What? Can unstable emotions cause internal injuries to the body? It is true. Our abnormal emotional fluctuations can interact with the health of the five internal organs (wuzang) and six bowels (liubao). Let’s take a look at how this works.
These factors affect our emotions
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) often refers to the seven emotions (qi qing), which typically include joy (xi), anger (nu), worry (you), thought (si), sadness (bei), fear (kong), and shock (jing). Internal injuries caused by the seven emotions refer to the disruption of the functions of the internal organs due to abnormal changes in these emotions.
The factors that lead to abnormal changes in the seven emotions usually include social factors, such as family changes and interpersonal relationships; pathological factors, such as deficiencies in the qi and blood of the five internal organs: The Huangdi Neijing mentions, “If the heart qi is deficient, one will be sad; if it is full, one will laugh incessantly,” meaning that a deficiency in heart qi can lead to feelings of sadness, while excessive heart fire can lead to constant laughter.
In addition, environmental factors, such as seasonal changes and geographical variations, can also affect a person’s emotions. The ancient saying “sorrow in spring and sadness in autumn” reflects how seasonal changes can influence human emotions. Clinically, we observe an increase in the incidence of depression during the autumn and winter seasons. Furthermore, individual differences, such as personality and age, are also factors of great concern in modern medicine.
Joy injures the heart: insomnia, forgetfulness, and restlessness
Joy represents a pleasant, positive, and uplifting emotion. Joy relaxes the qi, alleviating tension; during normal joy, the circulation of qi and blood accelerates, resulting in a rosy complexion, a cheerful mood, and harmonious qi dynamics, thus enhancing work and study efficiency and leading to a more harmonious and fulfilling life.
The heart opens to the tongue and is connected to the small intestine. When we are happy, we tend to talk a lot and have a good appetite. However, excessive joy can harm the heart meridian, potentially leading to insomnia, forgetfulness, palpitations, and fatigue. The character Fan Jin from Jin Ping Mei is a typical example of someone whose heart qi was scattered due to excessive joy.
Anger injures the liver: dizziness, tinnitus, and breast pain
Anger is a normal physiological response in humans, and it can have both positive and negative effects on our bodies. Appropriate anger can express emotions, boost morale, and relieve tension. For instance, soldiers may feel anger before going into battle, which can transform into tremendous fighting power.
However, excessive anger can also harm the body, leading to depression, flushed face, dizziness, tinnitus, breast pain, bitter mouth, and even fainting. The story of Zhuge Liang’s three angers towards Zhou Yu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a classic example, where Zhou Yu’s repeated anger, combined with his previous injuries, led to his untimely death.
Worry injures the spleen: abdominal distension, loose stools, and impaired digestion
The emotional activity of worry primarily manifests through the spleen. TCM believes that excessive worry can lead to qi stagnation, resulting in loss of appetite and tasteless food. Since the spleen is responsible for blood regulation, some women may experience menstrual irregularities due to excessive stress or worry.
Moreover, the spleen governs transformation and transportation; when its function is impaired, clinical symptoms may include abdominal distension and loose stools. Over time, insufficient qi and blood circulation can lead to symptoms such as palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, and vivid dreams.
Additionally, excessive worry can lead to low mood, decreased ability to think and understand problems, reduced speech, lethargy, sighing, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, insomnia, dizziness, chest tightness, palpitations, and decreased appetite, all of which are manifestations of depression.
Sadness and worry injure the lungs: chest tightness, shortness of breath, and lack of energy
Sadness and worry refer to emotional responses when people lose what they love or when their wishes are unfulfilled. Mild and short-lived sadness is a normal emotional release and does not harm health; however, excessive sorrow can deplete lung qi, similar to how one feels fatigued after crying, which indicates a depletion of lung qi.
The lungs belong to the metal element, responsible for dispersing and descending qi. When people face uncertainties in their future, love, or fate, they may experience worry and sadness, clinically presenting as chest tightness, shortness of breath, and pallor. Excessive sadness and worry can lead to a lack of will, pessimism, social withdrawal, and fatigue. Overindulgence in sorrow and crying can lead to hoarseness and rapid breathing, and since the lungs govern the skin, it can also lead to increased facial wrinkles.
The character Lin Daiyu from Dream of the Red Chamber ultimately succumbed to lung disease due to excessive sorrow and worry, which depleted her lung qi.
Shock and fear easily injure the kidneys: lower back pain, frequent urination, and dark complexion
Shock and fear are psychological responses that arise when a person feels their safety is threatened and experiences heightened mental tension. This is a stress state that can persist for a certain period after the event.
The kidneys belong to the water element, governing the intake of qi and the regulation of urination. Fear is directly related to the kidneys. In real life, we often hear the phrase “I was so scared I wet my pants,” which illustrates that when a person experiences excessive fear, their kidney qi disperses, impairing the kidney’s ability to hold and regulate, leading to incontinence. The kidneys are the foundation of life; frequent late nights, excessive fatigue, and overconsumption of alcohol or strong tea can harm the kidneys, resulting in symptoms such as dark complexion, frequent urination, lower back pain, and morning diarrhea.
All these abnormal manifestations can be categorized under the TCM concept of emotional-induced diseases. The abnormal fluctuations of emotions lead to dysfunction in the five internal organs and six bowels, which can also be regulated through TCM to restore balance in qi, blood, yin, and yang, allowing both the body and mind to regain health.
Written by Guo Yumeng (Beijing Anding Hospital)
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