In Chinese medicine, every organ corresponds to the energy of a certain emotion, and every disease stems from an imbalance in an organ.
Many times, a physical disorder will be linked to an organ imbalance causing a mental/emotional problem. An imbalanced organ can intensify the specific emotion, and it can become a vicious cycle.
When I was working in the hospital in Harbin, China, I asked the head doctor in charge how mental disorders were handled, and he said it was all organ related.
The fire elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood play a significant role in our mental and physical health. If a patient is anxious and their mind is racing, they can experience problems sleeping, itching and constant restlessness. The organs involved here are the heart and the small intestine associated with the fire element. When the heart suffers, we can feel stuck – mentally. I often suggest to my patients to eat bitter and red foods like beets, tomatoes, cherries, bitter melons, arugula, dandelion and start drinking green tea. These foods help support heart health.
Worry is the emotion of the spleen and stomach and is associated with the earth element. Worrying and insecurity can weaken our digestion. Lack of trust can cause problems with our digestion too. This will cause feelings of tiredness, lethargy, and an inability to concentrate. A week spleen can also be the cause of weight gain. A treatment may include sweet flavored foods and yellow, orange, colored foods: things like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, parsnips, squash, chestnuts and ginger root. Root veggies also help keep us rooted.
Grief is the emotion of the lungs and the large intestine: organs associated with the metal element. Loss of any kind will often cause a feeling of being drained. When grief is unresolved, depression can come into play. Our inability to ‘let go’ of things can arise causing a lung Qi deficiency. To balance the metal element: the lungs and large intestine, foods that are pungent and white colored foods work well: onions, radishes, mustard greens, daikon radishes, scallions white rice, white beans, white mushrooms and tangerine peels.
Fear is the emotion of the kidneys and the bladder: organs associated with the water element. Kidney issues arise when we are dealing with fear, such as a sudden change and the fear of the unknown. When we experience extreme fright, our kidneys struggle to hold on to the Qi and fright can cause us to piss and run. Salty flavored foods and black colored foods such as black beans, walnuts, black sesame, mushrooms, water chestnuts, seaweed, blackberries and lotus seeds will help.
Anger is the emotion of the liver and the gallbladder: organs associated with the wood element. Emotions like rage, fury or aggravation can indicate that this energy is in excess. If these emotions go on for any time, the liver can be damaged causing headaches and dizziness and even gallbladder problems. Longstanding anger, resentment, frustration and irritability can lead to these health issues. Sour foods and green colored foods are best for the liver: dandelion greens, peas, sprouts, bok choy, string beans, cabbage, zucchini, mung beans and avocado work well. Any green leafy foods are good here.
Stay healthy over the holidays and work on balancing your emotions with your diet. It’s far better than medicine.
If you need some help balancing your emotions, give me a call at 305-407-0120 to schedule an appointment. We’ll get you back in balance: mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
