Cirrhosis with ascites according to Chinese Medicine

In Chinese Medicine, cirrhosis with ascites is sometimes associated with Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium, a so-called "patterns of disharmony". Chinese Medicine sees the body as a system, not a sum of isolated parts. A "pattern" is when the system's harmony is disrupted. It is not equivalent to the Western concept of "disease" because both concepts arise from totally different ways of seeing the human body.

To understand whether someone's cirrhosis with ascites might be caused by the pattern Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium, one needs to look for signs and symptoms associated with the pattern beyond what one might typically experience from cirrhosis with ascites alone. Indeed if cirrhosis with ascites is caused by Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium, patients also experience symptoms such as cough with pain in the chest and hypochondria, hard focal distention in the epigastrium, dry heaves and shortness of breath. Similarly, patients with Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium typically exhibit deep (Chen) or wiry (Xian) pulses as well as a tongue with thin white coating.

We've listed below a more detailed description of Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium so that you can have a better understanding of where cirrhosis with ascites might find its root according to Chinese Medicine.

Once identified, patterns are often treated using herbal formulas. Drinking herbal infusions is the most common remedy in Chinese Medicine, together with acupuncture. Here we detail below four formulas that can help treat Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium.

Phlegm-Fluids in the chest and hypochondrium, a "pattern of disharmony" associated with cirrhosis with ascites

The four herbal formulas that might help with cirrhosis with ascites