Anger and Asian Medicine

When an obstacle gets in the way of a goal, we feel frustration, then anger. In Asian medicine, anger is associated with what is known as the Wood process. The Wood organs are the liver and the gallbladder. Anger can be a positive, if it is used to generate non-damaging action that results in removing the obstacle and achieving the goal. For example, think of a flower in a crack in the sidewalk, busting through the concrete, making room to grow.

Anger can be a negative, if there is no worthy action and we “just stew.” In stewing, internal “heat” can be generated in the liver. This heat can rise and cause tension and pain in the shoulders and neck, violent headaches, eye problems, a red face, and high blood pressure. It can also “boil” the fluids in the body, causing gallstones, bleeding, acne and red, itchy skin.

If vital energy is too strong in the Wood process, there will be a weakness in one or more of the other elemental processes. Most likely, there will be a weakness in Metal (lung and large Intestine) or Earth (spleen and stomach). So, when suffering from Wood issues due to anger, you also may experience troubles such as constipation or indigestion. Shiatsu therapy, Meridian Exercises and Liver Kampo (a Japanese herbal formula that supports Liver function) can nourish the weak elemental process and disperse stagnation in Wood, correcting vital energy imbalances, restoring harmony in organ functions, and dispelling anger.

Brian Skow is a Certified Practitioner of the AOBTA and a Diplomat in ABT by the NCCAOM with a specialty in Shiatsu (Japanese medical bodywork). In addition to Shiatsu, Brian offers consumer-grade self-selectable Kampo (Japanese herbal formulas) and BioPharma Scientific NanoGreens10 (phytonutrients). For details on his mobile health service, SHIATSU WORKS LLC, see www.shiatsuworks.info, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it