Spleen not controlling Blood
Spleen not controlling Blood
Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment
Diagnostic Signs
Pale
Weak (Ruo), Fine (Xi)
Diagnostic Considerations
The key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are the Fine Pulse, the Pale tongue and the various bleeding-related symptoms (blood spots under the skin, bloody urine or stools, excessive uterine bleeding).
In general if one sees bleeding as a symptom, roughly half the cases are due to Spleen not controlling Blood (a Deficient pattern) and half to Heat in the Blood (an Excess pattern).
Causes & Pathology
Common Causes
Excessive consumption of cold and raw foods can hinder the Spleen's function of transformation and transportation, which indirectly leads to this pattern. The Spleen prefers warm foods.
Other bad dietary habits that may cause Spleen not controlling Blood include eating at irregular times, chronic under or over eating as well as eating a diet poor in Blood-forming grains and meats.
'Pensiveness" (thinking too much, brooding, thinking about the past) makes Qi stagnate, which affects the Spleen because of its strong connection with Qi. Similarly Worry ‘knots’ Qi, which also makes it stagnate and also affects the Spleen.
"The Spleen loathes Dampness": prolonged exposure to dampness (either from weather or from the place of living) weakens the Spleen and may lead to this pattern.
Pathological Mechanism
When Spleen Qi is Deficient, which is a pre-requesite in this case, the Spleen cannot fulfill its function of holding Blood in the vessels.
This is why bleeding symptoms appears all over the place: under the skin, in the stools, the urine or from the Uterus.
Treatment Approach
Treatment Principle
Tonify Spleen Qi, stop bleeding.
Recommended Herbal Formulas
Diet & Lifestyle Recommendations
The best step one can take to avoid or mitigate Spleen not controlling Blood is to adopt proper dietary habits. As such one should avoid the excessive consumption of cold and raw foods (like salads or cold drinks), eating at irregular times or chronically eating too much or too little.
Less easy to do, since excessive pensiveness and worry are key contributing factors, efforts should be made to steer clear of those emotions.
Lastly if you live in a damp environment (the exterior air or inside your home), try to do something to avoid overexposing yourself to dampness. The Spleen loathes Dampness.
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