FHN Complementary Medicine Monthly Newsletter January 2009
Moving on with life…the Liver
The liver in both eastern and western medicine is an extremely important organ, (in Chinese thought it is a system not just the organ). It is the chemical factory and warehouse of the body and it is involved in detoxification. In TCM one of the livers’ primary functions is to move Qi (energy) throughout the body and mind. As such, moving forward with life and goals is important to healthy liver function. Inability to do this may point to a stagnation of liver Qi. One way to deal with this is to start with physical detox and work your way up to mental detox and movement.
If you are like the rest of us you probably over did the food and drink over the holiday season. Many of you probably have resolutions (goals) to lose some of those holiday pounds and exercise more, etc. To make those happen we may need to kick start the liver. Going on a detox diet, taking some liver specific herbs (ie. milk thistle, bupluerum, etc.), and doing some light movement (ie qi gong or yoga) are good ways to start.
You will find that the rest of the weight loss and goals etc. will go easier and quicker if you give a little TLC to the liver.
Sincerely,
Drs. Glenn and Julie Smith
Complementary Medicine
