One of my most favorite phrases in Traditional Chinese Medicine is: "running piglet qi"! It's just simply fun and my brain always pictures a bunch of piglets literally run amuck and scattered everywhere and the dismayed farmer shaking his/her head about the lost bacon. And while funny to consider...it isn't a good situation to have for either the farmer or in the Traditional Chinese Medicine sense of the term.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the term Running Piglet Qi was coined over 2000 years ago in a medical text written by Zhang Zhong-Jing (who's name incidentally is super fun to say...and whom is known as one of the founders of Traditional Chinese Medicine). All this is cute and a great time until one actually has the experience of having running piglet qi! The ancient texts describe it as a fluttering sensation that starts in the abdomen and moves quickly to the chest causing palpitations and finally ends with a sudden choking or shortness of breath sensation where the person feels like they are going to die.
Commonly known in western cultures as a panic attack or an anxiety attack you can see how it starts out as all fun and games until your livelihood runs out of the fence. Feeling as if you are going to die, even for a short time, really takes that comedic element away from the story of the running piglets.
What does it mean?
So, there are a few ways to diagnose running piglet qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The first is that there is an imbalance of yin and yang (and if you've every had acupuncture, it all boils down to an imbalance of yin and yang...but you've got to keep going deeper). The second and third explanations are that the organ systems and elements are out of balance. So specifically with running piglet qi there is an imbalance in the Heart Fire being depleted and the Kidney Water in excess. (More on each of these elements and organs will follow in several other blogs but we will discuss some basics now).
The Heart in TCM is related not only to the western medicine idea of the heart as a structure, but also to the shen, which is the mind or spirit of the person. The heart in TCM is the emperor of all things and if the emperor isn't happy, nobody is happy... If the heart is weakened by another organ system the person will experience palpitations, a feeling of energy rising up towards the head, stressful thoughts, overwhelmed but in the sense that the mind is rushing through so many thoughts and won't shut off.
In the case of running piglet qi the Kidney Water is in excess overwhelming the heart. This in TCM is why the feeling starts in the lower abdomen and rises up the body. The Kidney in TCM is like a trusted cabinet advisor and s/he is overwhelming the emperor with the tasks on the "to do list". The emotion most closely associated with the Kidneys is fear so think about "chicken little" and the sky is falling idea. The Kidneys also encompass the adrenal glands not just the excretion process, and hold our "well of energy" the congenital energy we are born with and what we have accumulated over our years of living. And Kidney being a water element...water will put out fire.
The feeling in TCM terms comes and goes because the only time that the fire can truly be extinguished will be the time that we really do die, so the fire fights back against the water element.
What causes it running piglet qi?
Many different triggers exist that can open the gate for the piglets to run rampant but the underlying causes are all things that weaken the Heart organ system in general.
Stress, Fright or Shock
Physical or Mental Overwork
Excessive Sweating
Excessive Exposure of Cold
Overstimulation
Insufficient Sleep
Poor Nutrition
Congenital or Constitutional Factors
How do we lock the gate?
Corralling the piglets through acupuncture and herbal formulas are highly effective (of course I'd say that being an acupuncturist!). But there are acupressure points you can use on yourself as well. Some of the other effective practices include:
Scheduling regular downtime for yourself
Time away from TV and social media
Walking
Meditation
Yin Yoga
Tai Qi
Eating foods that support the body
Maintaining a healthy work like balance
Counseling
Acupressure points should be used with enough pressure to hold an egg (not enough to break an egg) and gently massaged for one to two minutes. Using essential oils topically can also improve the outcomes with a soothing scent like lavender, eucalyptus, or chamomile. None of these points need to be exactly accurate or precise during an attack to be effective (so close will count).
Ren 17: Ren 17 is in the middle of your sternal bone of your chest. I like to recommend that this is one of the better places to use a topical essential oil of your preference and then to instead of massaging the area to place the palm of your hand there and rest easily. Trying to take a breathe deep enough during an attack that your hand will move up and down with the inhale/exhale.
PC6: Pericardium 6 is two of your thumb widths away from the wrist crease, palm side, towards your heart. There are two tendons that you will feel there and you might also notice some of your veins in this area as well. It works equally well on both wrists and I also like to use a scent here.
GB21: Gallbladder 21 is not traditionally used to soothe the heart but in this circumstance where the energy/qi is rushing upward it is a strong point that moves all energy downward. This point is located half way between the center of your neck and each shoulder. It is on the top side of your shoulder so a great shoulder/neck massage is in order!
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