2020. 9. 15.

Stress and your Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine - The Pacific Wellness Institute

Stress and your Liver in Traditional

Chinese Medicine
by Pacific Wellness | Jan 13, 2018 | Acupuncture

Stress is all but universal ̶ not many people can say that they donʼt
have any stress. Usually itʼs a matter of degree: How much stress are
you experiencing right now?
by Saima Anto, R.Ac, R.TCMP
Maybe youʼre only somewhat stressed, so youʼd shrug and say ʻJust the usualʼ.
Maybe thereʼs performance stress involved in getting an important project
delivered on time. Or maybe feeling stress tells us that something needs to 2
change. These kinds of stress arenʼt necessarily bad. We can feel energized and
excited about possibilities, even create new possibilities in our work and
personal lives. Short-term loss of sleep and lack of attention to diet or exercise
usually donʼt leave a lasting mark. Some forms of pressure can help bring out
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2020. 9. 15. Stress and your Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine - The Pacific Wellness Institute

the best in us, and managing these kinds of stress can be relatively
straightforward.

Or circumstances could combine to create significant ongoing stress, at work or

in private life ̶ even both at the same time. There is such a thing as toxic
stress: the kind that just wears you down and eats you alive, rather than alerting
you to a problem or bringing out the best in you. This form of stress can not only
erode your sense of well-being and purpose, it can ultimately cause serious
harm to your bodily health.

What does stress do to our bodies?

The physiology of stress in Western biomedicine is complex. Most people may
experience stress; few can describe precisely what itʼs doing to their bodies in
biomedical terms, although youʼre probably thinking ʻDonʼt I recall something
about cortisol being the stress hormoneʼ? Similarly, most people have
encountered the concept of the fight-or-flight response; itʼs not always possible
to fight stressors, or run away from them, but we still experience the surge of
adrenaline thatʼs supposed to help the body respond to sudden physical threat,
and the diversion of circulation from digestive, reproductive, and other routine
maintenance to muscles. We may all be a little fuzzy on the biomechanics, but
people dealing with IBS are well aware that stress can trigger or worsen their
symptoms, and those experiencing fertility issues know that stress and anxiety
can impair reproduction.

We might not be able to fill in all the blanks, but itʼs easy to recognize the
effects of stress as we experience them: Sleep, appetite, energy levels,
circulation, digestion, reproduction, and mood are all vulnerable to ups and
downs when weʼre stressed. If stress is bad enough, and goes on long enough,
we can gain or lose weight, become angry or depressed, develop insomnia,
irregular menses or other fertility issues, take up smoking or drinking, and feel
exhausted ̶ all of which can compound the original stressor(s). If youʼve been
severely stressed for a while, you might be wondering whether you have adrenal
fatigue, or are developing an ulcer. 2
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), stress affects your Liver. This
Liver is, and is not, the same as your Western biomedical liver. Itʼs the same
organ in your body, but what it is, and what it does, are seen in such different

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2020. 9. 15. Stress and your Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine - The Pacific Wellness Institute

terms by Traditional Chinese Medicine that we canʼt always draw one-to-one

correspondences between the two sets of concepts.

Traditional Chinese Medicineʼs ideas about the Liver are good at explaining
what stress does to our bodies in terms that relate to our experience, and TCM
therapies, such as acupuncture and herbal formulas, are excellent at relieving
stress, and helping the body resist its effects.

The Liver does many things, but one of its major functions is to regulate all the
energy traffic in your body. Yes, just like an air-traffic controller, being your Liver
is a high-stress job. What happens when you get stressed, then? The short
answer is, you get an energy traffic jam in your Liver. This in turn readily
explains many of the common immediate and long-term effects of stress.

Why do we feel tired when weʼre stressed, but refreshed by moderate exercise
(like taking a brief walk)? Why does stress make us hungrier, or lose our
appetite, or grind or clench our teeth? Why does stress make it harder to get a
good nightʼs sleep? How does stress derail normal reproductive functions? And
what about cleanses?

Youʼre tired because your energy isnʼt available ̶ itʼs stuck in traffic and canʼt
get to work. But a quick stroll later, your mind is working again, you donʼt feel so
tired, and your hands and feet have warmed up. This is because moderate
exercise is enough to break up the energy traffic jam, so now the energy is
circulating to warm your hands and feet, refresh your mind, and support your
activities.

Appetite and digestion are often affected by stress. This is because the Liver
shares the thoracic cavity with the Spleen and Stomach. So when the trapped
energy builds up in the Liver, it wants to vent ̶ and the Spleen and Stomach
are close neighbours and easy targets. When the trapped energy attacks, the
digestive process can be slowed or interrupted (accompanied by bloating or
constipation, or loss of appetite), or it can cause irritation that moves everything
through too quickly (bloating, frequent bowel movements or even loose stools or 2
diarrhea). Some people experience reflux, nausea, or even vomiting with stress,
because the Liverʼs attack has made the Stomach energy reverse its usual
downward course. If the Liver is aggressive and persistent in its attacks, ulcers
can form. With ongoing stress, the digestive functions weaken, resulting in
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2020. 9. 15. Stress and your Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine - The Pacific Wellness Institute

lower energy levels, ʻbrain fogʼ, impaired focus or memory, and/or weight loss or
gain.

