Heart disease, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke, is one of the leading causes of illness and death in North America and is a major focus in Western Medicine.
Eastern Medicine also places great emphasis on the Heart system and in fact describes it as being like the Emperor of the body – all of the other organ systems are there to work for and support the health of the Heart, as without healthy blood and energy circulation disease soon follows.
The Heart is vitally important in Traditional Oriental Medicine, not only for proper circulation but also for mental and emotional well-being. The Spirit, or Shen as it’s known in Chinese, is regarded as literally residing inside the physical heart.
Many everyday expressions in the English language also demonstrate this close connection between the Heart and Spirit:
- to express heart-felt appreciation for something
- to have a heart-to-heart talk with a friend
- to have your heart set on something
- to love someone with all of your heart
- to die of a broken heart
All of these expressions convey a deep sense of meaning that reaches into the inner core of a person.
The Heart system is also often traditionally described as being like Fire – just like the Sun provides warmth and energy for life here on Earth, the Heart also gives warmth and energy to the body to support life.
However, Fire can sometimes get out of control and when it does, things tend to overheat. The same thing can also happen in the body. When the Heart system becomes diseased and out of balance, it can “overheat” – resulting in physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
This Heat can also affect the mental aspect of the Heart and cause a disturbance of the Shen, or Spirit. In mild cases, this may cause problems including insomnia or vivid dreams that disturb the sleep. In more severe cases, it may manifest as mental illness, such as schizophrenia or the manic phase associated with bipolar disorder.
With such a wide range and important effect on the overall mental and physical health of a person, the Heart system truly is the Emperor of the body, and we should do everything we can to ensure its good health.
Some conditions often related to the Heart
- angina
- heart attack
- hypertension
- tachycardia
- arrhythmia
- palpitations
- anxiety
- insomnia
- agitation
- mental illness
Tips for keeping the Heart healthy
- Calm your mind – various contemplative practices, including deep breathing exercises and meditation, can help to calm the Spirit. Modern society tends to bombard us with information and sensory overload from the outside, while on the inside, our own minds race with incessant chatter that never seems to stop. Taking just a few minutes every day to allow the mind to quietly settle down can have a positive effect on your overall health.
- Work on your upper back – the back, especially the area starting at the top of the shoulders and extending down between the shoulder blades, is an extremely important region of the body in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are vital acupuncture points here that connect directly with the Heart and affect the blood and energy circulation to the rest of the body. People suffering from heart problems almost always have rigid and inflexible upper backs and should work on relaxing and improving their flexibility.
