Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:19):
Hello Wellness
Warriors.
Welcome back to another episodeof the Wellness Insp inspired
podcast, a place where you canfind inspiration, motivation and
empowerment in the pursuit of awellness lifestyle.
I'm your host, sherry Davidson.
I'm a wellness coach,acupuncturist, trail runner and
former interior designer inHouston, texas, and I am deeply
passionate about health andwellbeing.
(00:41):
And, as always, I'm here withmy co-host, vin, and if you're
new to the podcast, vin is myterrier mix, rescue dog, trail
runner and loyal companion.
He is also a therapy dog andgreeter at Element 5,
acupuncture and Wellness, and wehave an exciting episode for
you.
Today we're diving into theheart, emotions and something
(01:03):
called shin.
Shin is a concept intraditional Chinese medicine
that explains why your heart isso much more than just an organ.
I have a few questions for you.
Have you ever felt restless,anxious, or like your mind just
won't slow down, or have youstruggled with sleep or feeling
(01:23):
emotionally off balance?
We've all been there.
Well, that's your shin talking,and in TCM, the shin lives in
your heart, influencing youremotions, clarity and your
connection to yourself andothers.
I know that is.
This is nothing like Westernmedicine.
Eastern medicine is so poetic.
So, in the spirit, talkingabout poetic, in the spirit of
(01:46):
Valentine's Day, love, self-careand emotional wellness.
Let's talk about how tostrengthen the shin and bring
your heart back into balance.
But before we jump in, for allthose avid listeners who've
tuned into the podcast over thepast year, you likely caught
wind of the wellness rivercruise.
Well, the past year you likelycaught wind of the wellness
(02:06):
river cruise.
Well, friends, the moment hasarrived.
Mark your calendars for April20th 2025, as we set sail on an
unforgettable seven night cruisealong the Danube river.
We'll traverse the picturesquelandscape of Austria, germany,
hungary and Slovakia.
Prepare for many activesightseeing adventures,
including invigorating hikes,scenic bike rides and even a few
(02:27):
brisk runs.
Alongside these activities,indulge in the serenity of yoga
sessions, engage in enlighteningwellness discussions and savor
the flavors of locally sourcedcuisine.
Excitement is already brewing,as several enthusiasts have
secured their spots.
For those intrigued, I'll putthe links in the show notes and
in episodes 63 and 64, a Journeyof Wellness and Wonder on the
(02:51):
Danube with Amal Waterways.
I had the pleasure of havingLaurie, a representative from
Amal Waterways, and Tammy, aseasoned travel concierge, on
the podcast to discuss the fullriver cruise experience.
Feel free to check thoseepisodes out for more
information.
This all has to happen quickly.
The cruise is around the corner.
So if you're interested, putdown your deposit.
(03:11):
It's not a lot to hold your spot, the shin, your heart, spirit
(03:32):
and emotional compass.
In TCM we call the heart theemperor because it's the ruler
of all things in the body.
But it's real magic comes fromsomething called the shin, which
you can think of as your innerlight, wisdom and emotional
presence.
When your shin is strong andanchored, you feel joyful and
emotionally stable.
You're clear headed and focused, you're connected to yourself
(03:52):
and others, you're rested,relaxed and at peace.
But when the shin is disturbedor weakened it can show up in
some not so fun ways Anxiety,restlessness or racing thoughts,
insomnia or trouble stayingasleep, forgetfulness, brain fog
, feeling emotionally sensitiveor disconnected and a deep sense
(04:16):
of emptiness, like something'sjust off.
Any of that sound familiar.
Our modern world is full ofstress, overstimulation and
nonstop to-do lists, all ofwhich can weaken the shin.
The good news there are ways tobring it back into balance.
So first let's talk about howemotions affect the heart and
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the shin.
Each organ in TCM is connectedto a specific emotion.
So for the heart, that emotionis joy.
But here's where things getinteresting Too much joy or too
little joy can both causeproblems.
You're probably asking too muchjoy, who can have too much joy?
But it's true.
(05:00):
Balanced joy is happiness,warmth and emotional stability.
Now, too much joy think,overstimulation, excessive
excitement or chronic stress canscatter the shin, leading to
anxiety, restlessness andburnout.
