In a Western society such as the United States, the idea of modern living now means a life filled with long and stressful work, financial worries, long hours of commuting, and strained relationships instead of a promised utopian world where prosperity was experienced by all and people had more time for leisure than work. Stress is the result of this dystopian reality we are living today and it is experienced everywhere. Perhaps, during the heydays of Chinese civilization, the ancient Chinese also had their fair share of problems. They probably were also affected by sickness, marital problems, work issues, money worries, and food shortages. There is no escaping stress.

Apart from causing worry, uncertainty, and anxiety, stress may also generate other problems. Some people experience severe stress that can lead to problems such as gynecological conditions, headaches, digestive conditions, appetite loss, and sleeplessness. Stress in family relationships can result in arguments among family members. This may give the person an excuse to indulge in self-destructive behavior such as drug use, excessive smoking, over drinking, irritability, or easy anger towards others. Stress may cause the person to blame himself for arising problems resulting in depression.

What Ancient Chinese Doctors Think of Stress

The ancient Chinese doctors associate emotions to certain types of illnesses. What stress does is to cause the person to over-express his emotions which always harms the body

The emotions of fear, anger, pensiveness, sadness, and joy are the most important emotions of man. When the emotions are expressed moderately, it can be a healthy thing for the individual. It is only natural to be sad when a loved one dies and we get angry when we lose our job. The person can utilize this anger to positively assess his life and cause him to move forward once more. However, when an emotion is expressed in an intense way, it can impact the health of a person. For example, a person who has been continually sad for a number of years can prevent him from moving on. Extreme anger that has been ongoing for years can become misdirected towards others or may result in the person blaming himself that may cause him to loathe himself or become depressed.

Traditional Chinese medicine has observed that each organ is associated with a certain emotion. The spleen, for example, relates to worry or pensiveness, the liver to anger, the kidney to fear, the lung to grief or sadness, and the heart to joy. Extreme emotions can over stimulate an organ system which may result in weakness that affects the organ systems.

When the emotions are over stimulated by stress, it can result in sadness (Lung), fear (kidney), or depression (Spleen and Liver) which lead to worry (Spleen), irritation and anger. Irritation and anger (corresponding to the Liver) as well as sadness (Lung), fear (Kidney), depression (Spleen and Liver), worry (Spleen), irritation and anger (Liver) are the emotions most commonly associated with stress. The organ system most vulnerable to stress is the Liver.

The Liver and Stress

Stress always over activates the Liver. The Liver is a very important organ system in TCM and it has the ability to affect each and every part of the body. People who are highly stressed more often not have digestive systems that are overworked (the spleen and the stomach) resulting in conditions such as IBS, constipation, diarrhea, or gas. Stress can overwork the lungs resulting in autoimmune diseases such as asthma. Gynecological disorders such as female infertility, irregular or painful periods can occur from a stress-wracked liver and kidney. Stress can cause insomnia and sleeplessness as well as bad dreams when it affects the heart that regulates sleep. Stress also causes the liver to divert energy upwards causing migraine and tension headaches.

People who are severely stressed consume alcohol as a way to sedate and calm the liver; the problem is that alcohol when taken in the long term will stimulate it making the condition worse and causing alcohol addiction in the end.

The good news is that there are other safer ways to calm an overactive Liver and deal with stress in a much effective and healthier way.

Acupuncture for Stress Relief in Miami

One of these ways is to consult and get treated by an acupuncturist. By activating specific acupoints in your body with needles, your organ systems can regain their normal balance. Acupuncture likewise brings the body to a relaxed state giving you the chance to the deal with stress in a much more constructive manner. By going for regular acupuncture treatments a person can experience emotional stability and will find it much easier to manage the stressors in his life.

Meditation

Another way to neutralize stress and calm yourself down is to practice meditation. The heart benefit most from meditation as it is strengthened especially if you focus your meditation on your heart chakra.

Leafy Green Vegetables

Another very effective way to calm down is by consuming a lot of leafy green vegetables including kale, spinach, or cabbage. Green is the color that helps calm the liver since it is associated with this organ system. You may also notice that plants in your home can have a calming effect on your mind. Also walking in the park where flowers and plants abound can also help calm the liver and mind as well.

The eyes also have a connection to the Liver. The eyes are often overused by modern living and this tends to overwork the Liver. Long time uses of the computer, smart phones use or too much TV are some of the ways to over stimulate the liver. When we meditate, we close our eyes and turn our vision inwards relaxing the liver and thus relieving stress.

These helpful tips may seem small ways to overcome stress but usually small steps are all that is needed to gain long-lasting significant improvements. Stress is part of life and humans will always be encountering stress at different points in their lives. It is best to deal with them in a healthier and constructive way.

The Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a very effective way to treat and manage several conditions. They include:

Stress relief – insomnia and other sleep problems
Gynecological disorders – irregular periods, painful periods, PCOS, infertility
Digestive conditions – ulcers, colitis, Crohn’s disease
Muscular pain – arthritic conditions, knee pain, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, frozen shoulder syndrome