Edema & Blood Stasis

[Guest guest]

" When spleen and kidney yang vacuity cause dampness and water

accumulation, this accumulation blocks the qi, thus leading to qi

stagnation and eventually to blood stasis. Qi stagnation and blood

stasis limit the true qi's ability to disperse dampness and water

accumulation, leading to more qi stagnation and blood stasis and,

hence, to a vicious cycle. " (Clinical Nephrology in

by Wei Li and David Frierman with Ben Luna and Bob Flaws, p. 259.)

 

There are a number of things which can trigger Blood Stasis

(including Cold), but for now I want TCM students on the list to be

aware that Dampness (including edema) can trigger it. I also want to

point out that even though Spleen Qi Deficiency is the most probable

cause of Dampness accumulation in the body, there are other things

that can cause edema. For example, trauma, inflammation, and/or

allergic reactions can trigger localized edema. So can weather

sensitivity in susceptible individuals (those who lack sufficient

Protective Qi). (There frequently is an overlap among these things.)

(Beginning TCM students on the list: For now think of Yang

Deficiency as Qi Deficiency with the added factor of Cold. That

highly simplified though incomplete explanation will work for this

discussion.)

 

Something else to keep in mind is that both Qi Stagnation and Blood

Stasis can manifest as pain. The pain of Qi Stagnation is diffuse in

nature and milder than that caused by Blood Stasis. Qi Stagnation

pain moves around. Blood Stasis pain is fixed in location, has more

defined boundaries than Qi Stagnation pain, and is severe.

 

The info about edema eventually triggering Qi Stagnation and then

Blood Stasis was taken from a book on TCM nephrology (study of

urinary system disorders). BUT, the fact that edema can in time

trigger Blood Stasis has other possible manifestations in the body.

For example, certain headaches. I'll be going into this more in a

post on type of pain correlating with the Root of the headache.

Edema and Blood Stasis as factors in certain headaches (not all) can

be localized edema. But I'll post more on this in that post.

 

For now I want to point out one of the cautions that Wei Li,

Frierman, Luna, and Flaws give in the book on TCM nephrology

concerning the use of herbs for Blood Stasis in people with Chronic

Renal Failure (CRF): " In general, one should not prescribe blood-

quickening, stasis-dispelling medicinals for longer than two weeks.

Overuse can cuase anemia. (This anemia usually disappears after the

patient discontinues the medicinals.) Chronic renal failure patients

already have anemia, and these medicinals can exacerbate the anemia

by too strongly dispersing blood and causing blood vacuity. "

(Deficieny.) " One must be especially careful with female patients as

these medicinals can cause heavy bleeding during menstruation.

Processing and/or preparation will alter the function of blood-

quickening, stasis-dispelling medicinals. For example, uncooked

medicinals are usually stronger in quickening the blood and

dispelling stasis, while charred medicinals often stanch bleeding. "

(p. 261.)

 

The authors go on to state, " To use blood-quickening, stasis-

dispelling medicinals successfully, one must carefully consider

their dosage, strength, qi, and blood-stanching ability. One must

consider not only the dosage of individual blood-quickening, stasis-

dispelling medicinals, but also their aggregate number and weight in

relation to the supplements in formulas for RF. One must

assiduously analyze the patient's constitution and the degree of

blood stasis to choose medicinals with the appropriate strength.

Strength is usually described metaphorically. The mildest blood-

quikening, stasis-dispelling medicinals harmonize the blood. The

next strongest quicken the blood, while the strongest crack the

blood. One must use medicinals or combinations of medicinals with

the appropriate qi: cool, cold, or warm. Finally one must employ

those that have the function of stanching bleeding when they are

appropriate. " (p. 261.)

 

What the authors are saying is that in treating Blood Stasis in CRF

(and other) clients, one must be careful to not set the dosage or

individual herbs or combinations of Blood Invigorating Herbs too

high for what the client's current constitution can stand. One also

wants to be careful about the strength of the Blood Invigorating

Herbs. Some clients may be so weak that they only can take the

mildest Blood Invigorating Herbs, those subclassified

as " harmonizing the blood " .

 

One also needs to be careful about the thermal energy of the herbs

selected. For example, in case of Hot Blood, the Blood Invigrating

Herb should have a cooling effect. In cases of Cold, the BIH should

have a warming effect.

 

In some cases, the client is going to need an herb that both

invigorates Blood and stanches bleeding. An example is hemmorhaging

caused by Blood Stasis. One wants to stop the bleeding while at the

same time getting the Blood moving properly.

 

A note to students: Different authors use a different number of

subcategories of Blood Invigorating Herbs. For example, Dan Bensky

and Andrew Gamble in Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, Revised

Ed., use 4 subcategories. These are: harmonize the Blood, promote

the movement of Blood, dispel Blood Stasis, and break up (crack)

Blood Stasis.

[Guest guest]

thank you for all your posts...it helps alot of people to understand

the TCM view on some sickness/disease.

 

marilyn