And too little joy from grief,loneliness or stress can drain
(05:22):
the heart's energy, leaving youfeeling disconnected and
emotionally numb.
And it's not just joy.
Other emotions can affect yourheart's energy too.
So let's just take grief andsadness.
While grief is mostly tied tothe lungs and TCM, deep sorrow,
deep sadness, weakens the heart,making you feel emotionally
(05:44):
heavy and withdrawn.
And unprocessed grief can leadto insomnia, fatigue and a deep
sense of disconnection.
Also, worry and overthinkingthe emotions related to the
spleen.
So if you've ever laid awake atnight with a racing mind,
that's excessive worry,scattering your shin and making
it impossible to relax.
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There's also fear and shock.
Fear is the emotion related tothe kidneys in Chinese medicine.
So sudden fear or trauma sendsa shock wave to the heart,
disturbing the shin and causinglong-term anxiety or panic
attacks.
So if your emotions are allover the place, your shin might
need some love.
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So I want to give you somepractical tips today on how to
strengthen the shin and restoreemotional balance for
Valentine's day this year.
I bet you will never guess what.
My first one is Acupuncture.
Bet you never guessed that.
Acupuncture for emotionalstability.
If you're feeling anxious,restless and just not yourself,
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acupuncture can be a gamechanger.
I have seen it happen so manytimes in my practice.
It is like one of the mostwonderful things to see.
They come in feeling one way.
They walk out feelingcompletely different.
They are a completely differentperson.
It's amazing to see.
And here's how it works.
So it anchors the shin byactivating the parasympathetic
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nervous system.
It can also help clearemotional blockage and restore
balance and it improves sleepand reduces stress.
And certain acupuncture pointslike yin-tong that's the point
between the eyes.
It's probably one of the mostcommon points photographed for
any kind of marketing material.
But there's also pericardium-6.
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We use pericardium-6.
It's on the wrist, on theinside of the wrist.
We use that one also a lot fornausea.
So a lot of people know it fornausea.
They'll do acupressure on thatpoint for for nausea.
These two points have amazingabilities to calm an overacting
mind.
There's also a lot of otherpoints that I like to use as
(07:48):
well.
But those are.
Those are two of the mostcommon points.
Okay, onto the next one.
So you probably are never goingto guess what I'm going to say
next.
Herbal medicine is one of thebest ways to support emotional
balance.
I want to share some TCMformulas with you because I
think it'll be fun, but justremember, it's always best to
consult a practitioner.
All of these formulas I'm goingto mention, they're gentle
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formulas, so none of them aregoing to hurt you.
You just might not get theresults that you want, and we
want you to see results.
So many times, I think peopletake herbs and then they think
they don't work.
But herbs are super powerful.
You just have to get thediagnosis right.
Okay, so here are a few shinnourishing formulas.
So I'm going to start withTianhua Buxendong.
(08:33):
It is the emperor of heaven'spill.
I love how they name uh, thethe formulas that again, they're
so poetic.
Um, this is great for insomnia,heart palpitations and anxiety
from a yin deficiency, and it'sbest if you have night sweats,
irritability and wake upfrequently, so this might be
good for somebody a woman goingthrough menopause who's having
(08:57):
night sweats.
It could be appropriate forsomebody like that.
The next one is swanzao rentong.
Swanzao rentong helps withfalling asleep, staying asleep
and excessive worry.
So if you wake up between 1 and3 am feel irritable or have a
racing mind, this formula couldbe for you, okay.
The next one is one of myabsolute favorite ones.
(09:19):
It's Genmai Datsutong.
This is perfect for emotionalinstability, sadness and
excessive crying, and it's bestif your emotions feel out of
control, overwhelming orunpredictable.
It's best if your emotions feelout of control, overwhelming or
unpredictable.
So this one I give a lot forpeople going through, let's say,
(09:41):
a breakup, like I took it for abreakup.
I broke up with my boyfriend, Iwas crying, I was upset and
this formula was amazing andI've had success with it over
and over and over again.
So it's a really great formula.
It's a super simple formula,one of my favorites, okay.
The last one I want to sharewith you is Anxin Ding Jiruan.
This is calm the shin andsettle the will pill, so it
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helps with high stress,nervousness and feeling on edge.
