(NaturalHealth365) According to statistics published by the Mental Health Foundation, one in five Americans struggles with mental health issues each year.  Shockingly, fifty percent of chronic mental health problems start before age 14.  Not surprisingly, during the COVID pandemic, the percentage of adults with anxiety or depression symptoms rose from 36.4% to 41.5%.

Considering the magnitude of the problem, one would expect that Western medicine has many effective treatment options to offer to those suffering.  But in reality, medical doctors have limited options available to treat these conditions, aside from the multitude of prescription anxiolytics and antidepressants.

Although there is increasing awareness in the scientific community of the connection between our psychological and physical health, the intricacies of this link are still not well understood.  In a recent video, Jonathan Landsman of NaturalHealth365 interviewed America’s Drugless Doctor, Dr. Robert DeMaria, to reveal how our organs’ functioning and our emotional health can affect each other.

Are you listening? Understanding your body’s language is critical to achieving optimum health

In the video, Jonathan and Dr. Bob focus on discussing how changing the vitality of specific organs in the body can affect our mental and emotional health.  During the conversation, Dr. Bob points out how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recognizes that emotions affect the physical health of the body and vice versa.  For instance, according to TCM theory, anger and irritability can affect the liver’s health and result in various ailments, including an enlarged or fatty liver.

Many people don’t know, but the liver performs hundreds of critical functions and plays a vital role in digestion and nutrient processing. Anything we put into our body – whether non-productive, unhealthy foods, or the highest quality organic fruits and vegetables – will go through the liver and either weaken or strengthen its vitality.

Toxic emotions can also undermine the liver’s functioning.  TCM practitioners believe that feelings of resentment, anger, frustration, and irritability are key emotions detrimental to this organ’s wellbeing.  Suppose, for instance, that you are one of the 100 million Americans living with fatty liver disease.  If at the same time, you are also known for your hot temper, your dysfunctional liver may be to blame for your intense emotional outbursts and anger issues. Interesting concept, isn’t it?

Your lungs speak too: Here is what may be behind chronic lung issues

So while the dominant emotion associated with the liver is anger, unprocessed and persistent feelings of sadness appear to manifest ailments in the lungs.  To illustrate the connection between lung issues and sorrow or grief, Dr. Bob shared a story about his wife, who developed a chronic lung problem due to the profound sadness she experienced when her younger son was going off to college.  Once they uncovered that the root of her chronic lung issue was not a physical dysfunction but rather the consequence of her harmful emotions, they could successfully address the condition.

Whether this is the first time you hear about the relationship between mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, or you are quite familiar with the concept, you don’t want to miss watching this video.

Learn the five basic feelings associated with specific organs in the body, according to TCM

Traditional Chinese Medicine narrows human emotions to five basic feelings and links each of them with a corresponding organ in the body:

• Anger with the liver
• Sadness and grief with the lung
• Worry and anxiety with the spleen
• Fear with the kidney
• Joy with the heart

Take note of these emotion-organ relationships, as this information may come in handy next time you feel overwhelmed by negative emotions or receive a diagnosis of a physical ailment.  Even a basic understanding of these concepts can be incredibly empowering and may open the door to various treatment modalities previously unavailable to you.

What’s the bottom line?

It’s time to expand our horizon and consider TCM’s 2,000-year-old pearls of wisdom and recognize how intricate the connection is between our emotional and physical health.  Understanding that emotional imbalances can act as both symptoms and causes for physical issues can be life-changing to millions of people seeking an alternative to the “pill for every ill” medical approach.

Find a qualified healthcare provider to guide you on your journey towards improved health.  And, of course – above all, stay positive (confident) that you can make a change for the better with simple lifestyle adjustments.

Sources used for this article:

MentalHealthFolundation.org
NIH.gov
CDC.gov