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Heart Burns

Western Medicine Understanding

Heartburn is a common experience for many women during pregnancy. Although it is more frequently associated with the later stages, it can occur at any point. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe pain, sometimes accompanied by vomiting. Heartburn often leads to reduced food intake and disrupted sleep. The hormonal changes in pregnancy, particularly the increased production of progesterone and oestrogen, relax smooth muscle tissue throughout the body. This relaxation affects the digestive system, leading to general indigestion and, in particular, heartburn.

Chinese Medicine Understanding

In Chinese Medicine, the stomach's primary function is to receive food and initiate the process of "rotting and ripening," or digestion. The spleen then "transforms and transports" the digested food, extracting the grain (Gu) Qi and sending it upward to help produce Qi, while the stomach sends the digested material downward to the small intestine. Heartburn occurs when this descending function of the stomach is disrupted, causing an upward "rebellion" of stomach Qi. This can be attributed to patterns such as stomach fire or food stagnation. Commonly used acupuncture points for treating heartburn include ST44 (Neiting), ST36 (Zusanli), and PC6 (Neiguan).