The Mysteries of Yin-Yang Imbalance: How Cold and Heat Affect the Organs

The Yellow Emperor asked: “How do the internal organs experience the shifting of cold and heat between them?”

Qi Bo replied: “When cold from the kidneys moves to the spleen, it causes abscesses and weakness in breath. If cold moves from the spleen to the liver, it results in abscesses and muscle cramps. When the liver’s cold moves to the heart, it can cause madness and a sensation of blockage in the chest. If cold moves from the heart to the lungs, it leads to lung depletion. The symptoms of lung depletion include the inability to drink water properly—one sip of water leads to two parts of urine being excreted, which is an incurable death sentence. If cold moves from the lungs to the kidneys, it results in water retention. The symptoms of this condition include a soft abdomen with a gurgling sound in the intestines while walking briskly, as if the body is filled with water. This is a water-related illness.

If heat from the spleen moves to the liver, it causes sudden shock and nosebleeds. When heat moves from the liver to the heart, it leads to death. Heat from the heart moving to the lungs, when persistent, leads to tuberculosis. If heat from the lungs moves to the kidneys, it causes weakness and muscular spasms. If heat from the kidneys moves to the spleen over time, it gradually depletes the body. Should this evolve into intestinal prolapse, it becomes a death sentence.

When heat from the uterus moves to the bladder, it causes painful urination and blood in the urine. Heat from the bladder moving to the small intestine causes intestinal obstruction, constipation, and the upward movement of heat, which leads to sores on the mouth and tongue. When heat from the small intestine moves to the large intestine, it creates persistent heat, leading to abscesses, hemorrhoids, or other blockages.

When heat from the large intestine moves to the stomach, it increases the appetite but causes weight loss and weakness, a condition known as ‘food depletion.’ Heat moving from the stomach to the gallbladder can also be referred to as ‘food depletion.’ If heat from the gallbladder moves to the brain, it causes a sensation of heat in the nasal bridge, leading to chronic nasal congestion. This condition, known as ‘nasal discharge,’ can lead to continuous mucus flow and eventually bleeding from the nose, along with blurred vision.

All these various conditions arise from the reversal of cold and heat energies within the body, with the internal organs shifting these energies between one another, creating a complex web of symptoms.”