There is a whole-body interaction happening from excess emotional reactions. Anger affects the liver, Joy affects the heart, Worry affects the spleen, Sadness affects the lung, and Fear affects the kidneys. The emotional climate of our surroundings has a direct effect on the body through the energy of the organs. Our organs in their mental / emotional aspects have a specific way of being that they prefer. When this natural order is disrupted, a pathological state can occur. The body will try to balance the Qi to neutralize pathological states. This is the body’s defense mechanism for keeping us balanced, but it also uses up Qi (energy) which can cause us to feel tired and depleted. Stress drains energy.

The following list gives an illustration of the mental/emotional aspects of being related to classical understanding of the body, according to the 5 Elements. 

1. Wood Element: The Liver, creativity and expression, and the smooth flow of qi. The Liver is related to creating a smooth life path, and the Liver likes free, easy movement. In a pathological state: Anger, outbursts, shouting, frustration, and feeling “stuck”.
2. Fire Element: The Heart, mind and consciousness, joy and laughter, and the circulation. The Heart likes happiness and clear-thinking, and wants warmth and entertainment. In a pathological state: Mania, easily distracted, insomnia, or talking too much. 
3. Earth Element: The Spleen (and pancreas), intellect and reason, transformation and experiencing the sweetness of life. The Spleen categorizes, reasons, thinks, and transforms. The Spleen likes positive change, the sapors of food and drink, and brainy exercise. In a pathological state: Worry, rumination, overthinking, or loss of reason.
4. Metal Element: The Lungs, awareness and sensitivity, organization and energy. The Lung is awareness of surroundings, the executive organizer, and the Master of Qi (determining factor in a high or low energy level). The Lung likes activity, organization, open space, acceptance, and freedom. In a pathological state: Grief, sadness, depression, loss of energy, lack of organization. 
5. Water Element: The Kidneys, will power, personal identity, strength of the body, and ancestral heritage. The Kidney is your will to live, “source” of being which is the link with ancestors, your personal signature or identity, and the power you need to face life’s setbacks. The Kidney likes strong, firm foundations, gentle work, personal confidence and a healthy (non qi depleting) lifestyle. In a pathological state: Fear, anxiety, feeling “blah”, loss of willpower, drained or low energy, discontentment with the self or low confidence.

Emotional effects on the 5 element aspects of our being have specific internal results on the body’s qi, which are visible in the pulses and physically along the acupuncture channels. 

• Anger: Raises the Qi
• Joy: Slows down the Qi
• Worry: Ties the Qi in knots
• Sadness: Depletes the Qi
• Fear/Anxiety: Scatters the Qi

The goal of acupuncture is to balance the Qi so that it returns to its natural, normal movement, which will alleviate mental and physical symptoms. 

• Liver Qi Stagnation: tight, stiff muscles, feeling very stiff after waking up in the morning, unrestful sleep, feeling depressed, tired, or “stuck, lack of creativity in a normally creative person, moodiness, irritability, chest stuffiness, menstruation difficulties, tightness of the diaphragm or upper abdominal region. Your acupuncturist may notice a Wiry pulse, red or toothy tongue sides, and tight muscles along the acupuncture channels. 
• San Jiao (Metabolism) dysregulation: Weight gain, irregular digestion, urinary symptoms, feeling too hot or too cold in temperature, confusion, and sweating. Your acupuncturist may notice a weak pulse at the San Jiao location and tender acupuncture points along the San Jiao channel. 
• Spleen Qi Deficiency: A sallow complexion, tiredness, a desire to lie down, weakness of the limbs, a reduced appetite, abdominal weight gain or a distended abdomen, loose stools, and an aversion to or intense craving for sweet foods. The acupuncturist will notice a swollen, tooth marked tongue, and a slow or sinking pulse at the Spleen location. 
• Kidney Yang Deficiency: Sore back, low back pain, knee pain or joint pain, possible dizziness, tinnitus (noise in the ear), decreased libido or sexual performance, a general lack of motivation to “get stuff done”. The acupuncturist might find cold in the low back channels, deficient Kidney pulse, a pale tongue with extra coating at the very back. 
• Heart Fire: Palpitations (any feeling of uncomfortable heartbeat or fluttering in the chest), insomnia, flushed face, thirst, bitter taste in the mouth, ulcers, urinary burning, a spell of mania, obsession, or extreme distraction. Insomnia, or inability to fall asleep. The acupuncturist will likely note a red tongue with a very red tip and heat dots, a rapid full pulse in the Heart location, and a red bright complexion. 
• Stomach Yin Deficiency: Inability to digest regular foods, hunger with no desire to eat, “food fatigue” (you’re hungry but nothing sounds good), hiccups, dry mouth, constipation or dry stools, and thirst. The acupuncturist will probably notice a tongue with a peeled or absent coating that is red with little moisture, and thready, rapid pulses. 

