The Body Clock in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Spleen and pancreas: Thinking and relationships

Organ time

9am to 11am strongest activity

9pm to 11pm weakest activity

The spleen and pancreas are considered to be a unit. They are powerful representatives of the body’s core and are closely connected with the development of an individual’s personality (which, however, can only begin when a person can draw a line between the self and the outside world). On a physical level, the immune system helps us to distinguish between “me” and “not me.” The spleen protects what is within us and is a powerful barricade against intruding foreign bodies, making it one of the most important organs in the immune system. The spleen’s primary function is to monitor the quality of every red blood cell, and any red blood cells that are over 120 days old or have become unstable are broken down. New blood is formed after this purification process and the hemoglobin freed up is sent to the liver, which uses it to create bilirubin. Previously life-giving red blood is transformed in the liver into a viscous, bitter greenish liquid that is passed to the gall bladder in a unique metamorphosis that illustrates clearly the close link between the spleen and the biliary system.

When people are unable to establish a boundary between themselves and outside influences, they can be overcome by sensations, resulting in a sense of mental defenselessness. By the same token, some people are capable of shutting themselves off from the outside world entirely, becoming willful or developing autistic tendencies. Such people have no emotional contact with others and become wrapped up within themselves and shut off from the outside world. Numerous studies have shown that use of the hormone secretin, which stimulates the pancreas, may help many autistic people.

Quality: thinking The spleen and pancreas are able to pick up impressions and thoughts in order for them to be recast and incorporated into something that is all our own. For the body, this means creating the tiniest elements of proteins from a piece of meat and constructing the body’s own cells from these. For the mind, it means developing your own opinion or conviction from input received from elsewhere. Given our dietary habits and society’s emphasis on the cerebral, the spleen and pancreas are an extremely overworked organ system. Our diet is generally too cold, too heavy, too fatty, and too carbohydrate-based. Overall, we eat too much, too quickly, too late in the day, and without enough control, placing an excessive burden on the spleen and pancreas in the same way that constant intellectual effort does.

Quality: relationships As mentioned earlier, the spleen and pancreas are controlled (along with the stomach) via the neural node at the solar plexus. This area is also known as the third chakra and is the seat of our personality.

Every relationship, whether personal or professional, will invariably also possess an emotional quality. We consciously (and indeed, unconsciously) maintain emotional contact with others via the solar plexus, thereby an ability to enter into a relationship can be traced back to the activity of stomach, spleen, and pancreas.

Sensory organs

The condition of your lips is connected with the strength of your spleen and pancreas. Dry lips are always a sign of weakness in these two organs. Spending your whole life moistening your lips is clearly not the best option and it would make more sense to check your spleen and pancreas, activating them if necessary.

Links to other organs

The spleen and pancreas have a physiological connection to the small intestine and colon, the digestive organs that are next in line. As discussed, the spleen is also considered the source of bile and thus maintains very close contact with the liver. The pancreas is part of a chain of glands consisting of the parotid gland, the pancreas, and the gonads (ovaries or testes).

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus presents as Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. In Type 1, the pancreas stops producing insulin, and conventional medicine categorizes this as an autoimmune illness. Type 2 diabetes, also known as “adult onset diabetes” or “metabolic syndrome,” is the result of a lifestyle that is not “right for our species.” Long periods of stress or too much stress, too many quick-release carbohydrates, and too little exercise are the decisive factors that result in this very common disease.

The trigger factors for metabolic syndrome play a key role in its treatment. Diet, exercise, and relaxation are the main pillars of any therapy. Individual dietary therapy with the “healthy & active” program I developed 13 years ago is the most important component in the treatment of diabetes. Decisions about additional treatment with herbal or homeopathic remedies are made based on the results of comprehensive physical and metabolic analysis drawn from at least 64 lab test results.

What else happens in the body between 9am and 11am?

The body is extremely resilient during this period, which is why it is a good time for surgical operations or X-rays. Wound healing also takes place at a faster rate. The short-term memory is at its most receptive and overall mental learning abilities are at their highest.

What is good for the spleen and pancreas?

Activities and situations benefiting the solar plexus include visiting friends, a kind word, a flattering gesture, together with confirmation, praise, and recognition. Anything that helps us identify our path to our inner purpose is good for the spleen and pancreas.

Mother tincture of chicory (Ceres Cichorium intybus) is a remedy often prescribed in my practice; it lifts us out of over-thinking yesterday and tomorrow and positions us clearly in the moment, in the here and now. Chicory helps us to make decisions and find clarity and focus on what is essential. It assists us along our path to our inner purpose, our inner self.

Preface

Introduction
Human beings are part of the universe

The organ body clock
How does the organ body clock work?
How do our organs know what time it is?

The organs and their functions:

Lungs
Detachment and courage; letting go, creativity, and transformation

Colon
Acceptance and letting go

Stomach
Living life to the full

Spleen and pancreas
Thinking and relationships

Heart
Joy and pleasure, and unconditional love

Small intestine
Seeing equality in diversity

Bladder
Personal orientation and the journey within

Kidneys
Fear and anxiety; relationships

Pericardium
Protecting the heart

The triple warmer
Meridian of balance between the inner and outer worlds

Gallbladder
Decision-making, determination, and being true to oneself

Liver
Transformation, renewal, and change

Basic emotional needs
Physical needs
A final thought
Teeth reflexology chart

About the author
Picture credits