Our inner FIRE: What Chinese medicine meridians can teach us about joy and transformation
- Meghan Nolan
- Jul 21, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2024
In Chinese Medicine, each season is connected to a specific element and organ system. Summer is the season of fire, which governs the Heart and Small Intestine - here’s why:
Be Still My Heart: The Heart is considered the “Emperor” of all our organs and is central to our emotional and physical well-being as it houses our Shen (spirit) and governs blood circulation. It is said to be the organ that physically feels all of our emotions.
The heart at peace is symbolic of a steady flame that allows us to fully embrace what we can see right in front of us, without having to know the bigger or long-term picture. It is an unwavering light that illuminates our capacity to feel joy in the connection to life itself amidst constant change. The representative heart fire is one of wisdom, calm, warmth, intimacy and connection at its finest.
The trajectory of the physical heart channel shows us that the work from our hearts truly comes out through our hands:
The heart channel originates in the heart itself, and moves out from the deepest point of the axilla (armpit) travels down the medial (inside) aspect of the arm down to the palm and ends at the pinky finger.
Common pathologies I see & treat along the heart channel include:
Fast or irregular heartbeat (i.e. palpitations, PVCs)
Wrist pain & injury
Golfer’s elbow
Shoulder pain (esp. Subscapularis)
Depression, anxiety, stress
Insomnia
Like a Boss: The Small Intestine
Known as the “Separator of the Pure and Impure” the Small Intestine uses the element of fire to sort and absorb nutrients from our food, drink, environment and emotions. Only what is useful is sent back up to the heart and circulated through the rest of the body so we can govern our lives with clarity, vitality and confidence.
The Small Intestine conceptually and physically manages the impact of what we experience on both physical and emotional levels.
The Small Intestine channel starts at the far end of the pinky finger (makes me think of a grasping ‘lil villi in the Small Intestine itself) and ascends along the arm where it makes a fun zig-zag constellation across the top of the shoulder blade (also where so many of us hold our pain patterns) and ascends to the neck, ear and eye.
Common pathologies I see & treat along the Small Intestine channel include:
Shoulder pain
Rotator cuff injuries
Neck pain
Back pain
Elbow pain
Wrist pain
Facial paralysis / Bell’s Palsy
Ear disorders or discomfort
Sympathetic nervous system dominance
Support breast health or alleviate breast pain (breast cancer, breast cysts, painful breasts with menstruation, mastitis, assist lactation)
From a Western perspective, the heart and small intestine are both innervated by the vagus nerve, which influences heart rate and digestive function.
Fire takes on many forms - it can be destructive, provide warmth or be the vessel of transformation and these qualities are heightened in the Summer months full of heat. Think shouting, mania, anger + violence, vs. passion, play, rest, creativity + connection.
Schedule an appointment if you are needing some care around that tender heart, or for the knots that always seem to make a home around the superior medial border of your scapula. Chinese medicine theory revolves around the concept that the elements most at play in our external world, are also happening in our internal one. ☯️🪡
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