Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Spleen Qi Deficiency and Liver Qi Stagnation

I came across this the other day and it sounded like me:

Stagnation of Qi and Blood

Poor Liver function can lead to stagnation of Qi and eventually Blood. Stagnation of Qi is experienced in the body as a feeling of fullness, discomfort, or pain in the chest, belly, or head, and in the mind as agitation, nervous tension, suppressed emotion, and frustration. Stagnation of Blood is experienced as a localized stabbing or cutting pain. If this stasis of Blood persists for too long, it gives rise to hard lumps, masses, tumors, or chronic inflammation in the chest, abdominal and pelvic region. A mass or lump may come and go unpredictably, like an intestinal spasm when Qi is obstructed, or may become a benign or malignant tumor in the final stages when Blood becomes "congealed". This situation is often the case in women who develop uterine fibroids, uterine hemorrhage with large clots, irregular, scanty, or suppressed menstruation, cervical dysplasia, ovarian cysts, or tumors.

Stagnant Qi can also obstruct the Spleen, affecting its ability to generate and distribute moisture and nutritive essence in the body. This impairment of Spleen function results in the accumulation of Dampness and an attrition of vitality. The fluid excess itself then may become a secondary source of stagnation since it impedes the flow of Qi. The body often generates Heat to counteract this fluid excess by drying it. This Heat then accumulates and intermingles with the Dampness. Damp Heat can settle in the pelvis, where it damages and obstructs the Blood. Over time this will lead to coagulation and deficiency of Blood. Damp Heat in the Liver also sets the stage for problems such as genital and perianal herpes, jaundice, and hepatitis.


and this:

Although a blood stasis condition is slow to develop initially, once it is entrenched it can recur easily when it is triggered and aggravated by factors leading to Liver Chi Stagnation.
From: Ovarian Cysts and Chinese Medicine


As for my new fibroid, I'm thinking of talking to my acu about it, perhaps it is related to an ongoing issue of spleen qi deficiency that I have symptoms of -- anemia, excess phlegm, get sick all the time, poor digestion, fatigue, allergies, copious EWCM, fibroids and even my bad PMS/breast pain. These symptoms are all related in chinese medicine to the same pattern, blood deficiency, dampness, blood stasis, spleen qi deficiency and liver qi stagnation. Since the symptoms have continued and I've got a new fibroid I think that its even more likely that I have an underlying issue that continues, yes that and a genetic predisposition to fibroids.

The other day I coincidently decided to search out more about digestive disturbances related to Spleen Qi deficiency and suddenly a lot more became clear (and I'm so not surprised to hear that there is a new fibroid in there). Here are some links with info about herbs and dietary changes to help deal with Spleen Qi deficiency:

UNDERSTANDING CFIDS FROM A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE

Digestive Issues

Applying Dietary Therapy

Help for Holiday Digestive Woes

How Do You Treat Intestinal Gas?

Common things I'm seeing on these pages are:

ginger, oatmeal, cooked foods
stay away from sugar, salt, fried foods, stress, fermented foods, citrus (but I like oranges!)

Kinda like my acus told me. I started my search with this string if you are interested to see more: "spleen qi deficiency acidophilus"

Here's a link to a q&a about miscarriage with Randine Lewis where she mentions spleen qi deficiency.

1 comment:

nikole said...

Sounds like you may be on the right path. You are so intuitive, and truly in touch with the signals your body is giving you.

Thinking of you always!