Everywhere I go in the city, I see young and old alike with ear buds in their ears that are attached to white cords leading somewhere hidden in their pocket or coat. I have some personal thoughts about ear buds and your health. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, which gives us acupuncture and acupressure and Five Element theory, the Small Intestine meridian subtle energy pathway flows through the middle of your ear canal. In his book The Web That Has No Weaver - Understanding Chinese Medicine, Ted J. Kaptchuk, an Oriental Medicine Doctor (O.M.D.) says: "The Small Intestine rules the separation of the 'pure' and the 'turbid.' It receives what the Stomach has not completely decomposed and continues the process of separation and absorption." Kaptchuk goes on to say that "disharmonies of the Small Intestine may produce abdominal pain, intestinal rumblings, diarrhea, or constipation."

Am I saying the wearing ear buds is bad for your health? No. "What do I think could happen?" you ask. Well, last winter I dealt with a painful sinus infection that caused congestion in my sinuses and ears. Ears - the same orifices into which ear buds fit. I lost my balance a few times during that sinus and ear canal disturbance and I felt light-headed. The ears play a part in a person's equilibrium as well as the body's natural ability to discern what is healthy and what is toxic for it - toxicity can be too much food, or information or feelings - " it is all processed through the same "waste separating system." Ear buds press directly on the body's natural system of healing energy pathways that flow through the ear canal. I just wonder if having ear buds in one's ears for hours and hours every day is healthy for the body's natural healing system. It seems that just as over-eating or over-working or whatever the lifestyle habit can take one out of balance, "over-ear budding" may also upset the natural, healthy order and rhythms of your body-mind-spirit.

Now one powerful thing you can do instantly to bring your body into harmony after a long day of "ear-budding" is the wonderful Healing Touch Quick Step hand placement called Take What You Need and Dump the Rest, which can help harmonize the body's natural ability to discern between what is "pure" and what is "turbid." You can find more about Take What You Need and Dump the Rest in my Healing Touch Quick Steps HOME GUIDE - Powerful Things You Can Do Instantly to Bring Your Body into Harmony®.

Consider working with your body rather than causing resistance. Constantly over-using ear buds and then applying therapeutic self-healing touch so you can continue to over-use the ear buds when your body might need reduced ear bud activity is like taking pain meds for a painful knee so you can use your knee more, when what the body really needs is to take it easy. Excessive anything can stress a body. Choosing a path of least resistance, a path of ease and grace for your body-mind-spirit might be a combination of therapeutic self-healing touch AND reduced ear bud usage for optimum harmony. Just a thought...

Take care. Take good self-care.

Blessings,Barbara J. Semple

Copyright (c) 2008 Barbara J. Semple. Entire contents. All rights reserved.

Author's Bio: 

Self-healing advocate, Barbara J. Semple, CMT, ACMT is an integrative healing arts practitioner and instructor with 30 years of study and practice in mind-body therapies. She is author of a number of books including Soul Aerobics® - Conscious Movement of a Soul into Wholeness, and Personal Power Cards - Flashcards for Emotional Wellness. Her latest project is a multi-media Healing Touch Quick Steps HOME GUIDE - 42 Powerful Things You Can Do Instantly to Bring Your Body into Harmony®. www.healingtouchquicksteps.com/HTQS.html