Even if you are not using acupuncture to assist in your healing journey, you can still apply the principles behind these ear points – Shen Min, Sympathetic, Liver, Lung and Kidney – when seeking to address issues related to stress and mental health.
The NADA (National Association of Detox Acupuncture) protocol was originally created to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms. As the points selected and stimulation techniques were refined, tested and standardized, their use for many things – including other forms of addiction, stress, cravings, PTSD, and IVF fertility cycle support – were discovered. The protocol uses 5 points to target different aspects of how our body produces, stores and recreates internal stress environments based on past triggers, patterns and habits. Since these points cover different aspects of stress, I find it may be useful to look at other modalities and lifestyle choices that correspond to the premise of each point as a holistic way to approach stress reduction with or without acupuncture.
Shen Men
There are five basic elemental energies that help define acupuncture theory. Each one corresponds to a different aspect of the individual human spirit. This point, also known as the “Spirit Gate” represents the spirit of Heart Qi and the Fire element. The spirit of Heart Qi, or “Shen”, relates to how we express ourselves – especially through our eyes and words. You may have noticed an extreme example of disturbed Shen involving those with severe mental illness who appear to be speaking to themselves and have a very difficult time making eye contact with others. There are many correlations between mental health issues and heart disease. For example, a leading cause of death for those with schizophrenia is coronary artery disease. In heart transplant cases, there are many strange anecdotes involving a drastic post-procedure personality and behavior change of the recipients to that of their donor.
Recent research is revealing more and more secrets of how the heart’s intrinsic nervous system – a network of approximately 40,000 neurons – relays information associated with memory and emotions, and revealed in expressions like “heavy heart” or “broken heart”. When the Shen is disturbed, it reveals an unhealthy imprint on this heart network, often due to substance abuse, habits or negative thought patterns. Even if someone is internally balanced, overstimulation in the form of electronics or a busy schedule can disturb the Shen over time. If someone has past trauma, relying on overstimulation can often be a protective mechanism that prevents them from recalling painful memories that rise to the surface when the mind is calm.
Tapping into Shen Men Energy:
While it is valuable to learn how to calm the mind, sometimes we need to boost our mental activity for productive and creative purposes. Often, when we rely on stimulants, or even when we are in a naturally higher energy state, we are used to that heightened state being accompanied by restlessness and distraction. Practices that promote focused mental activity can be crucial for not only daily mental demands, but for times when we are looking to change unhealthy habits and break addictions.
If you find yourself wasting time doing addictive, dopamine based activities when you are mentally restless – like scrolling through social media or watching short form videos – brain training game apps can be a helpful go to replacement in those moments. If you are trying to learn how to meditate, but find that mental restlessness is making you feel more agitated than calm, try guided visual meditation. Instead of trying to clear your mind completely, immersion in a more detailed guided visual meditation can help you associate a feeling of focus with heightened creative mental activity. For passive, background support when you are reading, writing or doing another activity that requires focus, try music with binaural (with headphones) or isochronic (headphones not necessary) tones added.
Sympathetic
This point balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. This energy goes hand and hand with the Shen Men point to address the trifecta of the vagus nerve, the sympathetic nervous system and the amygdala. While it is closely related to Shen Men due to the fiery nature of the nervous system, it deals less with the subtle, spiritual nature of focused personal expression and more with your body’s automatic response to stress.
The parasympathetic nervous system reacts to the sympathetic fight-or-flight response via the vagus nerve, with its ventral aspect promoting feelings of safety and security, and dorsal aspect causing feelings of danger and defensiveness. The vagal nerve communicates these experiences to the amygdala, where emotions are connected to the stimulus and stored as memory.
By directly addressing the communication between the vagus nerve and amygdala, we can disrupt unhealthy physiological responses to external stimulus and memories, allowing increased mental and physical energy when needed, as well as rest and relaxation during down time and sleep.
Tapping into Sympathetic Energy:
The vagal nerve forms the basis of the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation of the body. So why address the the sympathetic aspect that has more to do with the “fight or flight” response to help balance it? When addressing feelings or patterns that lead to the unhealthy behavior responses often associated with habits and addictions, it can be helpful to not completely avoid triggers altogether, but rather modulate our response to them. Acupuncture and other modalities can trigger a subtle alarm in the body that builds resilience, or a healthy form of stress, which can help us retrain unhealthy patterns into healthier stress responses.
Heat therapy (like a sauna) or cold therapy (like an ice bath) can be used as a healthy stress trigger to tap into this sympathetic nervous system response without having to recall specific traumatic events consciously. High intensity exercise can have a similar effect. When you are ready to delve deeper, therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Restructuring) can be helpful for processing and releasing specific traumatic events more directly. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a simple acupuncture point tapping technique that you can do at home for recalling specific triggers, while modulating the subsequent amygdala based fear response.
Liver
In 5 element theory, Liver Qi controls the tendons and ligaments. It corresponds to the type of stress that leaves our bodies feeling tense and stiff. Some symptoms associated with unhealthy stagnation or movement of Liver Qi are jaw clenching, tension headaches, vertigo, ear ringing, high blood pressure and more. The liver organ itself is responsible for so many bodily functions, including metabolization of food and hormones. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can affect the liver’s ability to metabolize glucose, affecting fluctuations in weight and energy. Drugs, medications, food, environmental toxins, excessive hormones, and much more, can affect Liver Qi and burden the liver organ. Supporting free flow of Liver Qi and healthy liver function is essential for any detox and stress support protocol.
