Emotional Wellness Archives - Page 2 of 2

When was the last time you had a good cry?

If you’re like some people you may find yourself resisting, or, like others, you may allow the tears to start flowing but soon after start apologizing.

Fortunately, no matter how hard you resist, eventually the tears will come…and you will most likely feel so much better for “indulging” in a good cry.

While sometimes judged as weak, being vulnerable and allowing a good cry can be quite the opposite. Crying is like a built-in emotional detoxification system—washing away hurt feelings, grief, disappointments, pain, or unexplained feelings of sadness.

In fact, new research has proven tears are extremely beneficial to your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Unfortunately, a significant portion of our culture views crying as cowardly. Especially in boys, men, and women in positions of power.

In light of these new scientific discoveries, I would love to see this cultural view shift.

For it is in our acceptance of crying—with all the discomforts and drama that lead up to it—that we can experience powerful healing of our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Let’s take a big leap in shifting our perspective today, by exploring the science behind the detoxifying power of tears.

How Tears Prevent Chronic Disease

According to researchers, emotional stress is a major contributing factor to six of our nation’s leading causes of death, including: heart disease, cancer, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, respiratory disorders, and suicide¹.

Stress is also known to promote inflammation and weaken the immune system—both of which contribute to a slew of chronic and autoimmune conditions.

While it’s not “news” that stress contributes to disease, what is not widely known is that tears are one of your body’s most powerful stress-busters.

When we experience tearfulness resulting from emotional stress, those tears help us destress by releasing specific toxins and stress hormones² and reducing our manganese levels—which are notably higher when we are stressed out or anxious³.

Some reasons why we feel so much better after a good cry.

The Role of Tears in Liver Detoxification and Heart Health

Westerners don’t often associate tears with liver detoxification, or liver health with heart health.

However, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is directly connected to the health of the eyes and the heart.

And the liver/heart’s greatest emotional “enemy” is: unprocessed, repressed anger.

Case in point, researchers at the European Society of Cardiology have found outbursts of anger significantly increase your risk of heart attack and stroke⁴, while crying can reduce these effects by relieving stress.

If you suffer from a short temper or anger outbursts, you would be wise to have a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner assess the health of your liver/heart system.

I have often witnessed patients brought to tears during acupuncture or body work sessions designed to treat stagnant liver Qi. And the healing they report afterwards is often remarkable.

So, before you embark on another liver detox cleanse, be sure to consider the power of tears in cleansing your liver and strengthening your heart.

Tears Connect Us to Each Other and the Divine

It has been said, taught, and proven to some extent, that we are all connected to everything (and everyone) within the Earth.

And though every animal has some sort of tearing mechanism to protect vision and cleanse the eyes, human beings are the only species brought to tears by emotions.

Over millennia, these tearful episodes have helped build community by spurring feelings of empathy, compassion, and kindness towards our fellow man⁵. The fact we can be moved to tears by witnessing someone else’s sorrow is a clear indication of how deep our inner-connectedness goes.

In religious teachings, the vulnerability and humility experienced through crying was often seen as a path to the divine and unity with all things.

Hence why tears may be one of the most important biological reminders of our infinite connectedness.

Finally, Tears Allow us Greater Vision, Clarity, and Strength

One of the main physical roles of tears, is to cleanse our eyes and maintain our ability to see.

Without tears we would literally lose our vision.

The same principle applies to our mental, emotional, and spiritual vision for our lives and circumstances.

As our minds and hearts are cluttered with worry, stress, frustration, anger, and judgements, we become blind to the opportunities, solutions, and blessings right in front of us.

An honest tearful detoxification, allows you to flush out that clutter so you can get a good sleep and regain that mental and emotional strength you need to find clarity in your circumstances.

Only through a clear and expansive vision can we see our sources of true strength.

The takeaway from all this? Allow yourself the blessing of a good cry. Your immune system, liver, heart, social life, and vision will thank you.

