Back pain, breathing problems, & lung congestion

[Guest guest]

In some cases back pain either over the spine, in the spine, or immediately

adjacent to the spine will be associated with breathing problems and

congestion in the lungs. In many of these cases, adjustments, massage,

and/or appropriate herbs that correct the pain also will ease the breathing

and congestion problems.

 

The proper alignment of the spine is necessary for easy breathing and open

lungs. There is an adjustment that chiropractors and DO can give which will

open up the lungs, ease the breathing, and get rid of congestion in the

lungs.

 

But, some people don't want to have their spines " popped " , or they live in

an area where there are no chiropractors or DOs. In some of these cases,

gentle massage will relieve the pain, the breathing problems, and the lung

congestion. Proceed gently and cautiously with massage as in a few cases it

main aggravate the congestion and breathing problems. One can perform

massage of the sore area on oneself with the aid of a wand massager. Or, a

family member, friend, or healer can do the massage.

 

It may be a good idea to check the spine for sore spots whenever one is

having problems breathing or problems with lung congestion. These sore

spots most often will be located in the area of the spine between the

shoulder blades though they may be located in the neck area. In addition,

there may be a sore spot in the area of the spine above the waist and in the

vacinity of where the lower (false) ribs attach to the spine. I will be

speaking more about this area later.

 

Trauma from an accident or a blow can cause misalignment of the spine.

Magnesium deficiency also can cause the spine to be pulled out of alignment

because the muscles are over-contracted. Cold also can cause muscles to

over-contract. From a TCM standpoint, there are several different TCM

syndromes which can be the Root or co-Roots of the spinal pain, the

breathing problems, and the lung congestions. Among these are Excess Cold,

Deficiency Cold, Qi Stagnation, Blood Stasis, Bi Pain (Painful Obstruction

Syndrome (Wind, Damp, and/or Cold)), and Phlegm. (Remember, the TCM concept

of Phelgm encompasses more than the Western idea. TCM recognizes that

Phlegm " can settle in the joints in the form of arthritic bone deformities. "

(Maciocia, Foundations, p. 196)

 

Excess Cold, Qi Stagnation, Blood Stasis, Bi Pain, and Phlegm are all

classified as Excess condtions. Excess conditions are those in which

problems arise because there is too much of something - too much Cold

invading the body or accumulated in the body, too much Qi blocked up in an

area because of Stagnation, too much Blood not flowing smoothly, too much

Wind-Damp-Cold triggering Bi Pain, or too much Phlegm. (Any Qi Stagnation,

Blood Stasis, or Phlegm is too much.)

 

One characteristic of Excess condtions is that touch or pressure will make

the pain worse. Hence, the need to massage the pain out gently. It also is

common for Excess and Deficiency conditions to both occur in the same

person. One characteristic of breathing problems due to Deficiency is that

the person will have more trouble inhaling than exhaling, and the breathing

will tend to be shallow. A person with breathing problems and congestion due

to both Excess and Deficiency may present with having both the sore spots in

the back that are more sore with pressure and the having more trouble

breathing in than out. (Pain due to Deficiency is made better with

pressure.) Both the Excess and the Deficiency will have to be corrected when

both are present.

 

Treating just the back pain with pain killers will do nothing for the Root

of the pain, the breathing problems, and the congestion. In fact, some pain

killers may make the breathing problems and the congestion worse. This can

include OTC pain medications like aspirin.

 

The underlying Root(s) of the pain, breathing problems, and congestion need

to be identified and addressed. Correction may be obtained through spinal

adjustment by chiropractors or DOs, the use of massage and/or heating pads

(depending on the Root), and the appropriate herbs. Exactly what are the

appropriate herbs is going to vary according to what the Roots are. For

example, herbs to Release the Exterior are needed in the case of Painful

Obstruction Syndrome along with herbs to Warm the Exterior if Exterior Cold

is a factor and herbs to Expell Dampness if Dampness is a factor. Blood

Statis will need herbs to Invigorate the Blood. Qi Stagnation will require

herbs to move Qi. Interior Cold will require herbs to Warm the Interior.

Deficiency Cold will require Yang tonic herbs. Phlegm may require a wide

range of herbs depending on what is causing the Phlegm to form. (Note:

Congestion in the lungs is Phlegm, both from a Western and a TCM

standpoint.)

 

I want to go into spinal pain, breathing problems, and congestion due to

Cold - both Excess Cold and Deficiency Cold. Excess Cold arises from there

being too much Cold. It usually arises from Exterior Excess Cold invading

the body though it can result from an excess of too many foods and herbs

with cooling energy. Deficiency Cold (aka Yang Deficiency) arises from there

not being enough Yang energy to properly warm and activate the body.