Can classical medicine / acupuncture benefit the immune system? Most certainly, it can. Classical medicine has a long tradition of treatment for pathogenic chi (contagious diseases) that goes back to the earliest dawn of medicine. The strategy involves the support of the body’s Wei Qi (immune system) to expel the invader and harmonize the regular processes. Acupuncture balances the yin and yang, hot and cold, excess and deficient. In a state of deficiency (depleted immune system), the body is prone to absorb an excess, which is the unwanted invader. 

Immunity functions as the first line of defense: guarding the surface protects against internal harm. -Bienfield*

When chasing the pathogen, the physician must first detect its location and then stop its progression. -Su Wen *

When the pathogen is abundant, this is an excess. When the (immune) qi is weak, we call it a deficient condition. -Su Wen

The immune system is a circulating system of energy known as Wei Qi. Wei Qi is also called anti-pathogenic qi or defensive qi. Acupuncture moves, invigorates, and strengthens the Wei qi to protect the body against invading pathogens. Pathogenic invaders, even in ancient times, were recognized as airborne communicable diseases. They called it “pathogenic wind” or Xie qi, “evil wind”. 

Pathogenic wind is the root of all kinds of illnesses…When the pathogenic wind invades the body, it gradually turns into heat and gradually damages the energy, essence, and blood. When blood becomes depleted, the liver is not nourished and malfunctions. -Su Wen

The Wei Qi flows on the outer layers of the body, between the skin and muscles in an area known as the cou-li space, and it diffuses over the chest and abdomen. Wei Qi is responsible for immunity and protects the body from pathogens in the environment. It assists in regulating body temperature via the opening and closing of the pores. The Lungs and Liver are the organs that regulate this Wei Qi. The Lungs are the organ closest to the surface and are often the first to be affected by an invading pathogen. The Lungs play a part in diffusing the Wei Qi around the chest. The Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of qi and the body. If the Liver is functioning poorly, openings in the Wei Qi weaken the body’s defense. 

A person who has weak or deficient Wei Qi is prone to catching colds and other illnesses, will feel cold easily, have low energy and may have an autoimmune condition. Their sleep-wake cycles may be problematic or irregular. This is because the Wei Qi also plays a part in putting us to sleep at night and waking us up in the morning. During the day, the Wei Qi circulates on the exterior of the body. At night, the Wei Qi retreats to the interior of the body to nourish the internal organs. It emerges at the acupuncture point Bladder 1 at the inner eye in the morning, signaling us to wake up. 

Problems with the Wei Qi (immune system) often look like this: 

• Disrupted sleep cycle
• Trouble falling asleep
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Shortness of breath 
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Catching colds easily
• Headaches
• Sensitivity of the skin
• Digestive upset

If you have a combination of these symptoms, your Wei Qi is likely impacted. What are some things that negatively impact the Wei Qi? In other words, they deplete or exhaust the immune system. Watch out for these: 

• Exposure to pathogens (being around infected people) 
• Not sleeping regularly or not sleeping enough
• Stress (especially prolonged stress) 
• Overwork
• Improper nutrition
• Lack of exercise and movement (lack of movement causes stagnation of qi, which then cannot circulate properly). 
• Grief, sadness, or frustration
• Chemical exposure or endocrine disruptors in the environment or home 
• Uncontrolled allergies (Wei Qi disturbance) 

So these are all things that can deplete your Wei Qi, resulting in a loss of energy, feeling sick, catching colds often, and recovering more slowly from common ailments. 

Types of Pathogens

Oriental medicine recognizes five types of external pathogenic invaders. Acupuncture methods are applicable for each one. 