-Dr. Patricia

Do you ever feel the slightest bit ungrounded? Like your life, your thoughts, and your priorities are spinning out of control?

Given the modern world we live in, I’d be surprised if anyone could answer with an honest “no”.

Never before in history have human beings been so disconnected to the earth, whilst fielding an avalanche of 24/7 news cycles and digital communication overload.

It’s enough to make anyone feel a bit ungrounded from time to time (if not most of the time).

I have noticed this in my own personal experience and in practice, as more and more patients present with signs and symptoms of what we characterize in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an Earth-deficiency.

It is becoming epidemic.

And though acupuncture can go a long way in resetting that pattern, an acupuncture-session-a-day isn’t a sustainable solution for most.

Beyond Traditional Chinese Medicine, a variety of scientific studies have revealed the proven health detriments of a lack of groundedness. It’s even been coined:”Vitamin-G deficiency” (“G” standing for “grounding”).

In other words, most of us aren’t getting enough one-on-one time with the natural world, specifically, the ground we walk on.

What happens when we deprive ourselves of Vitamin G via direct contact with the earth?

Sleep patterns suffer, heart disease risk increases, our mental and emotional well-being goes downhill, inflammation heats up causing increased levels of pain, and our relationship to stress can feel overwhelming.

The good news is, the best ways to get grounded and cure “Vitamin G” deficiency are simple, accessible, and free to everyone everywhere.

Read on to learn the best free sources of Vitamin G, plus some of the fascinating science behind the earth-human-health connection.

How the Earth’s Surface Heals the Human Body

Though it may sound a little out-there, the health benefits of earthing—the practice of connecting oneself to the ground or sea by walking around barefoot, swimming, or gardening—are well-documented by science.

We can tend to think of our bodies as purely biological in nature, when in truth they are also very much electrical.

Our nervous systems, heart beat, and brains all function via electrical impulses. This is evident when we get an EKG, which measures the electrical energy of our hearts.

The human body carries a predominantly positive electric charge, while the earth carries a more negative electrical charge. Therefore, our bodies rely on a balance of these charges to maintain groundedness and good health.

Generations ago, humans had plenty of contact with the earth—we foraged, slept on the ground, and bathed in natural waterways. All these regular activities kept our electrical systems balanced.

These days we spend most of our time indoors and surrounded by electronics which emit a positive charge.

What happens when two positives meet? They repel each other. Hence why we need that balancing negative charge from the earth to soothe and ground our circuits.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, walking barefoot naturally stimulates a major acupuncture point near the ball of the foot known as kidney 1 (K1); a key entry point for the absorption of grounding Earth Qi.

I’ll explain more of the vast health implications of the K1 point coming up, but suffice it to say earthing has a history of health benefits far beyond what we have discovered in the West.

The Proven Health Benefits of Earthing/Grounding and Vitamin G

As you can imagine and have likely experienced, chronic disconnection from the earth takes a serious toll on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Likewise, when you take the time to connect to the earth on a daily basis, the health perks add up quickly.

Here are some of the latest scientific findings on the health benefits of getting grounded/earthing:

Earthing prevents cardiovascular disease—research has shown earthing can reduce your risk of cardiovascular health issues by reducing blood viscosity—a major factor in heart disease¹.
Getting grounded can help you sleep better—insomnia creates a cascade of health issues and is a sure sign of Earth-Qi (or Vitamin G) deficiency.

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, showed earthing during sleep (through use of an earthing mat) helped improve sleep by balancing night time cortisol levels (your body’s stress hormone) which helps reset your circadian rhythm. In addition, participants experienced reductions in pain and stress. The results were especially prominent in women².

Though this study focuses on night time grounding, I have seen great improvements in patients’ sleep patterns from daytime earthing too.

Earthing can significantly reduce pain and inflammation—with all the controversy and safety concerns surrounding prescription and over-the-counter pain pills, this may be the most significant benefit of all.

