Blood impediment

1. From Plain Questions (素问 sù wèn, jiǔ zhēn). An impediment (bì) pattern that results from evil entering the blood aspect in patients suffering from qì-blood vacuity, often traceable to sleeping in drafts or sweating from exertion. Blood impediment is characterized by numbness, pain in the limbs, and a faint rough pulse that is fine and tight at the cubit.

Medicinal therapy: Boost qì and harmonize provisioning; free yáng and move impediment (bì). Use formulas such as Chinese Angelica Decoction (当归汤 dāng guī tāng) or Astragalus and Cinnamon Twig Five Agents Decoction (黄芪桂枝五物汤 huáng qí guì zhī wǔ wù tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Use the same basic formulas as given for wind impediment, and add points such as ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), BL-17 (Diaphragm Transport, 膈俞 gé shù), BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), and LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng) to boost qì and nourish the blood.

2. Wind impediment migrating from place to place with no fixed location.