TCM WellnessExcessive thinking can injure the spleen, a functional system responsible for both digestion and thinking.Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

Traditional Chinese medicine regards the body’s five organs as more than physiological structures—viewing them as interconnected systems related to the mind. Each organ also corresponds to a specific emotion—joy, worry, grief, anger, or fear.

In the Yuan Dynasty, around the 14th century, a brilliant physician named Zhu Zhenheng (1282–1358) faced a puzzling case. A young lady, bedridden for six months, had lost all desire to eat, and no doctor could revive her. After carefully checking her pulse, Zhu uncovered the root of her ailment: lovesickness. Her fiancé had been away for five years with no word of his return, leaving her thinking about him all the time.

Zhu, known for blending medical expertise with keen psychological insight, devised an unconventional plan. He told the girl’s father, “This illness needs to be shocked with anger to heal.” Boldly entering her room, Zhu confronted the young woman, scolding her sharply: “You’re an unmarried lady, yet you’re pining for a man!” Stung by his words, the girl erupted in tears, her pent-up emotions pouring out. Astonishingly, right after this emotional storm, her appetite returned—she was hungry again!

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