Are Your Emotions Making You Ill?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practised for thousands of years. It is based on the concept of a vital life force called Qi. Made up of opposite and complementary forces called yin and yang, it is believed that imbalances in Qi lead to disease and illness.

TCM seeks to restore balance and bring harmony to the body by administering treatments such as Chinese herbs and acupuncture and moxibustion, cupping, massage, and movement (like tai chi).

In TCM, the causes of illness can be grouped into four categories:

1. Seven endogenous (internal) emotional factors

2. Six exogenous (external) pathogenic factors

3. Non-regulation of diet

4. An imbalance between rest and work

Let’s discuss the endogenous emotional factors and whether your emotions can really make you ill…

In TCM, internal injury is said to be caused by an excess of seven emotions - joy, anger, anxiety, contemplation, grief, fear, and fright. These seven mental activities each correspond to an organ and its physiological function.

TCM recognises that as humans we are unique, and that our reactions to emotions are different. However, it’s understood that prolonged exposure to emotions (such as anxiety) or sudden emotional traumas (such as fear and fright) can lead to changes in the body.

These changes manifest as imbalances, disharmonies, and dysfunctions of the organs, which can be the origins of diseases or the mechanism by which the pathology develops (known as pathomechanism). Clinically, the pathological changes of internal organs caused by the seven emotional factors are predominantly seen in what is known as the zang organs - the liver, heart, kidney, lungs, and spleen.

Physical and emotional processes are closely related - just think about how anxiety or fright will elevate your heart rate and render your breathing short and quick, while your stomach contracts and digestion slows.

Disruption of Qi

TCM’s explanation for this notion is that these abnormal mental activities influence the circulation of Qi. Anger causes the Qi to ascend, joy makes Qi sluggish, sorrow makes Qi consumed, fear induces the Qi to dissipate, fright results in disorder of the Qi, and anxiety brings about the depression of Qi, which leads to changes in breathing rhythm.

This is not to say that emotions are pathological in themselves - they’re a vital component in our sense of self and indispensable for communication with our environment. They certainly don’t always lead to disease. But a strong and constant emotion, whether joy or grief, can certainly make you ill.

So how do we prevent our strong emotions from making us ill? TCM proposes that bringing the seven emotions into harmony is the best way to protect the corresponding organs. This harmony is achieved between the internal body organs and the external elements of earth, fire, water, wood, and metal with the help of a skilled TCM practitioner. They will first seek to cure the underlying cause of emotional maladjustment of the patient, the body second, and the disease last.

Visit chinaherb.co.za to find out more about Chinese herbal medicine and how it may benefit you.