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!
