This pattern is affiliated with chronic fatigue syndrome, candida overgrowth, ulcers, gastritis, arthritis and fibromyalgia. Muscle wasting and obesity can also develop from spleen chi deficiency. In TCM ‘spleen chi’ comprises the entire digestive system and aspects of the circulatory system. In spleen chi deficiency the digestive process is impaired and mental function is also impaired affecting your thinking and concentration. Your spleen controls muscle, and muscle controls fat, so spleen chi deficiency can lead to weight gain. The main cause is a hectic lifestyle of constant rushing; the worry over endlessly accumulating financial commitments (credit cards, loans, pay later schemes); time deprivation and sleep deprivation. Constantly trying new diets, fad diets, the keto diet, excessive consumption of cold and raw foods, overwork and overthinking also harm the spleen.
Symptoms:
Fatigue, lack of appetite, abdominal distension after eating, bloating, oedema, tiredness, lassitude, sallow complexion, weak limbs, loose stools, feeling ungrounded, feeling spacey, worry. If dampness is involved: brain fog, nausea, stuffiness of the chest and epigastrium, feeling of heaviness.