-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
cardiovascular system
congestive heart failure
psychospiritual approaches
metaphors and correlations
Emotional difficulties of a chronic nature were found to be an integral part of daily living in 26 of 30 patients in this study. (Locke, 1985, p. 144)
Need to fulfill one's heart's desire is not satisfied; emotional congestion usually accompanied by depression, melancholy, and strong feelings of being detached from one's life. (Shealy, p. 162)
Heart represents center of love and security; Heart problems are associated with longstanding emotional problems; lack of joy; belief in strain and stress; hardening of the heart. (Hay, 1984, p. 168)
Chinese psychophysiology:
Heart ~ Xin houses the Shen (Spirit) and reveals itself through the brightness in the eyes; rules the Xue (Blood) and its vessels and directs the circulation, and relates to the integration of the organs and the personality.
» Healthy expressions are warmth, vitality, excitement, inner peace, love, and joy.
» Heart Xu (Deficiency) signs include sadness; absence of laughter; depression; fear; anxiety; shortness of breath (Seem, p. 28); cold feeling in the chest and limbs; palpitations; cold sweat; inability to speak; memory failure; nocturnal emissions; and restless sleep.
» The Heart is the Emperor of the bodily realm so that when the Heart is disturbed all the other organs will be disrupted.
Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion and manifests in the muscle tissues; resolves Dampness and Phlegm; governs the Xue (Blood); maintains upbearing; and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel balanced and centered.
» Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence; » Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; easy bruising; pale lips; loose stools; muscular weakness; and, indirectly, obesity. Unresolved Spleen Xu (Deficiency) will ultimately shift into Spleen Shi (Excess) as Dampness accumulates.
» Spleen Shi (Excess) signs include heaviness (excess "form"); large abdomen; great sighing; sadness; obsessions and nightmares (Seem, p. 28); abdominal pain; irregular appetite; stickiness in the mouth and on lips; red lips; chest congestion; fatigue; and constipation.
» The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen and may lead to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis). This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise, overexposure to external Dampness, and excess consumption of sweet and/or Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen.
Lung ~ Fei is the home of the Po (Corporeal Soul); governs the Qi; regulates the rhythm of respiration, the pulse, and all bodily processes; relates to strength and sustainability; moves and adjusts fluid metabolism; extends through the skin, and controls the pores.
» Healthy expressions are righteousness and courage.
» Weakness, dysfunction, and illness associated with excessive grief, sadness, worry, and depression.
» Lung Xu (Deficiency) signs include cold shoulder and back; changing complexion; and inability to sleep (Seem, p. 28); shortness of breath; changes in urine color; rumbling in the bowels with loose bowel movements; pallor; malar flush; chills; sniffles; sneezing; light cough; and sensitivity to cold.
Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will); expresses ambition and focus; governs Water to regulate body fluids; and displays the effects of aging, chronic degenerative processes, and extreme stress.
» Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance.
» Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); hearing loss; fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch.
» Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Often chronic anxiety may induce Xu (Deficiency) and then Fire within the Kidney. (Maciocia, p. 250) Overwork, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).
therapies
imagery:
related materia medica listings: imagery for heart conditions
affirmation:
Joy, joy, joy.
I lovingly allow joy to flow through my mind and body experience.
My heart beats to the rhythm of love. (Hay, 1984, p. 68)
theotherapy:
(heart disease) Atlas, Poseidon, Prometheus, Typhon (Lemesurier, p. 99)
psychotherapy:
With heart disturbances and heart conditions, the following questions are possibly worth exploring:
» Are my head and heart, my intellect and feelings, in harmonious balance?
» Am I giving enough scope to my feelings and trusting myself to express them?
» Am I living and loving 'heartily', or only 'half-heartedly'?
» Is my life borne along by a living rhythm, or am I subjecting it to a rigid way?
» Does my life still contain enough combustible materials and explosives?
» Am I listening to, seeing, feeling, moving my heart? (Dethlefsen, p. 202)
process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: cardiovascular system)
related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
converting a symptom to a signal
behavior modification techniques
imagery for heart conditions
imagery: precautions
imagery: techniques
affirmations: guidelines and precautions
theotherapy
process paradigm
footnotes
Reprinted from The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, Giovanni, 1989, by permission of the publisher Churchill Livingstone, a division of Elsevier Limited.