The Chinese Meridian System and Our Emotions
By Liz
Barrington, Natural Body Healing
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems
of traditional medicine in the world today and is a holistic
system that has been developed and practised for over 2,500
years.
TCM is
valuable because it enables you to select the right treatment
for any person or situation and it views the body as a whole and
uses observations on the outside to understand what is going on
in the inside. Unlike most conventional medicine, TCM also
recognises the relationship between humans and their
environment.
The
ancient Chinese discovered a ‘subtle’ free-flowing energy in the
body known as Qi or Chi that sustains all life. Even today,
quantum physics confirms that everything is made of
energy. Qi in fact connects our body with our consciousness
(spirit), and so when it’s in balance, so too is our body and
mind.
Qi runs
along energy channels called ‘meridians’ which connect all the
organs and systems in the body. There are 14 meridian pathways
which run along the body in a single continuous one-way
direction of unbroken energy flow. Each meridian has a
‘beginning’ and ‘end’ point and runs on both sides of the body
(except for the ‘central’ and ‘governing’ meridians which only
run down the middle of the body).
Qi needs
to be balanced, flow freely and not become stagnated or
obstructed. Unfortunately, stress and anxiety can overload the
body’s circuit to create energy blockages, so if the natural
flow is impeded in any way - disease can develop. Our meridians
have to be therefore reset and re-balanced before energy can
flow harmoniously again.
Our vital
energy can be balanced through our diet, herbs, kinesiology,
acupuncture, acupressure, massage, spinal manipulation, physical
activities such as Qigong, tai chi, and yoga, and also balancing
one’s environment both internally and externally.
TCM is
also based upon two opposing forces ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ which are
two different types of Qi, which attract each other. Yin
represents internal, cold, deficient and chronic factors whilst
Yang represents external, heat, excess and acute conditions.
Nothing is neutral, either the yin or yang force will always
dominate depending upon the individual.
TCM also
adopts the principles of the five elements or phases. These
include:
· FIRE
– this relates to the heart
and small intestine
meridians and concerns heat and blood circulation.
· EARTH
– this relates to the spleen
and stomach meridians and
concerns digestion, transportation and transformation of food.
· METAL
– this relates to the lung
and large intestine
meridians and concerns the control of vital energy and the
receiving and discharging of the body’s waste.
· WATER
– this relates to the kidney
and the bladder meridians
and so regulates water metabolism, stores ‘jing’ (our ‘essence’
- especially our kidney essence), and helps to regulate our
brain function and marrow and bones.
· WOOD
– this relates to the liver
and gallbladder meridians
which are responsible for building and storing blood, and also
regulating the flow of Qi.
Our
Emotional Well-Being
In TCM,
emotions and physical health are intimately connected.
Sadness, nervous tension and anger, worry, fear, and overwork
are each associated with a particular organ in the body. For
example, irritability and inappropriate anger can affect the
liver and result in menstrual pain, migraines, headaches,
redness of the face and eyes, dizziness and dry mouth.
Organ
systems in the traditional Far-Eastern sense are part of our
holistic body system and are each inter-related. Once one or
indeed several organ meridian systems are identified as ‘over’
or ‘under’ activated, the necessary adjustments can be made to
restore balance and harmony across the entire body.
By
understanding these connections and how each are greatly
affected by our emotions, we can see how an eye disorder such as
conjunctivitis might be due to an imbalance in the liver, or
excess menstrual flow may be due to dysfunction in the liver's
blood-storing ability. Besides emotions, other factors such as
dietary, environmental, lifestyle, and hereditary factors also
contribute to the development of imbalances.
The
emotions associated with each main organ system include:
Spleen
(Earth element)
· Emotions
- worry, dwelling or focusing too much on a particular topic,
excessive mental work
· Spleen
Function
- Food digestion and nutrient absorption. Helps in the formation
of blood and energy. Keeps blood in the blood vessels. Connected
with muscles, mouth, and lips. Involved in thinking, studying,
and memory.
· Symptoms
of Spleen Imbalance
- Tired, loss of appetite, mucus discharge, poor digestion,
abdominal distension, loose stools or diarrhoea. Weak muscles,
pale lips. Bruising, excess menstrual blood flow and other
bleeding disorders.
Lung
(Metal element)
·
Emotions -
grief, sadness, detached.
· Lung
Function
- Respiration. Forms energy from air, and helps to distribute it
throughout the body. Works with the kidney to regulate water
metabolism. Important in the immune system and resistance to
viruses and bacteria. Regulates sweat glands and body hair, and
provides moisture to the skin.
