As an important driver to our physical self, our emotions are heavily emphasized by Chinese medicine when it comes to internal medicine and especially more so, with regards to fertility.
No matter what kind or how weak or powerful an emotion is, it will always impact the body in one way or another. Either it can perhaps affect the underlying organs systems that are responsible for our health and function or on the manner we feel. The effects an emotion has on our body depend on how powerful the emotion is.
Emotions are perfectly normal responses of human being to stimuli; whatever happens in life, the body responds to it. Problems start to arise when the body physically overreacts to the emotion, or
-we get worn down after a certain amount of time eventually causing physical and emotional imbalance
-when the emotion is powerfully overwhelming
But not all emotions have a negative effect on our body. They can beneficial to our health, a well and can either affect our fertility positively or negatively. Our mental health is a very important and potent topic to study.
Emotions can be imagined as a back seat driver who constantly goads us and refuses to leave the car. They are a key driver to our life that incites us to a physical response. While this is normal, the physical response, in turn, further incites and even reinforces the emotion.
With regards to our mental health, this nasty cycle is not helpful at all, more so when the person senses it spiraling out of control even if the initial cause has been resolved. PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is one excellent example of this. The emotional and physical symptoms of this condition remain even long after the stressor has gone away. PTSD has a pattern of feedback between the physical symptoms and signs and the emotions that has never been severed.
So, how can this cycle be broken?
Frankly speaking, stopping this cycle is very difficult to do. It will take a multi-pronged strategy that includes a combination of Western and Eastern modalities, particularly the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) components of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in Maitland. They all can contribute to the stopping of this vicious cycle.
During treatment, what actually occurs is a delay from the emotion to the physical, a reduction of the symptoms happens as a concrete wall is set up by the treatment although you cannot entirely cut off the mind from the body.
This retardation of the process gives the practitioner an opportunity to repair the physical aspect of the patient giving him/her a chance to feel physically better. Let’s say that the patient suffers from sleeping difficulties, if the practitioner can slow down the push from the emotions, then sleep improves, energy gets stronger which thus leads to an improvement in motivation and eventually to a significant increase on the patient’s wellbeing. This boosts the resilience and resolve of the patient making him/her see that that there are different possibilities and different results for his/her problem. Changing people’s mindset and blinkered notions regarding their situation and health is one of the most difficult jobs of a practitioner in order to provide the patient the change he/she is looking for.
Women suffering from extremely painful periods are a classic example of this. Women with this problem know that it is very difficult for them to imagine that there can periods that are less painful or even without pain. It is very hard to change this type of mindset although they may be open to the possibility that some change that can enable them to have less painful or pain-free periods is possible. TCM practitioners more often than not consult with patients that have a defeatist attitude. These people no longer believe of a possibility that they will get better.
This is the reason why causing the cycle of emotion to the physical to slow down is so important.
It is interesting to know that the practitioner has also a chance to work on the emotional aspect of the person while trying to slow down the emotion to physical (and vice versa) push cycle. When it comes to emotional health, TCM often talks about “calming the mind.” When a practitioner calms the mind, he/she reduces any anxiety, stress, fear or worry to not only to make the patient feel better emotionally, but so that the feedback loop starts have its effects reversed. When the patient feels better physically and emotionally, the opportunity for change suddenly becomes real.
Our wellbeing and general health is greatly affected by our emotions. Your TCM practitioner always takes into consideration your stressors and emotions that affect your health in a huge way whether or not you come in for Chinese medicine treatment for fertility problems related to mental health concerns.
Whether by availing ourselves of ART (assisted reproductive technologies or using natural treatments for fertility, fertility treatments can be emotionally draining procedures to undergo. When we resolve our emotions, we significantly improve our reproductive as well as our general health.