Today's era constantly brings new challenges for our psyche. As if the old ones were not enough for us. Inflation, war, disasters, food prices, many people are afraid for their jobs, many people are afraid that they will get sick or that their loved ones will get sick. Media outlets provoking emotions of fear and confrontation do not help either. All of this creates excessive stress load for our psyche. Many people are increasingly under immense pressure. And this pressure gradually tends to manifest itself through physical symptoms in our body. This is called somatisation of stress. That is, mental processes begin to have physical symptoms. It is essentially a defence mechanism of our organism, where the organism tries to dissipate mental tension within the physical body.
Our organism is constantly striving to maintain homeostasis. It is always trying to achieve a stable internal environment, even though the conditions around us are constantly changing. This internal stability is necessary for all physiological processes to be able to take place at all. Somatisation of stress acts as a kind of pressure cooker valve, through which we release internal psychological tension. However, it is a bit like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. The subsequent physical symptoms are also nothing that we would like or that would be beneficial to our health. Chronic pain and fatigue are often discussed, as are neurological problems, and we frequently observe digestive issues or insomnia.
Chinese medicine does not speak of homeostasis, but rather of the constant balancing of Yin and Yang energy, where the golden mean, which leads somewhere in the middle between them, is the ideal state. An ideal state that we will, however, never reach. A state of absolute health. It is good to live in harmony so that extreme fluctuations of Yin and Yang do not occur. Which, especially lately, is not always easy to do. It is good to follow the path of moderation. In everything: in food, in work, in sports activities, in rest, in relationships, in sex... All extremes are harmful to our organism and cause imbalances within it. Imbalances of Yin and Yang energy. And these will, in time, manifest as illness.
Somatisation of stress is often an escape diagnosis for doctors. Cannot find the cause of the problem? Stress is to blame.
However, even in the theory of Chinese medicine, it is stated that 70% of the cause of illness is our psyche, 20% is our diet, and only 10% consists of other causes that we often cannot influence. For example, heredity. When you think about it, our mental state is quite a fundamental factor when we want to stay healthy.
Another paradigm of Chinese medicine says: "A healthy person is full of Qi and blood and everything in them flows freely." And it is precisely the somatisation of stress that is closely related to the second part of this statement, to flow.
The Chinese believe that Qi flows in our organism. We can imagine Qi as energy or as a vibration. It is precisely Qi that is often a point of contention between Chinese and Western medicine. No one has yet measured Qi with any device, it cannot be seen on magnetic resonance imaging, and it cannot be operated on. It is a somewhat mysterious substance. It flows in acupuncture meridians just as blood flows in blood vessels or lymph in lymphatic vessels. Qi has various functions in the organism. It warms it, nourishes it, protects it, moves it, is responsible for physiological processes, etc. In order to perform these functions, it must constantly and freely flow.
The Liver is responsible for the flow of Qi in our body. The Liver is one of the main organs or systems that control all the processes of our organism. And one of its functions is to maintain the free flow of Qi. The problem is that the Liver is an organ that is very sensitive to stressful situations. Stress, which awakens various emotions in us, limits its free-flowing function. At first, Qi begins to slow down. A person starts to notice this as various tensions in the body or mild pain. Especially in women, there are typical places where these tensions can be felt. The area of the throat and thyroid gland, breasts and chest, the neck area, the stomach and hypochondrium area, or the lower abdomen area. Therefore, Qi energy begins to stagnate first. We might feel a lump in the throat, pressure on the chest, a stone in the stomach, or bloating. Or, in my practice, I often see stress-related pain between the neck and the shoulder blade. If we do not manage to get the Qi flowing again, then along with Qi, other substances, such as blood and phlegm, begin to stagnate. And that is how more serious problems arise. For example, nodules on the thyroid gland, lumps in the breasts, stomach ulcers, uterine fibroids, or ovarian cysts. There are countless such scenarios. One of the typical symptoms is also premenstrual syndrome. According to Chinese medicine, menstruation is a physiological blockage. At a certain point in the menstrual cycle, the organism begins to retain blood. Which is a blockage. However, if liver Qi is stagnated long-term, it tends to intensify all other blockages that are present in the organism. That is why, before menstruation, women with stagnated liver Qi have more pronounced symptoms of stagnation and feel symptoms such as pain in the lower abdomen or lower back, breast pain and tenderness, psychological imbalances, etc.
