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6 Tips for Improving HCV Outlook

February 28, 2008

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As your main environment, make sure that your home serves you best. Six simple feng shui suggestions give people with Hepatitis C some tips for improving the energy flow in their home to benefit their liver's health.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

Living with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) just may be one of the biggest challenges many people will ever face. A condition that has a 50 percent chance of being helped by harsh, side-effect-laden medications, countless individuals managing HCV spend their days trying to prevent their illness from progressing into full-blown, irreversible liver disease.

In addition to keeping their viral load low, strengthening the liver is how individuals with HCV live a long and rewarding life. To accomplish this goal, those affected are continually searching for safe, inexpensive, logical ways for maintaining their overall health – especially their liver’s health. While most people seeking solutions for wellness search for items they can put inside their body, the practice of feng shui may accomplish a similar feat by paying heed to that which surrounds our bodies.

Feng Shui
An ancient Chinese art and science used for over 5,000 years to heal, balance and enrich people’s lives, feng shui is the practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. A complex body of knowledge that reveals how humans are connected to their environment, applying feng shui principles may improve various aspects of one’s life, including a person’s health.

Feng shui practitioners aim to determine what environmental causes may be impeding the optimal flow of energy for different areas of an individual’s life, such as health, wealth, family, relationships, career, friends, fame, children and knowledge. The methods for analyzing a space and the cures used to correct any problems can vary from esoteric modalities used for centuries to technological solutions conceived in modern times. A physical location where feng shui has been used to create balance generally transfers positive feelings, enhanced health and prosperous endeavors to its occupants – regardless of their personal beliefs in these methods.

Health
According to the time-honored traditions of feng shui, there are several general locations in a home or workspace that correspond with a person’s health.

· The Center – The decorations and order kept at the center of a home, also referred to as the heart, can impact a person’s overall physical, mental and spiritual health. Our health is the center of our lives; when struggling with an illness, all of the other parts of life seem out of balance.

· The East – Concentrating on the most eastern area of your office, room, home or garden provides a powerful opportunity to activate a space’s impact on health. When using the ba gua, a feng shui map used to identify different areas, the east is always associated with health.

· The Kitchen – The state of a kitchen is believed to directly correlate with the occupant’s state of health. As the primary detoxifying organ in the body, the liver is most affected by the cleanliness of the kitchen.

Feng Shui Tips to Help Liver Health
While cleaning, decorating and rearranging your home may help improve the degree of your health, it is only suggested as an adjunct to therapies discussed with a physician, not as a replacement.

By creating a healthy and vibrant home environment, you have a safe, peaceful and energetically balanced space where your body can let down its day-long protective shield and focus on regenerating and self-healing. Some simple feng shui tips for improving liver health include:

1. De-clutter – Clearing out clutter and replacing it with a clean, organized space allows energy to flow more freely. This is especially important if one of the health areas of your home (the center, the east or the kitchen) is filled with boxes and other junk. Likewise, make sure your refrigerator is clean and cleared of unused or old items. The center of a home must be clean, clutter-free and open in order to prevent stagnant energy from congesting one’s health.

2. Laughter – Known universally to be the best medicine, laughter is ideal for managing a chronic disease like HCV. Add something that tickles your fancy to the center of your space for holding a light-hearted energy for your health.

3. Mind the bathroom – There are many opportunities to flush good health away in the bathroom. Keep bathroom doors closed, toilet lids down and shower curtains pulled closed to prevent life-giving energy from flowing out of your home.

4. Use plants to detoxify – Improving the quality of your indoor air with plants is a well-known feng shui tactic. Especially for those trying to reduce the toxic load on their liver, most indoor plants remove chemicals from the air. Since only healthy, vibrant plants support a person’s health, be certain that your plants are well-cared for and well-suited to your home’s light and climate. Several specific plants that purify the air include peace lily, Boston fern, English ivy, rubber plant and spider plant.

5. Bring in healing elements – Placing a picture or other representation of a medicinal plant or other item symbolizing healing in the eastern area of your home may improve health. For HCV, some examples include hanging a picture of dandelion or milk thistle (herbs known to improve liver health) in the East on an eastern wall.

6. Feng shui your bedroom – Making sure energy flows gently in the bedroom provides an ideal space for your body to regenerate, replenish and heal itself during sleep. Since metal conducts electricity and enhances electromagnetic fields, reduce or eliminate metal objects from your bedroom. In addition, avoid sleeping under beams or a sloped ceiling or with your feet in line with the door.

As a complex mix of art and science, there are many levels addressed in a feng shui evaluation of a home or business. To maximize the way your living space can support your health, you have the option of studying feng shui or consulting with a feng shui expert. While everyone may not believe that these six tips will improve their HCV outlook, most will recognize an improved feeling of well-being after instituting them. Regardless of your personal beliefs about the ancient Chinese art and science of interior design, thinking about optimal energy flow focuses your attention on the most important thing – liver health preservation.

References:

http://fengshui.about.com, Top 10 Air-Purifying Feng Shui Plants To Improve the Feng Shui of Your Space, Rodika Tchi, About.com, Inc., 2008.

http://fengshui.about.com, Feng Shui for your Health, Know Feng Shui.com, 2008.

http://fengshui.about.com, How To Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, Rodika Tchi, About.com, Inc., 2008.

http://home.ivillage.com, Improve your Health, Karen Rauch Carter, iVillage, 2008.

www.acufinder.com, Feng Shui for Health and Well Being, Melanie Smith, DOM, AP, Acupuncture Magazine, Winter 2007.

www.care2.com, Improve your Health with Feng Shui, Adapted from The Basics of Feng Shui, Phoenix, Perfect Harmony, 2000.

www.dreamsalivemagazine.com, Feng Shui For Your Health And Vitality, Rodika Tchi, MSc, Dreamsalivemagazine.com and Designing Online, Inc., 2008.

Posted by Editors at February 28, 2008 1:57 PM