Pathological Mechanism of Extraordinary Organs
1. Pathological Mechanism of the Brain
The brain is a very important organ of the life. It relates to the entire body's life activities. The main physiological functions of brain are to dominate the spirit, consciousness, and thinking, to control the movements of the limbs, and to keep the ears and eye sensitive and bright. Because the brain is formed by the convergence of the marrow produced by the essential qi of the kidney, the pathological mechanism of the brain occurs when insufficient kidney-essence brings about a failure to produce the marrow, and the deficiency of the marrow fails to replenish the brain, leading to the decline of the brain functions. The manifested pathological changes include weakness of vitality, deeline of intelligence, and abnormality in the ears and eyes. The pathological mechanism is caused by debility of the body, overstrain of the brain, or lack of proper care due to protracted illness.
2. Pathological Mechanism of the Marrow and Bones
Marrow includes bone marrow and the spinal cord. Its functions are to nourish the bone and skeleton for their growth and development, to maintain their tenacity and hardness, and to replenish and nourish the brain so as to keep the normal mental activities .
The pathological mechanism of the marrow is usually caused by the failure of marrow prcduction by the essence, due to insufficiency of the kidney-essence or the essential substances from drink and food. Deficiency of marrow leads to weakness of the bone and skeleton, debility in flexing and extending of the joints, or easily fragmented and fractured bones. Deficiency of marrow also causes a failure in the replenishing of the brain marked by weakness of vitality and retardation.
The bones are the important framework of the body. They are characterized hardness. The bones store the marrow, while marrow nourishes the bones. So the growth and functions of the bones depend on the excess or prosperity of the kidneyessence. The pathological mechanism of the bones is manifested as weakness of the bonesue to malnourishment, softness or distortion. This morbid state is caused by a congenital weak constitution or the lack of proper care after birth, leading to the deficiency of essence and marrow, malnourishment of the bones and marrow, and maldevelopment.This may be manifested by such pathological changes as osteomalacia or rickets. It may also lead to an inability to stand for a long time, or walking shakily.
It may lead to withered bones and reduction of marrow, marked by the syndromes of atrophic debility of bones. This is caused by the consumption of the yin-fluid by the pathogenic heat, which impairs the kidney-essence; by the impairment of the kidneys due tooverstrain, causing the deficiency of the kidney-essence; or by the hyperactivity of the ministerial fire from the vital gate which impairs the kidney-essence.
3. Pathological Mechanism of the Vessels
The vessels are "the house of blood. They are the passage through which qi and
blood circulate. The normal vessels are a free and smooth passage. If the fluid is deftcient, or the phlegm stagnates, or if the qi and blood stagnate due to the pathogenic factors, the vessels of the body will have corresponding changes.
The pathological mechanism of the vessels is manifested as an encumbered flow of qi and blood, stagnation of qi and blood, and blood flowing outside the Vessels. If the qi and blood stagnate at the local tissues, the pathological changes will include pain, swelling, numbness, atrophy, and necrosis of local tissues.
The vessels have the functions of restraining the nutritive qi and blood, so that they flow within the vessels. This function relates to whether the spleen-qi is normal or not If the spleen-qi is deficient and unable to govern the blood's flowing, it will leads to dysfunction of the vessels, and loss of blood occurs.
4. Pathological Mechanism of the Uterus
The main physiological functions of the uterus are to produce menstruation and breedetus. These functions are summarized as menstruation, leukorrhea, pregnancy, and uetion, which are closely related to the viscera of the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, eridian of Du Meridian, Ren Meridian, Meridian and Dai Meridian So the pathological mechanism of the uterus is manifested in the dysfunctions of theseera and meridians, which also is characteristic of pathological mechanisms of gynecology and obstetrics. The pathological mechanisms of the Uterus are as follows:
1)Disorder of Qi and Blood Leading to Dysfunction of the Uterus
TCM believes that blood is the basis for women. It is the basic substance of menstrution, pregnancy, production, and lactation, during which it is easily impaired. So the state of insufficiency of the blood phase, and excessiveness of qi phase, are commonly seen in women.
The disturbance of "the sea of blood" due to the hyperactivity of blood induced by blood-heat, or the debility of the Chong and Ren Meridians due to deficiency of qi, will lead to excessive blood in the uterus, resulting in a preceded menstrual cycle, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, and metrostaxis. If blood and qi flow reversely, this will lead to epistaxis and hematemesis during menstruation. Deficiency of the spleen and kidney yang-qi,stagnation of qi, stasis and deficiency of blood, or cold in the uterus, will lead to stagnation of blood in the uterus, marked by a delayed menstruation cycle, scanty menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, or a mass in the abdomen.
