Ancient Chinese Medicine May Hold the Key to a Happy Modern Household

Whenever Kerry, one of my favorite patients is feeling out of sorts, she calls to tell me her "Qi is in a wad" and she needs acupuncture to get her Qi sorted out. This never fails to make me smile. Qi, Chi or Chee (all pronounced the same, we like to use "Qi") can most certainly, get "in a wad."

By getting your "Qi in a wad", this describes the most common traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis in America, liver Qi stagnation. Yes, you read it correctly, liver Qi stagnation. Never heard of it before? Well, the odds are that you have had it. You may have it now or someone in your family or circle of friends has a case of liver Qi stagnation, also known as "Qi in a wad."

It's likely that after reading the symptoms below you'll forward this email to at least five friends you think need to have their Qi examined. No, there is nothing wrong with your liver (probably). Before you run out to get your liver enzymes checked and pick up a detox kit, let me explain.

Liver Qi stagnation is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) term. It means that you're stressed out and you feel like you’re going to explode or 'lose it' if you're faced with one more deadline, meeting, demand, dirty diaper, or past due bill.

You're cranky all the time and the dog hides when you come in the room. You feel like you do more snapping than laughing and your family checks your moods like it's a weather report. Sound familiar? If so you may have liver Qi stagnation, a TCM pattern involving imbalance in your liver meridian. What if you have more than one member of the family suffering from liver Qi stagnation? It would be like living inside a powder keg.

Common signs and symptoms of liver Qi stagnation include:

• Neck and shoulder tension, which is worse with stress
• Irritability, mood swings
• Insomnia or restless sleep
• Tendency to sigh a lot 
• Tension headaches
• Depression and/or anxiety
• The sensation of something stuck in the throat when nothing is really there
• Fullness or heaviness in the chest with difficulty breathing deeply 
• Gastritis/IBS (gas, bloating, belching, cramps and/or alternating constipation diarrhea)
• Pain or distending sensation in the ribs, sides or flanks
• In more severe cases there may be dizziness and elevated blood pressure
• In women, there will be menstrual cramps that alleviate once cycle starts (PMS) with possible breast tenderness or irregular cycles, uterine fibroids or endometriosis
• Acid reflux, G.E.R.D., acid indigestion, ulcers, heartburn

Treatment options

Acupuncture is an ideal way to tackle liver Qi stagnation and combined with Chinese medicine (herbs) it's often fairly easy to get sorted out. Western medicine has many pharmaceuticals that can treat a variety of the above symptoms, though you may have to take quite a few different pills, which your actual liver will not thank you for. Chinese medicine offers a variety of formulas that can help, but for the most part, one will do, Xiao Yao Wan (pronounced "Shh-ow Yow Wan"). Xiao Yao Wan addresses all of the symptoms above along with some that weren't included and is one of the most commonly prescribed formulas in China. For those with a tendency to become overheated easily, Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan may be a better option.

Caution: When liver Qi stagnation is allowed to progress over a long period of time it morphs into other, more serious patterns, often referred to as liver yang rising, liver fire, or liver wind. Symptoms such as those listed below are added to the already unpleasant symptoms listed above. Finding balance again is possible, but the correct pattern diagnosis is vital, as is the correct Chinese herbal medicine. 

We strongly advise against self-diagnosis, nothing good ever came from Googling your symptoms. If you're anything like me, internet research begins with a sniffle and ends with malaria. The slightest addition of a symptom may change the diagnosis, thereby making a completely different formula more appropriate. If you or someone you love has any combination of the symptoms listed above and any of the symptoms below, we recommend seeing an acupuncturist or Oriental Medicine physician for proper diagnosis and formula selection. More than one pattern may be present, requiring multiple formulas.