Home | News | TCM | Reflexology | Acupuncture | Taiji | Qigong | Herbal Tea | Sino-western Joint | Products | Cases | Academic Exchange | Prevention | Activities | Forum | Community | Blog | About Us | Site Map
TCM holds that hypertension usually develops for those with a background of long-standing mental stress, emotional disturbance, improper diet, and deficiency and impairment of Qi and blood due to internal damage. Persistent or intense emotional stress often results in functional disorder of the liver and stagnation of Qi of the liver giving rise to symptoms of liver-fire sooner or later. These symptoms are dizziness, hypertension, distention sensation in the head, headache, red face and eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, irascibility, sometimes even hematemesis and epistaxis, red tongue with yellow coating, wiry and rapid pulse. Disturbance of Yin and Yang of the liver and kidney due to overwork, often results in exuberance of liver-Yang, which arises as a result of deficiency of kidney-Yin, known as the socalled "water(kidney) fails to nourish the wood (liver)," which is indicated by hypertension, dizziness, blurring of vision, tinnitus, poor memory, feverish sensation in the palm and soles, malar flush, night sweat, hot deep-yellow urine, constipation, red tongue, thready and rapid pulse.
Etiology and Pathogenesis
1. Hyperactivity of liver-yang
The liver is related to mental activities, such as thinking and worrying. Mental upset or a fit of anger may cause hyperactivity of liver yang, and as a result, headache or dizziness occurs. On the other hand, excessive liver yang turns into fire, which in turn, injuries liver yin and eventually leads to hyperactivity of liver yang.
2. Deficiency of both qi and blood
Under normal conditions, qi and blood nourish the brain. Overstrain and stress may damage the function of the heart and spleen. As a result, qi and blood production is insufficient, which fails to nourish the brain and gives rise to headache or dizziness.
3. Deficiency in the kidneys
The kidneys use their essence to produce marrow, and the brain is the sea of marrow. Deficiency in the kidneys impairs their ability to produce enough marrow to nourish the brain, thus dizziness or headaches may occur.
4. Interior retention of phlegm-damp
Improper diet, overwork and stress or a protracted illness may impair the spleen and stomach in transporting and transforming, which results in the production of damp and phlegm. Stagnant phlegm-damp, impeding the ascending of pure qi and the descending of turbid yin, causes dizziness and headaches.