Tremors, Dizziness, or Tics? Understanding Internal "Liver Wind"

What is "Liver Wind"?

In nature, wind causes movement—it makes leaves rustle and branches shake. In Chinese Medicine, "Internal Wind" is used to describe involuntary or abnormal movement within the body. It is not literal wind, but a powerful metaphor for symptoms that are sudden, erratic, and shaking in nature.

Liver Wind is the most common form of Internal Wind. It never arises on its own; it is always the result of another, more long-term imbalance reaching an extreme stage. Think of it as the violent shaking of a tree in a storm—the wind is the most obvious symptom, but the storm itself (the underlying cause) has been brewing for some time.

The symptoms of Liver Wind can range from mild to severe:

  • Tremors or Trembling: In the hands, feet, head, or limbs.
  • Tics or Spasms: Involuntary muscle twitching, especially around the eyes or mouth.
  • Severe Dizziness or Vertigo: A sensation that the room is spinning.
  • Numbness: Often in the limbs, which may come and go.
  • Convulsions: In the most extreme cases.

There are three main "storms" that can cause the "wind" to rise:

  • An Uprising of Energy (Liver Yang Rising): When the body's cooling, anchoring energy (Yin) is too weak to hold down its active, hot energy (Yang), the Yang rushes violently to the head. This intense, uncontrolled movement is the Wind. This is often behind severe vertigo and headaches.
  • Extreme Heat: A very high fever can "boil" the body's fluids and stir up a powerful, convulsive Wind.
  • Deep Deficiency (of Liver Blood or Yin): If the body is like a landscape, Blood and Yin are the moist soil and rivers that keep it lush and stable. When the landscape becomes too dry and depleted, there is nothing to weigh things down, allowing even a small "breeze" to whip up dust and cause fine tremors, tics, and numbness.

Your acupressure treatment was designed to urgently calm the Wind while also beginning to address the specific root cause that is generating it in your body.

Lifestyle Advice: Finding Stillness is Your Priority

Your primary goal is to create profound calm in your life. You must stop fanning the flames of the storm.

1. Cultivate Extreme Calm & Avoid Triggers:
This is the most critical intervention.

  • Slow Down: Rushing, high-pressure deadlines, and a frantic pace will aggravate Wind. You must consciously slow your pace of life.
  • Manage Emotional Intensity: Outbursts of anger or intense emotional situations can trigger or worsen symptoms. If possible, walk away from heated arguments. Practice emotional regulation through breathing.
  • Rest Your Mind: Meditation, mindfulness, and deep breathing exercises are no longer optional—they are your medicine.

2. Adopt a Strictly Calming and Grounding Diet:

  • You MUST AVOID all "Stirring" Substances:
    • Alcohol & All Caffeine (coffee, black tea, energy drinks).
    • Sugar.
    • Heating, Pungent Spices (chilli, cayenne, etc.).
  • Eat Foods that Settle and Nourish:
    • Celery, watercress, and seaweed are traditionally used to help calm Liver Wind.
    • If your Wind is from deficiency, focus on Blood and Yin nourishing foods like black beans, goji berries, beetroot, and black sesame seeds.
    • Eat regular, simple, cooked meals. Avoid skipping meals.

3. Choose Gentle, Grounding Movement:
The goal of movement is to quiet the system, not agitate it.

  • Perfect Choices: Tai Chi and Qigong are the gold standard for calming Liver Wind. Restorative or Yin yoga and very gentle walking are also excellent.
  • AVOID: Jarring, competitive, or high-intensity exercise. This will stir the Wind.

4. Acupressure at Home:
These points are renowned for their ability to calm the mind and subdue internal wind.

  • Gallbladder 20 (Fengchi - "Wind Pool"): The primary point for any Wind affecting the head.
    • Location: At the base of your skull, in the two significant hollows on either side of the thick muscles of your neck.
    • How to: Hook your fingers or thumbs into these hollows and apply deep, steady pressure, angling slightly upwards toward your eyes. Hold for 1-2 minutes.
  • Liver 3 (Taichong - "Great Surge"): The master point for the Liver.
    • Location: On top of your foot, in the depression between the bones of your big toe and second toe.
    • How to: Apply firm, deep pressure. This point powerfully smooths the Liver's energy, which helps to calm the storm at its source.

Addressing Liver Wind is a serious process that requires your full commitment to a calmer way of life. By taking these steps, you are actively helping to settle the storm and restore stillness within.