A story about how my indigestion and insomnia might have stemmed from a blood deficiency

Hello, this is Tsumugi.

This time, it's not a Kampo personification guide, but I'd like to talk a little about Kampo.

Having said that, Kampo personifications will appear.

My chronic sleep deprivation worsened, and I couldn't sleep because of a terrible feeling of indigestion.

It became the norm that I couldn't sleep for about 4 hours, from 10 PM to near 2 AM.

I pride myself on being a person with Spleen-Qi deficiency.

Therefore, in addition to Spleen-Qi deficiency, there's the fact that I don't chew enough while eating because I'm taking care of my daughter, and the pressure on my stomach from pregnancy makes the functions of the Spleen and Stomach prone to decline.

As a result, I saw it as a state where the food I ate was prone to stagnation, and signs of Phlegm-Dampness were appearing.

In fact, I felt a certain effect from Nichinto, which is used for Phlegm-Dampness, indigestion, and nausea, and I used it often during my pregnancy.

Well, it couldn't quite cover everything, so recently I've also been helped by metoclopramide.

Even if I try to improve it fundamentally, the pressure on my stomach during pregnancy can't be helped, so my feeling is that I will properly use what I can within the scope of my doctor's instructions.

Also, I was using metoclopramide with the expectation that it might make it a little easier to sleep, as it also causes some drowsiness.

However, the sleep deprivation and fatigue were not solved by that alone.

Even when I tried using Rikkunshito together, it was mediocre, and I even felt like the food stagnation worsened.

I think it was truly a mismatch of the pattern (sho).

I thought about my body again.

Come to think of it, when exactly was the timing when I became particularly sleep-deprived?

It was probably after I went back to my parents' home for childbirth.

I thought I couldn't sleep because my stomach was heavy and I was restless due to fetal movement.

Of course, that was part of it, too.

But there was one other factor I could think of.

That was the blood draw at my prenatal checkup.

I had blood drawn twice in two weeks.

They found something that didn't meet the criteria in the test items, so I ended up having to do it additionally.

In terms of numbers, I don't think I have Western medical anemia.

However, Western medical anemia and what is called Blood deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine are not exactly the same thing.

Rather than just the blood draw itself being the cause, it might be that the exhaustion of late pregnancy, sleep deprivation, decreased food intake, and parenting fatigue overlapped, leading to a state that looks like both Qi and Blood deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In late pregnancy, especially as you enter the final month, it's a time when the fetus easily takes nutrients, making it easier for signs of Blood deficiency to appear.

Skin becomes dry and itchy, hair becomes prone to falling out, and you feel somewhat unstable.

Those kinds of SOS signals from the body tend to appear, too.

Blood deficiency can sometimes cause insomnia and anxiety, so I think there was a tendency for that.

So, for the past few days, I've been drinking Tokishakuyakusan and Rikkunshito from time to time.

Since I'm at it, let's summarize the properties of Tokishakuyakusan.

My number one staple medicine, Tokishakuyakusan.

With the image of nourishing blood, I've made the hair tips reddish.

With the image of herbal medicines that nourish blood, adjust the imbalance of water, and regulate circulation, I tried to create an atmosphere that reminds one of water and circulation.

It also contains Atractylodes rhizome, but considering my original weakness, in my case, it was a bit unreliable as a cover for the Spleen and Stomach.

I had been adding Rikkunshito adjusted to about half the dose as a cover medicine, but it was a hassle...

No, that's not it, I decided to try going with metoclopramide and Tokishakuyakusan.

Note: By the way, that day's dinner was a steak bowl.

As a result, I was able to go to sleep after 10 PM.

I woke up around 7:30 AM, so I think I was able to sleep for 9 hours.

For me, who sometimes feels Rikkunshito is heavy, it seems that Tokishakuyakusan and metoclopramide, which helps gastrointestinal movement, were just right this time.

The food stagnation might have been a state closer to an excess pattern, where pressure from pregnancy, stagnation, heat, and poor circulation overlapped, which is a little different from when I was looking at it simply as Spleen-Stomach Qi deficiency.

Improve food stagnation and water stagnation, and nourish blood.

As a pattern at the present moment, that seemed to be the right fit.

It felt like I was able to sleep properly for the first time in about a month, and I was able to spend the day in a good mood, feeling like I could have some energy, thinking, 'Can I do this today?'

Honestly, I think what was most painful about this pregnancy was the morning sickness and food stagnation.

33 weeks pregnant.

You could just say it was resolved because the fetus dropped, but that's that.

What clearly changed was my sleep time and the fact that I could feel hunger properly and my stomach would growl.

These two things are really big.

I experienced an anal fissure once, but now my bowel movements are stable, and I feel that the food stagnation has been thoroughly resolved.

Last time, I was able to get by with only Tokishakuyakusan during pregnancy, but it seems that wasn't possible this time.

I know that resolving Qi stagnation with Hangekobokuto is theoretically sound, but I have trauma from the taste of Hange, so the current situation is that I can't easily step into it.

Besides, considering that it couldn't be covered by Nichinto, I judged that it might be a risk to rely too much on Kampo alone.

As a result, I ended up being helped by metoclopramide, which is sometimes used during pregnancy at a doctor's discretion.

By the way, there are multiple Kampo medicines that are used based on classics during pregnancy, but the current situation is that they are quite conservative in health insurance and package inserts, and in-depth information does not come out.

From the perspective of being a pregnant woman now, I hope to be able to share that kind of story at some point.

Of course, you should avoid using them based on your own judgment.

I hope to talk about the types of Kampo medicines that must be avoided, the reasons why they must be avoided, and so on.

Next will probably be Blood deficiency.

Considering the rainy season, I think I will touch on water stagnation.

After that, I'm thinking I'd like to talk about Kampo medicine during pregnancy.

Though I might have given birth by then.

Note: This article is based solely on my personal experience and Traditional Chinese Medicine considerations.

Please be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist regarding the use of Kampo or Western medicines during pregnancy.