The spleen is the largest organ in the lymphatic system, and it keeps your body fluids balanced. It is possible to live without a spleen, and when the spleen is injured, doctors will remove it.
The spleen is situated under the ribcage and near the stomach. It sits in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. The spleen is soft and pliable and looks purple.According to Jordan Knowlton, an advanced registered nurse practitioner at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital and science research, the spleen is a blood filter and an infection fighter.
Blood flows through the spleen, and red blood cells pass through a narrow pathway within the spleen. Healthy blood cells pass easily, but old or damaged red blood cells are broken down by white blood cells. Useful components, like iron, are reserved from old blood cells and repurposed to be used in new red blood cells.
The spleen also contains white pulp tissue that is rich in lymphocytes that fight infection. The spleen is important to the circulatory system, the lymph system, and the immune system. It acts somewhat like the liver and somewhat like a lymph node. The spleen recognizes infection and creates immune cells to fight that fight infection.
Functions of the Spleen
- The spleen is an emergency blood reservoir and stores platelet cells to help with clotting when there are injuries to your body.
- During gestation, the fetus partially relies on the spleen to help produce red blood cells.
- In traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, it is taught that the spleen influences one’s temperament and willpower.
- The ancient Greeks taught that the spleen was connected to melancholy or clinical depression.
It is important to keep the spleen healthy for the proper circulation of blood and keeping your temperament under control. The spleen also impacts the muscles as it transports blood and energy to the limbs and flesh. The spleen uplifts the Chi, or vital lifeforce, and keeps organs in place.
An Unbalanced Spleen
When the spleen is unbalanced, you may experience cold hands and feet, weakness, and fatigue. As the movement of fluids becomes lethargic, you can experience swelling, fibroid tumors, constipation, and a feeling of heaviness.
Balancing the spleen using acupressure in foot zoning can keep blood flowing properly and infections out of the body.
Acupressure signals for the spleen can be found in the foot zone. Triggering the appropriate points in the foot will encourage the spleen to activate the body’s immune system, circulatory system, and lymph system.
Contact a qualified foot zone practitioner at Wellness Life Zone. Your practitioner will know the exact acupressure point for the spleen to correct fatigue and activate the healing potential of the pressure point.
Contact us for more information about foot zone therapy, how it differs from reflexology, and what to expect from a foot zone session.
Are you interested in becoming a certified foot zone practitioner? In that case, Wellness Life Zone has several foot zone certification schools and instructors that will help you learn the healing powers of foot zoning.
