Without stasis or blockage, wonderful things will happen.
When it comes to the word “blockage”, many people are familiar with it, because Chinese medicine often says that “all diseases arise from blockage”, but most people don’t know what manifestations of “blockage” occur in the human body, and what “blockage” means. “What are the specific harms to human health? Is it really that simple to simply understand it as poor blood flow?”
In fact, many symptoms of our body are closely related to “blockage”. The most common one is due to blockage of blood vessels and meridians, which results in pain. For example, neck, shoulder, waist, back, and leg pain are very common among modern people. The most common prostate-related diseases among men, such as waist pain, frequent urination and urgency, and increased nocturia, are also closely related to “blockage”.
Nowadays, the incidence of prostate disease is on the rise, and it is getting younger and younger. Among young and middle-aged people, the incidence rate of prostate disease has reached as high as 30%-40%. The youngest prostate patient contacted clinically is only 16 years old. Men’s prostate health must be taken seriously from youth or even adolescence.
一、 The medical definition of “blockage”
In traditional Chinese medicine, stasis mainly refers to syndrome types such as qi stagnation, blood stasis, accumulation of turbid evil, etc. It manifests as blockage of meridians, which can be tangible or intangible.
Generally, any blood that leaves the meridians cannot be dissipated in time and is blocked in a certain place, or the blood flow is not smooth, its circulation is blocked, and it accumulates in the meridians or organs in a stagnant state, it is called blood stasis, and it can be called ” Blockage”.
The human body is always harmed by internal and external toxins, and toxins harm the human body in four ways: blockage, weight bearing, interference, and invasion. Among them, blockage is the most harmful way. Toxins will be blocked in the meridians and blood vessels, hindering the blood flow and making the blood vessels and meridians unblocked. And it is precisely that most human diseases are related to obstruction. The second phenomenon is that due to toxins blocking the meridians and blood vessels, the body’s tissues cannot receive adequate nutritional supply, resulting in numbness and functional decline. For example, modern people often experience numbness in their hands and feet, dizziness, tinnitus, and memory loss, all of which are symptoms of toxin blockage.
Because the organs and tissues of the human body need to be nourished by qi and blood. When there is qi stagnation, blood stasis, phlegm coagulation, dampness accumulation and other blockages in the body, it will cause organ dysfunction, disharmony between qi and blood, and accumulation of turbid evils, and the body will be in trouble. You will feel uncomfortable; if the blockage lasts for too long, it will easily develop into various diseases.
Therefore, Chinese medicine believes that all diseases arise from stasis. “Stagnation and blockage” are the root causes of many diseases. Regarding siltation, the ancients had many sayings, such as “All diseases arise from siltation”, “Long-term illness will result in siltation”, “Pain means blockage, generalization means no pain”, “Condensation leads to siltation, siltation leads to blockage, blockage leads to tumors, and tumors “Cancer”, “There is no cancer in the world, only congestion and blockage”, etc. It can be seen that blockage is very harmful to the human body.
From the perspective of Western medicine, the main manifestations of stasis are stasis caused by microcirculatory disorders, and stasis caused by poor discharge of metabolites and secretions in tissue and organ cavities or pipes, and the two will promote and influence each other.
Microcirculation is the blood circulation between arterioles and venules. The basic function of microcirculation is to exchange substances between blood and tissue fluid. Under normal circumstances, the blood flow of microcirculation adapts to the metabolic level of tissues and organs, ensuring the blood perfusion of various tissues and organs and regulating the amount of blood returned to the heart. If microcirculation is disrupted, the intracellular environment of tissues and organs will become clogged, resulting in insufficient blood supply, insufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen; carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes produced by tissue cell metabolism cannot be taken away well, resulting in intracellular Environmental deterioration compresses and stimulates tissues and nerves, directly affecting the health of cells and the physiological functions of various organs; at the same time, blood stasis and blockage can also affect the movement of immune cells, reducing human immunity and disease resistance.
