The Evils of Stagnation
When I was still an acupuncture student, one of my instructors used to refer to stagnation as “the root of all evil”. Now that I have been in practice a while, I have a true appreciation for this statement.
At its core, the term “stagnation” refers to things that are just not moving. Picture a lovely river, running smoothly through a bucolic countryside. Picture that same river, only with something blocking its path. That fresh, clean water is now sitting there, turning into sludge, collecting all the garbage that is no longer carried away by the flow. At the point of blockage, the water is surging up, building up pressure as it attempts to break through this barrier, but to no avail,as much as it is pushing against whatever is holding it back, it can’t go anywhere. Without any forward momentum, the water begins to get filthier and filthier, gradually becoming a stinking cesspool of mold and insects.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens inside your body when things get stagnant. Not literally, of cour, but the results of stagnation in your body can be very unpleasant. There are rivers of blood and qi (energy) that run throughout your entire body, like rivers. Imagine what would happen if one of those rivers got dammed up. There would be a buildup on one side of the river, as it pushed against that barrier. This pressure usually manifests as pain. Stagnation doesn’t always lead to pain, but most pain is a result of stagnation. Swelling, inflammation, and stiffness all stem from an interrupted flow of blood or qi. Move the blockage, and the pain will resolve.
There can be stagnation anywhere in the body, and the results differ according to which organ system or meridian is affected. Stagnation in the head can result in headaches, obsession, or rumination. Stagnation of the digestive organs can lead to pain, indigestion, slow metabolism or constipation. From an emotional standpoint, we often see stagnation resulting in irritability, depression, and moodiness (PMS, anyone?)
Stagnation of the mind really is evil, because it tends to be self-perpetuating. People refer to this type of stagnation in all types of ways: being in a funk, getting stuck in a rut, not being able to get out of your own way. The unfortunate thing is, the best cure for this condition is movemen, but the stagnation makes it difficult. Moving the body will move the blood and qi, which will help to dispel this stagnation. Once that mental stagnation has set in, it is difficult to get moving. Soon you are stuck in a vicious cycle: you don’t want to move because nothing inside of you is moving, but the longer you sit there watching Maury and indenting the couch, the more “stuck” the qi of your body and mind gets.
You know how stiff and uncomfortable you feel after sitting through a marathon of reality shows? That is because the flow of blood and qi through your meridians has been impeded by your lack of movement. Now that things are not flowing merrily along, as they should, you experience the lack of movement within as a lack of desire to do anything other than sit there. And the longer you sit, the worse it gets. So get up, and get moving-and fight off the stagnation before it takes over!
NonnyMus
8:32 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012
It's so weird to read an article full of 18th century claims on my 21st century computer! Not just that, but the claims are dangerously inaccurate.
Just for one example, the statement that, "Swelling, inflammation, and stiffness all stem from an interrupted flow of blood or qi." is patently absurd.
First of all, equating those three conditions is inaccurate, so let's just look at the first one. Swelling due to fluid accumulation can be caused by cardiovascular disease, allergies, injury, kidney disease, phlebitis, auto-immune disease or just being on your feet for too long (among other causes). To claim that swelling is really just 'stagnation' or 'interrupted blood flow' is wrong. If a reader with swollen ankles believes the article and thinks the cause of their swelling is 'stagnation', it could be downright dangerous!!
It's the 21st century. We know how blood flows in the body. We know it travels in arteries, veins and capillaries - NOT 'rivers'. We know what causes swelling. We know enough not to reason by analogy when it comes to medicine.
The author should bring her ideas up to date or refrain from publishing them. That way, she won't be responsible for someone thinking they need some acupuncture when they really need a cardiologist!!
Marisa Fanelli
11:16 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012
First of all, thank you for your input. The point of this blog is to educate about traditional Chinese medicine, from a modern perspective. If the language seems strange, it is because many of the theories that form the cornerstone of this medicine date back to the 2nd century...and they still apply today! My goal is to clarify the unfamiliar and sometimes confusing language of acupuncture, so that the modern patient can feel comfortable with the terminology.
Stagnation is a concept that we deal with quite often in this field, so I felt that it deserved some blog coverage. In this medicine, "stagnation" is a simply a term for things being stuck, and not moving the way they should-it is by no means any sort of medical diagnosis. When it comes down to it, all of the conditions that you mentioned above are cases of things not moving through the body the way they should. You may not believe in the concept of energetic meridians, but surely you can agree that smooth circulation of blood and fluids through the body is vital for maintaining health. If the flow isn't smooth, problems will arise. It's the same theory, only from a different perspective. And just to clarify, I never claimed that stagnation could not lead to a serious health issue, or that acupuncture is a remedy for all issues stemming from stagnation...and I never would. If someone came into my office with a suspected blood clot, I would drive them to the hospital myself before putting a needle in them!
NonnyMus
8:59 am on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Using greatly outdated language and concepts doesn't explain anything about anything. Since your stated goal is to "Eras[e] misconceptions about acupuncture and natural health" how about if you do so by using accurate language and concepts. How about if you start by writing an article emphasizing that NOBODY should get acupuncture for any symptoms without the recommendation of a physician? How about if you then base any articles after that on clinical studies showing the value and limitations of acupuncture? Truthful articles about the placebo effect and the concepts of clinical studies (controls, adequate sample size, blinding) would also be educational to Patch readers.
For example, acupuncture has been shown clinically to reduce pain such as migraine headaches, extubation in children, rheumatoid arthritis and a few other specific conditions. It has been shown clinically to be no better than sham acupuncture or other placebos for a much longer list of medical conditions. It hasn't been shown to increase blood flow in any great way. It has been shown to reduce blood pressure in hypotensive individuals, but so have placebos!
Acupuncture's efficacy has nothing to do with 'flow' or 'reversing stagnation' or qi, but has been shown clinically to be due to increasing the secretion of endorphins and disrupting certain nerve pathways. (to be continued)
NonnyMus
8:59 am on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
(continued)
You do touch on the worst thing about acupuncture -- because there are a lot of gullible people out there, they will go to an acupuncturist instead of an emergency room for life-threatening conditions. You may drive someone with a blood clot to the ER, but since they came to you first, they wasted time which would have been better served by getting real medical attention. Their gullibilty could even kill them!!
Belief has no place in the practice of medicine. Instead, we should rely on science and proven remedies. Anything else is just shams and too-expensive placebo effect.