being perfect in every way. He never wants to lose control and tries to control everyone and everything. The pressure he puts on himself is brutal, and this is making a mess of his digestive system.
Two months ago, Arnold bought “Turn Stress Into Power” http://goo.gl/NIWJ1F and has been practicing the meditations and exercises daily. Guess what? No stomachache! He is actually functioning quite well; he still likes to be a control freak but he is much, much better, and he isn’t as hard on himself.
I wish you the best in your Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
Dr. Wu Dhi
