What is Blood Deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, blood deficiency is closely related to anemia, but it doesn’t always show up like that in blood tests.
Often, an acupuncturist can diagnose blood deficiency before it shows up in a blood test, and therefore prevent it. The underlying causes may be from childbirth, heavy periods, overwork, lack of nutrition in the diet, or internal bleeding.
Symptoms of blood deficiency may include:
- fatigue
- no period or light period (or heavy period!)
- constipation
- emotional problems like depression or anxiety
- cold hands and feet
- pale tongue, lips, nails, and complexion
To feel more balanced, we recommend:
- food-based iron sources such as liver, lamb, eggs, bone broth *(stock), sardines, salmon, mussels, oysters, dark leafy green vegetables, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, mushrooms, turnips, beets, stout beer (!), black-strap molasses, sweet potato, litchi fruit, apricots, dates, figs, grapes, cherries, kidney or adzuki beans, algae, nettles, seaweed, and parsley
- people with blood deficiency would not make good candidates for a vegan diet
- herbs that can help build your blood: Dang Gui, White Peony, Ginseng, Schisandra (“Go Ji Berries), and Astragalus
- acupuncture to help deal with emotional stress, digestion, and circulation
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