-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
cardiovascular system
Raynaud's
psychospiritual approaches
metaphors and correlations
Person wants to take some hostile physical action (such as hitting) but does not know what the actual act should be. (Gentry, p. 43)
Blood represents joy in the body, flowing freely. (Hay, 1984, p. 156)
Narcissistic, dependent personalities often reported in Raynaud's disease. Exacerbations seem to occur with frustration of dependency needs. Suggestion that as patient acquired more responsibility and fulfilled a more important role, the illness abated. (Locke, 1986, p. 109)
Chronic overconformity, fear of retribution, emotional restraint, and a compulsive, often stiff way of life were found as group characteristics in Raynaud's syndrome. (Locke, 1985, p. 127)
"The blood is an expression of a person's general dynamism. It arises out of the mutual effects of the behavior of the liquid blood on the one hand and the behavior of the limiting walls of the blood vessels on the other. When considering the blood pressure we always need to bear in mind these two mutually contradictory components: the fluid and the flowing on the one hand, and the limitation and the resistance on the other. To the extent that the blood corresponds to our own inner being, the walls of the vessels correspond to the limits that the unfolding personality sets upon itself and the resistances that stand in the way of our development." (Dethlefsen, p. 195)
Chinese psychophysiology:
Liver ~ Gan is the home of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; stores the Xue (Blood); maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); controls the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, especially the contractility of the muscles and moistening of the sinews; and reflects emotional harmony and movement.
» Healthy expressions are kindness, spontaneity, and ease of movement.
» Liver Xu (Deficiency) signs include impotence; frigidity; pain in thighs, pelvic region, and throat; ready tendency to "the blahs" (Seem, p. 28); timidity; depression; irritability; vertigo; pruritus; dry eyes, skin, and/or tendons; asthma; aching at the waist; hernia; and difficulty raising head up and down.
» Liver Qi Stagnation reflects and accentuates emotional constraint as the Liver's function of facilitating smooth flow in the body is constricted. Stagnation is associated with frustration, irritability, tension, and feeling stuck. With time this pattern tends to produce a gloomy emotional state of constant resentment, repressed anger or depression, along with tightness in the chest, frequent sighing, abdominal tension or distension, and/or a feeling of a lump in the throat with difficulty in swallowing. (Maciocia, p. 216) Liver Qi Stagnation often combines with Liver Shi (Excess) to "invade" the Stomach and Spleen.
Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion and manifests in the muscle tissues; transforms food into Qi and Xue (Blood); governs the Xue (Blood); and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel centered and balanced.
» Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence.
» Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; pale lips; loose stools; muscular weakness; and, indirectly, obesity. Spleen Xu (Deficiency) increases the susceptibility to "invasion" by the Liver.
» The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen and may lead to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis). This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise and excess consumption of sweet and Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen. Environmentally, the Spleen is highly susceptible to attack from external Dampness and Cold.
Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will); expresses ambition and focus; provides the "Fire of Life" through its Yang functions for the digestive processes and the functions ascribed to the adrenals; carries the constitutional endowment from the parents; and displays the effects of sexual dissipation, overwork, aging, chronic debilitation, and extreme stress.
» Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance.
» Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch. As always, chronic Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Empty Heat and/or acute inflammation.
» Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Overwork, sexual dissipation, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).
therapies
behavior modification:
Autogenic training (relaxation technique) and skin temperature (thermal) biofeedback is effective in vasoconstrictive syndromes. (Gentry, p. 503)
Raynaud's phenomenon patients showed significantly greater temperature increases during feedback periods than Raynaud's disease patients. (Locke, 1986, p. 108)
Patients with scleroderma and Raynaud's phenomena received either temperature biofeedback, EMG frontalis biofeedback, or autogenic training. Only those with thermal biofeedback showed significant increases of finger temperature during training, however none received clinical improvement. (Locke, 1986, p. 108)
Patients with cold sensitivity were exposed to a mild, whole body cold stress while the hands were simultaneously immersed in a warm water bath which induced the vasodilation response of heat stress. A series of these treatments appeared to result in reinstituting a normal Lewis wave response to cold, as measured by peripheral nerve response and skin temperatures and by subjective improvement in cold tolerance. (Locke, 1985, p. 122)
Temperature biofeedback used with adjunctive relaxation techniques and hypnosis. Biofeedback alone also demonstrated to be effective. (Locke, 1985, p. 124)
Comparative study of biofeedback, autogenic training, and progressive relaxation in treatment of Raynaud's disease showed no significant differences between the three behavioral procedures. Symptomatic improvement was maintained by all 21 patients 9 weeks after the start of training. (Locke, 1985, p. 129)
imagery:
hand warming (Korn, p. 177)
Consider visualization in self-control of digital temperature. (Locke, 1986, p. 108)
affirmation:
Joyous idea are circulating freely within me. (Hay, 1984, p. 156)
hypnotherapy:
Proved valuable in investigation of psychological factors and provided extremely clear memory pictures with appropriate emotions associated with attacks of spasm. (Locke, 1986, p. 109)
process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: cardiovascular system)
related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
converting a symptom to a signal
behavior modification techniques (see also relaxation, biofeedback)
imagery: precautions
imagery: techniques
affirmations: guidelines and precautions
hypnotherapy
process paradigm
footnotes
Reprinted from The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, Giovanni, 1989, by permission of the publisher Churchill Livingstone, a division of Elsevier Limited.