Interpretation from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine: Why is it said that breast nodules are caused by "qi"?

Expert interviewed: Qin Yuenong, chief physician of the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Breast Surgery, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

In life, many women have this feeling: they feel stuffy pain in the chest after being stressed, in a bad mood, or angry. Modern medicine believes that the root cause of this phenomenon is that emotions trigger hormone fluctuations, which then stimulate the breasts and cause a feeling of chest pain. This is actually a normal physiological phenomenon. However, with the increasing detection rate of breast nodules in women in recent years, many people equate breast nodules with emotions, believing that "breast nodules are caused by anger." Does this statement make sense? The reporter interviewed Professor Qin Yuenong, chief physician of the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine at the Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

"Many patients come to see the doctor and do complain that 'I have a bad temper and get angry easily. I found nodules when I went to check because of breast pain.'" Qin Yuenong said that from the perspective of modern medicine, there is no direct evidence that anger is related to breast nodules. But from the perspective of traditional medicine, anger and breast nodules are related. Chinese medicine calls breast diseases emotional diseases and classifies them into the category of "liver" for treatment. Anger, which is called "liver qi stagnation" in Chinese medicine, can be regarded as the first step in the formation of breast nodules; if it is not relieved in time at this time, it will lead to qi stagnation and blood stasis for a long time (the second step); if it is not taken seriously, it will cause blood stasis and phlegm coagulation (the third step). The "phlegm" in blood stasis and phlegm coagulation means lumps, which is breast lumps in Chinese medicine.

"From a clinical point of view, many women who come to see breast nodules have emotional problems to varying degrees." Qin Yuenong said that modern women have a heavy burden on both work and family, and are a high-risk group for "liver qi stagnation". When encountering unhappy things, they must learn to relieve and vent, and never hold it in their hearts. If it is difficult to do it yourself, you can try to use traditional Chinese medicine to eliminate the adverse pathogenic factors in the body. For those with liver depression and qi stagnation (fullness and pain in the ribs, depression or irritability, irregular menstruation or dysmenorrhea, etc.), the treatment focuses on soothing the liver and regulating qi, and Xiaoyao Pills can be taken under the guidance of a doctor; for those with qi stagnation and blood stasis (abdominal distension, limb fatigue, bluish and dark complexion, dark purple menstruation or blood clots, dark purple tongue, etc.), the treatment is mainly to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and Rupixiao and Rupisanjie capsules can be taken; for those with blood stasis and phlegm coagulation (local breast lumps, breast tingling, boredom and irritability, etc.), blood stasis and stagnation should be eliminated, and Xiaojin Pills can be taken.

Some women are also worried about whether breast nodules will develop into breast cancer? In fact, breast nodules are not a disease, but only a state. They are breast shadows and lumps found in B-ultrasound, molybdenum target and other examinations. They can be called breast nodules before the nature is clear. At present, imaging is an important and simple means to clarify the nature of nodules. According to the BI-RADS classification of the American Society of Imaging, breast nodules have 0 to 6 levels according to the degree of danger. Level 0 indicates that a recall is required and it will be evaluated after combining other examinations, indicating that the information obtained from the examination may not be complete; Level 1 and Level 2 indicate no problems or benign lesions, and there is no need to worry; Level 3 indicates that the probability of benignity is more than 98%; Level 4 is divided into 4A, 4B and 4C, indicating different ranges of malignant probability: 4A is 0%~10%, 4B is 50%~90%, and 4C is more than 90%; Level 5 is a reminder of highly malignant lesions; Level 6 refers to malignant lesions that have been confirmed by pathology. If you find that you have breast nodules, there is no need to panic too much. It is recommended to seek medical treatment for accurate judgment.

Normally, breast hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia (precancerous lesions), carcinoma in situ, and invasive cancer are the "standard" development paths of breast cancer. "But clinical findings show that this basis is not absolute, nor is it a necessary process. Some patients will directly develop from benign breast lesions to malignant tumors. What is more serious is that through clinical observation, we found that patients with benign breast lesions and patients with malignant tumors have many similarities, such as staying up late, losing temper, eating a high-fat and high-calorie diet, having early menarche and late menopause, and there are no obvious differences." Qin Yuenong reminded that this shows that there is no standardized method to prevent breast diseases, and that lifestyles must be fundamentally improved and what can be done must be done. He gave the following suggestions:

Be cheerful . Emotional stability is very important for breast health. Extreme joy or sorrow, excessive emotions or long-term anxiety and depression are all potential factors leading to breast diseases. Women should learn to resolve unhappy things by themselves in daily life and not turn them into internal "harm".

Avoid eating too much. Eat less high-fat, high-calorie food, and consume raw, cold, greasy, fried, supplements, coffee, etc. appropriately, and avoid stimulation from tobacco and alcohol.

Regular daily routine. In spring and summer, sleep late and get up early, and in autumn and winter, go to bed early and get up late. Sufficient sleep and rest can help replenish qi and blood, making the internal environment of women's bodies more "smooth" and leaving no nodules nowhere to "stay".

Keep exercising. A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with breast diseases, especially breast cancer. It is recommended to do aerobic exercise for at least half an hour at least 5 days a week to maintain a healthy weight. (Global Times Health Client reporter Shan Qiwen)