According to the World Health Organization, health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not just as an absence of a disease. In the world of Holistic Medicine, wherein health is a consideration of the complete person, body, mind and soul combined, there is a strong linkage between our emotions and physical health that may cause pain and dis-ease.
We often regard disease as a mere disorder of structure which may be viewed on imaging studies like ultrasound or x-rays, a disorder of functions that can be quantitated by laboratory measurements like kidney or liver function tests. Conventional medicine views the body as an efficient machine and has revolved its entire practice in finding the specific signs and symptoms of diseases while pharmaceutical industry has been successful in patenting drugs to match each symptom. Ironically in the modern health care industry, we have become disease focused. We have forgotten that a disease can be caused by a disorders in dispositions, habits and emotions. We have neglected that healing and being sick may go beyond what we can see and buy but how we feel- a big part of being human.
People say that love makes the world go round yet we can’t see love in our anatomy. Facebook is hugely popular because we get excited counting how many likes our picture can get. Purchases are made out of two things- necessity and preference. Sometimes we buy things because we like them not because we need them. When we are praised and appreciated, we become more productive. A study on productivity and recognition showed that 78% of employees would work harder if their efforts were recognized and appreciated. Employees who report being happy at work take 10 times fewer sick days than unhappy employees. How we feel has a huge impact on our activities.
Biblically speaking, Proverbs 14:30 states that a peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; but jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Having positive emotions affects your health, you literally improve your immune system and ward of sickness.
VIBRATIONS AND FREQUENCIES
There are times in our lives when we are unable to express ourselves in words but our emotions are felt and we are understood perfectly. We understand love in many languages, even in different species. We love animals too and we just know their loyalty to us even if we don’t bark. Have you ever wondered how we are able to differentiate positivity and negativity through actions? The answer is through resonance.
Resonance is a phenomenon in which a vibrating system drives another system to oscillate with greater amplitude at a specific preferential frequency. Resonance occurs when a system is able to store and easily transfer energy occurring with all types of vibrations or waves. These molecular vibrations are spread throughout the universe. Every physical action produces a molecular vibration in the atmosphere which affects every object. Any evil thought, word or action immediately creates a bad vibration in the atmosphere and does harm. Conversely any good thought, word or action immediately produces a good vibration and does well to many.
Emotions are a stunning expression of our energy, the “vibe” we give off. We register these with intuition. Some people feel good to be around; they improve your mood and vitality. Others are draining; you instinctively want to get away. This “subtle energy” can be felt inches or feet from the body, though it‘s invisible. Indigenous cultures honor this energy as life force. In Chinese medicine it‘s called chi, a vitality that‘s essential to health.
Love, peace and happiness has the same rhythmic, slow and subtle waves. Violence, fear and stress has the same disharmonious, sharp and fast waves. It just makes sense that people who are consciously vegans prefer peace and negates killing of animals. Wherein people who are meat eaters are more prone to violence because the negativity of the stressed animal they feed on becomes them.
PATTERNS
Through the years, scholars before us has studied emotions and diseases so well that they have noticed a certain pattern and linkage to it. According to Dr. William Osler “It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has.” Emotions and diseases are so interconnected that we can now map the turmoil and disharmony that is almost constant to the patient who has the disease.
Energy healers has connected certain diseases to our seven chakras which significantly coincides with the color of the rainbow. Root chakra represented by the red color is located at the base of the spine. Disharmony may stem from issues of survival and safety that may affect health especially elimination of wastes causing diarrhea or constipation, fear and anxiety. Sacral chakra signified by orange located in lower abdomen takes charge of creativity and sexuality. Organs affected may be reproductive organs, kidneys and bladder. Disharmony may cause from obsessive attachments, oversensitivity, fear or insecurity that may result to UTI, PCOS or infertility. Solar plexus chakra located on the navel represented by yellow focuses on identity and personal power. Organs affected are digestive system, pancreas and adrenal glands. Balance affects self-esteem, courage and strength; disharmony brings about inferiority or superiority complex, poor digestion and chronic fatigue. It gives a controlling, competitive and power hungry personality. Heart chakra is at the center of the chest near the heart and symbolized by green. Love lives here, imbalance affects heart and thymus gland while balance brings peace, and acceptance. A disorder results from jealousy, bitterness, shyness or intolerance. Throat chakra is in the throat represented by color blue affecting throat, vocal chords and thyroid gland. Correct balance makes smooth communications and disrupts from gossip, criticism, excessive talking or inability to express one’s self. Third eye chakra is on the forehead between the eyes. It has the indigo color that brings sight and intuition. Organs affected includes pituitary gland, brain, eye and nose. Disharmony causes nightmares, headaches, inability to imagine or visualize. Lastly, Crown chakra springs on top of the head with color purple or clear affecting the pineal gland. Balance comes forth peace, wisdom and enlightenment. Imbalance produces feeling of superiority, skepticism or thinking difficulty.
Emotional Stress
A number of scientific literature has detailed how negativity can harm the body. Chronic stress may alter biological systems that, over time, adds up to “wear and tear” and, eventually, illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Chronic anger and anxiety may disrupt cardiac function by changing the heart’s electrical stability, hastening atherosclerosis, and increasing systemic inflammation. Kubzansky is at the forefront of such research. In a 2007 study that followed more than 6,000 men and women aged 25 to 74 for 20 years, for example, she found that emotional vitality—a sense of enthusiasm, of hopefulness, of engagement in life, and the ability to face life’s stresses with emotional balance—appears to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The protective effect was distinct and measurable, even when taking into account such wholesome behaviors as not smoking and regular exercise.
