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Ventura
Acupuncture
Acupuncture Treatments for Heart Health
Our western concept of heart is that of an organ that pumps blood throughout our bodies and our "heart care" focuses around the issues of cholesterol levels in the blood, blood pressure in the arteries, and stress.
That is only the beginning of the concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM.) Now it includes those ideas as newer additions, but within the framework of the traditional view. The concept of "heart" is not limited to a small organ, but includes the entire meridian that connects with the organ. Cardiac function, ie. rhythm, output, (strength and volume) are dependent on the Yin and Yang balance of the meridian/organ and also other meridians and organs that are connected or related to the heart system. There is a predictable chain of energy flow from organ to organ, and excess or deficiency at other levels can be responsible for poor heart function.
The heart is said to house the mind (shen), so much of TCM mental health treatment involves the heart. We share this concept in our poetic literature, but not in our medicine. To illustrate the connection, consider for a moment how difficult it is to think clearly when you are upset or to take a test/perform when you are nervous. TCM theory, there is an interrelationship between specific organ systems and specific emotions to the point that long-standing unbalanced emotions can cause disease and unstable organs can affect the emotions.
In order to be truly effective, a treatment for one must contain elements for the other. So, TCM offers herbal formulas and acupuncture that can effectively moderate high blood pressure and cholesterol, arrhythmias and some other circulatory problems, and it also focuses on the emotional patterns that encourage the manifestations of these symptoms.
A person with a healthy heart will not only have adequate and appropriate blood flow, but a joyous and gentle outlook on life, free from emotional extremes.
References and Footnotes
- "Heart," Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart, 2007.