deficiency leads to the rising of Liver-Yang.
Shock
Shock "suspends" Qi and it affects Heart, Lung and Spleen Qi. It will usually cause headaches
affecting the whole head.
Excessive Mental Work
Although this is obviously not an "emotion" it is usually discussed with the emotional causes of
disease. Excessive mental activity is a frequent cause of chronic headaches in children. Although
this may seem strange at first, it does occur frequently when a bright child attends an
academically-demanding school with high parent expectations. This sets a pattern early in life of
long hours of mental work and concentration combined with the worry of doing well, that leads
to severe headaches or migraine. The long hours of reading by themselves (and nowadays work
at a computer monitor) strain the eyes and lead to headaches.
Overwork
Working too long hours without adequate rest weakens Spleen-Qi and, in the long run,
Kidney-Yin. This is the most common cause of Yin deficiency in Western industrial societies.
The deficiency of Kidney-Yin will give rise to headaches in the whole head, or it will lead to
Liver-Yang rising and causing migraine-type headaches on one side of the head on the
Gall-Bladder channel.
Excessive Sexual Activity
This is a common cause of headaches, particularly in men. Under normal circumstances the
temporary loss of Kidney-Essence resulting from sexual activity is quickly restored and so
sexual activity will not lead to disease. When sexual activity is too frequent however, there is no
time for the Kidney-Essence to be restored and this results in deficiency of Kidney energy (either
Yin or Yang depending on the constitution of the person). An old Daoist saying declares:
"Sleeping alone is better than taking 100 tonics"!
Men are affected by excessive sexual activity more than women. Too many childbirths in too
short a time weaken the uterus and the Kidneys in women. This is an important cause of
depletion of Kidney-Essence in women, somewhat equivalent to excessive sexual activity in men
(see below).
By depleting the Kidneys, excessive sexual activity is a frequent cause of headaches either on the
occiput or the whole head. Indeed, if someone experiences a headache and dizziness following