Mental-Emotional Problems: Stagnation of Liver-Qi-Female, Age 38
A 38-year-old woman sought treatment for primary infertility. She had been trying to conceive
for 2 years. The gynaecologist had diagnosed endometriosis and adhesions in the fallopian tubes
for which she had had laser treatment. Her periods were quite normal and regular, except for
being rather scanty (lasting 3 days). She suffered from very pronounced abdominal distension
and fullness. She had panic attacks and experienced a feeling of oppression of the chest and
palpitations. During such attacks she also had a suffocating feeling in the throat. Her eyes had an
unstable look as if she were scared. Her tongue had a Red tip and sides, but apart from that, it
was quite normal. Her pulse was Slippery, Short and Moving (the Moving pulse being short,
shaped like a bean and vibrating).
During the consultation, on asking her about any shocks she might have had, she said she had
been raped when she was 22.
Diagnosis This is a condition of stagnation of Qi in the Liver channel and the
Penetrating Vessel affecting the Heart. Shock affects the Heart, but also
the Kidneys: in women, this often causes stagnation of Qi in the
Penetrating Vessel and the Liver channel. Rebellious Qi in the lower
abdomen rises upwards to harass the Heart and the Mind causing, in her
case, palpitations, a feeling of oppression of the chest and anxiety. The
stagnation of Qi in the Penetrating Vessel in the lower abdomen caused
the feeling of fullness and distension there. Her eyes and her pulse
clearly showed the strong possibility of shock in the past, and this was
the reason for me asking her about this. The tongue also showed
stagnation in the Liver and Heart. In this case, therefore, infertility was
not due to a deficiency, but to stagnation of Qi in the Penetrating and
Directing Vessels preventing conception.
Treatment She was treated with both acupuncture and herbs. The acupuncture
treatment was quite infrequent as she lived over 100 miles away.
Whenever I saw her I used the special formula indicated above, more or
less unchanged, i.e.:
ST-30 Qichong, KI-14 Siman, KI-13 Qixue, LIV-3 Taichong, P-6
Neiguan, BL-15 Xinshu, BL-18 Ganshu, and SP-6 Sanyinjiao.This formula was explained above under the "Stagnation of Liver-Qi"
pattern.The herbal decoction used was a variation of two formulae together:
Yue Ju Wan Ligusticum-Gardenia Pill and An Shen Ding Zhi Wan
Calming the Mind and Settling the Will-Power Pill:Xiang Fu Rhizoma Cyperi rotundi 9 g