All lessons Module 3: Causes Lesson 3
Constitution, overwork and sexual activity
Why does one person become exhausted after years of hard work and another does not, and what does each kind of exertion cost the body?
After this lesson you know the three sources of the constitution, you know what overwork, heavy physical work, too little exercise and sexual activity consume in TCM language, you can link each of them to the patterns from module 1, and you know why the measure is always relative.
Know by heart
- Constitution, three sources. The health of the parents in general, their health at conception, and the conditions during pregnancy (p. 279). mnemonic: the three Ps: parents, point of conception, pregnancy.
- Pre-Heaven and Post-Heaven. You cannot change the Pre-Heaven Jing; you conserve it, and you replenish with Post-Heaven Qi from food and breath. The constitution is the terrain on which every other cause acts.
- Overwork (p. 283). Years of long days without enough rest, often with hurried eating: consumes Yin, above all Kidney-Yin. Pattern 11; later 14 or 3.
- Heavy physical work (p. 284). Consumes Qi, especially of the Spleen; constantly overloading one part of the body gives stagnation of Qi and Blood there. Su Wen 39: overexertion consumes Qi.
- Too little exercise (p. 284). Qi stands still and Dampness accumulates. Su Wen 23: too much looking injures the Blood, lying the Qi, sitting the muscles, standing the bones, walking the sinews. mnemonic: you look with your Blood, lie on your Qi, sit on your muscles, stand on your bones, walk on your sinews.
- Sexual activity (p. 285). Too much consumes Kidney-Essence; the measure depends on age, constitution, health and season. Picture: Kidney-Yin or Kidney-Yang deficiency (11, 12). Textbook knowledge: in women, many births in quick succession weigh more heavily.
- Red flag. Fatigue with weight loss, night sweats, fever or anaemia; periods that stop with a lot of sport; erectile problems (heart and vessels): see a doctor first.
The rest of this lesson is reference.
Three practice questions from this lesson
According to the book, what are the three sources of the constitution?
- The parents, their state at conception, the pregnancy
- Diet, sleep and exercise in the early years
- The season of birth, the sex and the blood group
Answer: The parents, their state at conception, the pregnancy. Parents, point of conception, pregnancy (ch. 22 p. 279): the general health of the parents, their health at conception and the circumstances during pregnancy. Diet, sleep and exercise are Post-Heaven.
Can you increase the Pre-Heaven Jing?
- Yes, by sleeping and resting a lot
- No; you conserve and replenish it
- Yes, with the right herbs for the Kidneys
Answer: No; you conserve and replenish it. The stock itself is fixed; you conserve it, and Post-Heaven Qi from food and breath replenishes it. No herb and no amount of sleep makes the stock bigger.
According to the book, what do years of overwork mainly consume?
- Blood, especially of the Heart
- Qi, especially of the Spleen
- Yin, above all Kidney-Yin
Answer: Yin, above all Kidney-Yin. Long days without rest exhaust the Yin (p. 283); with hurried, late eating also Stomach-Yin (textbook knowledge). Spleen-Qi is used up above all by heavy physical work.
The rest of this lesson
In the course you get the step-by-step explanation, 16 case-based practice questions, 16 spaced-repetition flashcards, the pitfalls and the bridge to physiology with evidence grades. This lesson belongs to module 3: Causes.