*Dafina Kuficha hosts a twelve-minute radio spot on KPFA, 94.1FM at 9pm called

“Treasured Health Gems” every First Monday of the month. These “Health Gems” will be published periodically. Your questions and comments are welcome.  Thank you.

June 2006 Treasured Health Gems Radio Segment

Is Titled, “It’s A Matter of Heart.”

We have almost a month left of Summer’s heat and passion.  Its solstice is celebrated on the day when daylight is the longest of the year. The season of Summer is the most yang (outgoing and vibrant) of the seasons as Winter is the most yin (introspective and withdrawing).

In Chinese medicine, the three months of Summer are considered those of luxurious growth and maturation.  The weather is warm and nurturing and life in nature is plentiful, as what was once a seed now bears fruit.  Blossoming continues to occur everywhere in nature and in people. We are bearing the fruit of our dreams, and of our intentions.  Everywhere around us nature is maturing, and so, too, can we.

The element associated with Summer is Fire and the organs associated with the Fire element are four: the Heart, Small Intestines, Pericardium/Circulation Sex, the Heart Protector, and its partnered organ, a most peculiar organ, the Triple Warmer or San Jiao, which is responsible for the body’s heat and water metabolism. 

Tonight’s focus will be on the heart, which is, in Chinese medicine, considered to be the minister of the monarch who excels through insight and understanding.  According to Dr. Worsley, a renowned Five Element acupuncture educator, the heart’s role is that of “Supreme Controller who oversees the workings of body/mind/spirit.” When the monarch falls ill, chaos ensues and panic takes over. 

The only true emotion of spirit is love and that is the only true emotion of the heart.  Every other emotion is ego-based.  Some of the aspects of a healthy heart are joy, love, good memory, even-temperedness, mental clarity, the ability to rest well, sleep well, breathe well, kindness, and patience. Evidence of a heart/mind imbalance is revealed in one with the general symptoms of depression, loss of memory, excess or no laughter, restlessness, insomnia, poor circulation, fuzzy thinking, weakness of spirit, and mental illness.  When something goes what we consider, “wrong”, a healthy-hearted person, would seek a peaceful solution to the present discord.  A healthy-hearted person looks for harmony as the final solution. 

We talk a lot about the heart in our culture.  Sometimes when a person is going out for an athletic sport, tries hard but isn’t really good at it, the coach may say, that above everything, “He’s got heart.” If you’re heart’s not in something, like your work or your relationship, eventually, your heart will be in a debilitated state.  Sadness becomes the prominent emotion, even if hidden. At some point, if what is out of harmony is not attended to, the heart may attack itself.  The heart attacking itself usually has something to do with relationships that are not fulfilling, or feeling not honored or acknowledged, unloved, or hopeless.  When we do not face the issues that bother us, oftentimes, we find an indulgence to habituate and the heart is ignored, that is, we tend to deny our true feelings in turn for some kind of addiction.  Addictions do not always come in the form of drug or alcohol habits.  One can have a habit of overworking, being late, shopping as a form of escape, writing bad checks, staying up too late, and so on. When we continuously engage in hiding out from our “issues,” overconsuming in one form or another, our body responds with physical symptoms.  The symptoms will occur in the areas where we are physically vulnerable. 

Since heart problems account for a high number of deaths in this country, what do we need to understand to balance our heart/mind system?  Self-love and acceptance are crucial to having a healthy heart.  You ask, “How’s my heart going to know if I love myself?”  Even if we are in self-denial, the heart isn’t fooled.  It knows what is really up, what we are truly feeling; despite the mask we may wear to hide our emotions.  That’s why it beats rapidly when we are continuously nervous, excited, or if we feel frightened or startled.  Anything that we take in goes straight to our heart, a compliment or an insult, and we react from our heart. One thing warms our hearts, like receiving a thoughtful gift from someone, and another thing can “break” our hearts, like seeing a picture of a starving child. That’s why when someone criticizes us, we may experience the hurt at a heart level.  When we feel deceived, it hurts our heart, especially if we feel betrayed.  Human beings are not meant to experience criticism or deception.  We do this because we are out of sync with our spiritual goodness, with our spiritually divine selves. 

