Blood Stagnation

What is Blood Stagnation

Blood stagnation or blood stasis is the disrupted flow of blood thru tissues in the body (1).  In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is quite common and can lead to a variety of problems and is a major contributor to disease and discomfort.  There are many causes of the disrupted flow of blood.  Good blood circulation is necessary for optimal functioning of cells making up an organ.  Blood stagnation can occur in joints, muscles, organs, tendons, and the head resulting in various types of head aches

Symptoms of blood stagnation

Qi, the energetic that flows thru the body and the basis of acupuncture needling, can be disrupted resulting in various symptoms depending on the location of the qi stagnation.  Although it is the heart that pumps and moves the blood in our traditional understanding, the flow of qi helps with this movement, specially thru the tissues and cells.  When the qi is disrupted due to a number of reasons, blood stagnation follows.

Qi can get disrupted due to trauma or an impact, emotional stress, qi deficiency, poor diet, cold, and even heat that gets blocked in an organ.  Good health is all about the smooth flow of qi, flow of emotions, flow of blood, movement of the body, and a good diet.

• Varicose veins:   varicose veins are usually an indication of blood stagnation in the lower body
• Tongue:  the tongue is a good reflection of the internal health of the body.  In blood stagnation the tongue is slightly bluish or has raised red or blue dots on it
• Pulse:  In TCM, tongue diagnosis is an essential part of the treatment plan.  When there is blood stagnation the pulse is choppy or irregular
• Pain:  pain due to blood stagnation is caused by poor circulation of the blood, or trauma due to overuse or repeated injury.  This pain is often a stabbing pain, sharp pain, or a pain that lingers in cases of an elbow injury for example.
• Numbness or Tingling:  when the blood and qi aren’t circulating properly, the proper nutrients are not being received by the tissue and waste products of the cells are not being removed properly resulting in numbness or tingling.
• Swelling and masses:   When blood isnt circulating properly, the disrupted flow results in swelling, which depending on many other factors can lead to cysts, fibroids, benign or malignant tumours.

Treatments for blood stagnation

• Acupuncture:  Although blood stagnation is a concept that is more readily accepted and treated in allopathic medicine lately, it is a common occurrence in traditional medicine and is successfully treated by acupuncture and other modalities
• Herbal Formulas:  There are herbal formulas that break up blood stasis and restore the flow of blood to the tissues.  In cases of sports injuries that linger different herbal formulas can help repair the tissue and bring healing
• Cupping and Gua Sha:  these are old techniques that help to move blood in the muscle layer and tendons bringing accelerated relief.

the picture for this blog shows evidence of blood stagnation in a client.  In place of leaving the cups in place where it leaves a circular mark, I sometimes like to move the cup around and get the blood in the tissue moving.  This has many effects:  it helps to relax the muscle when there is muscular tension and pain.  Also, it helps to move the blood in the skin directly underneath the cupping area.

The picture you see showing some dark spots in the reddened area where the cup was moved, is evidence of blood stagnation.  Where and why did it come from?  In this case, the client is a smoker.  Smoking adds heat to the lungs.  Heat is more than inflammation.   Its inflammation, blood stagnation and more.  The reason I decided to do this treatment on the back of the client (it looks painful but it isnt), is to remove some heat from the lungs, which are directly below the skin and muscles where the  cup was moved back and forth.  The idea behind it was to move the blood and the heat due to smoking that I suspected was a problem and sure enough there was blood stagnation.

I am very proactive in taking care of my patients.  Even where they don’t complain of a particular issue but they are susceptible to an issue in the future, I discuss my suspicion and recommendation and proceed to do the additional step for their long term health.

Conclusion

Blood stagnation is a concept mostly rooted in Oriental medicine although western or allopathic medicine realizes its contribution to disease and disharmony.  Summit Healing Arts Acupuncture treats this condition very effectively and if you are experiencing pain that is resistant to treatment or has been lingering around indefinitely, give me a call and lets discuss what can be done for you.