But what can we do about it? First and foremost, prevention is important. It is necessary to let everything flow freely. Do not create blockages. Not only in our body, in our psyche, but also in the environment around us. The stimuli around us that create stress will never disappear. Fighting them would be quite Sisyphean. We have two options. Either we avoid stressful situations or we face them. Avoiding stress is a good idea, but sometimes it is difficult to implement. But within the realm of possibility, it is good to try.
The second option is to face these challenges. But how? We mentioned above that stressful situations create blockages. So, if we face stress with force, we are only setting ourselves up for more blocks. We will either excite our emotions extremely or suppress them strongly. Both will lead to blockages in the flow of Qi. A better way is to accept stressful situations. Come to terms with them if we cannot change them at this moment. Be like water. If you strike water, it will not be affected much and will continue to flow freely. Observe your emotions as if they were not part of you, as if they were just flowing through you. There are also techniques that can help us manage stress better. These include meditation, exercises such as Tai Ji, Qi Gong or yoga, or the more modern method of mindfulness.
It is very important to maintain good relationships with your loved ones. I would say at all costs. Perhaps this is the most important piece of advice in this article.
Sometimes, however, changing your approach is not enough. Somatic symptoms can be so pronounced that a person lacks the strength to reverse them. Or it might take a very long time. Chinese medicine offers several methods to change the situation. One of them is acupuncture, the insertion of needles into acupuncture points. A skilled acupuncturist is able to release blockages in the meridians using needles and help Qi to flow freely again.
The second option is phytotherapy, treatment with herbs, mushrooms, minerals, etc. Chinese medicine has herbal formulas in its therapeutic repertoire that can release stagnant Liver Qi. It even has formulas for more serious scenarios, where in addition to Qi, blood or phlegm also begin to become blocked, and tangible manifestations of stagnation arise, such as myomas, cysts, endometriosis, adenomas, tumours, etc.
One of the best mixtures I use for somatisation in practice is the formula Xiao Yao San. This formula was created by a well-known doctor as early as the beginning of the 12th century. It contains herbs such as Bupleurum or Albizia, which can release Liver Qi. It also contains herbs that strengthen Qi, such as Atractylodes or liquorice. This mixture can be used for all problems that are exacerbated by stress. It is excellent for various feelings of tension, gastric neuroses, anxiety, or premenstrual syndrome.
There is one more modern mixture that I prefer for somatisation. It works relatively quickly; usually, the patient sees a reduction in symptoms within 14 days. They usually describe it as the problems around them no longer bothering them as much. As if they were passing through them, not touching them. They relax overall. That mixture is Hou Tou He Ping San. In addition to herbs for releasing the Liver, it also contains the mushroom Hericium, which is excellent for somatisation, and at the same time, it includes herbs to strengthen the Heart and the Shen spirit. The Heart is the organ in which our psyche resides.
I would also like to point out one misconception. I am talking about the Liver here. But it is more of a Chinese Liver, i.e. a system that moves Qi energy in the organism, stores blood, aids digestion, and is sensitive to emotions and stress. And if I say Liver, many people imagine Milk thistle. Milk thistle is certainly a great helper, but it helps the liver more from a Western perspective. It regenerates its cells and restores its metabolic capabilities. I am talking more about the psychological aspect of the Liver here. Milk thistle cannot release blocked liver Qi. That can be done by, for example, Bupleurum or Cyperus.
Let everything flow freely. Be like water. Stress around you will never disappear. It will only be weaker or stronger. Some people might start taking, for example, Hou Tou He Ping San and they will find relief. However, if they do not change their approach to stressful situations, their somatised problems will return one day. Just like a patient who eats chilli peppers every evening. Soon, their stomach will start to hurt. I can give them a herbal prescription for this type of pain. They will find relief. But if they do not stop eating peppers every evening, they will never get rid of the pain permanently.
Be like water.
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