“Make your optimism come true.”

Lung 1

Lung 1 (Central Palace or Zhong Fu) is a useful acupressure point, excellent for breathing problems, asthma, sore throat, and shoulder and upper back pain. It is known to clear the chest and emotions, and strengthen the lungs. First find the depression just below the outside end of your collarbone, then go about an inch below that depression onto the muscle (pectoralis major). It is usually tender on most people. Use your thumbs to hold this point while taking deep, slow breaths.

When you need a foot massage after a long day, try using a golf ball. Sit in a chair and take your shoes off. Put a golf ball on the floor in front of you. Place one foot on the ball, and roll it around under the sole of your foot. Roll gently over any sore or tender places, or find some points that want more pressure and just lean in and hold still for a while. Finish your foot massage by rolling the ball all over the sole of your foot, touching each area once more. Repeat with the other foot.

The Lung Meridian

The Lung is a good place to begin our study of the twelve major meridians because its main function is the intake of Qi. As we breathe in fresh, clean air, our Lung meridian extracts Air Qi to descend and disperse it throughout the body. The Lung also has an important role in immune function, as it relates to the skin and our physical boundary to the world around us. As part of the Metal Element, the Lung is paired with the Large Intestine. Physically and psychologically, the Lung represents our ability to receive and our ability to let go.

The Lung pathway begins just below the collarbone, in the pectoralis muscle. It travels down the arm to the thumb, and there are a total of 11 acupressure points on the Lung meridian.

The Lung relates to the color white, the season Autumn, old age, dryness, grief, the pungent or spicy flavor, breathing, the nose, and the skin. The time of day that the Lung is at its peak is 3:00 to 5:00 AM. A person with a Lung imbalance might have breathing difficulties, skin disorders, rashes, dryness, fatigue, runny nose, and a tendency to sweat with very little exertion. Weakness in the Lung may also cause a person to get sick easily with colds and flu.

To nourish your Lung, try wearing white more often, letting yourself cry over a sad movie, and practicing breathing exercises and meditation. Pungent foods affect the Lung, so adding more ginger, garlic, and onions to your diet may be helpful. Other foods which nourish the Lung include radish, pear, melon, peanut, and egg.

Have you heard of “fight or flight”? This is our body’s response to stress or danger, and it comes from the autonomic nervous system (it happens automatically, without thinking about it). The autonomic nervous system actually has two parts, and they work in opposition to each other. The sympathetic nervous system is the side that causes a “fight or flight” reaction. The parasympathetic side causes a “rest and digest” response.

When we enter the “fight or flight” mode, our digestion and immune system shut off and the extra blood supply is sent to the muscles in order to fight the metaphorical tiger or to run from it. Adrenaline courses through our body and we are on edge, ready for anything. Except fighting off that cold that is going around the office, or digesting our lunch. And our body doesn’t distinguish between actual physical danger and “I’m late again, and my boss is gonna kill me!” So when we are stressed out, we are engaging our sympathetic nervous system constantly.

Obviously, this can lead to some problems. Our immune system being shut off means that we are especially susceptible to invasion by any bug we come across. When digestion isn’t happening, our appetites are either gone or very erratic. If we do eat, we often feel queasy or bloated. We can be thoroughly exhausted, but unable to sleep. We need to engage our parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” mode.

There are many ways to activate the parasympathetic system. As a massage therapist, I am inclined to believe that massage is one of the best methods. Spending an hour just relaxing while someone rubs the tension out of your muscles can be the perfect way to kick-start the “rest and digest” response. Other activities you can use on your own include meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, journaling, petting your dog or cat (or someone else’s), listening to soothing music, and going for a walk.

Remember, there is nothing wrong with a “fight or flight” response, and in fact we need the ability to react quickly when necessary. We just don’t want to get stuck in that mode. It takes a split second for your body to initiate a response to perceived danger, but it takes a while to calm down again afterward. By focusing on engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” mode, we are allowing our body to stay balanced and really be ready for anything.