Husband Wife Imbalance
In Chinese Medicine, it is believed that there is a masculine energy and a feminine energy. Ideal circumstances produce a specific balance between masculine and feminine energy within a being. The Chinese thought of the husband and wife in traditional roles. The larger, stronger husband was the hunter/gatherer and the wife was the nurturer. The husband was the outgoing provider in movement who provided physical strength and dependability. The smaller wife was creating the home, providing inner strength, support and stability. If the roles of husband and wife are performed as nature suggests, the family thrives and likewise, the body functions in balance. The household would become doomed if the wife began to take on the responsibilities of the husband as there would be continuous competition and strife. While the terminology and reference may not be in congruence with modern times, the energy of the imbalance still exists and demonstrates a clear imbalance of masculine and feminine energy within a being.
As acupuncturists, we look to the pulses for insight into this energy. The pulses on the left side are associated with the Husband, whereas the pulses on the right are associated with the Wife. The husband pulses include the Small Intestine, Heart, Gall Bladder, Liver, Bladder and Kidney. The husband side in the Sheng Cycle is associated with ascending or uprising energy. The wife pulses include the Large Intestine, Lung, Stomach, Spleen, Circulation Sex and Triple Heater. The wife side of the Sheng Cycle is associated with descending and receptive energy.
A Husband Wife imbalance is indicated when the pulses of the right side have a sum total that is greater than the left side demonstrating that there is a breakdown in the 12 Officials working together. The sum total is based upon the strength and quality of the pulses. The most important factor to consider is that the wife pulses will feel hard, tight and aggressive in nature compared to the husband pulses which feel weak, feeble and flaccid.
A Husband Wife Imbalance is indicative of a serious block in energy. The wife side is taking over, which goes against nature. The wife isn’t equipped to do the husband’s job, nor is the husband equipped to do the wife’s job. Neither the wife nor husband are better than each other, but rather different. JR goes on to say that the Husband Wife Imbalance is a sign of capitulation, that nature has given up. The natural inner healing resources of a person are becoming powerless. It could be representative of organ failure, terminal pathology, poor health or early death if the energy block is not addressed. When detected, a Husband Wife Imbalance ought to be treated early on in treatment to correct the imbalance as soon as possible. It is considered an emergency.
There are a variety of reasons why a Husband Wife Imbalance can occur. Very commonly, the imbalance is caused by a trauma or loss in the personal relationships within one’s life. These clients often elude to the event or trauma having been too difficult to be resolved. Imbalances within the relationship one has with oneself can also cause a Husband Wife Imbalance. Someone who is extremely submissive that gives up all their autonomy may have the imbalance. Too much responsibility and persistent stressors can be the cause of the a Husband Wife Imbalance. An illness that persists over time, relentlessly can lead to this imbalance. Persistent physical, emotional, mental or spiritual stress, over time can also cause this imbalance. Drug use or toxicity from prescription medications, foods or environments can cause a Husband Wife Imbalance. There are many variables including the lifestyle that one has and how much energy they use.
In treatment of a Husband Wife Imbalance, the primary objective is to transfer energy from the wife side to the husband side in order to reinstate natural balance. Treatment of any kind will be ineffective if the Husband Wife Imbalance is not resolved. Once the energy is restored, recovery is often dramatic and quickly achieved. However, without adequate lifestyle changes to support the energy, it is possible that the imbalance will return. A Husband Wife Imbalance will not self-correct as its presence suggests that nature has already given up.
The first protocol involves a direct transfer of energy from Wife to Husband using the Sheng and Ko Cycle. BL67 and KI7 are tonified to move energy from Metal to Water along the Sheng Cycle. Energy is moved across the Ko cycle from Metal to Wood via LV4 and Earth to Water via KI3. Finally, the source points of Fire are using to bring energy up from within itself in the Fire Element using HT7 and SI4. 90% of the time, this protocol will be effective. We look for a change in the pulses with the wife side softening and easing and the husband side strengthening and ideally the qualitative sum totally of energy of the husband to be greater than the wife. We want to see this client in just a few days to ensure that the imbalance is corrected and remains as such. If there are no significant changes in the pulses after treatment, it is suggested that the first protocol be repeated with moxa. If there continues to be no progress, the second protocol is recommended.
The second protocol involves calming the wife and strengthening the husband. We will use the Associated Effect Points/Shu points on bilaterally. We will sedate the wife side: CS - BL14, SP - BL20, and LU - BL13 by placing the needles in and leaving them until the pulses change. We will then tonify the husband side using the AEP/Shu Points: HT - BL15, LV - BL18, and KI - BL23. Moxa can be added in tonification only. If there still isn’t a change in pulse, you can go back to the first protocol. If no change occurs in pulses, the third protocol for a very stubborn Husband Wife Imbalance is to imply to 4 Needle Technique. The method involves very strongly townifying or sedating an official. One by one, sedate Earth, Metal and CS then tonify Water, Wood and HT. If the Husband Wife Imbalance still does not correct, we must accept that the client is in a terminal state.
The body serves as an alarm system. Husband Wife Imbalance is serves as one of the alarms being activated. When something is out of balance, we know it, because we simply don’t feel well. The moment that we don’t feel well is an opportunity for us to look within and search for balance. Illuminating the imbalance empowers the healer within each of us. Regular sessions with acupuncturists and bodyworkers will address one’s day to day or week to week or month to month concerns, but they will also help one’s body to heal itself through facilitating the body’s own healing process. Every body is a magnificent healer. It is a gift to touch the healer within and support that process.
References:
Classical Five Element Acupuncture, Volume 2 by JR Worsley
Acupuncture Today: The Husband/Wife Imbalance by Neil Gumenick
Personal Class Notes ITEA 2019