National Heart Awareness Month: The Emotional Heart in Chinese Medicine

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National Heart Awareness Month: The Emotional Heart in Chinese

Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the oldest, continually

practiced, and professionally administered health care system in the

world. It is a documented medical system spanning over 2,500 years

based on comprehensive philosophies, rational theories, clinically

tested and empirically verified by over 100 generations of highly

educated practitioners. Chinese Medicine is a total system of

internal medicine which is comprised of a diagnostic procedure based

on signs, symptoms and treatment styles including acupuncture, herbal

medicine, exercise, diet and meditation. It's foundation is based on

the principles of balance; the interdependent relationship of Yin and

Yang. Through this balance, health is achieved and maintained.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart is the Emperor of the

human body. The heart corresponds to the emotion of joy. Regular

expressions of joy and creativity are important for a healthy and

functioning heart.

The Heart is looked at as the dominant organ for mental activity. It

is believed that all information is preserved and processed through

the heart.

Loving or unloving emotions are centered in the heart. When a person

has a heart attack the pain often extends along the arms. This

indicates that both on a physical and emotional level the heart, arms

and hands are linked. The contact point for the heart is the palms of

the hands. The Heart Channel runs along the inside of the arms.

When the emotions become imbalanced, the Spirit can become agitated;

once the Spirit becomes agitated, the whole heart system goes out of

balance.

As poetic as this is, true physical signs of agitation, insomnia,

anxiety and the inability to feel joy, can occur. Chest pain, heart

palpitations, an irregular heart beat, excessive dreaming, poor long-

term memory, as well as, psychological disorders are complications of

a heart imbalance.

The heart is said to house the Spirit, otherwise considered The Shen,

in TCM. The Shen refers to the function of processing all incoming

sensory and intuitive information and supervising the body/mind

reaction to it; associated with the heart.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are effective therapies for heart

health. Acupuncture treatments work with herbs to stimulate the

immune response, clear excess heat and rebalance the body's energy. A

heart healthy diet is suggested, as well as, balancing unsettled

emotions, which TCM sees as a source of illness.

Herbal formulations are given internally to treat palpitations, an

irregular heart beat, excessive dreaming and poor long-term memory.

Emotional Aspect

There is an emotional aspect to every illness. Often times, it is the

emotional thoughts or " excess emotions " that will lead to illness.

The romantic view of the human heart invokes love transending all

obstacles and unconditional love that truly expands the boundaries of

the human heart. When romantic philosophy speaks of the heart, it

speaks of things that lie at the very center of what it means to be

human.

Open Your Heart!

- The ability to balance your emotional, mental, physical and

spiritual self is up to you.

-Harvest Unconditional Love... love that does not judge, but

embraces.

-Positive mmotions and attitudes reduce stress and promote a healthy

heart.

-Be Humble: be loving and compassionate to all mankind.

Do things in a casual way. Speak softly. Avoid anger. Indulge in

whole-hearted laughter.

Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac

http://www.peacefulmind.com/heart_health.htm

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spiritSent from Midlothian, VA, United States