In a study published in the Journal of Inflammation Research, scientists found earthing significantly reduced pain and inflammation in study subjects by influencing a variety of biological and chemical processes related to inflammation.

Exercise fiends, take note: results included positive effects on delayed onset muscle soreness or “DOMS”—the type of pain you experience a day or two after strenuous exercise.

Earthing can help improve immunity—in the same study cited above, researchers observed the immunomodulating effects of earthing on concentrations of white blood cells, cytokeines, and lymphotcytes (to name a few). It gives new meaning to the term “natural remedy”.
Earthing helps improve a variety of organs and systems via the K1 acupuncture point—as mentioned previously, walking barefoot stimulates the K1 kidney acupuncture point to absorb the Earth’s energy.

This major acupuncture point connects with your Urinary Bladder point which influences your heart, lungs, diaphragm, liver, lungs, and brain.

Why Earthing/Grounding is Essential for Promoting Mental and Emotional Well-Being

For those who suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, depression or other mental health issues, daily earthing is one of the most important self-care practices you can adopt.

Besides all the mental and emotional health benefits associated with time spent in nature and greenspace (stay tuned for a future post on this), earthing helps improve your mental and emotional health in four big ways:

It has been shown to improve heart-rate variability which can help those suffering from stress-induced emotional disorders such as panic attacks, depression, and anxiety³.
As mentioned above, it helps regulate cortisol levels which improves sleep and helps you better cope with stress.
It is effective for depression because it reduces whole-body inflammation, which many mental health experts and pioneering researchers believe is a major contributing factor to depression⁴.
Walking barefoot, gardening, playing in the dirt or sand, or swimming in the ocean all help diversify your gut microbiome which has a positive influence on that all-important gut-brain connection.

Research aside, there is the innate sensibility within that says going outdoors will make you feel better. We would be wise to heed that call, and do it with bare feet.

The photo in this blog with the kids barefoot about to go paddleboarding pulls the message together beautifully. First of all, we see the innocence of children who are still in touch with their center. Secondly, they are barefoot, a key to grounding. Thirdly, the idea of paddleboarding or surfing brings together a beautiful metaphor. To be successful at either (I can speak from experience with both surfing and paddleboarding), one has to develop an inner centeredness, an inner calm if you will. No matter how the waves are rocking and rolling around you, it is awareness from your center that allows you to go with the flow and stay balanced on the board as you ride the waves.

How to “Earth” or “Get Grounded” for Maximium Benefit

The best ways to “earth” include spending 20-40 minutes a day…

Walking on the grass, dirt, sand, or even cement barefoot.
Swimming in the ocean or walking on the beach (the electrical charge of salt water provides an abundance of negative electronics, in addition to the sand).
Gardening, preferably without gloves or shoes.
Exercising outdoors barefoot—yoga, QiGong, Tai Chi, walking, running, dancing, or anything you can do comfortably without shoes.
Using an earthing or grounding mat, sheet, or pad—these devices ground you to the earth via a copper wire and can be used on your bed, office chair, in the car, whilst doing yoga, etc.
Playing in a clean, natural body of water barefoot such as a clean creek, river, or lake.

Since many children suffer the effects of Vitamin G deficiency in the form of attention issues, inflammatory diseases, and mental health challenges, I encourage you to include them in your earthing practice (and it’s great for pets too!).

My personal favorite ways to reconnect with the earth are to walk on the beach, swim, paddleboard, putter around the yard and garden with my dogs and practice Qi Gong barefoot. I often comment how my feet just feel “happy” when I am walking barefoot on the beach.

However you choose to do it, make sure you aim for 20-40 minutes a day for maximum benefit.

When I began this blog, a priority was to provide science-backed information on the more little-known, non-commercial paths to healing.

Earthing is a perfect example of a natural therapy anyone can practice regardless of age, monetary means, or location. Just find a piece of ground, take off your shoes and relax your feet.

In appreciation,

-Dr. Patricia