Happy Valentine’s Day! Did you know that according to Chinese Medicine, the Heart’s season is summer? So why celebrate Valentine’s Day in February? There are many good reasons to spend time focusing on your heart in the middle of winter. This tends to be the time of year when people feel most down and depressed, especially those who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The lack of sunlight and cold, dreary days can wear our spirit down if we aren’t careful. Having a celebration of the heart during the winter is an opportunity to keep our body healthy and spirit joyful.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are more aspects to the organs than just the physical function they perform. They each belong to one of five elements - fire, water, air, metal, or wood. The element that the organ is associated with determines some of characteristics including mental and emotional qualities and an alignment with aspects of nature and the seasons.
Like in Western Medicine, the heart is in charge of circulating blood through our blood vessels. In TCM it also houses the Shen, which can be translated as spirit, mind, and consciousness. If your shen is balanced, you will have a healthy complexion with radiant eyes that are clear and bright. You will also be mentally clear and have a good memory. Sleep will be sound and you’ll feel well rested.
If you have too much fire, you will have symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, sweating, palpitations, irregular heartbeat, disturbing dreams, mouth sores, thirst, red face, constipation, and dryness. If you look at your tongue and the tip is red, this is an indication of too much heat in the heart. This is often caused by stress, grief, or worry. Overjoy is also an imbalance of the heart and leads to manic behavior. If you don’t have enough fire, you would have symptoms like a lusterless complexion, low energy, depression, feeling cold/poor circulation, and low libido. You can also have a lack of drive, joy, or compassion, or have a hard time connecting with others or with your inner self.
So how do we create a healthy heart so our bodies and minds can’t function properly. The fire element can be bolstered by connecting to yourself and others. This is a great time of year to share special moments with friends, family, and loved ones to bolster the heart and keep away the dreariness outside. So set aside some time to connect with friends and loved ones this Valentine's Day. Your heart will thank you for it!
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