Diseases related to 'life energy' in humans

Question

As part of my magic system, the 'life force' is mostly a common 'supernatural' energy produced by most lifeforms (and some minerals can stock/deflect it). This energy allows humans and other human-like beings to control/create magic/summons and increase their stats to superhuman levels, however not all people can withstand the energy consumption of enhancement due of their low 'life energy' levels, causing a multi organ dysfunction syndrome and potential death since they can't regenerate the amount of energy faster enough to continue their normal metabolic processes. This life force mostly flows in the blood like oxygen.

Some people born with higher prana pools and regeneration, and there are a few special persons in the world that have a potential unlimited prana growth, almost predestinated to overcome gods (that's why they're hunted as demons).

But the main topic is not about their powers, but how can I create some common diseases caused by prana problems, like low flow in a limb, or even parasytes, how can I make this life energy affect the biological aspects of human physiology?

One of my ideas is a prana rupture, when an attack hits in a way it cuts the flow and the body starts to lose energy towards the enviroment, but people with higher prana flow would suffer its effects in a higher way.

Answer 1

Maybe the prana production could suddenly increase while the prana pool stays the same. This could lead to a cancer like disease. Since prana is basically energy (if i got it right), this energy has to somewhere else if the pool is full and therefore leak through the tissue. In extreme cases, this could cause inner burns.

Answer 2

I would highly recommend doing some research into Traditional Chinese Medicine. I'm not an expert in that field, but from what I've seen, they treat energy exactly the way you want to treat it, so there would be a massive volume of content to draw upon. I will not do it justice here, but you're literally talking about thousands of years worth of content.

One of the common issues that is resolved in TCM is "stagnant" energy. They strive to create balanced flows of energy throughout the body. As one potential implementation of this disease effect, you could combine Daniel Hofer's answer with the idea of this stagnant energy. Flowing energy may do what you want, but stagnant energy might veer "off path," no longer doing exactly what you want. In such cases, burns may result. The more energy you are using, the more energy could become stagnant, so the more damage you could be forced to deal with.

Answer 3

Consider designing your prana diseases in analogy to hormonal disorders.

Hormones govern various processes and developmental paths. Excess or deficiency of hormones can derange or stunt or augment developmental paths that they regulate. For example excess growth hormone causes acromegaly, a syndrome with a disproportionate gigantism among other features. Excess testosterone causes excessive muscle growth and masculinization, even in girls. High levels of thyroid hormone cause weight loss and insomnia. Low thyroid makes people troll-like, cold, puffy and if bad enough, even insane.

If prana diseases make you puke, or get cancer, or feel tired, that is kind of boring. We have plenty of diseases that do that already. Have your prana disorders manifest as derangement of the magical phenotypes that prana governs: too much, or too little, or in the wrong place, or out of control, or inappropriate for that individual (like too much testosterone in a little girl).