Ways Acupuncture Can Help Grief

Healing from grief can be an incredibly difficult and unpredictable process. It comes and goes in waves, and just when you think you’re fine and you’re in a good place, something reminds you of your grief-filled experience and it all comes rushing to the surface. We associate grief with the mental turmoil of feeling heartache so badly that it translates into nothing but sorrow, but the physical toil is often not talked about enough. There is a very real physical presence that grief inhabits in your body, and it takes shape in as many varied ways as there are reasons to grieve. 

Grief’s physical problems have been known to include higher blood pressure, a deep physical pain or soreness throughout the body, appetite loss, fluctuations in weight, and even a marked change in immune health. Your risks of heart attack and stroke also increase following the intense pain of grief. 

Physical problems are not limited to immediate health, either. It is often tied hand-in-hand with other harmful, toxic behaviors such as isolation, self-medication with excess substance abuse, and overwork or underwork, leading to burnout and/or lethargy. 

In Chinese medicine, grief is associated with the Metal element, and the organs corresponding to grief are the Large Intestines and the Lungs. Each of these organs has an energy pathway that supplies the organ, which we call the meridians of qi energy. The ancient Chinese understood grief in a larger context than the loss of a loved one. They consider that if you have difficulty letting go emotionally or mentally, or difficulty receiving quality and essence in your life, those are also types of grief. Your ability to be thankful, respectful, and to value yourself and others comes from the Metal element within you.  

When the vital energy (qi) in the Large Intestines and Lungs is healthy and balanced, you are able to deal with grief and heal from it in a healthy way. But when your qi energy in your Large Intestines or Lungs is deficient or out of balance, letting go or receiving can be much more difficult. 

Acupuncture can help the emotional wellspring of grief, by clearing and strengthening the qi energy in your Large Intestines and Lungs meridians. Correcting the flow your your qi in the Metal element helps you work through your grief holistically by balancing the storehouses of energy in your body that carries emotional weight. It can also help the physical aspects of grief: it can mitigate pain and discomfort, muscle tension, severe fatigue from lack of restful sleep, blood pressure issues, muscle and joint health, and can boost your immune system. 

Along with acupuncture, our experienced acupuncturists may gently recommend dietary changes, moderate exercise, and natural supplements to better optimize treatment. Your grief can be a non-linear process to overcome; let us become part of that healing journey. 

Give us a call at (904) 296-9545 today to schedule your consultation! 

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