In Donguibogam, symptoms of shortness of breath and wheezing were referred to as ‘dyspnea (cheon)’. Rather than simple breathlessness, it signified a state of labored breathing, as if drawing water up with great effort from the very bottom of a deep well. Donguibogam explains this dyspnea with the expression ‘lung excess’. Here, ‘excess’ means ‘qi is tightly blocked and cannot function properly’. Just as an air purifier filter becomes choked when filled with dust, it refers to a state where qi in our lung is overly congested, preventing air from flowing smoothly in and out. It states that when lung qi is tightly blocked, breathing becomes urgent, the nostrils flare, and wheezing sounds even emerge. It is quite an accurate description, is it not?
Donguibogam singled out ‘phlegm’ as one of the primary culprits triggering this lung congestion. Phlegm refers to sticky, turbid waste produced within our body; like residue accumulating in a rusted pipe, it clings to the lung and bronchus, obstructing airflow. This phlegm mainly develops because the spleen and stomach, our digestive organs, become weak. When unnecessary moisture accumulates in the body and fails to drain properly, it turns into turbid phlegm, much like the humid air after rainfall. When this phlegm rises to the lung and obstructs qi, a vicious cycle ensues where breathing becomes even more difficult.
Furthermore, while the lung governs the body’s ‘qi’ and handles inhaling air, the ‘kidney’ was seen as responsible for pulling it down deep into the lower abdomen and storing it. Therefore, when asthma becomes prolonged and chronic, it was viewed that not only does the lung suffer, but kidney qi also weakens, leading to a lack of fundamental strength to breathe deeply in and out. Donguibogam thus viewed the lung, spleen and stomach, and kidney as organically interconnected in taking charge of breathing health. It stands out for its wisdom in seeking to address the root cause by balancing the entire body, rather than merely stopping a cough, does it not?
