Diet
Excessive consumption of hot foods, or hot-greasy foods and alcohol leads to Heat or
Damp-Heat. Heat invades the Blood portion and causes blood to push out of the vessels. This is
bleeding from Blood-Heat.
Excessive consumption of greasy foods and dairy products may weaken the Spleen: deficient
Spleen-Qi may fail to hold Blood in the vessels leading to bleeding. This is bleeding from Qi
deficiency.
Emotional Strain
Emotional strain is an important cause of bleeding. Every emotion, when excessive and
prolonged, impairs the proper movement of Qi and leads to stagnation of Qi. Stagnant-Qi over a
long period of time often leads to Fire. Fire enters the Blood portion and makes the Blood
"reckless", causing bleeding.
Bleeding from emotional strain is especially associated with Qi rebelling upwards such as
happens in Liver-Fire. In such a case the bleeding would occur upwards, i.e. with vomiting,
coughing or from the nose. In more severe cases and in old people with a more complex
pathology this may also lead to bleeding upwards in the brain and cause a cerebral haemorrhage.
Overwork
Overwork is also an extremely common cause of bleeding, especially in chronic cases. Working
long hours without adequate rest over many years weakens Spleen-Qi and Kidney-Yin. This may
lead to bleeding in two different ways. Both deficient Qi or Yin may fail to hold Blood and cause
bleeding. Furthermore, deficiency of Yin over a long period of time leads to Empty-Heat which
may agitate the Blood and cause bleeding.
Chronic Illness and Childbirth
A long, chronic illness inevitably causes Spleen deficiency and this may cause bleeding in the
way described above.
In women of weak body-condition, childbirth may deplete the Kidneys: this may cause bleeding
from Qi or Yin deficiency or from Empty-Heat.
Aftermath of a Heat Disease
Wind-Heat has a strong tendency to cause internal dryness as it dries up the body fluids, and also