Dampness is a yin-evil. It is characterized by heaviness and turbidity, stickiness,and stagnation. Endured stagnation of damp will produce damp-heat. When the damp heat transfers downward to the uterus, it may lead to yellow and red leukorrhea, metrorrhagia, and metrostaxis. When the dampness combines with the cold evil, it may turn into cold-damp. Stagnation of cold-damp in the uterus may also lead to dysmenorrhea,menorrhea, or white leukorrhea.
Moreover, the pathological changes of the qi phase caused by the internal impairment of emotion usually affects the blood phase. For example, it may cause conditions such as adverse flow of qi leading to blood upward adverse flow, qi-sinking leading to blood flow downward, qi weakness leading to blood reducing in volume, qi stagnation leading to blood stasis, and qi being uncontrollable leading to unrestrained blood. All of these may result in the dysfunction of the uterus, leading to irregular menstruation, sudden onset of metrorrhagia, amenorrhea, menstrual epistaxis, and sterility due to massiabdomen.
2) Dysfunctions of the Heart, Liver, Spleen and Kidney Leading to the Dysfunction of the Uterus
Dysfunctions of the heart, liver, spleen and kidney will lead to dysfunction of the uterus. This is caused by emotional stress and internal injury due to excessive sexualtercourse. For example, grief may injure the heart and consumes the heart-blood, resulting in insufficiency of blood; thus, the blood-sea in the uterus cannot be replenished in time. This may cause abnomal menstruation, amenorrhea and infertility. When the heat is injured by stress, the heart-yin will be consumed, weakening yin's ablility to restricn yang, and leading to excess of heart-fire, which may induce the ministerial fire and diturb the blood-sea, causing the blood to flow feebly. This is marked by menorrhagia metrorrhagia. Stagnation of liver-qi follows stasis of blood, which causes blood to stagnate in the uterus, excessive anger will harm the liver, leading to reverse flow of qi and blood. This is manifested as hematemesis during menstruation, or retrograde menstruation. When the spleen is injured by improper diet or grief, qi and blood will lose their marterial sources due to the deficiency of spleen, leading to the emptying of the blood-sea,which is marked by symptoms of scanty menstruation, irregular menstrual cycle, or even
amenorrhea. If middle-jiao-qi is deficient, it may cause dysfunction of spleen's controlling and consolidating functions, and dysfunction of the uterus. This is marked by menorrhagia or metrorrhagia. When the spleen's transportation and transformation functions are abnormal, pathogenic dampness will be retained in the body and then move downward to the Chong and Ren Meridians and the Conception Vessel, which will cause vaginal discharge. Insufficiency of middle-jiao-qi may cause the sinking of qi, which impedes its lift-
ing ability, leading to prolapse of the uterus and prolapse of the genitalia.
3) Disorders of the Chong and Ren Meridians Leading to Dysfunction of the Uterus
Both the Chong and Ren Meridians originate from the uterus. Chong Meridian is the blood-sea while Ren Meridian controls the uterus. There are many factors which can cause disorders of the Chong and Ren Meridians. But excess and deficiency are the two main factors. For example, getting cold will cause blood stagnation; internal disturbance of pathogenic heat causes abnormal flow of blood. Pathogenic phlegm and dampness moving downward will injure the meridians. Emotional depression will cause stagnation of qi and blood, and excessive anger leads to the overflow of qi and blood. Over work results in abnormal blood flow. All of these may cause disharmony of qi and blood and disorder of the Chong and Ren Meridians, which will induce dysfunction of the uterus, manifested as dysmenorrhea, metrorrhagia, morbid leukorrhra or abortion.
It should be pointed out that both the Chong and Ren Meridians are subordinated to the liver and kidney. Their pathological changes are mostly affected by the pathological changes of the liver and kidney. Moreover, the Chong Meridian is subordinated to the Yangming Meridians. Its disorder is also closely related to dysfunctions of the spleen, and stomach. So it is important to adjust and reinforce the spleen, stomach, liver and kidney in treating gynecological diseases, such as the diseases in pregnancy, parturition, menstruation and leukorrhea.
