This is the time of year we pull winter boxes marked
"sweaters" out of storage, replace chilled soups with hearty stews
and gather around fireplaces in warm, cozy living spaces with our closest
friends and family.
It feels appropriate that in Chinese medicine, the emotion
that is associated with the Autumn Metal element is grief, for it represents a
time of consolidating and bringing things closer, like a big hug, that were
scattered around during the summer.
There are a total of five emotions in Chinese medicine,
one for each season and element:
- Fall - Metal - Grief
- Winter - Water - Fear
- Spring - Wood - Anger
- Summer - Fire - Overjoy
- Late Summer -Earth - Worry
All are
appropriate for certain circumstances for a certain amount of time.
It is only
natural for someone to grieve when they suffer the loss of a loved one, a pet,
or the end of a relationship or physical ability. So, what makes any of these
healthy emotions pathological or hazardous to our health? It is difficult to
say just when someone should stop grieving, for it's such a personal issue and
different for each individual.
Generally, as acupuncturists we see an emotion
as pathological when it is in too extreme a state for too long a time, and the
body will tell us when this is happening. Signs of imbalance will show up on
the tongue and within the pulse. Acupuncture can be of incredible help to those
suffering from grief or sadness, whether immediately after a loss, when it is a
challenge to carry out daily activities; or months or even years later when one
still feels the pangs of grief and struggles to "move on."
By
strengthening the Lung organ system and balancing the Qi, or energy, in both
the emotional and physical body, the patient will began to feel more grounded,
held and better able to cope with the loss.
Real Patient Experiences:
I think of a young patient who came to see me two years
after being in a plane crash. She survived but the pilot did not. For the first
time in her 19 years, she was having asthma symptoms. It was clear after
talking with her and reading her pulses that her sadness about the pilot's
death was beginning to affect her lung function.
With regular acupuncture
treatment and additional work with a counselor, she is back to playing softball
and running.
There has also been several instances when a patient who had come
in for something unrelated, cried during a treatment. I've experienced this
firsthand. Silent tears filled up my ears as I lay face up on the treatment
table listening to the sound of soft waves crashing and thinking, "what is
happening, why am I crying?," not knowing the cause of the release.
Sometimes grief is lodged deep within and only when we "open the
channels" and get the energy moving, do these emotions dislodge and rise
to the surface on their way out. I remembered feeling lighter and having a
great sense of peace after that treatment, as other patients have also shared
who've experienced this.
It is a belief in Chinese medicine that every physical
condition has an emotional cause.
With most sadness or loss, time is the best
healer. Acupuncture can help make that time feel less overwhelming, more
livable and help keep the body balanced during the transition.
If you are interested in trying acupuncture for grief, sadness, or to overcome an old deep hurt our acupuncturists at Jade Star Acupuncture will be able to help. You can call 520-881-0827 to find out more or to schedule an appointment. Another great benefit is we do take insurance so we can take care of all the billing for you.
