When stress runs our lives

Today's times bring constant new challenges to our psyche. As if the old ones weren't enough. Inflation, war, disasters, food prices, many people are worried about their jobs, many people are worried about getting sick or having loved ones get sick. The media evoking emotions of fear and confrontation don't add to this either. All this creates an excessive stress load on our psyche. Many people are increasingly under tremendous pressure. And this pressure tends, over time, to manifest itself in physical symptoms on our bodies. It's called the somatization of stress. That is, the psychological processes start to have physical symptoms. It's basically a defense of our organism, where the organism tries to dissipate the mental tension in the physical body.

Maintaining balance

Our body is constantly striving to maintain homeostasis. It constantly strives to maintain a stable internal environment, even though the conditions around us are constantly changing. This internal stability is necessary for all physiological processes to take place. The somatization of stress plays the function of such a valve in the papyrus by means of which we relieve our internal psychological tension. It's a bit of a rainmaker, though. The physical symptoms that follow are also nothing that we like or that are indicative of our health. There is often talk of chronic pain and fatigue, neurological problems, and we often observe digestive problems or insomnia.

Walk the path of moderation

Chinese medicine doesn't talk about homeostasis, but it does talk about a constant balancing of yin and yang energy, with a golden mean that runs somewhere in between being the ideal state. An ideal state that we will never reach. A state of absolute health. It is good to live in harmony so that there are no extreme fluctuations of Yin and Yang. Which, especially lately, has not always gone well. It's good to follow the path of moderation. In everything, in food, in work, in sports activities, in rest, in relationships, in sex... All extremes are harmful for our organism and cause imbalances. Imbalances of yin and yang energy. And these will eventually manifest as disease.

Everything must flow

Somatization stresses are often an escape diagnosis for doctors. Can't find the cause of the problem? Stress is to blame.

But even Chinese medicine theory states that the cause of disease is 70% our psyche, 20% our diet and only 10% is other causes that are often beyond our control. Heredity, for example. If you think about it, our mental state is quite a crucial factor if we want to stay healthy.

Another paradigm of Chinese medicine says, "A healthy person is full of Qi and blood, and everything flows freely within them." And it is the somatization of stresses that is closely related to the second part of this statement, flow.

The Chinese believe that Qi flows through our body. We can think of Qi as energy or as vibration. It is Qi that is often a point of contention between Chinese and Western medicine. No one has measured Qi with any instrument, it is not visible on an MRI, it cannot be extracted. It's a bit of a mysterious substance. It flows in the acupuncture pathways the way blood flows in the blood vessels or lymph flows in the lymphatic pathways. Qi has different functions in the body. It warms it, nourishes it, protects it, moves it, is responsible for physiological processes, etc. In order to perform these functions, it must flow continuously and freely.

Preservation of free flow

The Liver is responsible for the flow of Qi energy in our body. The Liver is one of the main organs or systems that control all the processes of our body. And it is one of their functions to maintain the free flow of Qi. The problem is that the Liver is an organ that is very sensitive to stressful situations. Stress, which awakens various emotions in us, limits their permeability function. First, the Qi starts to slow down. One starts to notice this, like different tensions in the body or slight pains. Especially in women, there are typical places where these tensions can be felt. The neck and thyroid area, the breasts and chest, the neck area, the stomach and lower back area, or the lower abdomen area. So first the Qi energy begins to stagnate. For example, we feel a lump in the throat, pressure in the chest, a stone in the stomach or bloating. Or often in the office I see stress pain between the neck and shoulder blade. If we fail to get the Qi flowing again, other substances such as blood and mucus will begin to stagnate along with the Qi. And that's how more serious problems arise. Like thyroid nodules, lumps in the breasts, stomach ulcers, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts. There are countless scenarios. One of the typical symptoms is premenstrual syndrome. According to Chinese medicine, menstruation is a physiological blockage. At some point in the menstrual cycle, the body begins to retain blood. Which is a blockage. But if liver Qi is stagnant for a long time, it tends to amplify all the other blockages that are in the body. That's why before menstruation, women with stagnant Liver Qi have more pronounced symptoms of stagnation and feel symptoms such as pain in the lower abdomen or hips, breast pain and tenderness, psychological imbalances, etc.

