A little on Elements and emotions

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http://www.hantang.com/english/en_Articles/EMOTION.htm

 

According to the Five-Element tradition, Anger is associated

with Wood, Joy is associated with Fire, Pensiveness with Earth,

Grief with Metal and Fear with Water. The Liver is associated with

Wood and therefore with Anger, the Heart with Fire and Joy, the

Spleen with Earth and Pensiveness, the Lung with Metal and Grief and

the Kidney with Water and Fear. A patient can experience imbalance

in more than one organ and therefore have more complicated emotional

disturbances. If a patient is experiencing extreme mood swings

between Joy (Mania) and Fear (depression), one would expect an

imbalance between the Heart and Kidney (Fire and Water imbalance).

We would expect symptoms such as insomnia, disturbed dreaming, heart

palpitations, and temperature changes. If a patient is experiencing

violent mood swings between Anger and Grief (remorse), an imbalance

between Liver and Lung would be expected with other symptoms

involving breathing, bowel movement, waking between 1 and 5 am. Some

emotional changes such as depression may seem the same emotion, but

in TCM the organ involved can be different. If the depression is

actually anger turned inward as the case with many women, the Liver

may be out of balance. We would look for PMS symptoms, problems with

cramping during the period, waking between 1 and 3 am. If obsessive

thinking (Pensiveness) characterizes the depression, we would

suspect the Spleen and look for other symptoms such as decreased

appetite, diarrhea, and heavy bleeding with the period. Sometimes

the depression is associated with Panic attacks (Fear). We would

suspect the Kidney is out of balance. We would look for changes in

urination (usually frequency is increased, lower back pain is

present, and a ringing in the ears may be heard). There can actually

be many causes of changes in emotional balance. It is important is

recognize that the cause may be organic i.e. an organ is out of

balance. But lifestyle may also be a contributing factor. A trained

TCM practitioner can help diagnose where the imbalance is located

and through the use of herbs and acupuncture help correct the

imbalance. It is important to remember however that the cause of the

imbalance may be occurring from events in your life. We don't have a

needle for a bad boss. We can help you deal with the stress in your

life that can contribute to organ imbalance but we can't remove the

stress, only you can do that. Sometimes the stress goes with the job

and you don't want to change jobs. Proper diet and exercise can

mitigate stress and help you remain in balance. Proper diet involves

the incorporation of the Five Flavors (Sweet, Bitter, Spicy, Salty

and Sour) and Five Colors (Black, Red, White, Yellow and Green) into

every meal. Proper exercise involves breathing techniques that move

the Qi such as Qi Gong, Tai Chi, or Yoga. Aerobic exercise is not

enough to keep in balance.