The Lungs

The lungs are in your chest and are connected to your throat and nose. They are a "yin" organ and work together with the large intestine, which is a "yang" organ. The lungs help manage the energy from the air you breathe. If they don't work right, you might cough, have asthma, or find it hard to breathe.

After food gets digested by your stomach and spleen, it mixes with the clean energy from your lungs. This mix becomes key energy that goes all over your body. If the lungs don't send out this energy right, you might feel tired, weak, or have trouble catching your breath. You might even sweat too much. All these signs point to your lungs not having enough energy.

Your lungs need to stretch so air can easily go through your nose and mouth. If they don't, you might feel like your chest is tight, or you might cough or have asthma. The lungs also need to push energy down. If they don't, you might have a cough, asthma, or not enough pee, or you could swell up with extra fluid.

The lungs help manage your body's fluids. They work with other organs like your kidneys to help get rid of waste. If something bad messes with your lungs, you might not pee enough and start to swell up. That's why some people say the lungs are the "upper source of water."

Your lungs help with your voice too. When your lungs are full of energy, your voice is strong. If they don't have enough energy, your voice will be weak. Things like cold and wind can mess with your lungs and make your voice raspy or even make you lose your voice.

The lungs use the nose as a way for air to come and go. If your lungs are healthy, you'll breathe easily through your nose and your sense of smell will be normal. If they're not working well, you might get a stuffy nose, or your nose might run, or your sense of smell might not be good. Sometimes, you might find it really hard to breathe.

Your lungs also take care of your skin and hair by sending them energy and fluids. If your lungs are working well, your skin and hair will feel soft and moist. If not, they might get dry and rough.