Chinese Medicine (TCM) Diagnosis of Heart Disease

In Chinese medicine, chest pain and heart failure have many different causes. The
basic cause of chest pain is obstruction of the circulation of Qi and blood. Chest
pain may be caused by either deficiency or excess patterns. Deficient patterns
include weak circulation of blood with pooling of blood causing stickiness or
increased viscosity of the blood (yin deficiency) which causes stagnation of both
Qi and blood. Excess patterns include pathogenic substances which block the
circulation of Qi and blood. Generally heart failure is a complex disorder which
combines both excess patterns with underlying deficiency patterns (root and
branch).
Chinese Medicine Symptoms of Possible Heart Disease vertical or tangential crease
on earlobes, Horizontal crease across the bridge of the nose, deep narrow central
crack on the tongue extending to the tip. The Left side of the heart connects with
the Liver and/or the heart while the right side of the heart belongs to Lungs.
Kidney Yang, Heart Yang, and Lung Yang deficiency are the most prominent patters
which may result in water retention and/or Blood Stasis.
Kidney and Heart control whole body Yang
Right foot edema - Yang Qi disorders
Left foot edema - Yin disorders

Chinese Medicine Heart Pain Patterns

Heart Yang Deficiency
Yang deficiency is the root of many chest pain patterns that involve the heart,
especially those which are due to deficiency cold and phlegm obstruction. With
yang deficiency there is accumulation of cold, the heart is weakened therefore
circulation is impaired and fluids are failed to be transformed accumulating into
phlegm and dampness.
Clinical symptoms of yang deficiency are chest pain as if heart is being squeezed
and crushed, cold limbs, aversion to cold and other yang deficiency symptoms.

Heart Qi Deficiency
Similarly to yang deficiency, heart Qi deficiency will manifest similar symptoms
with less cold and milder pain. Heart Qi deficiency has a weakened heart and poor
circulation therefore Qi and blood stagnation and fluids are not transformed
properly giving rise to phlegm and dampness.
Clinical symptoms of Qi deficiency are mild pain in chest, stuffiness in chest,
shortness of breath, all symptoms aggravated by physical activity, palpitations and
flutters

Heart Qi and Blood Deficiency

General overwork and excessive worry or mental activity, irregular dietary habits,
excessive consumption of cold, raw foods or prolonged illness can weaken the spleen
Qi and there fore its blood production giving rise to Qi and blood deficiency and
heart disease. When Qi is weakened it is unable to circulate properly in the body
giving rise to stagnation of either Qi or blood or both and phlegm accumulation due
to the weakened spleen function.
Clinical symptoms of Qi and blood deficiency are mild pain in chest, stuffiness in
chest, shortness of breath, all symptoms aggravated by physical activity,
palpitations and flutters (same as heart Qi deficiency) with paleness of face,
tongue and eye lids as well as difficulty falling asleep.
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Heart and Kidney Yin Deficiency

Kidney yin will become damaged through overwork, late nights, inadequate sleep,
excess sexual behaviour, drug use, pregnancy, febrile illness and in general aging.
Heart yin will be damaged through emotional trauma, shock, ongoing anxiety and
excessive worry. When the kidney yin is weak it is unable to support the heart yin
and they become unbalanced and blood circulation begins to stagnate due to
increased blood viscosity. The deficiency yin heat then congeals fluids into
phlegm creating both blood and phlegm stagnation.
Clinical symptoms of kidney and heart yin deficiency are burning pains with
palpitations, dizziness, red/dry tongue with no coat, 5 heat sensation, insomnia
and possible eye disorders.
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Heart Blood Stagnation

Blood stagnation causing heart disease is usually the end result of other prolonged
illnesss effecting the upper jiao area. Generally, any pathology excess or
deficient if chronic may lead to blood stagnation.
Clinical symptoms of blood stagnation are palpitations, oppression in the chest,
periodic chest pain, purplish discoloration of the lips and nails with a dark
purple tongue and a rough thready or intermittent pulse.
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Phlegm Fluid Stagnation

Phlegm is a frequently implicated pathogen in chest pain and heart failure mainly
due to a poor diet or liver qi stagnation overacting on the spleen.
Clinical symptoms of phlegm are watery sputum, rattling sputum in chest, stuffiness
in chest, distention of chest worse on overcast or rainy days, greasy tongue coat.