1. Virus (pathogenic cold) 
2. Bacteria (pathogenic heat) 
3. Fungus (pathogenic dampness) 
4. Poison (toxic heat) 
5. Pathogenic Climates (excess of heat, cold, wind, dampness or dryness) 

This progression from the exterior to the interior layers of the body describes the journey of the pathogen from the outside, in, and also shows up as symptoms in the progression of the illness. This is called the Shang Han Lun (stages of progression of a pathogen) . If the pathogen started out on the exterior channels (stiff neck, aversion to cold, shivers, and low energy), and the Wei Qi does not fight it off, it could progress to the interior channels and disrupt the internal organs. Acupuncture is strategically designed to “arrest” the pathogen at whatever layer it is in, and help the body to expel it. If the pathogen is so deep that it cannot be expelled, the acupuncture treatment will be designed to strengthen the body’s natural qi so that it can win against the pathogen. 

Here is a quick overview of the first layers of illness. If you have some of these symptoms, especially with sudden onset or a very quick onset, it is essential to get help quickly to “catch” it at the first, and not wait until the pathogen has launched a full attack. 

First layer: Aversion to cold, feeling cold, shivers, a stiff or painful neck, possible headache. Your acupuncturist may notice a pale complexion, withdrawn posture, and a floating pulse. 

Second layer: Alternating chills and fever, or a high fever; sweating, thirst, irritability, and feeling very hot. The pathogen has penetrated the exterior and moved interior where it turned into heat. Your acupuncturist may notice a red face, and a red tongue with yellow coating, and a rapid or overflowing pulse. 

 Our body systems are inextricably linked with emotions, and imbalanced emotions are one of the causes of illness. The Western concept of the “bodymind” supports this. All Classical medicine focuses on balancing the triad of Mind, Body, and Spirit. Grief, sadness, and depression impact the Lungs, interrupting their function of diffusing qi properly and leaving a weakened Wei Qi. Frustration, anger, or resentment impact the Liver, resulting in stagnant qi and a condition known as Yang Rising. The Spleen plays a part in controlling the lymphatic system, which is involved in the transport of immune cells and the purification of the blood. What might a depleted immune system be telling us? 

• Lung Qi Deficiency (frequent colds, shortness of breath): Sadness, grief, a lack of organization, depleted qi from overworking 
• Liver Qi Stagnation (muscle pain or tightness, muscle imbalances): Anger, frustration, resentment, feeling “stuck”, not knowing how to move forward, lack of mental flexibility, unresolved negative feelings
• Wei Qi depletion: Lack of boundaries or personal defenses. Unhealed mental wounds from the past. Disturbance of sleep-wake cycle. Lack of balance of movement vs. relaxation. A lack of nurturing. 

Each of these clues from the body describe a fundamental imbalance, an imbalance of Yin and Yang. The “Middle Path” describes the process of seeking to balance aspects of life that affect us physically and mentally. For example, overwork should be balanced with less work and more play. Resentment should be balanced with movement, taking action to prevent “stuck” (stagnant) qi. Opposites are complementary. A depleted immune system is balanced with acupuncture and lifestyle changes to circulate qi properly, strengthen fortifications against pathogenic invaders, and nurturing the organ systems responsible for the creation of Wei Qi. 

In your session with the acupuncturist, relevant points to fortify the immune system for the prevention of illness will be used. First, the acupuncturist will look at your tongue and take the pulses in six locations to see the state of health of the organ systems. Then a treatment with acupuncture will be put together. While you lie comfortably on the table, the treatment begins to take effect. You and your acupuncturist may decide together to use a strategy from the Materia Medica. This might involve the use of moxibustion (the heating of acupuncture points with herbs for therapeutic purposes), food therapy to fortify the qi and improve nutrition, and herbal support for the immune system. 

There is in classical medicine a well-established system for boosting the immune system. This is done in a natural, noninvasive way that relaxes the mind and strengthens the body. If you believe you have a depleted immune system, it is best to seek treatment sooner rather than later so that your acupuncturist can pinpoint the root cause of the illness and help you feel better faster. 

References: 

*Harriet Bienfield, Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine

*Maoshing Ni, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine