What is chest pain
Chest pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen.
When people have chest pain, they’re often concerned they’re having a heart attack. I’m Dr. Alan Greene and I’d like to talk to you for a moment about the different kinds of chest pain and when it may be an emergency. It turns out, there are lots of different kinds of chest pain. In fact, almost everything in the chest can hurt in one way or another. Some of the causes are really nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Some of them though are quite serious, even life threatening. You can have chest pain sure from the heart, but also from pneumonia. You can have chest pain from asthma. You can have chest pain from a blood clot in the lungs. It can be from nothing more than a strain of some of the muscles between the ribs, or nerves. You can also have chest pain that comes from acid reflux of from a stomach ulcer, gallstones.
Many people with chest pain fear that they are having a heart attack (myocardial infarction). However, there are many possible causes of chest pain. Some causes are not dangerous to your health, while other causes are serious and, in some cases, life threatening.
Any organ or tissue in your chest can be the source of pain, including your heart, lungs, esophagus, muscles, ribs, tendons, or nerves. Pain may also spread to the chest from the neck, abdomen, and back and may be due to problems in any of those areas.
Causes
Heart or blood vessel problems that can cause chest pain:
- Angina or a heart attack. The most common symptom is chest pain that may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing, or crushing pain. The pain may spread to the arm, shoulder, jaw, or back.
- A tear in the wall of the aorta, the large blood vessel that takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body (aortic dissection) causes sudden, severe pain in the chest and upper back.
- Swelling (inflammation) in the sac that surrounds the heart (pericarditis) causes pain in the center part of the chest.
Lung problems that can cause chest pain:
- A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism).
- Collapse of the lung (pneumothorax).
- Pneumonia may cause a sharp chest pain that often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.
- Swelling of the lining around the lung (pleurisy) can cause chest pain that usually feels sharp, and often gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough.
Other causes of chest pain:
- Panic attack, which often occurs with fast breathing.
- Inflammation where the ribs join the breast bone or sternum (costochondritis).
- Shingles, which causes sharp, tingling pain on one side that stretches from the chest to the back, and may cause a rash.
- Strain of the muscles and tendons between the ribs.
Chest pain can also be due to the following digestive system problems:
- Spasms or narrowing of the esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach)
- Gallstones cause pain that gets worse after a meal (most often a fatty meal).
- Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
- Stomach ulcer or gastritis: Burning pain occurs if your stomach is empty and feels better when you eat food
In children, most chest pain is not caused by the heart.
Effects of acupuncture on chest pain
Are you familiar with acupuncture? You may have heard of it as a practice from traditional oriental medicine involving the insertion of thin needles into specific points on the body. But did you know that acupuncture can also be used to treat angina pectoris, a condition characterized by chest pain or discomfort due to reduced blood flow to the heart?
In a study published in Acupuncture Electrotherapy Research in 2013, researchers investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in treating angina pectoris. The study, conducted by Lixian Xu and colleagues, explored the use of acupuncture points on the body to alleviate symptoms and improve therapeutic outcomes.
The researchers found that acupuncture therapy targeting specific points, such as PC 6 (Neiguan), PC 4 (Ximen), and HT 7 (Shenmen point), among others, had a positive therapeutic effect on cardiac and chest ailments, including angina pectoris. By stimulating these points, acupuncture not only provided quick relief for acute symptoms but also enhanced the effectiveness of nitroglycerine, a common medication used to treat angina.
What sets acupuncture apart from conventional drug therapy for angina is its lack of adverse side effects commonly associated with Western medications. Drugs like nitroglycerine, isosorbide mononitrate, and propranolol can often cause unpleasant side effects such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and hypotension. In contrast, acupuncture therapy poses minimal risk of such side effects and does not interfere with other medications that patients may be taking for other conditions.
Moreover, studies have shown that acupuncture therapy can be as effective as conventional drug regimens, with success rates ranging from 80% to 96.2%. This means that acupuncture offers a viable alternative or complementary approach to managing angina pectoris, particularly for patients who may not tolerate or prefer to avoid conventional medications.
However, it’s essential to note that acupuncture is not a standalone treatment for angina. In cases where acupuncture or drug therapy alone is ineffective, surgery may still be necessary. Nevertheless, combining acupuncture with conventional drug therapy can significantly reduce the frequency and dosage of medications required, thereby minimizing potential side effects and improving overall treatment outcomes.
In conclusion, acupuncture therapy represents a promising and relatively risk-free approach to managing angina pectoris. By targeting specific acupuncture points on the body, this ancient practice offers an alternative or complementary treatment option that may benefit patients who seek relief from chest pain and discomfort associated with angina. As always, it’s essential to consult with a qualified healthcare professional to determine the most appropriate treatment plan for individual needs and circumstances.
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