Why are there more and more people suffering from depression? Besides external factors, it is more related to cognition.
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, there is fundamentally no such thing as depression. It is a result of long-term internal stagnation of heat, leading to the transformation of stagnated heat into fire, as if there are five “fires” raging inside the body. When these “fires” are calmed, depression naturally alleviates.
The first fire—heart fire
In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the heart governs the mind and is also known as the residence of the spirit. When the heart fire is excessive, the spirit is not nourished, often manifesting as emotional unrest, mental agitation, insomnia, and other symptoms.
Since the heart connects to the tongue, some patients with depression may develop mouth ulcers and experience poor sleep quality with frequent awakening.
For patients with excessive heart fire, the treatment approach is to clear heat, drain fire, and calm the mind.
The second fire—liver fire
Liver fire, either due to liver energy dominance or liver qi stagnation leading to excessive fire, usually stems from long-term emotional suppression and depression, causing pent-up emotions in the liver. Symptoms may include irritability, emotional instability, chest and rib pain, headache, bitter taste in the mouth, and more.
An excess of liver fire can disrupt smooth flow of qi, further exacerbating depression and anxiety.
For patients with excessive liver fire, the treatment approach is to soothe the liver, relieve depression, tonify the spleen, and nourish the blood.
The third fire—lung fire
The lungs reside in the chest cavity, above all other organs, acting as an umbrella protecting them, hence known as the “canopy.” The lungs also distribute bodily fluids. If there is fire in the lungs, dry heat will scorch the bodily fluids, leading to reduced distribution of body fluids.
Many patients with depression often experience dry mouth, mental agitation, cough with coarse breathing, phlegm sounds in the throat, with abundant sticky or thick yellow phlegm.
To extinguish lung fire, the approach is to clear and disperse lung heat.
The fourth fire—stomach fire
Stomach fire, an excess of stomach heat transforming into fire, often presents as poor appetite, sallow complexion, swollen and painful gums, bad breath, restlessness, abdominal distention and pain, sweating, and constipation.
The focus of treatment is to regulate qi in the stomach, clear heat, and reduce fire.
The fifth fire—kidney fire
In Chinese medicine, the kidneys govern water and play a crucial role in regulating the metabolism of bodily fluids. As a key part of fluid distribution and excretion, if there is insufficient yin fluid in the kidneys, it will fail to effectively restrain yang qi, leading to relative excess of yang qi, resulting in symptoms of deficient heat, known as virtual fire.
These manifestations include sore and weak waist and knees, five centers feeling hot, night sweats, deafness, ringing in the ears, dry mouth, insomnia, vivid dreams, dark and scanty urine, and dry stools.
For these symptoms, medications that nourish yin, clear heat, tonify the kidneys can be prescribed.
