Asthma
How 9/11 Caused Bladder Cancer
While smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of lung cancer, only about 10-20% of smokers actually contract the disease, reminding us that there is almost never a 1:1 correlation between some objective disease and etiology, logically implying that nor should there exist any 1:1 prescription for cures.
Smoking is also the leading cause of bladder cancer, and maybe not coincidentally there have been nearly 1,200 recorded cases of bladder cancer from the 9/11 attacks’ residual toxins.
From a Classical Chinese medicine perspective, this makes perfect sense.
The bladder vessel was originally named the “Foot Tai Yang,” meaning it ascends from the lower limbs and the bulk of its oxygenated blood, or “Qi,” exists closer to the surface of the body (most Yang) than all other organ vessels. The lung vessel was originally named “Hand Tai Yin,” meaning it ascends from the upper limb and the bulk of its oxygenated blood exists closest to the surface of the three Yin layers, but still inferior to the three Yang layers.
The Foot Tai Yang bladder and Hand Tai Yin lungs share in a mutually interdependent relationship of fluid exchange. The lungs’ job is to descend vital substances downward to imbue the organs located beneath them with ample blood and energy. The bladder’s job is of course to excrete urine, but then from a Chinese medical perspective, take those vital fluids that are not excreted and circulate them upwards to imbue the central nervous system, upper orifices, and musculature with ample blood and energy. In Chinese medical school we are taught that a point along the wrist, “Lung 7,” is used to treat neck pain. What was never explained to us (unless I was absent that day) is that this dynamic is the reason why it works—also that it is logically most effective for neck pain located close to the center, that is along the bladder vessel. “Neck pain” located closer to the trapezius is a result of a different mechanism.
Whenever we treat urinary issues, from UTI’s to enlarged prostate, it is important confirm optimum functionality of the lungs and their corresponding vessels. It is also why exercise and deep breathing exercises can greatly benefit urinary dysfunction. Common Chinese herbs that share a common tropism for both vessels include plantain seeds (Che Qian Zi), schizandra fruit (Wu Wei Zi), and of course cinnamon branch (Gui Zhi).
Acupuncture that treats this “Water/Metal” dynamic of Kidneys and Lungs includes Lung 5 at the crease of the elbow or Kidney 7 just above the inner ankle, a point pair that is as useful for treating asthma or sinusitis as it is urogenital conditions—especially when the two coincide.
The inverse is less common. While some respiratory ailments are due to a failure of the urogenital microbiome to effuse fluids upwards, they are more commonly a result of GI issues, as seen in the coinciding of obesity with asthma and/or sleep apnea, or even rudimentary snoring at night. Urinary dysfunction tends to be further along down the domino effect. Commonly used herbs to drain dampness from the bladder and at the same time strengthen the gut include poria mushroom (Fu Ling), bitter tangerine (Chen Pi), or again, cinnamon branch (Gui Zhi), making cinnamon branch, per usual from Han Dynasty thought, the grand winner!
Chest & Breast Pain & Chinese Herbs
Geography is significant in Chinese medicine. Not just the label of a symptom or disease, but its location, for acupuncturists, strongly informs our diagnosis.
When I ask patients whether they experience chest pain or tightness I am not necessarily concerned for some respiratory or cardiovascular disease. The chest is the “domain of Shao Yang,” “Lesser Yang,” that is relative to the head, neck, and face, described more often in our literature as “Tai Yang” or “Yang Ming,” respectively
The Shao Yang system harbors the end result of our body’s “pivot,” from metabolic production to the distribution of vital substances around the body. Soreness around the ribs, tightness in the chest, cough or even shortness of breath can be a result of our organs failing to produce adequate substances to engender functionality above.
The textbook pulse quality at the radial artery in such patterns is a “wiry one,” illustrating a microcosm of the fluids in our torso beginning to stretch thin. Needless to say, the best way to avoid this mechanism is with a diet that produces ample fluids and exercise to clear heat. If you don’t succeed, and eventually none of us do, what is the flavor of your chest pathology?
Sharp pain that is better with exercise, first of all obviously bodes well from a biomedical perspective, but also indicates some subjective blood stasis in the chest—most often a lack of blood movement due to an inadequate quantity of metabolic fluids giving rise to inflammatory heat, which tends to dry out the diaphragm and everything that includes it. Best remedies are moderate exercise and deep breathing. Best acupuncture points are Pericardium 6, which fires into the brain’s insular cortex, subsequently down the vagus nerve. Herbal formulas include platycodi bark, immature tangerine peel, and peony root.
If the chest feels hot, it suggests further aggravation of inflammatory heat, which might include sequelae such as insomnia, anxiety, and/or irritability. This may be difficult to treat with acupuncture alone, although local points such as Ren 17, Lung 1, and Liver 14 may help. Herbal medicine will be more effective, including the very bitter coptis root or gardenia fruit to additionally clear heat from the stomach, otherwise prunella spike, lily bulb, and/or if there is notable phlegm in the lungs, trichosanthis, or “gua lou pi.”
If your chest pain is worse after eating it clearly suggests some degree of food stagnation—that is indigestion. Steamed and bland foods are advisable until it resolves, as is drinking Pu-Erh tea, and performing manual stomach circles around one’s abdomen.
Best acupuncture points are Large Intestine 4, which fires into the brain’s periaqueductal gray matter, then into the abdomen. Herbal formulas include magnolia bark, rhubarb root, tangerine peel, ginger, and bupleurum root, to comprise the majority of “Da Chai Hu Tang,” or Major Bupleurum Decoction. Alternatively, if one is more prone to diarrhea and lack of appetite, more advisable would be the simple, four-ingredient digestive aid, “Li Zhong Wan,” or Regulate the Middle Decoction, containing ginseng, dry fried ginger, atractylodes root, and licorice.
Persistent chest pain should be taken seriously, especially if coinciding with shortness of breath, and one should see their medical doctor to rule out any danger. Once structural ailments are ruled out come see us to address the root of the issue!
