Dr. Shoushan Li’s Experience on Treatment of Sighing

Sighing is the symptom that the patient feels fullness on the chest like something presses on the heart, which may relieve after deep breath. The root of the disease is the dysfunction of conveyance and dispersion of liver-gallbladder, Qi blocks on chest leads to sighing. As for the treatment, we should soothe the liver and relieve depression, adjusting the function of Qi, the commonly used prescriptions are Si Ni San, Chai Hu Shu Gan San, Xiao Yao San etc. However, it is discovered that the prescriptions are effective for some of the patients only, most of the patients’ breath shortness become more severe after using prescriptions with function of soothing liver and adjusting Qi. Dr. Li believes that the excess and deficiency must be differentiated before treatment according to “Huang Di Nei Jing” and his clinical experience of years. For the excess syndrome, the disease is generally caused by emotional agitation, the symptoms include bitter taste, flank distention, wiry and strong pulse (more serious in Guan pulse), the symptoms are resulted from the dysfunction of liver-gallbladder on conveyance and dispersion, Qi movement blockage. As to the deficiency, it is generally caused by fatigue or the hot weather, there are fullness of chest, breath shortness, lack of power, palpitation, deep and slow pulse (more serious in Guan pulse), the symptoms are resulted from the deficiency of pectoral Qi, Qi movement is not ascending. To sum up, the excess and deficiency must be differentiated in clinic; the treatment of each is soothing and adjusting liver Qi and reinforcing-promoting pectoral Qi respectively.

Key words: sighing

Writer: Lei Zhang, Cong Liu, Haisheng Jin
West medicine and Chinese medicine Clinic of Gu Ta District TCM Hospital, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province (121000)
Graduate Student of Grade 2007, Liaoning TCM University
Zhuang He City TCM Hospital, Liaoning Province