In traditional Chinese medicine sadness, grief and melancholy relate to the Lung. These emotions are furthermore physically felt with a sensation of pressure and constriction in the Heart, therefore they have some relation to the Heart as well.
Sadness depletes Lung Qi manifesting with symptoms such as breathlessness and tiredness. Lung Qi governs the “protective Qi” responsible for protecting the body from external pathogens. Thus chronic sadness may affect the immunity and overall strength of the body.
One way to counteract sadness is to tonify the Lung (to learn more about the Lung from the perspective of TCM go to the Physiology chapter).
Another way to counteract sadness is to accept its cause.
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Maciocia, Giovanni (1989). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. Edinburgh: Harcourt Publishers Limited
Liangyue, D., Yijun, G., Shuhui, H., Xiaoping, J., Yang, L., Rufen, W., Wenjing, W., Xuetai, W., Hengze, X., Xiuling, X., Jiuling, Y. (1987). Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press
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