Anger and Asian Medicine

Shiatsu therapy, meridian exercises and Liver Kampo (a Japanese herbal formula that supports liver function) can nourish the weak elemental process and disperse stagnation in Wood, correcting vital energy imbalances, restoring harmony in organ functions and dispelling anger.

by Brian Skow — 

When an obstacle gets in the way of a goal, we feel frustration, then anger. In Asian medicine, anger is associated with the Wood process. The Wood organs are the liver and the gallbladder. Although often perceived as negative, anger can be a positive if it promotes a non-damaging action that removes the obstacle and achieves the goal. Think of a flower appearing through a crack in the sidewalk, busting through the concrete and making room to grow.

Anger can be a negative if there is no worthy action and we just stew. In stewing, internal “heat” can be generated in the liver. This heat can rise and cause tension and pain in the shoulders and neck, violent headaches, eye problems, a red face and high blood pressure. It can also “boil” the fluids in the body, causing gallstones, bleeding, acne and red, itchy skin.

If vital energy is too strong in the Wood process, there will be a weakness in one or more of the other elemental processes. Most likely, there will be a weakness in Metal (lung and large intestine) or Earth (spleen and stomach). So, when suffering from Wood issues due to anger, you also may experience troubles such as constipation or indigestion.

Shiatsu therapy, meridian exercises and Liver Kampo (a Japanese herbal formula that supports liver function) can nourish the weak elemental process and disperse stagnation in Wood, correcting vital energy imbalances, restoring harmony in organ functions and dispelling anger.

Brian Skow, of Shiatsu Works, LLC, is a certified practitioner of the American Organization of Bodywork Therapies of Asia and a diplomate in ABT by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, with a specialty in shiatsu. www.shiatsuworks.info, [email protected] or 602-770-4331.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 26, Number 3, June/July 2007.