Anorexia Nervosa

"Anorexia Nervosa" Issue / Symptom Connections

Below you will find various relationships to, and potential clinical treatment approaches for anorexia nervosa.

Content Related to Anorexia Nervosa

It is critical to appreciate that in Chinese Medicine, treatment for "anorexia nervosa" is rarely focused on the symptoms exclusively. Alternatively, a practitioner is looking at the factors that led to the development of "anorexia nervosa" - i.e. the "cause(s)".

For non-practitioners, we recommend reading treating the "cause" and not the "symptoms" for more on the overall approach and the importance of the TCM diagnostic system in formulating treatment approaches.

Within TCM, "anorexia nervosa" is potentially related to one or more of the following diagnostic patterns: spleen and stomach damp heat, spleen blood deficiency, spleen qi deficiency, stomach food stagnation, and/or stomach qi deficiency.

The above patterns are common examples. In clinical situations, however, there are any number of other possibilities. Many times there will be a layered combination of patterns in an interwoven blend with their symptoms - some being the cause of an issue and the result of another issue. While initially complex, this is illustrative of the the web of relationships that Chinese Medicine is designed to approach.

• View SP 1 (Hidden White)
  
      On the medial side of the big toe .1 cun posterior to the corner of the nail
  
      Any Bleeding Issues, esp. from SP Deficiency - reckless bleeding, hemorrhage, blood in the urine/stools. Emotional issues esp. with aspects of worry - worried dreams, depression. Possibly useful for eating disorders originating from stre…
• View ST 19 (Not Contained)
  
      2 cun lateral to the AML level with CV 14.
  
      Abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting (rebellious stomach qi). Gastric pain, gall bladder issues. Anorexia, poor appetite.
• View ST 20 (Assuming Fullness)
  
      2 cun lateral to the AML level with CV 13.
  
      Abdominal pain, bloating, hiccups, gastric pain, vomiting. Anorexia, poor appetite, diarrhea. Shortness of breath, wheezing.
• View ST 21 (Beam Gate)
  
      2 cun lateral to the AML level with CV 12.
  
      Tonifies Middle Warmer, assists CV 12. Epigastric pain, accumulations of food in the abdomen a/or palpable masses, vomiting. Diarrhea, poor appetite, anorexia.