According to Ayurveda all the three doshas should be balanced and according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), yin and yang should be balanced to be healthy. Deficiency or excess of any one element, results in unhealthy condition. There two types of swelling of limbs due to edema, namely
- If pressing the skin with the thumb leaves a dent that takes a long time to spring back, is because of yang deficiency, here swelling occurs due to the retention of fluids.
- If pressing the skin with the thumb forms no dent, is because of yin excess, here swelling occurs due to Qi stagnation or Dampness.
Yang deficiency: True edema is generally due to deficient Yang; the fluids it is unable to transform, transport, and excrete properly accumulate in the space between the skin and muscles. Yang deficiency is a chronic condition and it is the most common cause of edema of the limbs; Lung-Yang deficiency affects primarily the hands, Kidney-Yang deficiency primarily the legs and feet, and Spleen-Yang deficiency hands, legs and feet. This is also one of the reason for hypothyroidism.
Edema of the four limbs may also derive from retention of Dampness in the muscles, which may be associated with Cold or with damp Heat.
Did you know?
Many kidney problem patients complain about swelling of legs, the reason is because of kidney yang deficiency, which creates stagnated fluids accumulated in the legs and which makes legs swelling.
Yin excess: Qi stagnation is of yin excess type, affecting the muscles may also cause edema of the limbs, in which case it will be the non-pitting type meaning thumb forms no dent.
Did you know?
Many people who sits or stands for longer duration of time ends up with swelling of legs. This is because of Liver Qi stagnation, since liver controls muscular system, Qi stagnation makes lack of nourishment for muscles leading to Swelling.
Note: Both Yang deficiency and Qi stagnation are different cases. Hence, checking nadi is very important before treating the problem.
Case study:
A 45 year old man had been suffering from water retention in lungs, his blood pumping force of heart was very low, had face, hand and legs swelling and his digestion was very weak. He also went for removal of water accumulation in lungs.
Diagnosis: After checking his pulse using Nadifit, it is identified that Kidney and Lung yang deficiency. This is severe kapha condition, where body has excess fluid stagnation. Due to this, work load pressure on heart increases making weak pumping action. Due to kidney yang deficiency, lower part of the body got swelling and lung yang deficiency makes water retention and swelling in upper part of the body.
Solution: This is a chronic condition, where patient needs treatment multiple times and he should strictly follow diet and life style corrections. According to Nadifit, his fire levels (yang energy) in the body should be raised. He should eat foods which warm the body and should perform moderate physical activity/exercise. Specific Acupuncture and Acupressure points suggested by the Nadifit can also help to overcome his problem.
Conclusion
Swelling of limbs in the body can stem from various factors, including age, chronic diseases, medications, and lifestyle choices. Nadi pariksha offers a unique approach to predict the specific cause behind the swelling. By detecting energy imbalances through nadi and addressing them with personalized dietary and holistic medicinal interventions, it becomes possible to effectively overcome these issues. To dig deeper into understanding the root cause and gaining comprehensive insights, explore your pulse using Nadifit.
-Written by Division of Research and Development, Neubotz Technologies, for Nadifit.
