In Oriental medicine, it is thought that the body is made up of the energy of 5 organ systems. Those five organ systems are Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung and Kidney. These organ systems correspond to the same organs in Western medicine, but they are not exactly the same.

Anyway, when there is imbalance within the 5 systems, our overall energy is out of balance and we get sick. For example, when Liver energy becomes weak, we may have dizziness, muscle cramps, etc. When Lung energy becomes weak, we may have cough, constipation, etc.

We get sick not only because of the weakness of an organ’s energy, but also because of its stagnation. For example, when we are in a condition of Heart energy stagnation, we may experience heart palpitations or hot flashes, a characteristic symptom of a menopausal disorder.

In an acupuncture treatment, we are able to discover such imbalances within energy, pour in energy where it is weak, and flush out energy where it is blocked. Maybe you wonder why we ask about bowel movements or sleeping condition when you visit us for shoulder pain since there does not seem to be any connection, but this information is important in discovering which organ’s energy is in trouble. Let’s see the characteristics of each organ’s energy next time.