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Heart yīn vacuity
心阴虚 〔心陰虛〕xīn yīn xū
A disease pattern chiefly characterized by heart vexation; heart palpitation; insomnia; yīn vacuity signs.
Description: Heart vexation; heart palpitation; insomnia and profuse dreaming; dry mouth and pharynx; emaciation; tidal heat effusion, vexing heat in the five hearts, and night sweating; reddening of the cheeks.
Diseases: Heart palpitation; fearful throbbing; insomnia; vacuity taxation.
Pathogenesis: Depletion of heart yīn causing yáng qì to become hyperactive. This results from:
- enduring illness;
- taxation of the spirit through excessive thought and preoccupation;
- excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea;
- damage to yīn humor in warm-heat disease;
- lung, liver, and/or kidney yīn vacuity causing damage to heart yīn.
Analysis of signs
- Heart: Heart vexation, heart palpitation, insomnia, profuse dreaming, and forgetfulness.
- Yīn vacuity: Emaciation, dry throat and mouth, tidal heat effusion, vexing heat in the five hearts, reddening of the cheeks, and night sweating.
- Tongue: Red or crimson with little or no fur, reflecting heat and damage to liquid.
- Pulse: Fine and rapid, reflecting depletion of yīn humor and heat.
Comparison
| Comparison Between Heart Blood Vacuity and Heart Yīn Vacuity | ||
|---|---|---|
| Heart Blood Vacuity | Heart Yīn Vacuity | |
| Common Signs | Heart palpitation, insomnia, and profuse dreaming | |
| Complexion | White | Red |
| Heat Signs | None. | Tidal heat effusion; vexing heat in the five hearts |
| Sweating | None | Night sweating |
| Pulse | Fine and forceless | Fine and rapid |
Heart blood vacuity: Both heart yīn vacuity and heart blood vacuity share heart palpitation or fearful throbbing, insomnia, and profuse dreaming. Heart blood vacuity is marked by a lusterless white or withered-yellow facial complexion, pale lips, and a fine weak pulse. There are no heat signs. Heart yīn vacuity arises from insufficiency of yīn humor and vacuity fire. Hence in addition to heart palpitation and insomnia, there are pronounced heat signs such as heart vexation, vexing heat in the five hearts, tidal heat, night sweating, red tongue with scant fur, and a fine rapid pulse. See table.
Dual vacuity of heart qì and yīn: Heart yīn vacuity shares with dual vacuity of heart qì and yīn signs of insufficiency of heart yīn such as heart palpitation, insomnia, vexing heat in the five hearts, tidal heat, and night sweating. In addition to these signs, dual vacuity of heart qì and yīn is marked by signs of insufficiency of heart qì such as oppression in the chest and shortness of breath exacerbated by exertion, scantness of breath and laziness to speak, lassitude of spirit, and lack of strength. These latter signs are absent in heart yīn vacuity.
Dual vacuity of heart yīn and yáng: Heart yīn vacuity and dual vacuity of heart yīn and yáng are both marked by heart palpitation, heart vexation, insomnia, profuse dreaming, and heat in the heart of the palms and soles. Dual vacuity of heart yīn and yáng is marked by signs of yáng vacuity such as listlessness of essence-spirit, oppression in the chest, shortness of breath, physical cold and cold limbs, scantness of breath and laziness to speak, fatigue, and lack of strength. These latter signs are absent in kidney yīn vacuity.
Heart-lung yīn vacuity: Heart yīn vacuity shares with heart-lung yīn vacuity signs of insufficiency of heart yīn and yīn vacuity with effulgent fire, such as heart palpitation, heart vexation, insomnia, profuse dreaming, vexing heat in the five hearts, tidal heat, night sweating, reddening of the cheeks, a red tongue with scant fur, and a rapid fine pulse. Heart-lung yīn vacuity is marked by the addition of signs of lung yīn vacuity and impaired depurative downbearing, such as dry cough without phlegm or with scant sticky phlegm, in severe cases with pain in the chest and expectoration of blood. These latter signs are absent in heart yīn vacuity.
Heart-kidney yīn vacuity: Heart yīn vacuity and heart-kidney yīn vacuity both share heart palpitation, insomnia, vexing heat in the five hearts, tidal heat, night sweating, red tongue with little fur, and a rapid fine pulse. Heart-kidney vacuity in addition to these signs is marked by signs of frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire such as limp aching lumbus and knees, excessive libido, persistent erection, seminal emission, and in women, dreaming of intercourse.
Treatment
Medicinal therapy: Nourish yīn and quiet the spirit using tiān wáng bǔ xīn dān (
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, HT, PC, and CV. Select
Combined pattern: Noninteraction of the heart and kidney, characterized by heart vexation, heart palpitation, insomnia, limp aching lumbus and knees, seminal emission, profuse dreaming, and yīn vacuity signs. This pattern can be attributable to kidney disease affecting the heart or heart disease affecting the kidney.
Heart yīn vacuity regularly occurs in conjunction with kidney yīn vacuity, the combined pattern being called heart-kidney yīn vacuity.
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