“Whenever I get stressed, I immediately get indigestion and stomach cramps. Why does this keep happening?” Many people ask this question. Modern science clearly confirms this powerful connection between body and mind. Just as Donguibogam described the heart as the monarch organ, the brain acts as the command center for the entire body. Particularly under stressful situations, the neuroendocrine pathway known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated, excessively releasing stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones immediately trigger a bodily defense posture.
In this process, the digestive organs are among the first to be affected. Under stress, energy must be redirected to areas more urgent for immediate survival, such as the muscles and brain, causing digestive functions to temporarily halt or decline drastically. As the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated, gastrointestinal motility is inhibited, gastric acid secretion becomes irregular, and bowel sensitivity increases, potentially leading to diverse symptoms including abdominal pain, convulsion, diarrhea, and constipation. Blood flow volume to the gastrointestinal mucosa also decreases, reducing digestive enzyme secretion. Consequently, the stomach struggles to break down food properly, easily resulting in bloating, nausea, and epigastrium pain. Chronic stress can even disrupt the gut microbiota, exacerbating overall digestive system issues.
How, then, does modern medicine explain Shenmen from Donguibogam? Anatomically, Shenmen is located on the ulnar side along the line of the pinky finger on the inner wrist, situated where it influences the median nerve and autonomic nervous system. Stimulating this area with acupressure or acupuncture stimulates the vagus nerve, inducing parasympathetic activation. The vagus nerve directly connects the brain to the digestive organs and is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system. When the parasympathetic nerve is activated, excessive sympathetic activation is suppressed, heart rate stabilizes, blood pressure lowers, and the body shifts into the rest and digest mode.
In other words, stimulating Shenmen calms a nervous system sensitized by the stress response, restores smooth gastrointestinal motility, and contributes to promoting digestive enzyme secretion. In fact, numerous studies show that stimulating specific acupoints is effective for regulating the autonomic nervous system, alleviating pain, and reducing anxiety. Acupressure on Shenmen does not merely suppress symptoms; it regulates excessive autonomic nervous system responses—one of the root causes of stress—serving as a wise method to restore balance to both mind and body. This is where our ancestors’ wisdom—that a settled stomach follows an untroubled mind—is reflected in modern science.