· Symptoms
of Lung Imbalance
- Shortness of breath and shallow breathing, sweating, fatigue,
cough, frequent cold and flu, allergies, asthma, and other lung
conditions. Dry skin. Depression and crying.
Liver
(Wood element)
· Emotions
- anger, resentment, frustration, irritability, bitterness,
rage, quick temper.
· Liver
Function
- Involved in the smooth flow of energy and blood throughout the
body. Regulates bile secretion, stores blood, and is connected
with the tendons, nails, and eyes.
· Symptoms
of Liver Imbalance
- breast distension, menstrual pain, headache, irritability,
inappropriate anger, dizziness, dry, red eyes and other eye
conditions, tendonitis.
Heart
(Fire element)
· Emotions
- lack of enthusiasm and vitality, mental restlessness,
depression, insomnia, despair.
· Heart
Function
- Regulates the heart and blood vessels. Responsible for even
and regular pulse. Influences vitality and spirit. Connected
with the tongue, complexion, and arteries.
· Symptoms
of Heart Imbalance
- Insomnia, heart palpitations and irregular heart beat,
excessive dreaming, poor long-term memory, psychological
disorders.
Kidney
(Water element)
· Emotions
- fearful, weak willpower, insecure, aloof, isolated.
· Kidney
Function
- Key organ for sustaining life. Responsible for reproduction,
growth and development, and maturation. Involved with lungs in
water metabolism and respiration. Connected with bones, teeth,
ears, and head hair.
· Symptoms
of Kidney Imbalance
- Frequent urination, urinary incontinence, night sweats, dry
mouth, poor short-term memory, low back pain, body ph
imbalances, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, and other ear
conditions. Premature grey hair, hair loss, and osteoporosis.
Since
everyone is different, a specific treatment to rebalance the
body’s Qi flow may work for one person, but perhaps may not work
for another.
If you’re considering the herbal route,
Nature’s Sunshine offers a wide range of
herbal
formulations that can really help improve both your physical and
emotional symptoms. These include:
Fenugreek
& Fennel Combination (Respiratory) – This key system
product supports healthy lung function and encourages the entire
respiratory tract to gently cleanse and helps soothe irritated
tissues. This formula is available in capsules or in a
convenient liquid version.
Defence Maintenance (Immune)
- This key system product provides a large array of valuable
vitamins, antioxidants and cruciferous vegetables which
synergistically boost the immune system.
Mega-Chel (Circulatory) -
This key system product contains a large array of nutrients to
support the entire circulatory system including the arteries,
veins, capillaries, tissues, and organs. This high potency
vitamin and mineral supplement contains herbs, amino acids and
other nutrients designed to benefit the circulatory system.
Chinese Mineral Chi Tonic (Energy) - is a special blend of
tonic herbs and naturally chelated trace minerals extracted from
the plant vegetation of an ancient seabed. Nine Chinese herbs
help support the systems that build physical, mental and
emotional energy and support all of the body’s energy meridians
and the adrenal glands.
Milk Thistle (Timed Release)
(Digestion) - This valuable time-release formula provides a
consistent supply of silymarin (constitute of Milk Thistle) to
the liver to help protect the liver against toxins, stimulates
protein synthesis and offers beneficial antioxidant protection.
Catnip & Fennel Extract - This
synergistic liquid combination
of 2 time-honoured herbs formula supports both the
digestive and nervous systems, optimising liver health and
reducing stress.
St
John's
Wort (Nervous) - This is an important herb for the nervous
system, used especially when the brain seems depleted or when
the nervous system is out of balance. It helps minimise
the effects of mild depression.
Tei Fu Essential Oil (Nervous) – This oil was developed and
perfected by a Chinese herbalist several decades ago and was
created using an ancient formula that was passed down in his
family for more than 1,000 years. His secret formula was not for
sale, a trait typical of older generation Chinese. This
descendant realised the benefits of his family secret and
decided it was too good to keep from others. Thus Nature’s
Sunshine became the beneficiary of thousands of years of Chinese
wisdom and herbal knowledge.
Tei Fu Massage Lotion provides all the benefits of Tei Fu
Essential Oils but in a creamy lotion form. It’s especially
designed for broad skin application. The skin tingling formula
penetrates deeply to encourage relaxation. It also leaves the
skin smooth and supple.
If you
have any questions about any of Nature Sunshine’s herbal
formulations, then please don’t hesitate to
contact us.
The nutritional supplement product links stated in this article can only be purchased from this website in UK and in Europe; however all other health product links stated on this page are available worldwide from Natural Body Healing.
The above information should not be treated as a substitute for the
medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care
professional.
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