“Congestion” caused by poor discharge of metabolites and secretions in the cavities or ducts of tissues and organs will deteriorate the internal environment of the tissues or organs, damage their functions, and prevent them from working normally. In addition, the congestion will compress and stimulate tissues and nerves, causing various uncomfortable symptoms.
It can be seen that “blockage” is the key in both Chinese and Western medicine, and both emphasize the obstruction of blood and material circulation. As confirmed in the paper “Changes in Coagulation Function and Clinical Significance in Prostate Cancer Patients”, once blockage occurs, the immune, biochemical, coagulation and even multiple systems of the whole body will be affected, eventually leading to sub-health, various chronic diseases and even cancer.
二、What are the symptoms of “congestion” and what diseases does it cause?
The main symptoms of Chinese medicine for stagnation are cyanosis of lips and nails, purple tongue, and sluggish pulse. If the patient’s tongue is purple when it is extended, it means there is blood stasis.
Several manifestations of “congestion”
“Qi stagnation” Sighing, shoulders folded inward, rib pain, etc.
“Water drinking” Dry mouth and no desire to drink, difficulty urinating, palpitations under the heart, etc.
“Blood stasis” Skin and nails are rough, face is dark, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, etc.
“Food accumulation” Constipation, bad breath, abdominal distension and pain, uncomfortable bowel movements, sticky tongue coating, etc.
In modern medical theory, under normal physiological conditions, antioxidant substances present in cells can promptly remove metabolites, keeping the generation and degradation of metabolites in a dynamic balance without causing any harmful effects on the body.
Once congestion occurs, excessive production of reactive oxygen or insufficient antioxidant capacity of the body triggers an “oxidative stress response”. Metabolites cannot be cleared, the balance is broken, and cells are damaged or even die.
At the same time, the occurrence of congestion changes the blood rheology in the body’s microvessels, causing capillary blockage. Due to poor blood circulation, the functions of multiple organs in the body will be damaged and the following symptoms will appear. If the congestion lasts too long, it can easily evolve into the following and dozens or hundreds of various diseases.
▏▎▍ 01 Symptoms caused by “blockage” ▍▎▏
Fear of cold, cold hands and feet, sexual dysfunction, chloasma, acne, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, ovarian cysts, low back pain, lower abdominal pain, pelvic effusion, hydronephrosis, joint effusion, etc.
▏▎▍ 02 Various diseases caused by “congestion” ▍▎▏
Chronic prostatitis, prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic cancer and other prostate diseases;
Dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, ovarian cysts, breast hyperplasia and other gynecological problems
Frequent urination, incomplete urination, urinary incontinence (urinary incontinence), frequent urination at night and other urination problems;
Gout, joint effusion;
Kidney stones, ureteral stones and other urinary stones, kidney cysts
Cholecystitis, gallbladder or bile duct stones;
Tumors, myocardial infarction, etc.;
- Why did “blockage” come to me?
NEJM published a study based on GBD 2016 data, which found that the stroke risk of adults worldwide has reached 24.9%, and Chinese people are at the top of the list, with a stroke risk of up to 40%. It can be seen that “congestion” is related to our health and even life expectancy. At the same time, most people have different degrees of congestion symptoms, which is by no means a joke. So what are the factors that cause congestion in the body?
External factors
▏▎▍ 01 Unhealthy lifestyle ▍▎▏
The first thing to bear the brunt is our current bad lifestyle. A high-fat and high-sodium diet, insufficient water intake, staying up late for a long time, smoking, drinking, indulgence, and long periods of sitting will affect the smoothness of our blood circulation, and will also lead to liver qi stagnation, lung and spleen qi deficiency, and weak propulsion, which will eventually lead to qi stagnation and blood stasis, forming congestion.
▏▎▍ 02 Underlying diseases ▍▎▏
Secondly, the synergistic effect of basic diseases and “congestion” should not be underestimated. Taking prostate hyperplasia as an example, the most basic urinary tract infection is one of the “culprits”. Basic diseases can damage the inner wall of our blood vessels, making the blood vessels no longer smooth, and blood flow will appear vortexes, which will lead to meridian blockage, poor blood flow, and congestion. The generation of congestion will cause the body’s toxins and metabolic waste to be unable to be effectively discharged, causing cell damage and aggravating the basic disease. The two influence and cooperate with each other, forming a vicious circle.
