| Naturopathic Medicine: Hypertension | |
Zhen Gan Xi Feng Tang; Tianma Chu Feng Pu Pien (patent); Jiang Ya
Wan (patent); Uncaria 6 (patent): Liver Wind Arising from Liver Yang Rising:
dizziness, headache, irritability, flushed face
Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang: Spleen Qi Xu (Deficiency) causing Phlegm
and Liver WInd Stirring: vertigo, headache, nausea/vomiting · Major
Bupleurum C. (Da Chai Hu Tang): Liver Qi Stagnation in obese or strong constitution
patients
Rehmannia Six F. (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan): Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency)and
Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency): low back pain, tinnitus, night sweats
Linking Decoction (Yi Guan Jian): Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency) and
Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) with Liver Qi Stagnation: hypochondriac and chest
pain/tightness, acid regurgitation
Tang Kuei and Gambir C.: Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency): Weaker patients
with chronic hypertension, including due to kidney disease · Yao Qin
Qing Dan Tang: Gallbladder Damp-Heat: alternating fever and chills, chest
pain/tightness, nausea, bitter taste in mouth, acid regurgitation
Gentiana C. (Long Dan Xie Gan Wan) (available as patent); Gentiana
12 (patent): Liver and Gall Bladder Invaded by Damp-Heat
Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang: Xue (Blood) Stagnation and Liver Qi Stagnation:
chest and hypochondriac pain, chronic fixed piercing headache, depression,
insomnia, irritability
Si Sheng Wan: Xue (Blood) Heat: dry mouth, nosebleeds · Er Xian
Tang: Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency) with Empty Fire Blazing and Kidney Yang
Xu (Deficiency): menopausal hypertension
Vitality C. (Zhen Wu Tang); Du Zhong Pian (Compound Cortex Eucommia
Tablets) (patent): Kidney Yang Xu (Deficiency)and Spleen Yang Xu (Deficiency)
with Water Stagnation: primary hypertension: edema, loose stools, dizziness,
pain worse with cold
Tienma and Shou Wu (patent); Uncaria 6 (patent): Liver Xue Xu (Blood
Deficiency) with Liver Yang Rising.
Wan Shi Niu Huang Qing Xin Wan (patent): Pericardium Invaded by Heat
Bupleurum and Gambir F.
Acupuncture point combinations:
After assessing the person and palpating, consider these patterns:
- Flourishing of Fire of Liver and Gall Bladder
- Liver Wind Stirring
- Liver Yang Rising
- Liver Fire Blazing Upward
- Upward Attack of Qi and Xue (Blood)
- Gall Bladder Phlegm
- Liver and Gall Bladder Invaded by Damp-Heat
- Xue (Blood) Stagnation and Liver Qi Stagnation
- Liver Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) with Liver Yang Rising
- Pericardium Invaded by Heat
- Xue (Blood) Heat
- Xiao Yang imbalance in the Windows to the Sky
- Spleen Qi Xu (Deficiency)
- Excessive secretion and obstruction by Wet Phlegm
- Wind-Phlegm Obstruction
- Liver and Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency), esp. with Empty Fire Blazing
- Xu (Deficiency) of both Yin and Yang
- illustrative combinations:
- Stomach-9, Large Intestine-11 and Stomach-36 for hypertension
- Liver-3, Urinary Bladder-18, Stomach-36 and Large Intestine-11 for
primary hypertension; also consider Heart-7 and yin tang (extra point between
eyebrows) with dizziness; Pericardium-6 and Urinary Bladder-15 with palpitation;
Heart-7 and Spleen-6 with insomnia
- Gall Bladder-20, Large Intestine-11, Stomach-36 and Liver-3 for hypertension;
also consider Liver-2, tai yang (extra point at lateral edge of eyebrows),
Triple Warmer-7, Heart-7, an mian (extra point behind ear), Spleen-6, Kidney-3,
Gall Bladder-34, Spleen-9, Stomach-40, Pericardium-6, Conception Vessel
(CV)-4 and CV-6
Homeopathy is another form of "energy" medicine, which like Traditional
Chinese Medicine uses substances to stimulate your own innate power to heal.
Homeopathic medicine is often touted as the "medicine of the 20th
century" by its proponents because it uses minute doses of plants,
minerals or animal parts to produce "remedies" with very little
resultant environmental damage. The remedies to consider in hypertension
are:
- Aurum metallicum if the presentation is violent palpitation; orthopnea
(difficulty breathing while lying down), fullness in the heart region, with
symptoms worse at night
- Baryta carbonicum is you are chilly, physically and mentally compromised,
have palpitations which are worse while you're lying on your eft side; vertigo
in the morning, fainting with nausea
- Conium maculatum for vertigo which comes on with the slightest motion
of head or lying down, if you feel better closing your eyes or if you have
an occipital headache on rising in the morning
- Kali iodatum for hypertension with a past history of syphilis or
Mercury poisoning; for hypertension with bleeding problems; for chronic,
burning nasal discharge and pain in the frontal sinus
- Lachesis for left-sided heart failure, hemorrhagic tendencies, with
angina, and in a hot patient
- Natrum muriaticum for headache and vertigo, throbbing, one-sided
symptoms if you're also a hot patient; have vertigo with nausea and tendency
to fall forward and to the left
- Picric acid for hypertension due to enlarged prostate, renal conditions;
with occipital headache that feels better when a tight bandage is applied
to the head
- Plumbum metallicum with atherosclerosis; nephritis; mental depression;
when symptoms are worse at night, worse from mental exertion; for dark,
hard stools
- Secale cornutus is the remedy for you if you feel internal heat with
external coldness, and you feel better uncovering bedclothes or clothing;
if you have a bleeding tendency; with palpitation and a boring pain in chest.
