and her job involved driving the whole day to visit various clients. She had no breakfast in the
morning and left home in a rush; she did not have a proper lunch as she had no time for it, and
this often consisted of a sandwich which she ate while driving and under great stress. She
returned home at about 9 in the evening and was far too exhausted to cook, so that her evening
meal consisted of a frozen "TV-dinner" cooked in the microwave and eaten while watching
television. It should also be added that, in order to combat tiredness, she drank vast amounts of
coffee every day. Her diet and eating habits provided the answer as to why the treatment had not
worked. On reflection, it had been a mistake not to ask her about her eating habits before in order
to advise her: this is very important to do especially in cases of Stomach-and Spleen-Yin
deficiency.
Emotional Problems
Emotional problems have a profound influence on stomach disorders.
Anger
This term includes emotional states such as frustration and resentment. It causes either stagnation
of Liver-Qi (if the anger is suppressed) or rising of Liver-Yang (if the anger is expressed). In
both cases, it leads to the situation described in 5-Element terms as Wood overacting on Earth. If
the predominant emotion is outright and expressed anger leading to Liver-Yang rising as well as
Liver-Qi stagnation, it affects the Stomach more, preventing Stomach-Qi from descending. This
causes epigastric pain, belching and nausea. If the predominant emotion is repressed frustration
and resentment leading to Liver-Qi stagnation, it affects the Spleen more causing diarrhoea. The
influence of Liver-Qi on the Stomach is an extremely frequent cause of Stomach patterns. In the
case of epigastric pain, the pain stems from the centre but it extends towards the right or left
hypochondrial region.
Both Liver-Yang rising and Liver-Qi stagnation usually stem from a deficiency of either
Liver-Blood or Liver-Yin. Especially in women, they more frequently stem from Liver-Blood
deficiency. It is important to differentiate whether the underlying condition is Liver-Blood or
Liver-Yin deficiency as the herbal treatment is quite different in each case, nourishing Blood in
the former case and nourishing Yin in the latter. In both cases it is also worth remembering that
most moving-Qi herbs are pungent and warm and therefore tending to injure Blood and Yin: they
should therefore be used with caution if there is deficiency of Blood or Yin. A few herbs such as
Fu Shou Fructus Citri sarcodactylis and Lu Mei Hua Flos Pruni mume Sieb. et zucc. var.
viridicalyx Makino move Qi without injuring Blood or Yin.
Pensiveness and Worry
These affect the Spleen, Stomach and Lungs. In the case of the Stomach, they cause stagnation