3: Ancient Wisdom: Modern Science with Michelle Hammond - Episode 33: Ancient Wisdom: Modern Science with Michelle Hammond - Episode 3
UK Health Radio Podcast
Michelle Hammond speaks with Peter Dedman about how Chinese medicine and modern science both link long-held emotions with physical health. They share simple practices like diaphragmatic breathing, mindful movement and therapy to help shift stress and support emotional balance.
43:19•2 Apr 2026
Ancient Emotions, Modern Bodies: Michelle Hammond Talks with Peter Dedman
Episode Overview
- Emotions are seen in Chinese medicine as internal causes of disease when they are too intense, last too long or are suppressed.
- Body and mind are understood as one system, with emotional patterns directly influencing physical health and vice versa.
- Excessive sympathetic activation (fight or flight) can drive inflammation and chronic illness, while parasympathetic states support healing and repair.
- Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing and mindful movement practices help shift the body towards calm, balance and better emotional regulation.
- Growing awareness of what you actually feel, and seeking support through talking therapy when needed, are key steps toward healthier emotional patterns.
“It’s not emotion itself that causes harm. Emotion is natural, it’s human and intelligent. It’s when it becomes too intense, too prolonged, or held without expression, that it begins to shift the internal landscape of our bodies.”
What if your emotions weren’t separate from your health, but right at the centre of it? This conversation on UK Health Radio’s **Ancient Wisdom: Modern Science** with Michelle Hammond and guest Peter Dedman gets straight into that question, blending ancient Chinese medicine with modern research in a way that feels surprisingly down to earth.
Drawing on over five decades of experience, Peter explains how traditional Chinese medicine views emotions as internal causes of disease, alongside external factors like infection and lifestyle.
He talks about the idea of **body-mind** as one system, where “the body affects the mind and the emotions, the mind and the emotions affect the body, and really… in many ways, they’re the same thing.” You’ll hear how anger, grief, fear and other long-held feelings can shift from natural signals into sources of “stagnation of qi, stuckness”, mirroring what modern science calls chronic stress, nervous system imbalance and inflammation.
The episode is especially helpful if you’re dealing with ongoing tension, anxiety or emotional overwhelm. Peter breaks down the difference between feeling an emotion and holding onto it, links emotions with organ systems in Chinese medicine, and explains the sympathetic “fight or flight” versus parasympathetic “rest and digest” response in simple, practical terms. This isn’t just theory, though.
Peter and Michelle share straightforward tools you can actually use: slow diaphragmatic breathing, mindful movement practices like qigong, yoga or tai chi, and the value of talking therapy when deeper patterns need support. As Michelle reflects, “emotions aren’t the problem. They’re simply a signal… the body’s way of communicating with us.” If you’re curious about how stress, emotion and physical symptoms might be connected in your own life, this gentle yet honest conversation offers ideas you can start trying today.
Where might a little more breath, awareness and self-honesty shift things for you?
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