Just some light Maciocia reading over breakfast this morning about the Blood patterns.
Every time I read something I am reminded why I absolutely love this medicine.
Western medicine is awesome. It saves people's life's daily, by the second. It's just that Chinese medicine is different.
For example in Western medicine, painful periods is a symptom. In Chinese medicine it is a disease.
It would be of paramount importance to bring the body back to balance.
I've really loved reading @loveyourperiod posts. Every time I read common 'complaints' I think about what this might mean in Chinese medicine...
Heavy periods:
Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Heat
Pain:
Liver Blood stasis
Damp Heat in Liver
Clots:
Liver Blood stasis
Irregular periods:
Liver Qi stagnation
Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Heat
Liver Blood stasis
PMS:
Liver Qi stagnation
Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Heat
Painful breasts:
Liver Qi stagnation
Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Heat
Rebellious Liver Qi
Scanty periods:
Liver Blood deficiency
Liver Yin deficiency
Liver Blood deficiency generating Wind
Liver and Heart Blood deficiency
Kidney and Liver Yin deficiency
Mid-Cycle Bleeding:
Damp Heat in Liver
That is a lot of patterns that it could be! And that is just looking at the word period.
I cannot stress enough pain, PMS, irregular bleeding etc is NOT normal.
For a long time, I accepted my periods. Even with my closest friends we do not discuss menstrual cycles.
For 4 years, my periods have been 10-14 days long. 3 of those days are so heavy I need to change an ultra tampon every 1.5 hours. I get pretty bad PMS before those periods start and pain.
That is a lot of blood I am losing, monthly. That is a lot of suffering.
I have been looking at lots of different Instagram accounts associated with the word #period. It is astonishing and saddening the level of suffering that is occurring daily by menstruating people.
I'm not saying acupuncture is always the answer, but if you have anything which makes you concerned I urge you to try and get some answers.
Going back to Blood (which in Chinese Medicine is different to menstrual blood) these are the potential signs and symptoms we might see with Blood patterns. As always there are lots of other factors that could come in to play.
I am also adding the relationships that may influence these.
As always I welcome any comments with regards to what I write.
ax
Comments