Qi level Gallbladder Heat

When a Heat pathogen overcomes your wei level efences, it meets your next defence at your Qi level, where your body combats the invader with heat in the form of fever. Heat pathogens are recognised in Western medicine as, usually, bacteria like TB, Covid or influenza or viruses like the common cold.

With the other responses at the Qi level, the fever is consistent and high, but it’s different when it manifests as Gallbladder heat.

The main difference is that the feeling of heat alternates with feeling cold – though mostly you feel hot.

The reasons it is called Gallbladder Heat include that

• the Gallbladder channel, your shaoyang channel, runs down the side of your body, dividing the yang posterior from the yin anterior, and
• the symptoms invclude several symptoms originating in the gallbladder, like the bitter taste and pain in the hypochondria – under your ribs at the side and front.

Symptoms of Qi level Gallbladder Heat

• Fever, but the sensation alternates between feeling hot (feverish) and feeling cold (shivering)
• Bitter taste
• Hypochondriacal pain
• Throat is dry
• Thirst
• Eyesight – vision affected, often blurred
• Feeling full or distended in the epigastrium
• No desire to eat or drink – despite thirst
• Nausea
• Irascibility
• Tongue: red: coating is sticky, yellow, usually on one side only
• Pulse: fast and wiry

Explaining these symptoms of Qi level Gallbladder heat

This state is similar to the Tai Yang stage of invasion by Cold when the body succeeds in holding the invader ‘outside’ (when you feel cold) alternating with when the invader forces its way inside, when you feel hot.

The curious symptom of thirst but no desire to drink is because of Damp which often arises when the Gallbladder is involved. The Damp inside you confuses your body’s desire to drink.

Treatment aims for Qi level Gallbladder Heat

Acupuncture for Qi level Gallbladder Heat

GB34, GB43, Bl18, Bl19, TB6, TB5 and if Spleen and Stomach functions are disturbed, add Bl20, Bl21, St36. Depending on the patient, frequent and/or strong treatment may be necessary.

Chinese herbal formulae for Qi level Gallbladder Heat

xiao chai hu tang is the classic formula, but if Stomach/Spleen functions are disturbed then more appropriate may be hao qin qing dan tang.

See a herbalist! Yes, really!

Helping yourself

Stress sometimes plays a major part in inclining your body to Gallbladder Heat. If so, you should sort that out, with someone supportive and objective.

• Read our page on Gallbladder for information and foods to eat and avoid
• In any case, read up foods that cause and clear Damp
• Avoid what are called Hot Foods, and alcohol
• Avoid sweet, rich, raw foods all of which may weaken your Spleen function
• Also, read our page on Phlegm (warning! – a major rabbit-hole!)
• Light exercise, if you can muster the energy for it, may help to spread any stagnant qi
• For example, walking somewhere relaxing (green, valley, parkland … with congenial company, not someone you can’t stand!) But don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion or getting cold.

Can you suppress Qi level Gallbladder Heat?

You certainly can. Easily done!

But not a good idea.

Though unpleasant, the symptoms you are experiencing are tried and tested over many generations, and represent your body’s best attempt. Given moderate health and time, your body may very well throw the invader out.

Western style medications tend to prevent your body’s natural inflammatory processes, and to interfere with your gut biome, where much of your immune system resides.

For a discussion of how Chinese medicine views one of Western medicine’s great success stories see our page on antibiotics.

Suppress them and you’ll get its second-best response, which may not appear until later, possibly much later by when you won’t make the connection with suppressing these symptoms.

Probably by then they’ll be at a deeper level such as the Ying level and/or show signs of inflammation (eg arthritis, inflammatory bowel, eczema, asthma, autoimmune diseases – just some examples) for which you’ll be taking Western medications that allow you to proceed your life moderately smoothly.

Just remember that all medications come with baggage. Read our page on Primary and Secondary actions.

Other responses at this Qi level

• Gallbladder Heat – this page
• Heat in Chest and Diaphragm
• Damp Heat in Stomach and Spleen
• Intestines Dry Heat 
• Stomach Heat