Lungs as described by Traditional Chinese Medicine

Main Physiological Functions of the Lungs

1. Respiration: The lungs are responsible for breathing, facilitating the exchange of gases between the body and the environment. They inhale clean air from the environment and exhale waste gases from the body, primarily through the movement of the lungs.

2. Dispersing and Descending:

- Dispersing: This function involves distributing vital energy (qi), body fluids, and the essence of food throughout the body, reaching the muscles and skin. It also expels waste gases from the body, regulates water metabolism through sweating and exhalation, and removes phlegm and impurities from the lungs and respiratory tract.

- Descending: This function involves inhaling clean air from the environment and ensuring that the clean air, along with body fluids and the essence of food transported by the spleen to the lungs, is distributed downward. This ensures that the clean air is utilized by the body and that waste fluids are excreted through the bladder, keeping the respiratory tract clean.

3. Regulating Water Pathways: The lungs assist the spleen in transporting absorbed body fluids and the essence of food to the skin and hair, supporting vital activities. Excess body fluids are then excreted through urine, sweat, breathing, and feces.

Lung Dysfunction

- Impaired Lung Qi: Symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest tightness, coughing, nasal congestion, sneezing, and lack of sweating.

- Impaired Descending Function: Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm, or pathological changes such as “reversed Lung Qi.”

- Disrupted Dispersing and Descending: Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, reduced urine output, lack of sweating or spontaneous sweating, and edema.

Prevention and Care

The lungs are delicate and sensitive to cold and heat, prone to dryness and weakness. To prevent lung dysfunction, it is important to:

- Gradually adapt to changes in temperature and humidity in the environment to strengthen the lungs’ protective and filtering functions.

- Avoid prolonged exposure to environments with controlled temperature and humidity, such as air-conditioned or humidified spaces, to prevent weakening of the lungs’ protective functions.

- Use aromatherapy massage oils for the Lung Meridian (Metal) and Large Intestine Meridian (Metal) for daily care and maintenance.