Tapping into Liver Energy:
Doing things that promote a daily rhythm that is open and flowing, while being directed and methodical, helps Liver Qi to circulate properly. By establishing a basic routine that you do at the same time every day, you can help regulate the flow of Liver Qi. If you have a chaotic schedule, then simply repeating a specific mantra, prayer or affirmation to yourself right after waking and/or before falling asleep can be helpful. Liver energy corresponds to sour flavors, so drinking a cup of hot water with lemon or apple cider vinegar first thing in the morning can be a gentle, easy way to help support the liver’s normal detox function.
Since Liver Qi controls the tendons and ligaments, taking frequent small breaks to stretch through the day can be helpful. For posture correction and opening up areas of the body that are chronically stiff and imbalanced, Yin Yoga, involving longer stretch sessions with deeper holds can be beneficial. If your muscles are chronically tight and resist stretching by tensing and tightening, having someone else applying the movement – like in the case of a chiropractic adjustment or specific sports massage techniques – can help you achieve a fuller range of motion while your muscles are relaxed with little to no engagement.
Lung
In 5 element theory, Lung Qi involves not only the respiratory system, but also the immune and lymphatic systems, as well as the surface of the body, i.e. skin, hair, and pores.
Each of the elements have negative emotional associations when they are imbalanced. For the Lung Qi, negative emotions can manifest as depression and low energy. Thinking about the mechanics of breathing, you can notice how the lungs relate to emotions that affect our ability to breathe in a deep and open way. When you feel sad, anxious or lethargic, it affects your breathing and your posture. In the aftermath of grief, we can quickly and drastically change our posture, rounding the shoulders and closing the chest off to free flowing energy. Interestingly, the opposite is also true. We can feel fine emotionally, but have poor posture due to habit or injury that suppresses Lung Qi and leads to a decline in emotional well being over time.
Lung Qi has two major functions in the body – defense and microcirculation. Wei Qi, or defensive energy, involves the ability of the immune system, skin and pores to block harmful influences from invading the body. Healthy microcirculation involves the ability of the blood to adequately flow in areas that often get congested due to being further away from the main circulatory areas. This includes the ability of the blood vessels to oxygenate tissues and organs, and the ability of the lymphatic system to regulate fluids and remove metabolic waste.
Tapping into Lung Energy:
When we are in the process of releasing old patterns, we are in a transitional state of being open and vulnerable. Detoxing on any level causes Wei Qi to become especially vulnerable as detox pathways are open. For example, detoxing through sweat can cause your pores to open and make you more prone to catching a cold. Therefore, any detox protocol you are undertaking should involve supporting your immune system as you promote lymph and blood circulation. This can be as simple as increasing foods high in vitamin C and zinc while you are undergoing therapies or experiencing withdrawal symptoms that involve sweating, fever, chills or shaking.
Doing specific therapies like dry skin brushing, rebounding on a mini trampoline, lymphatic massage or an infrared sauna can help release the build up of toxins in the blood and lymph that can get stuck there due to poor microcirculation. Throughout the day, take some time to intentionally roll your shoulders back and lift your chin up slightly while consciously engaging in deep diaphragm breathing to help fully open up the lung and chest area. Adding aromatherapy, especially essential oils like eucalyptus and mint, can be a great adjunct therapy during breathing exercises.
Kidney
Kidney Qi corresponds to the element of water and involves the bones, marrow and “Essence” of the body. Kidney Essence is related to your hormones, especially in regards to anti-aging and life cycles like puberty, pregnancy, male and female fertility, and so on. It also relates to your Yuan Qi, or “vital energy”, which involves your capacity for health based on your genetics. Kidney Qi’s relationship to water hints at how foundational it is to our overall health and vitality. Just as the bones form the structure of our body, hormones form the structure of our life cycles, and while genetics have a strong influence on our well being, we can promote the expression of our healthiest genetic tendencies.
Kidney Yang relates to male hormones, adrenaline and other active, heating elements of the body, while Kidney Yin relates to female hormones and the cooling, calming, moistening elements of the body. Balancing both is crucial to overall wellbeing. Adaptogenic herbs can offer overall support, but when needing to address more serious patterns of disease, a more customized approach is ideal. For instance, cortisol levels may be high at one point of the day and low at another, or your estrogen, progesterone and testosterone can be low or high independently or in relationship to each other. Working with a functional doctor or holistic practitioner can be beneficial for balancing Yin and Yang forces, while avoiding the mistake of building one up too much and throwing both off balance.
Tapping into Kidney Energy:
Since Kidney Qi corresponds to the water element, a safe, easy and basic way of supporting this energy is through engaging in the many different forms of water therapy available to us every day. Soaking in epsom salt baths, swimming and drinking water with minerals added, like trace minerals or magnesium, are simple ways to nourish the watery energy of the body. Functional tests for micronutrient and hormone levels can give you more insight into optimal ways to substitute deficiencies through specific diet and supplements.
Qi gong exercises like Bone Marrow Washing helps strengthen bones, activating and storing the Kidney Essence in the body. There are many ancient anti-aging practices involving building the Kidney Essence that promote healthy gene expression. Genetic potential and expression are innately linked with Kidney Qi, and advancements in genetic testing that give insight into optimal therapies for the individual is a fascinating form of modern medicine. It may provide the ultimate missing link between holistic approaches and conventional therapies for many diseases, including addiction, mental health issues and others mentioned in this article.
In Conclusion
When addressing stress, addiction, trauma and other mental health issues, a holistic approach is ideal. Using lifestyle therapies that promote nervous system balance, a flexible musculoskeletal structure, healthy organ function, deep breathing, lymphatic circulation, open posture, hydration, and optimal gene expression can make this process safer, quicker, easier and more pleasant overall. All of these modalities work great together and can be combined to enhance any professional help you are undergoing now or seek out in the future.