Blood Deficiency
Blood Deficiency
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Diagnostic Signs
Pale, thin and slightly tongue
Choppy (Se), Fine (Xi)
Key Characteristic Symptoms
Diagnostic Considerations
Key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are the pale lips and face, dizziness, Insomnia and numbness in the limbs.
Causes & Pathology
Common Causes
Profuse Blood lose due to trauma, birth-giving or heavy menstruations can consume Blood and causes Deficiency.
Over eating, pick eating or alternating over eating and under eating can harm the Spleen's functions of transforming and transporting foods and drinks. Therefore not sufficient Blood, Food Essence or Body Fluids can be produce for body use.
Physical over-exertion over a long period of time consumes Blood, Qi and Body Fluids. Blood Deficiency is one of the resulting pattern.
Blood is a type of Body Fluids, which can be largely consumed due to long term sickness.
Long term mental over-work can largely consume Blood, especially the Heart Blood. The modern office work requests staring at computer for very long hours, it consumes Blood, which in return can not nourish the eyes.
Pathological Mechanism
A Deficiency of Blood occurs when their entire body, a part of body or a particular Organ is insufficiently nourished by Blood. This can be caused by a loss of blood, insufficient Spleen Qi to produce Blood or congealed Blood which prevents new Blood from forming.
The Organs most likely to be affected by Blood Deficiency include the Heart (since it "governs Blood"), the Spleen (since it "controls Blood") and the Liver (since it "stores Blood"). Liver Blood Deficiency is the most common one and it is especially common in women with symptoms such as scanty periods or absence of periods (amenorrhoea).
In severe and long-term cases, Blood Deficiency can induce Dryness as Blood is part of Yin. This causes dry skin, dry hair, dry tongue and/or withered nails. In some cases, a long-term Dryness due to Blood Deficiency can lead to Wind in the skin and forms Dry-Wind, which can cause some skin diseases characterized by dry and itchy skin.
Treatment Approach
Treatment Principle
Tonify the Spleen and Stomach, tonify and invigorate Blood, tonify Qi
Recommended Herbal Formulas
Diet & Lifestyle Recommendations
Try an diet that is good in Blood generation, such as red meat, spinach or animal livers.
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