The Chinese medical Spleen system involves in the body’s functions of digestion, cardiovascular circulation, fluid circulation and immunity.  From a Chinese medical perspective, a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet chronically damage the foundational energies of the Spleen organ system.  When the Spleen system’s functions are compromised, the body cannot regulate the body fluids well, which affects the cardiovascular system and manifests as poor global or local circulation.

We all know that saturated fats congeal when temperature is low.  The Daoist physicians believe that high cholesterol levels in the blood (hypercholesterolemia) means the temperature of the blood is lower than normal.  Chinese medicine believes that the temperature of the blood is determined by the speed of its flow, which is governed by Yang Qi, the vital life force.  Lacking Yang Qi in the blood causes the blood to flow relatively more slowly.  Imagining a river that flows slowly. Sand, mud and other things that it carries accumulate at its bottom and it blocks its passage.  The blocked blood vessels have a narrower space internally, which increases the blood pressure and forces the heart to work harder to pump the blood throughout the body.  Of course, this is not proven by modern Western science, but Chinese medicine alleviates the symptoms by using warming herbs and blood invigorating herbs.

The Chinese Liver organ system is directly associated with our emotions.  Stress is a major factor that causes the body’s energy to ascend because when we are stressed the body directs more blood into the brain so that the brain can function in crisis.  Fight-or-flight response guides the Qi into the head and can manifest as coronary heart disease, headache, dizziness, tinnitus, sinus pressure, eye pain, etc.  The Liver organ system signifies the anti-gravitational, upward movements within the body.  We may not notice such upward momentum within our body if we have been too used to stress.  We are only forced to notice it when we experience the symptoms.

Smoking is another factor that affects our cardiovascular health.  People who smoke have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.  Chinese medicine believes that the Lung organ system governs the descending momentum of our body.  The CM Lung system cools the heat that the heart generates (by beating constantly) and descends fluids into the Large Intestine system.  Such biological connections between the organ systems are not acknowledged or understood in Western biomedicine.  Smoking method has been used to dry and preserve things across all cultures.  When there is too much cold fluids in the Lung system, our immunity tends to be weakened.  In ancient times, people smoked in the cold, damp mornings to remove the cold condensation in the lungs.  Smoking too much can obviously cause problems since the drying effect of smoking damages the healthy fluids of the lungs and compromises the lung’s functions to descend heat and fluids into the lower compartment of the body.

In a healthy body, heat is constantly distributed to the lower compartment so that the more distal body parts can maintain an even temperature as the most proximal regions.  In an age when people use the brain too much but do not have enough physical work, heat accumulates in the upper body, leaving the lower body (especially the feet and the toes) icy cold.  This is called “the separation of Yin and Yang” or “Water and Fire not intercoursing” in Chinese medicine, which can lead to many disorders defined by Western biomedicine.  Interestingly enough, herbal formulas that treat gastritis with cold signs and other digestive disorders often treat coronary artery diseases, and vice versa.