Acupuncture and Emotions: What’s Love Got to Do With It?

February;  The month of love and Valentine’s Day. It’s easy to pawn it off as being soft, mushy, and over commercialized.  But I want to stop and reflect on love.  We are highly emotional beings.   And love can motivate us in unknown ways.  Acupuncture and emotions are like a hand in a glove.

Super Bowl Ads Dripped with Emotion

I took notice of the ads this year during the Super Bowl. Many were thoughtful, thought-provoking, touching, sentimental, and intelligent.  I’m speculating that part of that was the NFL trying to overcome the reputation their players are creating of being involved with domestic violence, murder, rape and theft.  While it does NOT make me feel warm and snuggly about the NFL, the commercials were a welcome change in my opinion. But maybe the world is also realizing how we all need more TLC. I am proud that four of them were done by Weiden+Kennedy located here in Portland.  While I found theirs more witty than sentimental, they were at least upbeat.  And their Pepsi-Cola commercial about “Life is what you make it, so make it happy,” was brilliant.

How Love Affects Your Life

How does that song go?  “What about this thing called Love?  Love is an incredibly powerful motivator. Does it also affect your health? There are many studies that show that married people live longer than single people; that people with pets live longer than those that live alone. There is even evidence that addictions are due to a desire to connect. Bottom line; as humans we need connection; some of us more than others. To what level you want to be surrounded by people doesn’t matter, the issue is find out what your level is and honor that.

One month Challenge to Love Yourself

As Americans, we tend to be incredibly judgmental and harsh on ourselves. I would like to challenge you for one month to honor and love yourself.  Do it when you get down on yourself for not sticking to your new years resolution, for being cranky with your spouse and kids, for not eating well, and the list goes on. Whatever your self-critical thing is; STOP.  Breathe and think of one good thing that you have done today. And then find gratitude for one thing in this moment. It will shift your mindset and give you a different perspective.

Will this solve the problems of the world?  Maybe not. But if you can learn to stop the monkey mind and chatter and just slow down and be compassionate, you will in turn be more compassionate to those around you. This WILL help solve the problems of the World.

Emotions in Chinese Medicine

Grief

In Chinese Medicine the body is seen as a whole being and each emotion is tied to an organ.  The emotions of grief and heartbreak are located in the chest (the lungs and the heart).  Have you ever had a broken heart?  Doesn’t your chest actually hurt?  How is that all in your head?  Why do you see people that have just heard horrible news clasp and grasp at their heart area of their chest?  Interesting isn’t it if the emotions are just thoughts in our head?

Joy

In Chinese Medicine, Joy is the emotion that is paired with the heart.  When it’s in balance, you sleep well, your outlook is reality based, you even feel fulfilled, happy and are able to bring more joy to the world.  When it’s out of balance, you have trouble sleeping, anxiety, depression and irritability are common and life doesn’t flow. If you feel like you are out of balance, and you don’t understand or haven’t experienced the power of acupuncture, come in and get a free consult to see if we can turn your symptoms around. Just for the heart of it.