Do You Have An Underlying Imbalance?
Case Study by Jenny Chou.
Often people ring and ask - do you treat fatigue, no energy, lethargic and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? It is a such complicated and broad question so it isn't a yes/no or black and white answer.
Most people have done their homework, knowing it caused by their anaemic, hypothyroidism, adrenaline exhaustion, hypoglycaemia. Treating it accordingly, but many people do not have a formal diagnosis or understanding what caused their low energy? Low energy in Chinese Medicine (CM) concept is Qi (life/energetic force) out of balance.
But there are many reasons, including: 1. Qi deficient 2. Blood deficient 3. Yang energy deficient in Stomach Channel or Spleen or Lung or Kidney Channels. 4. Yin energy deficient in Liver Channel or Heart or Kidney Channels. 5. Qi excess (too much) in Lung Channel or in the Larger Intestine or the Stomach or the Spleen or Kidney Channels. 6. Qi blocked in Liver Channel or Lung or Larger Intestine or Heart or Kidney Channels. For some people, according to TCM, they have a weak constitution so they were born with some weaknesses, currently there are some genetic tests such as MHTFR, APO E 3/4, 4/4 unveil the causes, but maybe there is a lots more that hasn't been discovered yet.
So here you go, CM practitioners need to work out the under layer causes to make a diagnosis and treatment plan.
Case One
Young lady 25 years old, hasn’t had much energy for very long time, after checking her pulses and tongue, plus her clinic questionnaires, my diagnosis for her is -
Liver Blood deficient
Stomach Qi deficient
Kidney Yin and Yang energy both deficient
And I have very quickly worked out that is caused by her improper diet which she believed it was good for her, so we set up her personalized diet plan and used some Chinese Herbs to correct her above imbalances, she feels great and looks pink / healthier after one month.
Case Two
A 50+ year old lady felt fatigue for few years, who also has a high blood pressure, plus working very hard / stressed, complain she felt a lot more headache and flat energy recently. She also mentioned that she bought some energy support nature remedy - I checked out for her, it has Chinese herb GINSENG in it. After checking her pulse and tongue plus clinic questionnaires, my diagnosis is
Qi excess blocked in Lung channel
Kidney Yin deficient
Asked her to stop the nature medicine that containing Ginseng immediately, she has had too much Qi in her already so Ginseng will cause more problem for excess Qi, that's why she felt worse recently! I did a de-blocking acupuncture and cupping and have her on Qi descending herbs, plus some Kidney Yin notifying herbs, she is feel so much brighter and more energy!
So there isn't a single uniform formula or protocol for treating Qi issue, that is totally depending on the individual problems, life styles and constitutional making up - these aspects would be the under layer issues that need to be addressed. But a careful analysis is a vital start point, a comprehensive / holistic approach that would lead to better outcome.
Also, if you do have a constitutional weakness, the best way to deal with it is to know how to manage it accordingly for the long term.