Getting to the Heart of the Matter…

The Heart is an amazing organ. Its function is both intricate and fascinating. The heart will beat roughly 100,000 times a day, and will pump approximately 2,000 gallons of blood throughout the body daily. Clearly, our hearts are essential to the physiology of life, but what about the emotional aspect of our hearts?

According to Eastern Medicine, the Heart (Xin) stores the spirit (shen). Through this idea, the heart is consciousness and is responsible for being respectful, helpful, thoughtful, as well as emotional.
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Chinese Tradition says that the “heart opens into the tongue and manifests in the face.” For this reason, the ability to choose and articulate words and to communicate belongs to the Heart Spirit’s relation to the tongue. Expressing kindness and warmth in the face is another heart function. The Chinese have a great respect for the Heart both from a functional as well as emotional perspective.

Essentially it is so important to keep the Qi (energy) in the Heart Meridian balanced and flowing optimally. Being aware of an imbalance in this meridian is key. Because the heart maintains the health of the whole body, problems with the Heart Meridian manifest themselves both physically and emotionally.

The Heart Meridian is located bilaterally on the inside of the arms, along a somewhat straight line, beginning on the inside of the little finger and extending up the hand and inside (medial) part of the arm, ending at the armpit (axilla).

The most common physical symptoms are:

• Chest Pain: palpitations, sweating, fever, pale face and fatigue
• Night Sweats
• Rosacea
• Musculoskeletal injuries along the location of the channel: arthritic shoulder and joint problems, soft tissue injuries and elbow problems

The most common emotional symptoms are:

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Obsessive compulsive disorders
• Sadness
• Depression

Acupuncture, Chinese herbal formulas and meditation are common ways to treat Heart Meridian imbalances.

Respect and take care of your heart for it is a powerful organ and “houses the mind.”  It is the Emperor – treat it as such.

Photo courtesy of snarky_momma.

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