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Gallbladder vacuity

胆虚 〔膽虛〕dǎn xū

Also:

A disease pattern of gallbladder vacuity and failure of the decision-making capacity.

Description: The chief signs are anxiety and indecision; timid gallbladder (lack of courage) and susceptibility to fright; insomnia and profuse dreaming, clouded vision, tinnitus and poor hearing; in some cases, dizzy head or blurred vision. Other signs include sighing, distension and fullness under the rib-side, and sloppy diarrhea. There may be signs of qì vacuity include lassitude of spirit, shortness of breath and lack of strength. The tongue fur is thin, white, and glossy. The pulse is stringlike, fine, and slow.

The Pulse Classic (脉经 mài jīng) gives a somewhat different list of signs: In gallbladder vacuity... dizziness, reversal, wilting, inability to the waggle the toes, crippling, inability to sit but not stand, sudden collapse, yellow eyes, seminal emission, and blurred vision.

Analysis: The gallbladder governs decision. When this function is impaired, there is anxiety and indecision. The eyes, ears, and rib-side lie on the pathway of the gallbladder channel; gallbladder vacuity is associated with clouded vision, tinnitus, and distension and fullness under the rib-side, and frequent sighing. With the liver, the gallbladder shares signs such as distension and pain in the chest and rib-side, sighing, and a stringlike pulse.

Medicinal therapy: Boost qì and warm the gallbladder. Use Ten-Ingredient Gallbladder-Warming Decoction (十味温胆汤 shí wèi wēn dǎn tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, GB, and HT. Select BL-19 (Gallbladder Transport, 胆俞 dǎn shù), BL-15 (Heart Transport, 心俞 xīn shù), GB-34 (Yáng Mound Spring, 阳陵泉 yáng líng quán), GB-40 (Hill Ruins, 丘墟 qiū xū), HT-7 (Spirit Gate, 神门 shén mén), PC-6 (Inner Pass, 内关 nèi guān), and ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ); needle with supplementation and moxa.

See also gallbladder governs decision. Compare disquieting of heart qì.

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