Snapping over Small Things? Check Liver Health First as the Cause of Hwa-Byung

Modern science is clarifying this wisdom of the Donguibogam through more concrete biochemical and neurological mechanisms. Chronic stress excessively activates our body's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. When this axis continues to operate, the stress hormone cortisol is secreted excessively, triggering inflammatory responses throughout the body and hyper-sensitizing the brain's amygdala, causing one to easily perceive threats and react aggressively to small stimuli. Ultimately, the function of the frontal lobe, which plays an important role in emotional regulation, declines, and an imbalance across the brain's neural circuit network is brought about. The role of the liver cannot be overlooked either. In modern medicine, the liver is called our body's vital chemical plant and detoxification organ. It plays an important role in processing toxic substances and metabolic waste generated during stress situations. When liver function declines, these wastes cannot be removed effectively, and traveling through the bloodstream to reach the brain, they may exert negative effects on nerve cells. In addition, the liver plays a key role in blood glucose regulation and energy metabolism. When blood glucose becomes unstable, the energy supplied to the brain also becomes uneven, which, along with feelings of fatigue, can worsen emotional swings and increase irritability. The connection with gut health is also important. The liver influences the gut microbiota environment through bile production, and the gut is also where about 90% of neurotransmitters like serotonin are produced. Hepatic dysfunction brings about an imbalance in the gut environment, and this in turn leads to disturbances in neurotransmitter production and absorption, resulting in a complex interaction that can lead to mental health issues such as depressive feelings, anxiety, and irritability. Ultimately, liver governs anger as stated in the Donguibogam can be called an insightful concept that explains, in modern medical terms, a phenomenon where physical and mental reactions to stress are intricately intertwined.