▏▎▍ 03 Negative emotions ▍▎▏
Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are normal human emotions. No emotion is absolutely “bad”. Bad emotions actually refer to excessive and suppressed emotions, sudden changes, or maintaining an emotional state for too long.
Intense emotions will directly affect the blood flow rate, causing it to be too fast or too slow, thus affecting normal metabolism. And the generation of emotions is related to the secretion of various hormones in the body. Negative emotions will lead to abnormal secretion of substances such as adrenaline, thyroid hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines, producing toxins that circulate throughout the body with blood. Over time, the “emotional toxins” in the body will accumulate more and more, forming congestion.
Nowadays, people have to deal with countless troubles every day due to emotions, finances, work, medical care, etc. Worry, fear, anxiety, depression and sadness fill our daily lives.
▏▎▍ 04 Environmental degradation ▍▎▏
With global air and soil pollution and the rampant manufacturing industry, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the items we wear and use may all contain excessive amounts of harmful substances. When the harmful substances we ingest are of a type that the human body cannot/is difficult to metabolize, or when the amount of a certain harmful substance ingested exceeds the body’s metabolic capacity, these harmful substances will be accumulated in the body, forming congestion, causing the internal environment to deteriorate, and various diseases will come unknowingly.
▏▎▍ 05 Others ▍▎▏
In addition, failure to keep warm can lead to external wind-cold, or dampness entering the body, and severe trauma can lead to obstruction of meridian circulation, which in turn causes blood stasis; falls, collisions, or excessive weight bearing can cause blood to leave the meridians and stay in the body, affecting the normal circulation of qi and blood and causing blood stasis.
Internal factors
▏▎▍ 01 Normal metabolic process ▍▎▏
Because no one can maintain absolutely healthy eating, living and exercise habits, congestion will occur to a greater or lesser extent during the body’s non-stop metabolic process. In the absence of interference from other factors, the congestion caused by this situation is generally mild and develops slowly.
▏▎▍ 02 Senescence ▍▎▏
The most direct result of human aging is the decline of body functions. The operating capacity of organs, self-repair ability, and human metabolic efficiency will all decline year by year with age. This means that the body’s ability to absorb and utilize nutrients and metabolize toxins and waste will gradually decrease. Therefore, even if people maintain good living habits when they are old, the toxins and waste produced by various metabolic links will become more and more likely to be retained in the body, forming congestion. Therefore, with the increase of age, the incidence of many diseases is getting higher and higher.
▏▎▍ 03 Genetics ▍▎▏
In addition, heredity is also an important factor. People with a family history of congestion diseases are more likely to suffer from the same disease. Defects in blood vessels, organs and meridians are mostly related to congenital genetic genes. Once the genes of the same defective sites of both parents overlap, the children will also have the same gene sites, and the possibility of congestion will increase compared to other people.
四、How to prevent congestion
Therefore, for congestion, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment are the key to maintaining our health.
The following points can effectively help prevent/slow down the occurrence of blockage:
Prevention of “congestion”
① Ensure daily drinking of about 2000ml of water and a low-fat, low-sodium diet;
② Appropriate exercise;
③ Ban/reduce smoking and drinking
④ Avoid staying up late and ensure about 7 hours of sleep every day
⑤ Keep your mood stable
⑥ Pay attention to cleanliness and hygiene, prevent and treat infection
⑦ Avoid indulgence and have regular sex
Finally, it needs to be emphasized that a series of diseases typically caused by congestion, such as prostatitis, prostate hyperplasia, prostate cancer, etc., are plaguing more and more men. The effect of disease prevention and treatment can also be achieved by preventing and treating congestion. Avoiding long-term sitting, wearing less tight pants, eating more green vegetables, and keeping the urethra clean are all helpful in preventing prostate diseases.
