The Mental & Emotional Aspects of the Liver & Small Intestine Meridians

13 Jul 2021

In western terms we tend to think of emotions as a ‘brain event’. In our last blog we established that although the brain may be  the ‘central command centre’ of our emotions, feelings are literally felt, stored (and can  sometimes even be initiated) almost anywhere throughout the entire body. There are specific mental and emotional aspects of acupuncture meridians. In this blog we are going to explore the mental and emotional aspects of the Liver Meridian and the Small Intestine Meridian.

The Mental & Emotional Aspects of the Liver Meridian 

The Liver channel in acupuncture theory is associated with anger! People that are easily  angered and are quick to yell or get upset over trivial matters usually have “excessive” or stagnant energy in their Liver channels. The pre-disposition for such pathologies can be excessive use of alcohol, over-indulgence in improperly combined spicy foods (…especially when those are coupled with alcohol!), or simply not allowing oneself enough time to rest, take it easy and laugh a little. There’s time to be serious and there’s time to be jolly and joke around. Too  much of either extreme will likely lead to some sort of an unhealthy imbalance. The key is, a little bit  of both will keep the mind calm and stable. 

The Mental & Emotional Aspects of the Small Intestine Meridian  

The energy in the Small Intestine meridian provides us with clarity and discernment. It is  specifically of interest when we’re faced with a number of options before having to make a final  decision, and we have a difficult time ‘discriminating’ between those choices. One notable point used specifically for such situations (Small Intestine-5) is located along the line following  the outer edge of the pinky finger, between one of the wrist bones of the hand and the end of  the forehand. It is interesting to contrast this point and its location with a particular point on  the Gall Bladder meridian often used in similar psychologically-bound situations. The subject  point on the Gall Bladder meridian is located in the ankle joint in the “hollow” space between  the lower leg and the foot (anatomically referred to as the sinus tarsi). This latter point (Gall  Bladder-40), however, is used primarily in cases where one simply seems to lack the ‘courage’ to  make a decision one knows is the right one to make…in other words when one just doesn’t  have the ‘guts’ to do what should be done!

As you can see, there are many ways in which Acupuncture can influence your emotional health. Stay tuned as we continue to explore how that works.

By: Andre Inglot, Registered Acupuncturist

If you are interested in using acupuncture as a means to improve your emotional wellbeing, book a meet and greet with our Registered Acupuncturist, Andre Inglot at Natural Choice Medical Clinic in Guelph!