In Balance
Open-hearted, discerning, fair, and emotionally grounded. A strong Pericardium meridian helps you protect your heart without closing it off. Like the Judge, you can discern who and what deserves access to your inner world, creating healthy boundaries while remaining open to connection.
Out of Balance
Guarded, judgmental, defensive, or self-defeating. When the Pericardium meridian is out of balance, protection can turn into restriction. You may judge yourself or others too harshly, put up walls that prevent meaningful connection, or repeatedly make choices that work against what your heart actually wants.
Pericardium Functions
Western Medicine
Peri meaning around and cardium meaning heart, the pericardium encloses your heart in protective tissue. It keeps the heart in place, lubricates the heart to prevent friction with surrounding tissue, and keeps the heart from over-expansion. The pericardium also protects the heart from any infections that could be spread from other nearby organs, such as the lungs.
Eastern Medicine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the pericardium meridian protects the heart from emotional distress in the other organs including fear from the kidneys, frustration from the liver, and grief from the lungs. Known as the “king’s bodyguard,” the pericardium is the energetic body’s defense against extreme emotional outbursts which, in Chinese Medicine, are thought to be powerful disruptors of balance in the body and a major cause of disease.
From our blog...
Meridian Associations
Archetype: Judge
Element: Fire-Lightning
Season: Summer
Yin or Yang: Yin
Time of Day: 7-9 pm
Sensory Basis: Extrasensory
Emotion: Judgement
World: Spiritual
Body Tissue: Blood Constriction
Associated Muscles: Pectoralis Minor, Biceps Brachii
Associated Fascia Lines: Deep Front Arm Line, Superficial Front Arm Line, Deep Front Line
Balancing Meridian: Skin
Physical Symptoms of Imbalance
Cold hands and feet
Constriction of blood flow
Pale skin coloring
Stiffness
Sleep disorders
Chest pain
Susceptibility to flu
Nose Dripping
Liquid or swelling around the heart
Vomiting
Vertigo
Nausea
Emotional Symptoms of Imbalance (Eastern View)
Uncontrollable laughter
Attention seeking
Masochism
Self-defeating
Oblivious
Stiff
Closed
Sentencing
Implacable
Judgmental
Phobias
Sexual perversions
Inappropriate intimacy
Fear of Intimacy
Depression
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