On the recent Thanksgiving holiday, besides bringing joy to people, it may have also brought some patients physical and mental health benefits. This not only aligns with traditional Chinese medicine theories but has also received preliminary validation in contemporary medical research.
A study conducted in 2021 at the University of California, Los Angeles examined the brain activity of participants who felt gratitude after being prompted using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The findings revealed that gratitude can activate brain regions associated with happiness and reward, reduce internal stress, enhance self-worth and satisfaction, make individuals more resilient in the face of challenges, and also correlated with reduced inflammation in the body.
Harleah Buck, a professor at the University of Iowa and director of the Barbara and Richard Csomay Center of Gerontological Excellence, shared her collaborative research with a doctoral student several years ago on the impact of gratitude on health. They analyzed 13 previous studies involving nearly four thousand participants, concluding that a grateful heart improves blood vessel responses to stress and has a positive impact on inflammation markers. Buck emphasized that research truly confirms that a grateful mindset benefits heart health.
In terms of attitudes affecting physical health, traditional Chinese medicine has always held an affirmative stance, believing that emotions directly impact health. The excessive dominance of the “seven emotions” – joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and surprise – can damage internal organs, such as overthinking harming the spleen, excessive joy damaging the heart, and excessive anger harming the liver, among others. Therefore, the classical Chinese medical text “Huangdi Neijing” emphasizes “nurturing the heart”: maintaining a serene and empty state of mind to prevent certain illnesses.
Wang Guolong, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner from Hawaii, pointed out that Chinese medicine identifies the “five strains and seven harms” as reasons for illness. Among the “seven harms” are various internal organ damages that can result from excessive emotional states.
Wang Guolong, who began learning Chinese medicine from his grandfather during his youth and is a third-generation heir of the Lou Family’s acupuncture technique, believes that a person with a peaceful inner state and no emotional issues will likely avoid most illnesses. “A person with a peaceful mindset will have peaceful internal organs as well. The liver’s Qi won’t stagnate, and they can steer clear of cancers like breast, liver, and uterine cancer,” he stated. “Many cancers are caused by poor emotional states.”
However, life is not always smooth sailing, and everyone encounters setbacks and emotional issues at different times. Wang Guolong emphasized that “gratitude” is a way of life attitude, emphasizing that even in the face of adversity, the key lies in how one perceives it. “Some people have excessive liver fire, their attitude towards life, it’s as if everyone owes them, and this kind of lifestyle can lead to discomfort and emotional depression.”
In Wang Guolong’s view, individuals who maintain an attitude of gratitude “are very cultured, can see through worldly matters, understand the principles of cause and effect, and this attitude will make their mind and body even more peaceful.”
He cited traditional culture as an example: ancient China stressed “filial piety,” which also emphasizes the importance of being grateful. Individuals who understand gratitude handle situations with equanimity, always considering others, which fosters harmonious social relationships and brings them much joy, creating a virtuous cycle where they receive respect and admiration from others.
Wang Guolong stressed that to have good health, people must possess a grateful heart. “People with gratitude are blessed by the heavens, essentially receiving the best nourishment and care from the ‘Heavenly Tao’ every day, and such individuals are generally healthy and long-lived.”