Every language has an expression that goes like “today, I have no energy” and all humans understand it. This is not a scientific declaration, in fact: our science struggles to explant what this means. Explaining the emotion of Love creates a similar problem from western scientific point of view.
Ancient Chinese Medicine offers not just the explanation of all body’s phenomena but goes so far as to provide instruction on how to treat conditions related to each and every health issue. This “holistic” system was created thousands of years ago and it’s theory covers answers to questions modern science is not even asking yet.
According to (ancient) Chinese, each one of us is a result of the work of his or hers “12 officials”, led by the Heart who is also called “the Supreme Controller”. Together, they define who we are on all five levels that all humans operate on: physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and sexual level.
When there is a illness, it happens because one or more officials are not performing their duties and the job of Chinese doctor is not to “fix” but rather “to assist” that official in regaining balance and improving it’s performance. In Chinese theory, body created all of it’s parts and humans could never do a better job so instead of overriding and “telling the body what to do”, we “assist” and “stimulate” the official in need.
As part of the Universe and part of the human body, the 12 organs are subject to energy flow, are Yin or Yang and belong to one of the Five Elements.
The theory explains roles for each of the officials so knowing what organ controlles which tissue or function tells Chinese doctor which organ to assist. “Heart opens to the brain and Heart also gives us ability to connect with the outside world”; Kidney opens to bones, stores reserves, governs procreation; etc.
The twelve organs are organized in pairs: Heart (1) and Small Intestine (2); Bladder (3) and Kidney (4); Heart Protector (5) and Triple Heater (6); Gallbladder (7) and Liver (8); Lung (9) and Large Intestine (10) and Stomach (11) and Spleen (12).
As western medicine also concludes, human brain is not an “essential” organ to our survival (i.e. brain dead condition). In the list above, you can see two organs not familiar to most people: the Heart Protector is the organ that governs our ability to form intimate relationships thus protecting the Heart from being “broken”. The other organ is Triple Heater (aka Triple Burner). It provides for ability to connect in all social relationships (family, friends, neighbors, coworkers,…). It also performs one of the greatest miracles of Nature by keeping a consistent body temperature of +/-1 degree Celsius for the whole duration of our lives.