- Strontium carbonicum with flushed face and threatened apoplexy; vertigo
with headache and nausea; chilly, better immersing hands in water.
Another popular, new to the West, type of plant medicine makes use of specially
prepared flower "juices" whose essences are extracted in alcohol,
usually. The flower essences to consider in hypertension are:
- willow
- honeysuckle
- gentian
- dill
- mallow
Yet another form of "vibrational" medicine consists of the use
of various colors for the specific therapeutic properties these colors emit.
There are different ways to apply color therapy, including wearing clothing
of a certain color, or assuming a relaxed or meditative state then imagining
the color seeping into your body, or using thin colored pieces of plastic
("gels") over a light source in the home or office, such as a
lamp. Colors reputed to benefit hypertension are:
- lemon (helps to dissolve blood clots) and purple (helps to lower
blood pressure by three pathways: vasodilation, slows heart rate, and helps
to calm kidney and adrenals)
- magenta (a cardiotonic; helps to build up and balance the functional
activity of kidneys and adrenals) on chest and kidneys
- indigo (an astringent, antipyic, antiemetic, and hemostatic) on whole
body if tumors found in chromaffin system, or on kidneys if found in kidneys
or adrenals
- blue or green
- green on top of head
- indigo, blue, green, and orange
Other people like to use "healing rocks," or semi-precious stones
to help with physical, emotional or spiritual complaints. Gems that have
been reported to be helpful in hypertension are:
- Sapphire
- Coral
- Pearl
- Pearl, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond combination
Emerald, Sapphire, Cat's Eye combination
As with most diseases, hypertension is likely to have mental and emotional
correlates, that may even be part of the causation of the trouble. When
exploring who to best treat your hypertension, open you mind to the following
concepts. They may help!
- Do you have a mainly type A behavior pattern?
- Could you describe your personality as dynamic, maybe even hyperactive?
Do you work with a large steady output of energy. Are you sensitive and
quick tempered, but without serious mood fluctuations?
- Do people tell you you exhibit too much anxiety, ambition, and anger?
- Can you relate to feeling that your blood and anger are boiling over
and need to be cooled?
- Do you feel suppressed rage, fear or repressed hostility resulting
from frustration or resentment? Do you have inhibited aggressive impulses
and hostile tendencies?
Hypertensive patients are like overreactive sounding boards and often display
increased anxiety, inappropriate coping behaviors in socially distressing
situations or exaggerated dependency needs.
Treatment procedures derived from a cognitive-behavioral base and consisting
of training experiences for coping effectively with stress may produce significant
decreases in your state of anxiety and your systolic blood pressure. High
diastolic blood pressure is more dangerous, and more difficult to treat
with psychospiritual approaches.
The heart represents your center of love and security. Heart problems are
thus logically associated with long standing emotional problems such as lack
of joy or belief in strain and stress. If you are a person who feels threatened
with being harmed by an ever-present danger you will constantly feel the
need to be on guard, as though you need to be prepared to meet all conceivable
threats. This stance is exhausting, especially to the heart! A suitable
psychospiritual approaching to treating hypertension must be geared towards
resolving residual anger, fear or frustration in your life
Consider this quote: "The blood pressure 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.
In the case of hypertension, the circulatory system maintains a long
term excitation in the expectation that it will eventually be translated
into action. If the action fails to materialize, the patient stays 'under
pressure'. Of even greater importance is that the same relationship applies
where conflict is concerned. These patients take refuge in superficial
'busy-ness', attempting through great external activity to divert both themselves
and others from the challenge to come to grips with their conflict."
People with hypertension have a good deal of aggression which they repress
by exercising self-restraint. (Dethlefsen, p. 195-197, 201)
Here are some specific therapeutic ideas towards using the power of your
loving mind to heal hypertension:
- Any relaxation techniques such as meditation, Transcendental Meditation,
yoga, progressive relaxation, autogenic training will be beneficial.
- Qigong (Chinese breathing exercise) treatment indicates that breathing
exercises may reliably regulate the internal autonomic functioning, and
thus signal the nervous system to slow down.
- Relaxation techniques may fail if underlying behavioral factors are
not addressed. In other words you can meditate all you want but it won't
help if you're still really angry at your mother/father/lover/ boss.
- One study using relaxation and meditation aided by biofeedback reinforcement
showed significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure
in 77% of patients. In 50% of patients it was also possible to reduce
antihypertensive medications. Biofeedback-assisted training showed a significantly
greater fall in blood pressure (11mm systolic and 9mm diastolic) than other
combinations. Results were maintained eight months after the training.
Creative visualization is a type of meditation technique where you find
a quiet, comfortable place and gently focus you mind on an image you want
to hold there for a time. Don't be discouraged if other thoughts keep popping
up. This is natural. The quieting of the mind takes practice, practice,
practice. Try these specific visualizations:
- Visualize anything because the best treatment is relaxation.
- reducing blood flow to the coronary arteries.
- cooling down with ice cubes.
Prayer, in whatever form seems genuine to you, is also helpful, for similar
reasons outlined above. One form of praying is to consciously recognize
the God-self that you are by reciting affirmations, either out loud, looking
at yourself in the mirror, or quietly before sleep. Here are several suggested
by Louise Hay:
- I joyously release the past. I am at peace.
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| A graduate of Bastyr University in Seattle, she completed both the Naturopathic and Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine programs. Her preceptor work (similar to residencies) took place in Seattle, West Virginia and China,......more |
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