Constipation - Bian Bi
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Contents |
Definition
A condition with difficulties in defaecation: faeces stay too long in the intestine and prolonged defaecation cycle; dry and hard faeces cause defaecation difficulties; having an urge to defaecate but defaecation is not smooth.
Causes and Pathological Mechanisms
Qi, blood and fluid are the main factors.
Heat Bi – Stomach and intestine Dry Heat
- Improper Diet: spicy, pungent and rich food or alcoholism – Heat accumulation in Stomach and intestine consuming fluid
- Constitutional Yang Exuberance or febrile diseases: Large Intestine fluid deficiency
- Qi Stagnation transforms into Fire and consumes fluid
- Anger: Liver Qi Stagnation or stagnated Wood invades Earth: fluid distribution fails
- Worry and pensiveness, or sitting for too long and lack of exercise: Qi Stagnation and fluid distribution fails
- Qi Stagnation transforms into Fire and consumes fluid
Deficiency Bi
- Qi Deficiency: overwork, old age, protracted illnesses – transport failure.
- Blood Deficiency: loss of blood, overwork, old age, protracted illnesses – lack of nourishment for the Large Intestine
Cold Bi
- Constitutional Yang Deficiency or protracted illnesses: exuberant Cold freezes and obstructs Stomach and intestine. Yang qi fails to move and fluid fails to distribute
Patterns
- Symptoms: Very dry and hard faeces. Dark and scanty urination, bloated and distended abdomen and painful when palpated, dry mouth with foul breath, mouth and tongue ulcer.
- Tongue: Red with yellow and dry coating
- Pulse: Slippery and Rapid
- Treatment strategy: Clear heat and moisturise intestine
- Formula: Ma Zi Ren Wan
- Acupoints:
- Symptoms: Constipation characterised by having an urge but unable or very difficult to defaecate. Eructation with gas, hypochondriac distension, abdomen distension and pain.
- Tongue: Thin and greasy coating
- Pulse: Wiry
- Treatment strategy: Soothe the liver, disperse stagnation and remove faeces
- Formula: Liu Mo Tang
- Acupoints:
- Symptoms: Constipation with urges to defaecate and push so hard with perspiration and breathlessness. Faeces not dry or hard. Tired after defaecation. Pale complexion, lack of shen, lassitude and breathless.
- Tongue: Pale tongue with thin white coating
- Pulse: Weak
- Treatment strategy: Tonify qi and nourish intestine
- Formula: Huang Qi Tang
- Acupoints:
- Symptoms: Constipation with hard and round-shaped faeces like chestnuts. Pale and dim complexion, dizziness and blurred vision, palpitation and pale lips.
- Tongue: Pale tongue
- Pulse: Thready
- Treatment strategy: Nourish blood and moisturise dryness
- Formula: Run Chang Wan
- Acupoints:
- Symptoms: Constipation with difficulty in defaecating. cold pain in abdomen, like warmth and dislike cold, cold limbs, clear and profuse urination and a pale complexion.
- Tongue: Pale with white coating
- Pulse: Deep and Slow
- Treatment strategy: Warm up yang qi and remove feces
- Formula: Wen Pi Tang
- Acupoints:
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