Palpitations

"Palpitations" Issue / Symptom Connections

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

Content Related to Palpitations

It is critical to appreciate that in Chinese Medicine, treatment for "palpitations" is rarely focused on the symptoms exclusively. Alternatively, a practitioner is looking at the factors that led to the development of "palpitations" - 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, "palpitations" is potentially related to one or more of the following diagnostic patterns: blood stagnation, heart qi deficiency, heart yang deficiency, and/or heart yin 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 EX Huatuojiaji at T5 (Sides of Spine at T5)
  
      .5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous processes of T5
  
      T5 influences the heart and pericardium systems - in the tam healing system the left side is more for heart issues and the right is more for pericardium issues.  A range of psychoemotional issues, depression, anxiety, etc. as well as cardi…
• View HT 1 (Highest Spring)
  
      In the center of the axilla on the radial side of the axillary artery.
  
      Regulate Qi flow from the torso to the arm and vice versa - cold, numbness, pain in shoulder a/or arm. Pain in the cardiac region - heart pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, palpitations. Frozen shoulder. Pain a/or distentio…
• View HT 5 (Connecting Li)
  
      1 cun above the wrist crease on the radial side of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon, on the HT 3 - HT 7 line.
  
      Speech a/or vocal disorders - aphasia (post-stroke), stiff tongue, stuttering, sudden loss of voice, sore throat. Spirit disorders and related physical manifestations, anxiety w/palpitations, arrhythmia, nervousness, depression - although…
• View HT 6 (Yin Cleft)
  
      .5 cun above the wrist crease on the radial side of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon, on the HT 3 - HT 7 line.
  
      Night sweats, Steaming Bone Disorders, tonify Yin and Blood.  Often used with SI 3 for nightsweats. Acute chest and/or heart pain from Blood stasis.  Palpitations, although HT 5 may be better. Acute emotional disturbances - mania, anxiet…
• View HT 8 (Lesser Mansion)
  
      When a loose fist is made where the tip of the little finger rests between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones.
  
      HT Fire effecting the SI effecting the UB, heat descending to the lower jiao - incontinence, difficult urination, fungal infections, genital itching. Channel issues, sore throat, tongue stiffness, pain along the ulnar aspect of the arms. …
• View KD 4 (Large Goblet)
  
      Posterior and inferior to the medial malleolus in a depression anterior to the medial attachment of the achilles tendon.
  
      Luo Connecting Point - can be used to treat the LI (opposite the chinese clock). Important point for somnolence, fright/fear, palpitations, reluctance to interact with others. Cough, asthma, wheezing, shortness of breath, painful/sore th…
• View KD 20 (Open Valley)
  
      5 cun above CV 8, .5 cun lateral to CV 13.
  
      Local point for abdominal and digestive issues. Mania, epilepsy, palpitations, mouth/tongue deviation/swelling - largely through resolving phlegm. Chest pain, coughing, wheezing.
• View KD 24 (Spirit Ruins)
  
      In the 3rd ICS 2 cun lateral to CV 18.
  
      Local Point, generally useful for cough, chest tension, constricted breathing. Breast distention - moves qi stagnation in the chest. Palpitations, abdominal bloating, panic attacks arising from digestive issues.
• View LI 18 (Protuberance Assistant)
  
      Level with the tip of the Adam's Apple between the sternal and clavicular heads of the SCM.
  
      Window of the Sky Point for sudden loss of voice with qi obstruction in the throat. High blood pressure, for which Window of the Sky Points are sometimes indicated, may also be useful for low blood pressure. Tong Ren/Tam Healing System: …
• View LU 9 (Great Abyss)
  
      At the wrist crease on the radial side of the radial artery.
  
      Tonify LU Qi and Yin - cough, asthma, wheezing, SOB, chronic runny nose w/watery discharge. Palpitations. Wrist pain, arm pain along meridian. Hui Meeting Point of the Vessls - circulation issues, clarifying an indescernible pulse (for …
• View PC 2 (Celestial Spring)
  
      2 cun below the end of the anterior axillary fold between the two heads of the biceps brachii muscle.
  
      Opens the chest and invigorates the blood - cardiac pain / angina, cough, localized pain in the chest / shoulder area. Calms the spirit - palpitations.
• View PC 3 (Marsh at the Bend)
  
      On the transverse cubital crease on the ulnar side of the biceps brachii tendon.
  
      Chronic angina - palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks, sensation of "pounding" heart particularly in the upper abdominal area. Tremors of the hand a/or arm, Parkinson's disease - localized pain in the elbow and arm. Gastrointestinal diso…
• View SP 6 (Three Yin Intersection)
  
      3 cun directly above the tip of the medial malleoulus on the posterior border of the tibia.
  
      Tonify Yin and Blood, all Spleen disorders. Digestive disorders, sinking/prolapse. Gynecological issues, male sexual issues, difficult labor (expel fetus). Menstrual issues (irregular, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea). Bleeding disorders, ute…
• View ST 27 (Great Gigantic)
  
      2 cun lateral to the AML level with CV 5.
  
      Beneficial for multiple genito-urinary issues in men - impotence (erectile dysfunction), seminal emission, premature ejaculation, difficult urination, etc. Irregular menstruation. Abdominal pain, bloating, hernia. Fear/fright with palpi…
• View ST 41 (Ravine Divide)
  
      On the midpoint of the transverse crease of the ankle, approximately level with the tip of the external malleolus, in a…
  
      Opposite end of channel issues (i.e. head/face) - swelling, headache, dizziness / vertigo. Abdominal pain, bloating, constipation. Can aid groundedness and focus - ADD/ADHD, mania, restlessness, palpitations, epilepsy. Local point for a…
• View UB 14 (Jue Yin Shu (Pericardium Shu))
  
      1.5 cun lateral to the GV line, level with T4.
  
      For all heart conditions: palpitations, anxiety, stress, etc. Combine with PC 6 to open the chest (as in the case of plum pit qi).  This chest pain can be psycho-emotional (i.e. liver/heart system related in Chinese Medicine terms), or it …
• View UB 15 (Heart Shu)
  
      1.5 cun lateral to GV 11, level with T5.
  
      Main point for all heart related issues from a TCM perspective, blood and circulatory related issues of an excess or deficient nature. Nourishes the spirit and calms the shen - main point for all heart related emotional issues: palpitatio…
• View UB 19 (Gallbladder Shu)
  
      1.5 cun lateral to GV 7, level with T10.
  
      Shao Yang level diseases, alternating fever and chills. Main point for damp heat in the Liver and Gall Bladder: hepatitis, cholecystitis, jaundice, vomiting, flank pain and distension, bitter taste in the mouth. Often combined with the LV…