Case Histories - Chest Pain
A 55-year-old man suffered from chest pain on exercise. Apart from
this, he had not many other symptoms at all, except for some lower
backache and a cold feeling. However, his tongue and pulse clearly
showed the presence of a definite pathology. His tongue had a normal
colour but was purple on the sides in the chest area (see figure
1); his pulse was Firm, especially on the right side and Weak on
both Rear positions (Kidneys). The Firm pulse is Wiry but only at
the Deep level and it usually indicates Blood stasis in the Interior;
a pulse that is Firm on the right side may also indicate a pathology
of the Chong Mai. This is consistent with this man's pathology as
the Chong Mai connects with the heart and one of its indications
is chest pain. My diagnosis was Blood stasis in the Heart occurring
against a background of Kidney-Yang deficiency. I decided to give
this patient Red Stirring, 2 tablets twice a day to treat the Manifestation,
i.e. Blood stasis in the Heart and attended to the Root by treating
him with acupuncture. After two months, the purple patches on his
tongue had completely disappeared and he did not experience chest
pain anylonger. |
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