Be like water

But what can we do about it? First of all, prevention is important. It is necessary to let everything flow freely. Don't create blockages. Not only in our body, in our psyche, but also in the environment around us. The stimuli around us that create stress will never go away. To fight them would be rather Sisyphean. We have two options. Either we avoid stressful situations or we confront them. Avoiding stress is a good idea, but sometimes it's hard to implement. But within reason, it's a good idea to try.

The other option is to confront these challenges. But how. We said above that stressful situations create blockages. So if we confront stress with force, we only set ourselves up for more blocks. We're going to extremely arouse our emotions or we're going to suppress them. Both will lead to blockages in the flow of Qi. The better way is to accept stressful situations. Accept them if we can't change them at the moment. Be like water. If you hit the water, it won't be affected too much and will continue to flow freely. Observe your emotions as if they are not part of you, as if they are just flowing through you. There are also techniques that can help us manage stress better. These include meditationpracticessuch as Tai Ji, Qi Gong or yoga, or the more modern method of mindfulness.

It is very important to maintain good relationships with your loved ones. I would say at all costs. Maybe that's the most important advice of this article.

What can we use to release the blocked Liver?

But sometimes a change of attitude is not enough. Somatic manifestations can be so pronounced that one has no power to reverse it. Or it could take a long time. Chinese medicine offers several methods to change the situation. One of them is acupuncture, sticking needles into acupuncture points. A skilled acupuncturist is able to use the needles to release blockages in the pathways and help the Qi to flow freely again.

Liver Harmonization with Herbs

The second option is phytotherapy, treatment with herbs, mushrooms, minerals, etc. Chinese medicine has in its therapeutic register herbal recipes that can release stagnant liver Qi. It even has prescriptions for more serious scenarios where, in addition to Qi, blood or mucus starts to block and already tangible manifestations of stagnation arise such as fibroids, cysts, endometriosis, adenomas, tumors, etc.

One of the best mixtures I use for somatization in my practice is the Xiao Yao San recipe. This recipe was created by a well-known physician in the early 12th century. It contains herbs such as fenugreek or mimosa that can release liver Qi. It also contains herbs that strengthen Qi, such as atractylis or licorice. This blend can be used for all problems that are aggravated by stress. It is excellent for various feelings of tension, stomach neuroses, anxiety or premenstrual syndrome.

There is another more modern blend that I prefer for somatization. It works quite quickly, within 14 days the patient usually sees a reduction in symptoms. He usually describes it as the problems around him don't bother him so much anymore. It's like they're passing through him, not touching him. Overall, he relaxes. The mixture is Hou Tou He Ping San. In addition to the herbs to relax the Liver, it contains the Hericium mushroom, which is excellent for somatization, and also includes herbs to strengthen the Heart and Soul Shen. The Heart is the organ that houses our psyche.

One mistake

I would like to point out one more mistake. I am talking about the Liver. But it's more like the Chinese Liver, the system that moves Qi energy in the body, stores blood, aids digestion, and is sensitive to emotions and stress. And when I say Liver, a lot of people think of milk thistle. Milk thistle is definitely a big help, but it's more of a liver help from the Western perspective. It regenerates their cells and restores their metabolic capabilities. I am talking more about the psychic aspect of the Liver. Milk thistle cannot release the blocked Liver Qi. That's what the Chinese prosobranch or the tuber shahor can do.

Summary

Let everything flow freely. Be like water. The stress around you will never go away. It will only get weaker or stronger. Some people will start taking, for example, Hou Tou He Ping San and get relief. But if they don't change their approach to stressful situations, their somatized problems will come back again. Just like a patient who eats chili peppers every night. Soon his stomach starts to hurt. I can give him an herbal prescription for this type of pain. It'll make him feel better. But if he doesn't stop eating chillies every night, he'll never get rid of the pain permanently.

Be like water.

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