Feeling Like 'Everything Is a Bother'—Could It Be Chronic Muscle Pain Throughout Your Body?

Modern medicine can explain the Donguibogam concept of 'consumptive disease' through chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or various aspects of chronic generalized myalgia. Far from being merely 'lazy', these are painful symptoms that manifest when our body's complex systems lose their balance.

The first factor to consider is an imbalance in the neuroendocrine-immune axis. Chronic stress excessively activates the brain's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, disrupting the secretion of stress hormones such as cortisol. This triggers a systemic inflammatory response, lowers the function of the immune system, and disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters. As a result, sensitivity to pain rises, fatigue deepens, and muscle pain appears extensively.

Mitochondrial dysfunction, which impairs intracellular energy production, is also noteworthy. Just as an engine's fuel efficiency drops sharply, severe fatigue and muscle weakness can occur when our cells cannot produce enough energy. Mitochondrial dysfunction also promotes an increase in reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and inflammation, leading to an overall decline in physical condition.

The Donguibogam concept of the 'spleen and stomach' is also closely linked to gut health and nutrient absorption capacity in modern medicine. Countless microorganisms live inside our intestines, and when their balance is disturbed, it adversely affects brain function and immune response via the gut-brain axis. If digestive function weakens, the body cannot absorb enough nutrients from food, leading to deficiencies in vitamin B complex, magnesium, vitamin D, and iron—vital elements for energy production—which directly causes issues in muscle function and energy metabolism. Ultimately, chronic fatigue and muscle pain can be seen not merely as problems of the muscles, but as integrated signals sent by the complex systems of our body.