Sometimes the trapped Liver energy vents into a meridian, or energy channel.
When this happens, the rogue energy travels up the channel into the jaw, and
expresses in grinding or clenching motions. These repeated movements can
make neck and jaw muscles ache, cause wear on the temporo-mandibular joint
(TMJ), damage teeth, and cause headaches.

What about sleep? The Liver also shares the thoracic cavity with the Heart,
which is located higher than the Liver inside the chest. When trapped energy
persists long enough to build up heat, the heat rises and agitates the Heart.
This is most likely to be noticed in the small hours, when we wake up between 1
and 3 a.m., and have trouble falling back asleep because our thoughts are
racing.

Besides anxiety and restlessness, the heat buildup due to stuck energy can
cause us to feel frustration, irritability, or anger. Feelings like frustration or
anger can be a source of stress (nursing a grudge will definitely cause stuck
energy), but they can also be caused by stuck energy. If your moods vary with
your cycle, your TCM provider will want to work on regulating your Liver.

Irregular menses are definitively caused by stuck energy, according to TCM.

This is because, when energy gets stuck, blood canʼt circulate freely. Briefly put,
stress affects reproduction because reproductive organs need a sufficient and
consistent supply of energy and blood to maintain normal function. Continual
interruption of the smooth flow of energy and blood makes it difficult for the
body to carry out the complex routines involved in monthly cycles, from
triggering timely ovulation to building up, and then shedding, a healthy uterine
lining.

So what does TCM think about liver cleanses?

Itʼs a huge topic, but a few brief points can be offered here. The Western view
assigns the liver responsibility for detoxifying the body. TCM doesnʼt. This is one
2
area where there isnʼt a point-to-point correspondence between TCM and
biomedicine. So ʻtoxinsʼ arenʼt the first thing that comes to mind when TCM
practitioners think about the Liver.

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2020. 9. 15. Stress and your Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine - The Pacific Wellness Institute

Taking something gentle, like milk thistle or chamomile, will probably not do you
any harm. But much of what people attribute to toxins is actually due to the
hypofunction of other organ systems, so it may not do much good either. Gentle
therapies wonʼt transform you overnight, or correct more severe imbalances.
And please donʼt use anything drastic ̶ dumping stored toxins into your system
all at once sounds like a bad idea because it is a bad idea. If youʼre going to
diagnose and treat yourself, a good rule is: First, do no harm.

So what does Traditional Chinese Medicine think we

should do about stress?
For milder forms of stress, nothing beats moderate exercise. A heavy workout
schedule will likely overtax your physical resources if you are under prolonged
or severe stress, so donʼt overdo it. Simple dietary modifications can also make
a big difference. For example, rich, greasy or oily foods are hard for your body to
break down, so they can easily jam your energy traffic. Sometimes snacking on
ice cream, chocolate, potato chips, or pizza may be just what you need to stay
sane, but maybe not when you have a difficult meeting scheduled for the next
day and need to keep your temper.

Irregular eating weakens digestion, and weak digestions have trouble making
enough blood and energy to support routine maintenance. So try to prioritize
regular meals if youʼre under stress. And rule number one of regular eating
habits is, Always eat breakfast! If youʼre not hungry in the mornings, try
ʻprimingʼ your digestive system with a small snack first. A few mouthfuls of soup
can give a weakened digestive system the energy it needs to get down to
business after fasting all night.

As for drinking, spirits can overheat the Liver, as can excessive drinking; but
moderate drinking (one drink a day) can relax the Liver and smooth energy flow.
And for those times you canʼt fit in a quick walk, squeezing a wedge of lemon
into a glass of water will help your Liver traffic keep moving.

When it comes to coping with stress, every little bit helps. For more severe 2
forms of stress, however, moderate exercise, eating breakfast, and drinking
lemon water can only do so much. Fortunately, acupuncture, herbal therapies, or
both together, are all excellent at breaking up the trapped energy caused by
stress, clearing out the heat buildup caused by trapped energy, and restoring

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2020. 9. 15. Stress and your Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine - The Pacific Wellness Institute

normal blood circulation to organs slowly starving from the effects of chronic
fight-or-flight activation. For some people, the original stress is over, but their
nervous systems have forgotten how to switch out of high gear. Acupuncture
can help your body remember what ʻnormalʼ looks like. If the stress is severe
and ongoing, it will come back after treatment ̶ but regular acupuncture can
help your body withstand the worst of its long-term effects.

Saima Anto, R.Ac, R.TCMP provides acupuncture services at Pacific Wellness

and is available for appointments four days a week. If you would like to explore
how acupuncture could help your health concerns please call us at 416-929-
6958. Acupuncture treatments are covered by most employee benefits.

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