Gastrointestinal Disorders
Throughout the centuries physicians have noted that the gastrointestinal disorders have been distressed by a wide range of diseases and conditions. The symptoms that are produced are quite varied such as pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, poor digestion and/or any combination. Medical care needs to be sort when these symptoms become severe and/or when daily life is impacted upon when they are caused by an illness. Originally physicians search for infection, inflammation and other physical issues to explain the symptoms to diagnose and to offer treatment. If these physical causes are not found, then the diagnosis with suffering from “functional” symptomology (FGID) and treated from the symptoms alone. This thinking led physicians to believe that the symptoms weren’t legitimate if the “organic” disease was discounted. Gastrointestinal disorders in this group are conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diverticular diseases, haemorrhoids, perianal infections, colitis, anal fissures, perianal abscesses, anal fistulas, colon polyps and cancer. With a healthy lifestyle, along with practicing good bowel habits and having bowel screening for many of these can be prevented or minimised by.
Changes in recent years in modern medicine has shifted away from reductionistic and disease-based models. With the growth in the gut-brain interaction, mainly in modern times from the work of researchers like Dr Michael D. Gershon M.D., in his book The Second Brain, the shift has been greater. This has allowed an integrated biological, social and psychological model and also away from the one biological cause to a more multilayered physiological issues such as changes in motility, gut-brain imbalance due to stress or perceived stress and heightened visceral sensitivity and gut bacterial changes.
Early physicians and shamans had this modal in the connection between the physical, mental and spiritual connection to the individual, which seems to be more apparent since we moved towards the Cartesian model that the mind and body are distinct and separate and the reductionist model.
Tuina and Qi Nei Tsang techniques are used a great deal in treating gastrointestinal disorders, as the abdominal area is source of our Qi and Blood. This a sample of how Chinese Medicine looks at the effect of emotions on the organs and their health, but other traditional medicines also looked at this connection, such as Ayurveda.
All these emotional states over time will affect the gastrointestinal health and this is an inkling about how the emotions can affect these organs.
Liver Health: Anger, frustration resentment and rage
In Chinese medicine, the organ most affected by excess stress and/or emotions is the Liver. People have to feel the stress or emotion, and find an expression for it, but the worst thing you can do is hold on to it. When you are irritable often and if things easily stress you out, then your Liver function is becoming out of balance. Symptoms vary from dizziness, blurred vision, headaches mainly on the top of the head to rib pain and high blood-pressure.
Heart Health: Unhappiness, absence of love,
Cardiovascular health is not just about physical fitness, but also how we discover an intrinsic serenity about our lives and where we are going and where we fit. The Heart is regularly associated with love and happiness and represents a state of tranquillity. When we become stressed or when there is an absence of self-expression, this can directly have an impact on this organ’s function. This is what happens with Broken Heart Syndrome (takotsubo cardiomyopathy), a temporary heart condition that’s often brought on by stressful situations.
Stomach Health: Chronic stress, worry, and anxiety
With long term stress the Stomach function becomes damaged very quickly. When the appropriate Stomach function and that of its partner organ the Spleen (includes the pancreas), it is easy to start suffering from poor digestive health and low metabolic function. Symptoms can include fatigue, poor appetite, bloating, weight loss or gain, memory problems, pastiness, poor condition of the hair, nails and skin. It’s important to eat properly and frequently nourish the body properly to reduce worry.
Lung Health: Grief and sadness
These emotions can damage the Lung along with its partner the Large Intestine, as they deplete the body of energy and weaken the nervous system over time. Failing to “Let things go” is an unhealthy way to go through life so by letting go we can invigorate the Lung’s function and clear ourselves of physical and emotional baggage. Symptoms connected with lung issues are unnecessary crying, circulation problems, chest tightness, shortness of breath, asthma, recurrent colds and chest infections, psoriasis and eczema (In Chinese medicine the skin pores are under the lungs control).
Kidney and Adrenal Health: Fear
Kidneys control the adrenal system and are the “back-up” generator for energy in the body according to Chinese Medicine, providing additional Qi to all the organs when required. The emotion that effects this organ the most is fear, and if they are low in energy then you feel exhausted and heavy and healthy digestion starts to deteriorate. Symptoms can be hearing loss, general malaise to exhaustion, headaches, loss of appetite, brain and nervous system issues, numbness in hands and feet, sleep issues, low libido and menstruation problems.
