I believe that almost all illness, disease, and even injury begins with the emotions we ignore. And I’m not alone. Traditional Chinese Medicine has understood this for thousands of years.
In Chinese medicine, our emotions are what begin Qi stagnation. I like to call it a traffic jam. Qi is your vital life energy, and it’s meant to flow. When a feeling gets ignored, it doesn’t leave. It parks itself in the middle of the road, and everything behind it starts to back up.
We were taught to ignore how we feel
Most of us were conditioned to believe our emotions are something to ignore, manage, or take a pill to make go away. But our emotions are not the enemy. They are information, meant to guide us toward a better understanding of ourselves and what we need.
Where ignored emotions go
In Chinese medicine, every emotion has a place it tends to settle when it has nowhere else to go:
Frustration that’s been pushed down often shows up in digestion, as constipation or other digestive troubles.
Sadness and grief that haven’t been felt or expressed often show up in the breath, as lingering coughs, snoring, or breathing issues.
Anger that’s been stored often shows up as pain.
Every condition has an emotional component. Your body is always talking. The question is whether we’re listening.
Feeling it is the action
When I talk about taking action on your emotions, I don’t mean going for a run or journaling it away. I mean acknowledging. There’s a big difference.
We’ve also been taught that we should make our feelings disappear. We’re not. We’re meant to feel them. Sit with the feeling, and get curious about it.
What is your body trying to tell you?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, every condition has an emotional root. Do you want to find out what yours is? I’d love to help you.
Sign up for a consultation call. Within the first few minutes, I can let you know what we need to do to move forward. And you don’t have to be in Minnesota. We offer health advising through telehealth, so wherever you are, I’m so excited to work with you.
AN INVITATION
Starting January 2027 we are hosting a Zoom once a month. There is never enough time
during a treatment to answer everything, and some of the best questions arrive days
later. This is the space for those. No charge, and no question is too small. Come to listen
if that suits you better.
Book your consultation call
eastwest-acu.com | (612) 965 5227
With love,
NIKKI VANECEK
Owner, EastWest Acupuncture | Team Acupuncturist, Minnesota Twins