Regardless if Cold is Excess or Deficient, it has the effect of slowing

things down and causing contraction and " freezing " . Chiropractor and DO

adjustments will not last with a person who is suffering from Cold,

particularly from Excess Cold invading the body. The excessive contraction

of the muscles can pull the spine out of alignment again. The underlying

problems of why the person is so sensitive to Cold will need to be

addressed. Is the person Protective Qi Deficient which allows the Excess

Cold to invade easily and quickly, is the longterm and fairly severe Yang

Deficiency and general debilitation which throws the door wide open for

Exterior Excess Cold to invade? Is Blood Deficiency and/or Blood Stasis

preventing the Blood from reaching the muscles and properly nourishing them

and thus allowing the Cold to romp on in? Etc. Situations where Exterior

Excess Cold penertrates too easily are mixed Deficiency-Excess patterns.

The Cold is Excess but what's allowing it to invade is Deficiency. (Qi

Deficiency, Yang Deficiency, and Blood Deficiency are all cases of

Deficiency. Blood Stasis is an Excess problem. In Deficiency condtions

problems are caused by there not being enough of something.)

 

In addition, to the appropriate herbs to correct the underlying Deficiency

problems, there are some common sense things that people with the problem of

easy invasion by Cold can do to lessen Cold invading the body. Dress warmly

enough. This may include wearing a vest to give extra protection from

Exterior Cold and keep the back warm. Avoid sitting in plastic chairs or

chairs made of any material which is cold. Some very sensitive people can

feel the cold from plastic or metal chairs chilling their backs. Cover

these chairs with a thick towel or something else to block the cold from

invading the back. After the back becomes chilled, the pain, breathing

problems, and congestion may not show up for several hours.

 

In addition to Excess Cold triggering problems like excessive cotnraction of

muscles, Qi Stagnation, and Blood Stasis which can manifest as breathing

problems and combining with Dampness to produce Cold Phlegm, breathing

problems can arise because of Yang Deficiency. When the general symptoms of

Yang Deficiency are present and the breathing problems are particularly

marked, this is a condition called Kidneys Refusing to Grasp Qi, aka Kidneys

Failing to Receive Qi. The key symptoms of this are " shortness of breath on

exertion, sweating, clear urination. " (Maciocia, Foundations, p. 255) " When

the Kidneys are weak and fail to receive and hold Qi down, Qi accumulates

above, resulting in Excess above in the chest, and Deficiency below in the

abdomen, hence the shortness of breath and asthma. Kidneys control

inhalation, hence the ashma is characterized by difficulty in inhalation

more than exhalation (the Lungs control exhalation). (p. 255) This explains

why Kidney Yang Deficiency can manifest as asthma. In these cases there may

be Heat in the Lungs even though most of the body is too Cold. What Qi there

is is accumulating in the Lungs because the Kidneys are too weak to grasp it

and pull it down.

 

" When Kidney-Yang is deficient, all the Yang energies of the body are

deficient, including Defensive Qi, hence the sweating and cold limbs. " (p.

255) Everything is relative in TCM and so Qi is considered Yang in nature

and Blood is considered Yin in nature.

 

Deficiency os Kidney-Yang also causes the abundant and clear urination .... "

(p. 255)

 

Maciocia also adds that " this pattern can only appear in long-standing,

chronic conditions. " (p. 255) If Kidneys Refusing to Grasp Qi appears,

problems have been building without proper treatment for some time. This

pattern also can be a bit trickier to treat than just Yang Deficiency if

there also is Heat in the Lungs. The Yang tonic herbs can increase the Heat

in the Lungs. This can be a situation in which if enough Yang tonics are

administered to correct the basic symptoms of Yang Deficiency, the breathing

problems may worsen because even more Qi and Heat is added to the Lungs.

It's necessary in cases of Kidneys Failing to Receive Qi not only to tonify

Yang but to " stimulate the Kidney function of reception of Qi, stimulate the

Lung descending function. (p. 255) Maciocia gives a combination of some

points which can accomplish all three objectives - tonifying the Yang,

encouraging the Kidneys to Receive Qi, and encourage the Lung Qi to descend.

(pp. 255-256) In addition, Excess Cold accumulation in the abdomen may

complicate the picture still more in a few of these cases by blocking Qi

from descending. Just stimulating the Kidney reception of Qi and stimulating

the Lung descending function may not be enough. In these cases herbs and

acutechniques to Warm the Interior and expel Interior Cold may also have to

be used.

