If You're Often Irritable and Your Eyes Feel Constantly Dry (Liver Heat)

The concept of 'Liver Heat' in Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) and the perspective of modern medicine share a surprisingly large number of commonalities in their manifestations. Especially for modern individuals who experience a lot of stress and irregular eating habits these days, Liver Heat can easily manifest as various symptoms like fatty liver or eye strain. First, let's connect 'sudden bursts of anger and impulsive emotions' with Liver Heat. Modern medicine views chronic stress as excessively activating our body's sympathetic nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, cortisol, the stress hormone, increases, which can induce a systemic inflammatory response. Since the liver is also involved in stress hormone metabolism, an increased burden on it makes proper function difficult. Furthermore, chronic stress and inflammation also affect gut health, disrupting the balance of the gut-liver axis. This can, in turn, trigger a vicious cycle that intensifies liver inflammation and its burden. These processes can be meaningfully understood through modern science as an interpretation of 'Liver Qi Stagnation' and 'Liver Heat' as described in Korean Traditional Medicine. The pathway leading to 'Fatty Liver' is similar. In Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine), Liver Heat is believed to disrupt the circulation of blood and Jinye (body fluid) through stagnation of Liver Qi, which can then accumulate and develop into fatty liver. Modern medicine classifies Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a 'lifestyle disease'. Excessive carbohydrate intake, processed foods, lack of exercise, and similar factors raise insulin resistance and cause fat to accumulate in the liver. Insulin resistance and the resulting chronic inflammation increase the stress on hepatocytes and promote fat accumulation. If chronic stress is added to this, hormones such as cortisol can further promote fat synthesis, worsening fatty liver. In essence, the liver's 'overload' state, which induces Liver Heat, is deeply connected to the mechanism of occurrence of fatty liver explained by modern medicine. Finally, let's discuss 'Eye strain' and 'Stiffness'. Modern eyes are excessively exposed to smartphone and computer screens. This leads to tear film instability, a decrease in blink frequency, and makes 'Dry Eye Syndrome' prone to developing. Furthermore, chronic stress and systemic inflammation worsen superficial inflammation of the eyes and interfere with blood circulation around the eyes, thereby aggravating eye strain. Additionally, if nutrient metabolism and detoxification function, which are closely linked to liver function, decline, the utilization of nutrients like Vitamin A and Omega-3, essential for eye health, will inevitably decrease. If the liver cannot properly perform detoxification function, toxins accumulate, leading to fatigue throughout the body, which can increase the degree of fatigue and sensitivity of the ocular muscles, making the eyes even drier and blurrier. In conclusion, the Liver Heat concept from Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) demonstrates remarkable insight by organically explaining various symptoms such as chronic stress, inflammation, metabolic disorders, and the resulting fatty liver and dry eye syndrome from a modern medical perspective. Since all parts of our body are interconnected, liver health management can truly be considered the core of overall body health.