WHEN FEAR INVADES THE HEART
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, fear and anxiety are linked with the Heart and Kidney organs. Both fear and anxiety provide survival value to a person under threat. Biologically, both fear and anxiety are important, that is why these emotions are there to serve us. The famous fight/flight/freeze response is the response of fear and anxiety which increases alertness, respiration rate, heart rate, and muscle tone to brace up an individual to either fight/flight or freeze(Three ‘F’s of survival). In a dangerous situation, fear and anxiety can be a healthy response that enables a person to avoid danger. However, if fear and anxiety become chronic and overwhelming and start affecting your basic daily routines, it will turn pathological.
Overalertness every day due to fear and anxiety may lead to mental stress, unable to sleep and relax, exhaustion, increased heart rate to breathlessness, or in severe cases panic attacks which can make your life hell. Fear is the root cause of anxiety and fear is related to the kidneys while anxiety is to the heart. There is an apprehensive feeling with the fear of the unknown which can make the combination of fear and anxiety turn into physical signs such as tremors, frequent urination, or loose stools.
Sometimes, the fear has no organic cause and it can be due to exaggerating normal life situations or it can be imaginary. According to research, our brain is not good at distinguishing between a real and imaginary threat. According to research published in Nature Communications ‘The more vividly we imagine something, the more likely we are to believe it’s real, a new study reports. Researchers found the brain encodes the vividness of perceived and real stimuli similarly, resulting in confusion between reality and imagination.
Sometimes fear and anxiety with an unknown cause are linked to a past event that the patient does not want or wish to face or remember, for example, PTSD or sexual abuse.
Now we will look at the connection between the kidneys and heart through the Western Medicine perspective — the heart provides blood to the kidneys:
- Blood circulation/supply
- The heart pumps blood to the kidneys through the renal arteries, which supply about 20–25% of the heart’s cardiac output.
- Oxygenated blood
- The left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood to the kidneys and other organs.
- Heart failure
- When the heart is no longer pumping efficiently, blood can fill in the kidneys, which can lead to kidney disease.
The kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood and also help regulate water and salt levels. So, when there’s a problem with your heart, it can put pressure on your kidneys And if your kidneys aren’t working properly, that’s likely to affect your heart and blood vessels. So, it is a bidirectional route that makes the interplay of the kidneys and the heart in the process of fear and anxiety. Western medicine sees the link between the heart and kidneys in physiological and pathological ways and Chinese medicine will see the same connection at the energy level.
According to a study in Traditional Chinese medical sciences “In Chinese medicine, the heart and kidney are two closely related zang organs. “Harmony between the heart and kidney” (or “harmony between fire and water”) refers to the physiological relationship between these two organs, while “disharmony between the heart and kidney” (or “disharmony between fire and water”) indicates the pathological state.
The heart and kidneys are linked through the bao mai, a meridian or energy channel that enhances the harmonious flow of energy and information between these two organs. This connection is particularly relevant to matters of love, fertility, and the development of deep emotional connection.
HERE ARE SOME ACUPUNCTURE POINTS TO PRESS DURING FEAR AND ANXIETY —
SP.4
PC.6
CV.14
KIDNEY.1
SOME OTHER TECHNIQUES TO MANAGE YOUR FEAR AND ANXIETY -
- Abdominal breathing, box breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing exercises if done daily can help manage fear and anxiety in the long term.
- In psychology, there is a therapy called ‘exposure therapy’ in which a patient is asked to face his/her fears safely to overcome fear and anxiety. Please consult your healthcare provider for more information.
- Writing down your thoughts can be an effective way to address your fears and anxious states.
- Getting enough sleep, and changing your lifestyle habits can impact your emotions significantly.
- Practicing mindfulness and meditation is one of most effective way to counter unpleasant emotions.
- Talking to a psychotherapist or a counselor by expressing your feelings can help manage stressful situations.
- If the situation is overwhelming and if it is not responding to the above methods then you should consult a Psychiatrist. Maybe some mild medications might be needed for some time to reduce the severity of the symptoms.
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