The Chinese Meridian System and Our Emotions

By Liz Barrington, Natural Body Healing

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of traditional medicine in the
world today and is a holistic system that has been developed and practised for over 2,500
years.TCM is valuable because it enables you to select the right tre atment for any person or
situation and it views the body as a whole and uses observations on the outside to understand
what is going on in the inside. Unlike most conventional medicine, TCM also recognises the
relationship between humans and their environment.

The ancient Chinese discovered a ‘subtle’ free-flowing energy in the body known as Qi or Chi
that sustains all life. Even today, quantum physics confirms that everything is made of
energy. Qi in fact connects our body with our consciousness (spirit), and so when it’s in
balance, so too is our body and mind.
Qi runs along energy channels called ‘meridians’ which connect all the organs and systems in
the body. There are 14 meridian pathways which run along the body in a single continuous
one-way direction of unbroken energy flow. Each meridian has a ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ point
and runs on both sides of the body (except for the ‘central’ and ‘governing’ meridians which
only run down the middle of the body).

Qi needs to be balanced, flow freely and not become stagnated or obstructed. Unfortunately,
stress and anxiety can overload the body’s circuit to create energy blockages, so if the natural
flow is impeded in any way - disease can develop. Our meridians have to be therefore reset
and re-balanced before energy can flow harmoniously again.

Our vital energy can be balanced through our diet, herbs, kinesiology, acupuncture,
acupressure, massage, spinal manipulation, physical activities such as Qigong, tai chi, and
yoga, and also balancing one’s environment both internally and externally.

TCM is also based upon two opposing forces ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ which are two different types of
Qi, which attract each other. Yin represents internal, cold, deficient and chronic factors whilst
Yang represents external, heat, excess and acute conditions. Nothing is neutral, either the
yin or yang force will always dominate depending upon the individual.

TCM also adopts the principles of the five elements or phases. These include:
 FIRE – this relates to the heart and small intestine meridians and concerns heat and
blood circulation.
 EARTH – this relates to the spleen and stomach meridians and concerns digestion,
transportation and transformation of food.
 METAL – this relates to the lung and large intestine meridians and concerns the control
of vital energy and the receiving and discharging of the body’s waste.
 WATER – this relates to the kidney and the bladder meridians and so regulates water
metabolism, stores ‘jing’ (our ‘essence’ - especially our kidney essence), and helps to
regulate our brain function and marrow and bones.
 WOOD – this relates to the liver and gallbladder meridians which are responsible for
building and storing blood, and also regulating the flow of Qi.

Our Emotional Well-Being

In TCM, emotions and physical health are intimately connected. Sadness, nervous tension
and anger, worry, fear, and overwork are each associated with a particular organ in the
body. For example, irritability and inappropriate anger can affect the liver and result in
menstrual pain, migraines, headaches, redness of the face and eyes, dizziness and dry mouth.

Organ systems in the traditional Far-Eastern sense are part of our holistic body system and
are each inter-related. Once one or indeed several organ meridian systems are identified as
‘over’ or ‘under’ activated, the necessary adjustments can be made to restore balance and
harmony across the entire body.
By understanding these connections and how each are greatly affected by our emotions, we
can see how an eye disorder such as conjunctivitis might be due to an imbalance in the liver,
or excess menstrual flow may be due to dysfunction in the liver's blood-storing ability. Besides
emotions, other factors such as dietary, environmental, lifestyle, and hereditary factors also
contribute to the development of imbalances.

The emotions associated with each main organ system include:

Spleen (Earth element)

 Emotions - worry, dwelling or focusing too much on a particular topic, excessive mental
work
 Spleen Function - Food digestion and nutrient absorption. Helps in the formation of blood
and energy. Keeps blood in the blood vessels. Connected with muscles, mouth, and lips.
Involved in thinking, studying, and memory.
 Symptoms of Spleen Imbalance - Tired, loss of appetite, mucus discharge, poor digestion,
abdominal distension, loose stools or diarrhoea. Weak muscles, pale lips. Bruising ,
excess menstrual blood flow and other bleeding disorders.

Lung (Metal element)

 Emotions - grief, sadness, detached.
 Lung Function - Respiration. Forms energy from air, and helps to distribute it throughout
the body. Works with the kidney to regulate water metabolism. Important in the immune
system and resistance to viruses and bacteria. Regulates sweat glands and body hair,
and provides moisture to the skin.
 Symptoms of Lung Imbalance - Shortness of breath and shallow breathing, sweating,
fatigue, cough, frequent cold and flu, allergies, asthma, and other lung conditions. Dry
skin. Depression and crying.

Liver (Wood element)

 Emotions - anger, resentment, frustration, irritability, bitterness, rage, quick temper.
 Liver Function - Involved in the smooth flow of energy and blood throughout the body.
Regulates bile secretion, stores blood, and is connected with the tendons, nails, and
eyes.
 Symptoms of Liver Imbalance - breast distension, menstrual pain, headache, irritabilit y,
inappropriate anger, dizziness, dry, red eyes and other eye conditions, tendonitis.

Heart (Fire element)

 Emotions - lack of enthusiasm and vitality, mental restlessness, depression, insomnia,
despair.
 Heart Function - Regulates the heart and blood vessels. Responsible for even and regular
pulse. Influences vitality and spirit. Connected with the tongue, complexion, and
arteries.
 Symptoms of Heart Imbalance - Insomnia, heart palpitations and irregular heart beat,
excessive dreaming, poor long-term memory, psychological disorders.

Kidney (Water element)

 Emotions - fearful, weak willpower, insecure, aloof, isolated.
 Kidney Function - Key organ for sustaining life. Responsible for reproduction, growth
and development, and maturation. Involved with lungs in water metabolism and
respiration. Connected with bones, teeth, ears, and head hair.
 Symptoms of Kidney Imbalance - Frequent urination, urinary incontinence, night sweat s,
dry mouth, poor short-term memory, low back pain, body ph imbalances, ringing in the
ears, hearing loss, and other ear conditions. Premature grey hair, hair loss, and
osteoporosis.

Since everyone is different, a specific treatment to rebalance the body’s Qi flow may work for
one person, but perhaps may not work for another.