 

In addition to Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi, there is another Kidney Yang

syndrome which can manifest as severe breathing problems and marked

congestion. This one is called Kidney-Yang Deficient, Water Overflowing to

Lungs. Edema is one of the symptoms of basic Yang Deficiency. When water is

overflowing, the edema can be particularly marked. When it's overflowing to

the Lungs, there will be " thin-watery-frothy sputum. " This sputum is

" indicative of Phlegm-Fluid formation. (Maciocia, Foundations, p. 257) I

want to caution readers that just because the symptoms of Yang Deficiency

are present along with congestion (Phlegm) in the Lungs, it is not

necessarily a case of Kidney_Yang Deficient, Water Overflowing. Other

syndromes may be present in addition to Yang Deficiency, and the other

syndromes could account for Phlegm in the Lungs. Also, the Phlegm in the

Lungs in cases of Kidney-Yang Deficient, Water Overflowing to Lungs may also

have other Phlegm producing factors present. In fact, this often is likely.

Maciocia mentions that this particular syndrome develops over a long period

of time. When things go without proper treatment for a long period of time,

there often are complex clinical pictures. Do a thorough TCM assessment.

 

Maciocia adds that Kidney-Yang Deficient, Water Overflowing is a " severe

case of Kidney-Yang deficiency, " and " a very chronic condition. " (p. 257)

Under etiology, he mentions " long-standing retention of Dampness which

interferes with the Kideny function of transfrormation of fluids,

transmission from Spleen-Yang deficiency due to excessive consuption of

cold-raw foods, " and " the retention of exterior cold within the Lungs, not

expelled and turned into Phlegm-Fluid in the Interior. " (op. 257) What

Maciocia is referring to when he talks about Exterior Cold invading the

Lungs and being retained because of Lung Qi Deficiency over a long period of

time. But, Cold can invade and lodge in parts of the body besides the Lungs

(like when one sits in a cold, plastic chair). The Kidneys, the Intestines,

the Uterus, and the Stomach are particularly vulnerable to Exterior Cold

Invasion which may become accumulated within these Organs. In addition to

Exterior Cold invading and teaming up with Dampness to produce Phlegm-Fluid

in the Lungs, Excess Cold in various parts of the body (not just the Lungs)

can interfere with Qi flow, and this further adds to the breathing problems.

In addition to Qi Stagnation problems, Excess Cold can trigger Blood Stasis

problems. In addition, Cold can team up with Dampness and produce Cold

Phlegm anywhere in the body, not just the Lungs. Phlegm can further

interfere with Qi flow. This can be a real snowballing situation.

 

It is possible and even fairly common for Deficiency Cold and Excess Cold to

team up and cause breathing problems as well as spinal pain and lung

congestion. Remember to automatically consider and rule in or rule out

Kidney involvment whenever there is pain in the back. In fact, if spinal

pain, breathing problems in which breathing in is harder than breathing out,

and lung congestion all are present, strongly suspect Kidney Deficiency Cold

and Excess Cold.

 

Maciocia recommends that one tonify and warm the Kidneys, transform Water,

warm and tonify Spleen-Yang (Spleen Deficiency can cause Dampness

accumulation problems), and warm and tonify Lung-Qi in cases of Kidney-Yang

Deficient, Water Overflowing. Warming and tonifying the Lungs would not be

appropriate in cases where Heat is trapped within the Lungs. The blocks

have to be removed first.

 

A note on pain in the general area of the spine above the waist about in the

area where the ribs attach to the spine. When pain in this area is

associated with breathing problems and congestion, it also may be associated

with increased urination. In severe cases the person may need to urinate

before s/he can drink a half a cup of water. The urine will be clear, and

there will be a lot of it. In some of these cases there may be dehydration

of the blood and an elevated red blood cell count. In short, symptoms very

suggestive of polycythemia vera. The only case study I have been able to

locate of polycythemia vera was one in which Heat was the underlying Root.

But, symptoms of PV can arise with Yang Deficiency (severe, long-standing

cases of Yang Deficiency). The getting the person hydrated is important in

easing the breathing problems. The problem is that any fluids given via IV

or taken by mouth are going straight through the person because of the

underlying Yang Deficiency problems. In some of these cases, gently

massaging the sore area will relieve the pain, the breathing problems, and

the excessive urination problems. But this is a temporary measure.

Eventually a full TCM accessment will need to be done and any underlying

imbalnces corrected. In cases like this also suspect possible Liver and

Spleen involvement and rule in or rule out.

 

Additional note on chiropractor or DO adjustments not lasting: In addition

to Cold causing muscles to contract excessively and pulling the spine back

out of alignment, magnesium deficiency also can cause this problem.

 

Victoria

 

_______________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com