Emotions and Endorphins
Endorphins are neurochemicals that is being produced in the brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary gland when the body comes under stress or experiences pain in response to neurotransmitters. It is structurally similar to the drug morphine, are considered natural painkillers because they activate opioid receptors in the brain that help minimize discomfort and reduce the perception of pain. They can also help bring about feelings of euphoria and general well-being. Endorphins are also involved in natural reward circuits related to activities such as feeding, drinking, sexual activity and maternal behavior. The neuron receptors endorphins bind to are the same ones that bind some pain medicines. However, unlike with morphine, the activation of these receptors by the body’s endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.
We feel great when we exercise because endorphin in our blood increases, anandamide levels are higher in the brain. Neurotransmitters serotonin or norepinephrine are increased releasing happy hormones that decrease the incidence of depression and better stress management.
The smell of vanilla and lavender has been linked with the production of endorphins. Studies have shown that dark chocolate and spicy foods can lead the brain to release endorphins. Keep some scented oils and some dark chocolate at your desk for a quick endorphin boost.
Recommendations
These are some recommended measures to ensure an emotionally healthy life and ward of diseases.
- Exercise
Regular exercise has been proven to increases energy levels, ward off anxiety and feelings of depression. It produces the necessary endorphins that reduce stress, boost self-esteem and improve sleep. Increased activity lowers blood pressure because it dilates blood vessels and also strengthens the heart. It improves muscle tone and strength, helps reduce body fat and also strengthens and builds bones. Overall, it makes us look fit and healthy. - Laughter
The more we laugh, the better our perspective. Problems also seem to shrink, bringing an increased sense of energy. Along with regular exercise, laughter is one of the easiest ways to induce endorphin release. Even the anticipation and expectation of laugher, increases levels of endorphins. Having a great sense of humor and finding small things to be happy about relieves us from stress and diseases. Over the centuries it has been claimed that laughter is one of life’s greatest medicines; as the Bible says, ‘a merry heart doeth good like a medicine’ (Proverbs 17:22). - Be in the moment
Thinking about things that has not happened yet makes us worry much and affect our activities within the day. Bringing painful memories or traumatic events back causes us to focus on the important issues on hand. Being in the moment is a great practice to not indulge ourselves to more negativities that makes us be more productive and live more out of our time. There is a reason it has been called present and we have to appreciate it every time. - Take a group class
Having an extra hand at work and shared effort may give your endorphin levels an extra boost. Researchers in 2009 found that college crews who rowed in synchronization had an increased rush of these feel-good hormones compared with those who rowed alone. Taking time to do things within a group helps us be socially healthy and makes us feel wanted and important as part of the team. - Make love
Nature has provided us a source of great relaxants and a joyful de-stressing activity which burns calories, too. Research shows that being touched reduces stress – as well as alleviating pain and helping to heal injuries, according to Stanford University. Taking time for those intimate moments also soothes us, uplifts us (due to the release of those mood-enhancing endorphins), and gives a sense of belonging and security. - Listen to music
Listening to music you love triggers joy by unleashing feel-good brain chemicals. Studies show that songs of meditation makes us love peace more, prevents us from being aggressive and helps us have a sound sleep. It is recommended that we listen to soothing music during driving to decrease incidents of road rage in traffic. - Have some Chocolate
Chocolate-lovers will be happy to hear that dark chocolate provides protection against heart attacks and strokes. Dark chocolate has high contents of polyphenols and other antioxidants, reduces inflammation, lowers blood pressure, reduces bad LDL cholesterol, boosts good HDL cholesterol and protects the health of your arteries. It also contains chemicals that when processed by the good bacteria in the gut releases endorphins, the body’s pain- relieving and pleasure-promoting hormones. To have the good benefits, an intake of 6-7g is needed- equivalent to one small square two or three times a week. The heart benefits tend to disappear with consumption of larger amounts. A little dark chocolate may even help to curb our appetite for unhealthier foods, according to research at the University of Copenhagen, which reveals that dark chocolate is more filling than milk chocolate and reduces cravings for salty, fatty or sugary items. - Eat spicy foods
The spicy taste of foods is not a taste sensation but a feeling of pain. The chemical compound Capsaicin binds to pain receptors of nerve cells in the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth. The nerve impulses produced pass via the trigeminal nerve into the brain, creating a painful burning feeling. The receptors react to heat and the pain is offset by the body’s reaction, which is to release endorphins. Another positive effect of hot spices is that they kill pathogens and promote sweating – the latter effect being especially useful for cooling the body in hot climates. - Reward yourself more often
Having a big goal fuels us and makes us inspired to do our work passionately. Studies say that this is due to a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and gives a surge of reinforcing pleasure when achieving them. Procrastination, self-doubt, and lack of enthusiasm are linked with low levels of dopamine. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and gives a surge of reinforcing pleasure when achieving them. Procrastination, self-doubt, and lack of enthusiasm are linked with low levels of dopamine. Instead of being left with a dopamine hangover, create new goals before achieving your current one. That ensures a continual flow for experiencing dopamine. Break big goals down into little ones — rather than only allowing our brains to celebrate when once hitting the finish line, create a series of little finish lines which releases dopamine. Also celebrate reward yourself whenever you meet a small goal.