All the other conditions (Stomach-Heat, Liver-Yang rising, Damp-Phlegm and Damp-Heat) can
be Excess-causes of chronic tiredness as will be explained shortly.
Severe Illness
Any serious protracted illness can result in Spleen deficiency and therefore chronic tiredness.
Examples of such illnesses are influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia, whooping cough, measles,
meningitis, etc. In particular, Heat diseases can also lead to Yin deficiency as Heat has a
tendency to "burn" body fluids.
An increasingly common cause of chronic tiredness is the deficiency of Qi and/or Yin that
follows an invasion of exterior Wind-Heat, i.e. a bout of influenza, a common cold or an upper
respiratory infection. This often results in myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) which will be
discussed separately (Chapter 25).
Excessive Sexual Activity
Excessive sexual activity causes a deficiency of the Kidneys. As a cause of disease, it is more
common in men than women. It is of course impossible to define a "normal" level of sexual
activity as this depends on the person's constitution in general and his or her particular condition
at the time. The stronger the constitution and the healthier the condition, the more a person can
engage in sex without ill effects. On the other hand, a person of weak constitution or in poor
health should curb his or her sexual activity. In any case, if someone experiences pronounced
tiredness, lower backache and dizziness after sex, it certainly indicates that that level of sexual
activity is excessive for him or her.
It is important for a practitioner of Chinese medicine to be aware of this particular cause of
disease as most people do not know that excessive sexual activity could be detrimental or that
they should abstain from sex during an acute illness.
Childbirth
Soon after childbirth a woman is obviously very tired because her Qi and Blood are depleted by
the demands of pregnancy and delivery. Following childbirth a woman's body condition is very
vulnerable and great care should be taken to eat well and rest. Unfortunately, the trend in modern
industrial societies is for women to leave their beds shortly after childbirth and even to go back
to work only a few days after. This definitely leads to deficiency of Liver-Blood and therefore to
chronic tiredness. In some cases, it is also the cause of post-natal depression.
All the precautions that apply after childbirth also apply after a miscarriage. This is appreciated
even less by women, most of whom just tend to carry on as usual immediately after a
miscarriage. From the point of view of Qi and Blood, a miscarriage is as weakening as