By Jenna Jackson

There are many ways to look at health: physical health, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Health is a combination of all these things; you are only healthy if your body, mind and spirit are in harmony with one another. This philosophy starts with many of the ancient medicines of the world.

Part of my training as a Holistic Nutritionist was studying the 5000-year-old healing modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the brother medicine to Acupuncture. Traditional Chinese medicine (which I will refer to as TCM for the remainder of this article) paints a poetic picture of health and disharmony. In TCM the body and mind are unified, and each organ is paired with an emotion. Since each organ is ruled by a certain emotion, we know if the organ is imbalanced not only by physical symptoms but emotions as well. TCM also uses the principles of yin and yang. Yin is a feminine energy, more related to earth, the moon and being grounded. Yang is a masculine energy, motivation, creativity, fire, related to the sun. In order to restore and maintain health there must be a good balance of yin and yang in the body. If yin is deficient, usually yang is in excess and the contrary for deficiency of yang. Also, a diagnosis can be finalized by looking at a person’s tongue. The colour, shape, coating, marks or irregularities in certain areas of the tongue tell us what is happening in certain organ systems. Furthermore, in TCM, pulse diagnosis  is yet another tool for verification: pulse quality, rhythm will tell you of deficiency or excess, yin or yang, and different spots on the radial pulse are representative of different organs.

The Emotional Heart

The heart is the king of all organs in TCM; it houses the ‘shen’ (the mind) and stores the spirit. Though the heart is one of the most important organs in TCM, it is usually the last organ affected when we are out of balance. All other organs will take the hit to protect the heart. In Chinese healing tradition ‘the heart’ includes not only the organ itself but also the concept shared with the west – ‘love, emotion, heart and soul’. The heart represents all emotional, mental, and spiritual beliefs and activities of a person and brings about each person’s unique personality.

The heart in balance

In TCM the heart is responsible for circulation of blood in blood vessels, taking essence from the food we eat and creating blood. Someone with a balanced heart Qi (energy) will have a glowing, vital complexion, warm peripheral circulation, a smooth regular pulse and will sleep well and soundly. They will have a good spirit and balanced emotional responses; they will be optimistic, vital, clear minded. The heart is paired with the emotion of joy, therefore someone with a balanced heart is joyful, but not too joyful. Because the heart distributes blood, it is reflected in the complexion; a heart with abundant blood gives one a lustrous and rosy complexion, red is the colour that represents the heart. The heart is said to open on the tongue, specifically the tip of the tongue; a balanced heart is represented by a pale red or pink tongue.

The heart out of balance

Since the heart houses the ‘shen’ or mind and stores the spirit, when the heart is out of balance, the mind is not anchored and this manifests itself as the inability to live in the moment or to be present in your life. Emotionally, an unbalanced heart will show up as excessive joy and laughter; sometimes this happens to people in a state of continual mental stimulation. Today this is more prevalent than ever; we are constantly being stimulated by social media and how our lives should look; this disrupts the heart and makes one compare one’s life to these images we are constantly seeing. This causes the mind to become “unanchored”. One may experience disruptive sleep patterns, excess dreaming and confused and distracted thoughts. The complexion becomes pale and dull when there is ‘heart blood deficiency’, purple and dark when the heart blood is ‘stagnant’. Poor circulation, cold extremities and a weak irregular pulse will also be a manifestation of a deficient or unbalanced heart. A disrupted heart will appear on the tongue as well, usually a crack down the mid-line of the tongue is a common sign of an unbalanced heart.

Nourishing the heart

There are many ways we can keep the heart balanced according to TCM. Red is the colour that represents the heart, and eating red foods will nourish and bring about balance. Red foods are considered warming and nourish the heart blood, and in the west, deep red foods are high in antioxidants; these protect our heart and arteries from free radicals and oxidation. Expressing ourselves honestly and openly, staying true to who we are, all nourish the heart. Bringing joy into our lives keeps the heart happy; being able to connect with others, making meaningful relationships fills the heart with joy. Our relationship with ourselves and how we perceive ourselves is the most important relationship of all. Think of more than just what is on your plate when trying to nourish your heart, there is so much more involved to reach optimal health.