Lungs affect the brain and emotions: revealing the surprising discoveries of Chinese and Western medicine

Although Chinese medicine and Western medicine are two different medical systems, both recognize that the lungs are not only responsible for breathing, but also regulate the circulation of body fluids and even affect the brain and emotions.

Traditional Chinese medicine says that we should protect our lungs in autumn, while Western medicine says that we should prevent respiratory diseases in autumn. Although traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are two different medical systems, they are very consistent in many aspects. Both recognize that the lungs are a vital organ. The lungs are not only responsible for breathing, but also manage many basic functions of life, such as the regulation of body fluids, blood circulation, and even brain and emotional health.

Traditional Chinese medicine provides us with a holistic perspective on how the lungs affect every aspect of the body, and modern science is verifying this ancient wisdom.

Breathing and Energy

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that “the lungs control qi and breathing”. Qi represents the energy of our life, and oxygen is one of the important sources of qi. The lungs are responsible for breathing, inhaling oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide, or inhaling fresh air and expelling turbid air, to maintain the blood oxygen balance in the body.

From a modern scientific perspective, the lungs play a critical role in oxygen exchange, transporting oxygen to the blood and then to the brain and other organs. Hypoxia can lead to brain fog, decreased cognitive function, fatigue, etc. This corresponds to the traditional Chinese medical theory that qi deficiency leads to fatigue.

Regulate blood vessel function

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs “regulate the water channels”, meaning that they control the flow of water in the body, prevent water retention, and ensure smooth metabolism of body fluids.

The lungs not only expel water vapor through breathing and participate in the regulation of fluid balance, but modern research has also found that the lungs play a very important role in the renin-angiotensin system and have a direct impact on blood pressure regulation.

The lungs also produce a substance called adrenomedullin, which has many functions, including lowering blood pressure, protecting blood vessels, and regulating emotions. Studies have found that the secretion of adrenomedullin in the lungs increases under hypoxia, which can reduce the damage to the lung blood vessels caused by hypoxia.