Supporting the spleen can help alleviate fatigue, including physical, mental and emotional fatigue.

I truly believe that our bodies need energy reserves both to maintain peak daily function and to fuel any healing efforts. In that vein, I have been focusing on fueling energy generating organs like the adrenals and the thyroid.

And then I stumbled upon a blind spot in my quest for optimizing the body’s energy.  The Spleen!  Last week, I had the privilege of connecting with Dr. Yan Ping Xu who formulates Chinese herbs to support spleen energy (you can order them HERE).  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) associates Spleen energy with the flow of life energy in your body, called Chi.  Dr. Xu shared that an imbalance of Chi energy in your spleen can contribute to nighttime worry and stress that interferes with restful sleep.  In other words, imbalances in spleen energy can throw off both physical, mental and emotional energy and impact our sleep.

This is because the spleen harmonizes every organ in the body, supporting not only immune function and detoxification, but also digestion, metabolism, circulation and our emotional health.

What Does Your Spleen Do?

The spleen, which  sits in the upper left part of your abdomen behind your ribs, regulates and filters our blood, impacting the number of red blood cells that carry energy supplying oxygen throughout the body. The spleen is also part of our lymphatic system and a key player in our immune response, detecting pathogens in the blood and producing white blood cells to fight infections.

As blood filters through the spleen, it’s cleaned, and threatening microbes are engulfed and filtered out. Without the spleen working properly, we can’t maintain red and white blood cells we need for ongoing energy which is why low spleen energy can be linked to fatigue.

TCM considers the spleen is responsible for digesting food and carrying that energy into our cells, along with providing warmth and vitality to the body, providing physical energy for immune function and mental energy for work and creativity.

Prolonged stress, cold weather, too much cold food and mental overwork can exhaust or weaken the spleen’s energy or Chi.

Signs of Weak Spleen Energy

Signs of weak spleen energy can include:

• Poor appetite
• Nausea
• Loose stools or undigested food in stool
• Dull stomach pain or spleen tenderness, usually on the upper left side of the abdomen or pain that has spread from the abdomen to the left shoulder
• Low energy levels, possibly even chronic fatigue
• Bleeding or bruising easily
• Easy sweating without exertion
• Bloating or Gas
• Swelling or Inflammation
• Excessive phlegm
• Craving sweets
• Fatigue or weakness
• Difficulty waking in the morning
• Weak muscles or aches and pains in muscles
• Varicose veins
• Obsessive worry or “obsessing”
• Lack of empathy

What Contributes to Spleen Imbalances?

Overworked Immune System – If the immune system is fighting hard to remove threats from the body, an undue burden can fall on the spleen, making it challenging to keep up with the high demand.

High Toxic Burden –  Several organs in the detoxification system work together to help remove toxins.  The spleen works as part of the body’s natural “drainage network,” producing protective white blood cells and carrying waste and bacteria away from the body. If key detoxification organs, like the liver or gall bladder,  are overburdened, the burden can fall on the spleen causing it to become overworked.

Poor lifestyle habits –  Prolonged use of drugs, like antibiotics, a poor diet, diet low in protein or high in cold raw food can damage spleen energy as can cold, damp climates.

Stress – Over-thinking and chronic worrying can deplete spleen energy.  Our spleen helps us process both our food and our thoughts.  The act of having to process many thoughts at the same time can wipe out our energy reserves.

Essential Oils to Support the Spleen

Spleen Support™ – The spleen, located in the left upper abdomen, is a critical organ in supporting physical, mental and emotional energy.  It supports the immune system and the detoxification system and  helps us process emotions and thoughts, the magnitude of which can wipe out our energy reserves. You can support the spleen and boost your energy by applying 2- 3 drops of Spleen Support™ blend over the spleen (left side of the body, under breast) or around the earlobes.

Immune Support™ – An overburdened immune system places an undue burden on the spleen, making it challenging to keep up with the high demand. To help support the immune system so and lessen to burden on the spleen, apply Immune Support™ 2- 3 times daily on the throat (diluted) or the bottom of the feet. To keep the family healthy, rub the oil on the bottom of the feet prior to bed (kids can even be asleep when you apply it).

Lymph™ : The spleen is part of the lymphatic system and can be overburdened when detoxification pathways are blocked. If you support the lymphatic system in its ability to move metabolic waste, toxins and infections out of the cells via the lymphatic fluid, it lessens the burden on the spleen.  Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system does not have a central pump—it only moves as the muscles squeeze it along. So the lack of movement makes the lymphatic system stagnant, with waste accumulating and excessive toxins building up.  Lymph™ blend helps keep lymph flowing to move toxins out of the body. Liberally apply 2 to 3 drops of Lymph™ to both sides of the neck, the lymph nodes under the arms, and around inguinal ligament (bikini line area—think where your leg creases when you lift it) to ensure optimal drainage and health.

Spleen Qi™:  Can help support the Vitality of your Spleen and improve sleep quality. Apply 2- 3 drops of Spleen Qi™ over the spleen (left side of the body, under breast) or over the Spleen 6 point (inside of leg just above the highest peak of your ankle (four finger widths up from, apply deep pressure slightly behind the tibia bone).

Featured Oils:

Ready to get started? Click the links below to order today:

• Immune Support™ available here
• Lymph™ available here
• Spleen Qi™ available here
• Spleen Support™ available here
• Dr. Xu’s Serenia Stress Relief Suppplement available here