Heart Yang Deficiency
Heart Yang Deficiency
Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment
Diagnostic Signs
Pale, slightly wet, sometimes swollen
Deep (Chen), Knotted (Jie), Weak (Ruo)
Diagnostic Considerations
The pulse is normally Deep-Weak but it can be Knotted in severe cases.
The key characteristic symptoms here are the palpitations, the cold hands and the Deep-Weak pulse.
Causes & Pathology
Common Causes
Excessive or prolonged emotions, particularly sadness or grief.
Sudden blood loss (from a traumatic injury for instance) or chronic blood loss from a health condition such as menorrhagia.
Pathological Mechanism
Some of the symptoms are the same as for Heart Qi Deficiency (palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, sweating and pale face): this is because Heart Qi Deficiency could be considered as included within Heart Yang deficiency. In other words, it is not possible to have a Deficiency of Yang without a Deficiency of Qi.
Feelings of cold and cold hands are due to Heart Yang not transporting Blood to the extremities to warm them. The slight feeling of stuffiness in the heart region is due to Heart-Yang not moving Qi in the chest and hence leading to a slight Qi Stagnation in the chest.
The bright-pale face is typical of Yang Deficiency (in Blood Deficiency the face would be dull-pale). The lips are slightly dark because deficient Heart Yang fails to move Qi and Blood and this may cause a slight Blood Stasis. Please note that this sign would appear only in severe and advanced cases of Heart Yang Deficiency.
The tongue is Pale because Heart-Yang cannot transport enough Blood to it, and it is slightly wet because Heart-Yang cannot transform the Fluids, which therefore accumulate on the tongue.
Treatment Approach
Recommended Herbal Formulas
Diet & Lifestyle Recommendations
In terms of diet it is essential to only eat cooked foods and warm drinks. Lamb and beef are beneficial as are spicy foods. Avoid cold, refrigerated, raw and iced drinks and foods, including salads. Do not skip meals.
It is important to work on and resolve any emotional issues that might have caused Heart Qi Deficiency, especially sadness and grief.
Avoid excessive work and excessive sexual activity and get plenty of rest.
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