We can choose to have a heart of peace or one of war.  Some people are called “cold-hearted.” The heart isn’t cold; it’s warm and nurturing.  It’s the warmth of the heart’s flow that allows us to have healthy circulation, physically and, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Our perception of the things that occur in our lives can cause us to close our hearts, but when we do so, we are only hurting ourselves.  The eventual physical response to cold-heartedness could be paleness, chronically feeling cold, fatigue, sadness, bitterness, stroke, heartaches, difficulty sleeping, and worse. A cold-hearted person would not have healthy relationships.  A warm-hearted person embraces life, even its challenges.  This person’s joy is not defined by their challenges.  The balanced heart/mind has a strong, resilient shen (spirit).  It is this shen that determines the health of the individual.  If the shen is weak, scatteredness, irrational behavior or even insanity can eventuate.  If it is vibrant, a balanced life is more probable. “Controlling the spirit facilitates the movement of qi.” ~Inner Classic

Love is a free-flowing energy and when its flow is obstructed, we are damaging the heart.  The heart is about love and moving the blood.  The I Ching says, “…Truth and strength must dwell in the heart, while gentleness reveals itself in social discourse.”

When we are strong of heart, we walk in balance, in truth and with beauty.  The eyes are the mirror to the soul; thus, the brightness of the eyes reveals the health of the shen or spirit that resides in the heart. If the eyes are hazy or dull, the shen is considered to be weak and could be an indication of an underlying illness.  As well, if the person prefers lies to truth, the sparkle of the eyes can also dull and illness will eventuate, physical and most probably mental.  The tongue reveals the condition of the heart.  While a bitter taste can nourish the heart, a bitter spirit will injure it.  If you are quick to anger, that’s a sign of liver imbalance, and if it remains uncontrolled, the heart will be effected.  Palpitations, difficulty sleeping, high blood pressure have already been discussed as symptoms of this imbalance. Joy will dissipate and bitterness will reign in the heart.

There is a special acupuncture point that calms the spirit on the heart meridian called Heart 7, aka shen men, or spirit gate.  Heart 7 calms anxiety, irritability, and aids memory. This point also lowers blood pressure, regulates and stabilizes the heart and clears the mind.  It can relieve palpitations, arrhythmias and other problems that result from a Heart qi disorder. Heart 7 or shen men also aids in relieving hot flashes and night sweats, what we refer to as Heart Yin Deficiencies.  This point has two locations; one is located at the inner crease of both wrists about a half-inch from where the palm begins on the ulnar aspect of the hand that is on the side of the baby finger.  Hold this point throughout the day when you are feeling any of the symptoms mentioned.  You will also find more relief when visiting an acupuncturist because other appropriate acupuncture points will be used to form a formula that is beneficial for your individual needs as the other organs affected by the imbalance are treated.

Foods said to activate energy and nourish the Fire element which houses the heart are, basmati rice, corn, black-eyed peas, red lentils, tofu, collards, mustard greens, watercress, nori, brazil nuts, cashews, apricots, oranges, strawberries, and bancha tea to name a few.  Cayenne pepper is a good stimulant, especially for those with circulation problems.  It also acts as a blood cleanser, as does red clover tea. Hawthorn is a well-known herb used as a heart tonic.  It has properties that work on the physiology of the heart and on its structure.  Ginseng root is another herb that is known to strengthen the heart.  Mint teas are cooling for those with a lot of heat in their systems or to drink when the weather is hot. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Try sautéing the veggies with water, instead of oil.  Drink plenty of water.  Listen to your body. If you begin to feel bloated or have discomfort after eating certain foods, know that your body may be having an allergic reaction and pay attention to what you body is telling you.

What if arteriosclerosis, the deposits of fats and debris in the blood vessels, is a result of the way we think, speak and act with one another, an emotional out-picturing of what is inside us?  What if our attitude is clogging our pores?  Wouldn’t having a loving attitude be worth the try?  What if most heart disease is as a result of what we carry in our minds?  What if most disease is a result of our disconnection with our divine spiritual selves?  Wouldn’t a reconnection line be the right set up?  Take time this week and watch your thoughts, watch how you speak to others when you feel distressed.  Watch how a smile in your heart warms your spirit and changes the complexion of your day.  Take time to tell yourself loving things, take time to accept yourself as a beautiful person and shine that beauty on others.  Choose a loving heart and live in good health creating peace on the planet and being the example you are looking for in others and in the world.

Let us strive to make each moment healthier.