Okay, so those are a fewformulas that are very commonly
prescribed in traditionalChinese medicine, but because
TCM is all about treating theroot cause, working with an
herbalist or acupuncturistensures that you get the right
formula for your unique needs.
(10:26):
So so please remember that.
Okay, number three you guys knowhow much I love breath work and
meditation, so breath work isan instant way to calm the shin
and bring your heart back intobalance.
It's a great way to activatethe vagus nerve.
So breathe, people breathe.
(10:47):
So try this.
I'm going to give you a just asimple shin soothing uh, breath
work practice.
What you want to do is you wantto place your hand over your
heart and you want to inhaledeeply through your nose for
four seconds.
You want to hold for fourseconds and you want to exhale
slowly for six to eight secondsthrough your mouth.
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Repeat this five to 10 minutes,focusing on relaxation and
connection to your heart.
Now, if you are just gettingstarted doing breath work, the
exhale slowly for six to eightseconds through your mouth can
be kind of challenging.
In fact, it can kind of stresssome people out.
I know it stressed me out whenI first started doing it, and
(11:30):
still does sometimes, because Ifeel like I can't catch my
breath.
So you can do what they call abox breathing and you can inhale
for four seconds, hold for fourseconds and then exhale for
four seconds, that one works aswell.
The exhaling slowly for six toeight seconds.
It has more of an effect onyour, on your nervous system,
(11:52):
but both of them um work reallywell.
So, anyway, and it's just an,you can do this before bed and
if your mind just won't shut off, this is a great way to to get
your body and your, your shin,just to just to relax a little
bit.
Okay, the next one is heartnourishing foods.
In TCM, food is medicine andcertain foods help stabilize
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emotions and support hearthealth.
So what foods can you eat tosupport your Shen?
Well, foods like red foods, socherries, goji berries, beets,
pomegranates, anything red.
It sounds a little simplistic,but it's true.
You can also eat whole grains,so oats, quinoa, brown rice,
warming spices like cinnamon,ginger, cardamom and chamomile
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and rose hip tea are also reallygreat teas to calm the shin and
promote relaxation.
I don't know if I've ever seenthem together, but I've
definitely tried them.
I've tried chamomile and I'vealso tried rose hip or rose tea.
Both of them are really great.
My favorite is chamomile.
I've been drinking chamomilesince my teens, I think, or
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maybe twenties, I'm not sure.
Okay, the next one that you cando and the last one is
journaling and a gratitudepractice.
So journaling is a powerful wayto anchor the shin, so try this
.
So what I want you to do is Iwant you, at the end of the day,
I want you to write one thingthat brought you joy, one thing
that made you feel connected andone thing that you're grateful
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for.
Over time, this habit canrewire your brain for emotional
resilience.
Habit can rewire your brain foremotional resilience.
You wouldn't think, but agratitude attitude can really
change your life.
Okay, well, let's wrap things uphere on this Valentine's
episode and I just want to recapsome final thoughts on
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nurturing your heart and shen.
Your heart isn't just aphysical organ.
It's the center of youremotional world.
In TCM, the heart is theemperor of the body and it's
shin, your spirit, guides youremotional balance, clarity and
connection to life.
So take a moment today to checkin How's your sleep, how's your
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emotional balance, and do youfeel connected, calm and joyful,
or restless and scattered?
The key takeaways that I wantyou to walk away with today is
that a balanced shin brings joy,mental clarity and emotional
resilience, and when your shinis out of balance, you may
experience anxiety, insomnia,overthinking or emotional
(14:31):
instability.
And the last takeaway, and themost important takeaway, is that
you can support your heart andshin with acupuncture, herbal
medicine, breath work,nourishing foods and a gratitude
practice.
So there is light and there issomething that you can do to
nourish your shin.
Your heart matters, so taketime to care for it, listen to
(14:52):
what it needs and if you'refeeling off balance, you have
some tools here to nurture yourheart and shin.
Okay, well, until next time,stay well, stay connected and
keep exploring the adventure ofwellness.
I'll see you next time on thewellness inspired podcast, and
happy Valentine's day to you all.
(15:21):
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(16:27):
Thank you so much for listening.
We'll meet here again next timeand remember, never stop
exploring, learning, loving andbeing you Bye.