Q Is a Korean medicine clinic an appropriate place for palpitations? If it is a heart problem, surely herbal treatment cannot help? (41, homemaker)
A Structural heart disease should be treated by cardiology first. But when tests are unremarkable, or when palpitations, insomnia and tension persist during treatment, Korean medicine can help. Deciding which case applies is the purpose of the first consultation.
Detailed Answer
Let us be clear about the distinction.
Korean medicine should not come first when persistent arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, valve or myocardial disease, or coronary artery disease have been confirmed. Cardiology treatment must be central, with Korean medicine playing only a supporting role.
Korean medicine is worth considering when tests show no clear abnormality yet palpitations recur, when you have been told ectopic beats need no treatment, or when palpitations accompany menopause, overwork or insomnia.
At Dongjedang Korean Medicine Clinic the first consultation begins by reviewing the pattern of symptoms and any existing test results. If there are no tests, or warning signs are present, we recommend an ECG and other tests first, and decide about starting treatment afterwards.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Korean medicine approaches palpitations not as a "heart rate" but as a question of overall stability of the body — adjusting shallow sleep, slow digestion, and cold hands and feet with a hot chest together. Acupuncture, moxibustion and constitution-matched herbal medicine are combined according to the state.
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