7 emotions that affect your health.

Each emotion has a particular effect on Qi and affects a certain organ (energetics of that organ).

Anger makes Qi rise and affects the Liver. More than any of the other emotions anger should be interpreted very broadly and include several other allied emotions such as resentment, repressed anger, irritability, frustration, rage, indignation, animosity or bitterness.

Joy slows Qi down and affects the Heart.  Joy can become a cause of disease when it is excessive, people who are always hyper for example.  Excessive excitement can lead to heart fire.

Worry (and pensiveness) knots the Qi and affects the spleen, worry can also affect the lungs. Excessive mental work or studying can weaken the spleen and causes tiredness, loss of appetite and loose stools.  Worrying depletes Spleen Qi causing much the same damage as excessive mental work.  It also knots the Lung Qi leading to anxiety, breathlessness and stiffness of the shoulders and neck.

Sadness dissolves Qi and affects the Lungs.  Sadness leads to deficiency of Lung Qi and may manifest in a variety of symptoms, such as breathlessness, tiredness, depression, or crying.  In women it often leads to blood deficiency and amenorrhea.

Fear makes Qi descend and affects the Kidneys.  Fear and chronic anxiety often cause deficiency of Kidney Yin causing night sweats, palpitations and dry mouth and throat. In children fear can cause nocturnal enuresis – bed wetting.

Shock scatters Qi and affects the Kidneys and Heart.  This depletes Heart Qi suddenly and can lead to palpitations, breathlessness, and insomnia.  Kidneys Qi tries to make up for the loss of Heart Qi causing symptoms of night sweats, a dry mouth, dizziness or tinnitus.