Poker Face: You Can’t Hide from What Your Body is Telling You

Sound hokey? Perhaps. However, the Chinese have lived healthily and harmoniously for thousands of years by relying on natural remedies and signs from their surroundings as in order to diagnose and treat. If you think about the human body as a computer, then our faces, skin, hair & nails are the monitors, giving us error messages when we’re malfunctioning. You can usually tell when someone is malnourished by their wiry hair, brittle nails and off color skin be it grayish, yellowish and sometimes even green. Our bodies are giving us signs all the time so that we can nip any problems in the bud before it’s too late. The body isn’t as complex as one would think. Every system and every organ is connected and what happens in one part of the body absolutely affects the others. The Chinese harnessed this information after careful observation and have continued to heal the world with their intuitive therapies for centuries.

Navigating the map that is your face

Where Western medicine is designed to treat the symptoms of disease, Chinese medicine has always been more concerned to treat the symptoms of disease, Chinese medicine has always been more concerned with underlying causes. It believes that the five areas of the face correlate to the five major internal organs of the body – the heart, the spleen/pancreas, the lungs, the kidneys and the liver. So the cheeks reflect the state of the lungs. The kidneys correspond to the area just below the eyes. In the Far East and China in particular they go to great lengths to avoid the “hooded eyes” look. An imbalance in the liver will be noticeable in the space between the eyebrows. The nose, with its central location in the face is a reflection of the heart. Finally, the condition of the pancreas will show up upon the bridge of the nose. Chinese medicine believes these five main players can be compared to the instruments within an orchestra. It takes only one to be flat and the whole orchestra will be affected. Discover which one is out of tune and it’ possible to steer your body towards greater balance and, ultimately better health.

Let’s see what your face may be telling you!

Kidney
Puffiness below the eyes. Dark below the eyes. Bruised appearance below the eyes. If you’ve been overworking, worrying, not sleeping, drinking too much coffee and trying to juggle too many commitments, look at your kidney/liver area which is the half moon-shaped area under the eye. If the area is puffy and blue, you are working too hard, depleting your adrenals, eating too much rich food and causing an imbalance in the fluid balance of the body. Look at your ears and if they are redder than the skin on your face, you are overworking your adrenal glands. This also applies if the inner corner of the eye has a sunken, dark blue look to it.

Liver
Oily skin between the eyebrows. Deep lines or creases either vertical or horizontal between the eyebrows. Redness or rashes between the eyebrows. Itchy or tired eyes. If the area looks tense, your liver is showing signs of “liver energy stagnation”. This could mean that your liver is stressed, possibly through pent-up frustration or anger or rich food and alcohol. If this indication is combined with one-sided headaches, jaw tension and two vertical lines between the eyebrows you could find that fat and hormone metabolism is affected. If the two vertical lines from the end of the eyebrows are combined with two smaller hook-shaped lines, this means that the gallbladder is also showing stress. Spots and lines on the forehead point to congestion from too much oily food or dairy.

Stomach and Intestines
The mouth shows the energy of the stomach and intestines and the lower part of the face relates to the lower abdomen. Congestion such as white spots or a granular-like feeling under the skin and blotchy areas may point to yeast infection, too much dairy or sugar in the diet. The lower lip which is dry, cracked, puffy or very purple may be showing a colon imbalance.

If the chin is red and swollen, it may mean that there is a structural weakness in the organs, candida or stuck energy in the abdomen, perhaps reproductive problems and hormone imbalance. If the lower lip protrudes, this shows a sluggish colon and if the top lip is cracked, red, or has spots at the corner, this could indicate stomach acidity or heat caused by inappropriate diet. Canker sores are indicative of digestive problems as well as lack of specific vitamins and minerals. Lines which go down the cheek from the inner corner of the eye are another indication of a bowel problem. A yellow color around the mouth and lack of tone in the mouth indicate that the digestive energy is weak and a change of diet and enzymes are needed. On the other hand, a green color indicates that the liver is the prime cause of the problem.

Pancreas
A blue/green bruised appearance in the corner of the eyes close to the bridge of the nose illustrates pancreatic imbalance.

Lungs
The cheeks. Spots, broken capillaries, inflammation or rashes. Redness, puffiness and breakouts around the nostrils and lower cheek indicate too many dairy products which produce mucus and congestion in the lungs. You may be on the verge of a bronchial infection if this area suddenly becomes red and dry.

Heart & Blood
One’s nose can be very telling of what is going on with your heart, blood and circulatory systems. Redness, swelling and/or broken capillaries are signs of strain and weakness of the heart. In addition, it can be instrumental in showcasing the quality of the blood pressure and cleanliness of the blood itself. Dirty blood is ill, non-oxygenated blood that is in need of immediate attention.

If you are seeing break outs in any of these areas, think about your diet and general life at the moment of the breakout. Women may notice breakouts around their chin during their cycle while students may notice increased blemishes and discoloration of the upper portion of their face during finals. Our diets and lifestyles take their toll on our bodies but we can combat it by listening to and observing what it’s telling us ; ) Even if you aren’t convinced that our faces are our first warning sign of illness or imbalance, do yourself a favor and take a closer look at how food, stress and environment affect your health and well being. You just might be surprised at what pops up on the screen!