What does "five labors and seven injuries" mean?

In traditional Chinese medicine, there is a saying of "five kinds of labor and seven kinds of injuries". What are the "five labors and seven injuries"? "Five labors" refers to strain of the muscles of the five internal organs, namely heart fatigue, liver fatigue, lung fatigue, spleen fatigue, and kidney fatigue; "seven injuries" are worry and sadness, anger damaging the liver, severe cold damaging the body, overeating damaging the spleen, excessive force snatching damaging the yang, fear damaging the will, wind, rain, heat and cold damaging the body. Generally speaking, this is a disease that causes all kinds of deficiencies and damage.

Five kinds of fatigue and seven kinds of injuries

Five Labors: "Su Wen" says that the five labors cause injuries. Prolonged viewing damages the blood, prolonged lying damages the Qi, prolonged sitting damages the flesh, prolonged standing damages the bones, and prolonged walking damages the tendons. These are the injuries caused by the five labors.

Seven injuries: overeating damages the spleen, excessive anger damages the liver, super-strong snatches and long sitting in the wetland park damages the yang, walking in the cold and drinking cold drinks damage the body, worry and sadness, wind, rain, heat and cold damage the body, fear and doubt damage the will.

Five Urgent

1. Liver acute "Beng Qi". This symptom occurs under the left hypochondrium, and is as strong as holding a cup, with a head and feet shaped like a turtle. After a long time, it will cause thirst and vomiting, and the pulse is deep and thin. It is caused by the liver's adverse qi and blood stasis, and can be treated by harmonizing the liver and eliminating the stagnation.

2. Worrying about "abdominal beams". There is a mass under the heart like a roof beam. This disease originates from above the navel. It is as big as an arm lying down and not moving, like a roof beam. After a long time, the patient will feel upset, restless at night, swollen bones and tendons, unable to move, and painful around the navel. Those with thick blood cannot be cured. The deep and wiry pulse is caused by the stagnation of blood and qi in the heart meridian. It can be resolved by promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, cooling down heat, and dissipating heat.

3. Spleen urgency "lump", floating in the stomach like a stock market, long-term unhealed patients with jaundice in the limbs, no muscle growth due to diet, treated with Jianpi San.

4. The lungs are in urgent need of "resting at the root", and the upper and lower abdomen are as big as a cup. If it does not heal for a long time, the patient will suffer from sweating, heat, wheezing, coughing and lung abscess. It can be treated by descending qi, clearing heat and detoxifying, and removing phlegm and eliminating lumps.

5. Kidney emergency "running pig" is all caused by fright, the qi rushes to the lower abdomen above the navel, the throat or even to the point of being like a piglet running pig. It is caused by weak kidneys and damp spleen. It will be treated after a long time with wheezing, withering, and shortness of breath. The pulse is deep and slippery. It can be treated with pungent and warm medicines to replenish qi and blood, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and eliminate the stagnation.

What's hateful (that is, being frightened) is that the child has a weak and cold constitution, and suddenly encounters something very strange, or meets a stranger, which conflicts with the child's kidney essence, causing him to vomit yellow and white matter from his mouth, have stomach pain, and have a stuffy mouth. This symptom is similar to spasm, but the eyes are not hanging, and the pulse is often stringy, rapid and frequent, causing severe swelling and pain in the lower abdomen, and gas rushing to the chest. When the disease first occurs, look at the hanging mass in the mouth (uvula in the throat) up and down. If there is blue-black, brown-brown, as big as a horse bean, or red or white, pierce it with a needle and wipe off the blood with cotton wool and it will heal.

There are many causes of "five fatigues and seven injuries", some of which are closely related to the "five flavors" of food, the "four seasons" of the solar terms, and even the direction of wind frequency. Therefore, health science believes that: when maintaining health, we should pay attention to the appropriateness of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and cooked food, and never be picky about food; in diet and daily life, we should adjust clothes appropriately according to the changes of seasons, cold and hot, exercise appropriately, and follow nature. These are all necessary measures to strengthen the body and prevent "five kinds of fatigue and seven kinds of injuries". Ouyang Xiu once said: "Use the way of nature to nourish your body." This is what he meant by the great truth.