Do You, or Someone You Know, Suffer From These Symptoms?
“Liver-Qi stagnation may derive from anger, worry and guilt. . . . The patient who is depressed against a background of Liver-Qi stagnation will not only be depressed, but also moody and prone to outbursts of anger. He or she will also suffer from irritability and an intense feeling of frustration.” —G. Maciocia
- frustration, irritability, anger
- lack of ideas, inspiration, life dreams and aspiration
- dysthymia, depression
- nausea or reflux of air and/or food
- feeling of fullness in head, chest and/or abdomen
- gas pains, cramps, tension in stomach or intestines
- abdominal bloating with inability to release gas
- constipation or irregular bowel movements
- wheezing and chest pain
- difficulty swallowing, as if something stuck in the throat
- acute pain in abdomen, ribs, or flanks
- dull pain under ribs or sternum
We know this guy, don’t we? We become him when we loose our cool; when our liver-Qi is stagnating! The symptoms above are pointing towards a diagnosis of Qi Stagnation. One of the many roles and functions of Qi is to move throughout the body. A huge percentage of ailments we face are caused when Qi doesn’t move enough, or properly. Sedentary lifestyle greatly hinders the proper flow of Qi. When Qi stagnates, tissues and organs are poorly nourished, toxins accumulate, and health declines.
Qi Stagnation is extremely common in clinical practice. The most frequent symptom of Qi stagnation is “distention”: the feeling of being bloated. It can be caused by emotional strain, irregular eating habits, excessive exercise, or lack of physical activity, to name a few culprits. The most common emotions to cause Qi Stagnation are frustration, resentment, pensiveness, anger, worry . . . and excessive studying!