This is a huge subject and I am not planning on covering everything here. I am going to give an outline of the role acupuncture can have in the treatment of mental & emotional imbalances.

Within Chinese medicine, the different organs have different emotions and mental abilities associated with them and I have listed the main ones below.

• Liver (Gan) - anger, frustration, resentment, bitterness, and stress
• Spleen (Pi) - worry, over thinking
• Lung (Fei) - sadness, grieving
• Heart (Xin) - joy, sadness, grief
• Kidneys (Shen) - fear

Within our society there are a lot of problems relating to Liver and Spleen imbalances. We live in a stressful society and almost everyone will display some kind of Liver imbalance. The beauty of acupuncture and Chinese medicine is that it can identify these imbalances long before they become problematic from a Western medicine point of view and you can take steps to avoid serious illness.

To give an example, the main function of the Liver is to ensure the smooth circulation of Qi (energy) throughout the body and by doing this it aids all the other organs in carrying out their tasks. Long-term stress impedes the circulation of Qi and this will affect different individuals in different ways.

Chest pain can occur if the Qi circulating in the chest becomes obstructed. If this is left untreated then the Lung and Heart energy becomes obstructed. Since Qi (energy) moves Blood then long term Qi stagnation will cause blood stagnation. Stagnation of Heart Blood is a cause of heart disease. In this case acupuncture can help move Qi stagnation in the chest long before any visible Heart symptoms appear. Of course, this is not the only cause of chest pain and Western medicine investigations & treatment are very valuable and sometimes essential.

The Spleen is the main organ of digestion and it is also referred to as the Spleen-Pancreas. Not only does the Spleen digest food and drink, but it also digests ideas and thoughts. Dwelling on thoughts, having the same thought going over and over in your head would indicate a Spleen imbalance. Eating lots of starchy food (crisps, potatoes, pasta), and overly sweet food inhibits clear thinking. If you have a job that involves a lot of mental tasks then it is important to support this with a diet that promotes clear thinking. This is especially important since over study/too much mental work taxes the Spleen and if your diet does not support the Spleen then illness/ poor general well-being will result. University students need to support their Spleen.

The Lungs and Heart are strongly connected since they are both located in the chest cavity (Upper Burner in Chinese Medicine). Emotional imbalances that affect the Lungs will in turn affect the Heart and visa versa. Sadness includes the emotion of regret, as when someone regrets a certain action or decision in the past and the Mind constantly turns towards that time. The Lungs are particularly affected by bereavement and this is a time to support the Lungs, along with the rest of the body as the person goes through grieving. It is appropriate to grieve; in fact if you do not grieve then this can cause illness as the sadness is locked inside. However, grieving for too long is also damaging. Like everything else in Chinese medicine, it is all about balance.

The Kidneys are very important in Chinese medicine as they are regarded as the root of all the Yin and Yang energies of our bodies. Having strong Kidneys results in strong will power to carry out tasks and progress in life. The Kidneys are affected by fear. Long-term fear will deplete the energy of the Kidneys and this can be a cause of bed-wetting with children as the Kidneys control the lower orifices of the body.