Feeling of Suffocation During Pregnancy

CHAPTER 37 Feeling of Suffocation During Pregnancy



AETIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY 519

IDENTIFICATION OF PATTERNS AND TREATMENT 519
Stagnation of Qi with disharmony of Liver and Spleen 519

Stagnation of Qi with deficiency of Blood and Kidneys 521

PROGNOSIS AND PREVENTION 522

This condition is called zi xuan in Chinese, xuan meaning ‘suspended’ or ‘anxious’, and also tai qi shang ni, which means ‘fetus’s Qi rebelling upwards’. It includes a feeling of tightness of the chest, anxiety, breathlessness and mental restlessness.



Aetiology and pathology


The aetiology of this condition is essentially emotional and from overwork. Overwork injures the Kidneys and leads to a weakening of the Directing and Penetrating Vessels. This may cause a deficiency of Blood and/or Yin in these vessels. On the other hand, emotional problems such as worry and fear may lead to stagnation of Qi of the Heart and Lungs and manifest with anxiety, breathlessness and a feeling of tightness of the chest.


From the point of view of pathology, this condition is essentially a disharmony of the Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai). As the pregnancy progresses, the changes occurring in the Sea of Blood and the Kidneys affect the ‘root’ of the Penetrating Vessel which may become unstable: its Qi rebels upwards and causes the feeling of suffocation.


On the other hand, the increasing size of the fetus causes a stagnation of Qi in the abdomen which affects the Penetrating Vessel and gives rise there to rebellious Qi. This typically affects the chest and causes a feeling of anxiety and a sensation of tightness there: these are, in fact, symptoms of the Penetrating Vessel’s li ji, i.e. ‘internal urgency’. This situation is further aggravated if there is a Blood and/or Kidney deficiency: this affects the Penetrating Vessel and it creates a deficiency in the Lower Burner which worsens the situation of rebellious Qi in this vessel. For this reason, the old name of ‘fetus’s Qi rebelling upwards’ describes the pathology of this condition well, especially considering that the character for ni in tai qi shang ni is the same as that for rebellious Qi of the Penetrating Vessel.


Thus, the main patterns appearing in this condition are stagnation of Qi and deficiency of Blood and/or Kidneys.



Identification of patterns and treatment


The main patterns include stagnation of Qi, deficiency of Blood, deficiency of the Kidneys and disharmony of the Penetrating Vessel. Two main conditions may be distinguished:


• stagnation of Qi with disharmony of Liver and Spleen

• stagnation of Qi with deficiency of Blood and Kidneys.


Stagnation of Qi with disharmony of Liver and Spleen



Clinical manifestations


A feeling of suffocation, a feeling of anxiety, a feeling of tightness of the chest, mental restlessness, irritability, insomnia, inability to lie down, a feeling of energy rising from the lower abdomen towards the chest and throat, a feeling of being breathless (rather than actual breathlessness), tiredness. Tongue: Pale. Pulse: slightly Wiry.



Treatment principle


Move Qi, eliminate stagnation, subdue rebellious Qi, harmonize the Penetrating Vessel, tonify the Kidneys, calm the Mind, calm the fetus.



Acupuncture


SP-4 Gongsun (on the right) and P-6 Neiguan (on the left), LU-7 Lieque, Ren-17 Shanzhong, LIV-3 Taichong, P-7 Daling, Ren-15 Jiuwei, Du-24 Shenting, ST-37 Shangjuxu, ST-40 Fenglong, KI-3 Taixi, BL-23 Shenshu, BL-51 Huangmen. All with even method except for KI-3 which should be reinforced. Moxa is applicable if there is Yang deficiency.




Explanation


– SP-4 and P-6 regulate the Penetrating Vessel and subdue rebellious Qi.

– LU-7 relieves breathlessness and treats emotional problems from worry and sadness.

– Ren-17 (needles horizontally downwards) makes Qi descend and relieves tightness of the chest.

– LIV-3 moves Qi, pacifies the Liver and eliminates stagnation.

– P-7, Ren-15 and Du-24 calm the Mind. Ren-15 also relieves tightness of the chest.

– ST-37 relieves tightness of the chest and draws Qi downward.

– ST-40 relieves tightness of the chest and harmonizes the Penetrating Vessel.

– KI-3 and BL-23 tonify the Kidneys.

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Jun 6, 2016 | Posted by in GYNECOLOGY | Comments Off on Feeling of Suffocation During Pregnancy

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