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HOW TO CONTROL DISEASE...

HOW TO CONTROL DISEASE THROUGH YOUR EMOTIONS: AN ORIENTAL MEDICAL APPROACH
by Ahna E. Bridenbaugh, LAc.

I’ve always found it fascinating that Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture connects disease with the human emotions. A healthy person has equal comfort in all the emotions and moves easily from one to the other - not hanging out too long in one emotion. If a person stays in one emotional state for months or years at a time disease can result.

Let’s take a look at the five emotional states as outlined in Oriental Medicine. The natural progression of the emotions is: Joy, reflection, grief, fear, anger, joy…, etc.

Joy is the emotion associated with the Heart: Fear is the antidote for joy.

Healthy Heart Energy: Enthusiastic, alert, awake, sharp, conscience, well oriented, mentally clear, even rhythm in movement, laughing.
Unhealthy Heart Energy: Apathetic, glazed eyes, no passion, dazed, semi-conscience, confused, 1/2 hearted, mania, jerky movements, stuttering, hysteria.

The healthy heart has a hearty laugh. But, if someone were to laugh hysterically for 5 days, this is an unhealthy condition. To “break” joy, use fear, according to Oriental Medicine. So for our hysterical laugher, just get a sword and pretend to cut their head off and I assure you they will stop laughing if genuine fear is induced. In the case of heart failure, the fear of dying sometimes inspires the person to take better care of their health, perhaps through regular exercise, low fat, nutritious foods and giving more love and time to their families.

Reflection is the emotion associated with the Spleen: Anger is the antidote for reflection.

Healthy Spleen Energy: Good concentration, quick learner, neat, focused, discrimination, good taste, organized, meditation, sweet.
Unhealthy Spleen Energy: Can’t concentrate, slow learner, sloppy, unfocused, no discrimination, bad taste, unorganized, worry, bitter

The function of the spleen is digestion - taking food and liquids in, organizing them, keeping the nutrition and discarding the waste. A healthy spleen knows what is good for you and what isn’t good for you. For example, perhaps a person is worried about a divorce and develops a stomach ulcer. In this case, anger is the energy needed to be done with reflection or worry. Then the person can take the action necessary to end the divorce and carry on.

Grief is the emotion associated with the Lung: Joy is the antidote for grief.

Healthy Lung Energy: Optimistic, lots of breath, adapts easily, loves outdoors and travel, adventurous, flamboyant, lets go, okay with changes.
Unhealthy Lung Energy: Pessimistic, shallow breath, can’t adapt, won’t leave home, not adventurous, conservative, won’t let go, hates changes.

The lung is the first breath and the last breath. A healthy lung has a strong pleasant voice. In the case of lung cancer, perhaps the person has been suffering from prolonged grief over the loss of a loved ones. If our grieving person were to watch comedy programs and laugh heartily, they could experience enough joy to start feeling better about life again.

Fear is the emotion associated with the Kidneys: Refection is the antidote for fear.

Healthy Kidney Energy: Will power, gets things finished, intelligent, determined, persevere in spite of obstacles. Unhealthy Kidney Energy: Spineless, quits easily, mental retardation, easily discouraged, unreasonable fears.

The kidneys control the spine and the brain. Healthy kidneys remain clear headed and calm in the middle of a fight or in the face of danger. Perhaps a child is experiencing bed-wetting due to unreasonable fears, such as strangers entering the house at night just to harm him. If the parent were to reason with him that it has never happened before and show him the doors are locked and he is protected, then perhaps he will begin reflecting or thinking more about how safe he truly is.

Anger is the emotion associated with the Liver: Grief is the antidote for anger.

Healthy Liver Energy: Creative, full of vitality, gets things started, sets goals, dynamic, solves problems.
Unhealthy Liver energy: Disempowered, always tired, stressed out, feels blocked or stuck, can’t move forward, frustrated, depressed, irritable.

The liver controls the soul that is present before birth, during life and after death. A healthy liver is an achiever, and has a flexible approach to new ideas. Perhaps a person is very depressed, easily irritated and is starting to become violent. If the person can be sad and cry about their situation, they will not hurt anyone.

I have given just a few examples to show how emotions effect our health. If you have questions about your unique situation, please call for a consultation. In most cases acupuncture and herbs can be of assistance as well.

Yours in health, Ahna

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