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Chest Pain

Chest Pain

Chest pain may differ from one individual to another. The most common symptoms are dull aches or sharp pain in the chest region. However, it is also common to feel burning or crushing pain. Some chest pains can travel to other parts of the body, such as radiating up the neck and into the jaws, into upper limbs, or traveling down the back. There are many causes of chest pain. Some chest pains can be life-threatening, particularly if it is associated with the heart or lungs. Therefore, it is advisable to seek medical help if chest pain arises.

Causes of Chest Pain

Most people suspect that they are having a heart attack when they experience chest pain. However, only about 5.5 percent of emergency room visits due to chest pain are related to heart problems. Heart problems can include: heart attack, angina, pericarditis, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, and aortic dissection.

Chest pain

Chest pain may also be caused by other conditions, such as: acid reflux, swallowing problems, gallstones, inflammation of the gallbladder or pancreas, lung conditions (such as pneumonia), or muscle or bone-related issues such as bruised or broken ribs, sore muscles, or compression fractures. Other illnesses such as shingles can also cause chest pain.

Chest Pain Diagnosis

Certain symptoms may help you better determine or rule out the causes of your chest pain.

While chest pain is the most common symptom of heart problems, some people experience other symptoms with or without chest pain. Symptoms that may indicate heart problems include:

chest pain
  • chest tightness
  • back, jaw, or arm pain
  • fatigue
  • light headedness
  • dizziness
  • shortness of breath
  • abdominal pain
  • nausea
  • pain during exertion.

Symptoms that may indicate your chest pain is not heart-related include:

  • sour or acidic taste in the mouth
  • pain or difficulty when swallowing
  • pain related to body position
  • pain during breathing or coughing
  • rash
  • fever
  • aches
  • chill
  • runny nose
  • cough
  • panic or anxiety
  • hyperventilating
  • back pain that radiates to the front of the chest.

It is important to seek medical treatment immediately if you suspect you have a heart attack. Your doctor will discuss with you related symptoms and medical history and base their diagnosis on the acquired information. When necessary, they may order tests such as ECG, blood tests, x-ray, or MRI scans to help determine the cause of your chest pain.

Treatment

chest pain

The treatment for chest pain will be determined by the cause and severity of your chest pain. Treatments for heart-related causes usually involve the use of medication and/or surgical repair of arteries. Treatments for other causes of chest pain differ depending on the cause. For example, if the pain is due to a collapsed lung, then treatment usually involves the use of lung re-inflation, if the chest pain is due to acid reflux or heartburn then antacids may be used, and if chest pain is caused by panic attacks, then anti-anxiety medications may be used.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

chest pain

Looking from a Traditional Chinese medicine perspective, chest pain may be more complicated than we think. First, we need to understand that the twelve meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians all have a connection to the chest area. Meridians are channels through which Qi (energy) and blood flow throughout the body. If any of these meridians become abnormal, there is a probability for chest pain to occur. There are several factors that can cause the meridians to become abnormal or blocked.

Causes of chest pain can be categorized into six types:

1. Heart Qi Deficient

This is due to weakness of the heart function, often due to qi (energy) deficiency in the heart meridian. Chest pain due to heart qi deficiency is usually characterized by a dull ache and stifling sensation in the chest area. Patients may also have a pale complexion, are easily fatigued, have excessive sweating upon light physical exertion, or have heart palpitations.

2. Coldness Congeals Causing Qi Blockage

This is due to insufficient vital qi in the body, allowing coldness to invade and congeal. The cold contracts the body’s channels and blood vessels, slowing down the circulation in the body and causing pain. It is often characterized by more severe chest pain that can radiate to the shoulder or the upper back, pale complexion, excessive sweating, poor circulation and cold in the extremities, and fear of cold.

3. Heart Blood Stasis

This type of chest pain is due to blockage in the blood vessels, characterized by stabbing or sharp pain. Chest pain can also be accompanied by excessive sweating, palpitations, and anxiety attacks followed by physical exhaustion and fatigue after each episode.

4. Phlegm Encumbering Channels

This type of chest pain is due to excessive phlegm in the body blocking the free flow of the meridians. This causes pain and a stifling sensation in the chest that is exacerbated when lying down. It is usually accompanied by fatigue, dizziness, stomach distention, coughing, and expectorate excessive phlegm.

5. Abscess in the Lung Cavity

This type of chest pain is also known as pneumonia. It is characterized by burning pain in the chest. Other symptoms include expectorating thick yellow foul-smelling phlegm with abscess and blood.

6. Liver Qi Stagnation

Chinese medicine theory suggests that anger, irritability, and stress are associated with our liver and gallbladder. This type of chest pain is the result of stress and emotional problems causing qi stagnation in the liver and gallbladder meridian. It is usually accompanied by dizziness, temporal headaches, mood swings, irregular periods, dryness and bitterness in the mouth, and yellow urine.

For more information about how Chinese Medicine can treat pain issues like chest pain, see our website at https://balancetcm.co.nz/pain-clinic-acupuncture-hamilton-auckland/

Conclusion

chest pain

Chest pain may have many different causes. Despite the fact that most chest pains are not caused by heart-related conditions, proper diagnosis will help put most people’s minds at ease, and for those who do have a heart condition, proper diagnosis and timely treatment can be lifesaving. At Centre of Balance, our practitioners use natural and holistic methods such as acupuncture and herbal medicine to help you resolve your chest pain without having to rely on pharmaceutical drugs or surgical interventions. Why not give us a call, have a chat with our expert team, and see how we can help you?

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References:

Centre of Balance: Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. (2022). Treatments. https://balancetcm.co.nz/treatments/

Hsia, R. Y., Hale, Z., & Tabas, J. A. (2016). A National Study of the Prevalence of Life-Threatening Diagnoses in Patients With Chest Pain. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(7), 1029–1032. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.2498

Jennifer X. Cai. (2022). Non-cardiac Chest Pain. https://gi.org/topics/non-cardiac-chest-pain/

CloudTCM. (2022). Understanding Chest Pain from a Chinese Medicine Perspective. https://cloudtcm.com/disease/tcm/28311#h1

Castiello, L. (2021). What Are the Causes of Chest Pain? https://www.healthline.com/health/chest-pain

Pruthi, S. (n.d.). Chest Pain. Retrieved November24, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chest-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20370838

Hui-chang, Y. (2009). Chest pain is not necessarily due to heart disease. http://www.tcm.tw/articleview.php?id=599

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.