Wheezing condition in Chinese medicine refers to a sense of tightness, congestion, breathlessness or constriction of the chest added along with difficultly breathing inwards (inspiration).

The term asthma is commonly used when referring to wheezing, however true asthma is only one of a number of biomedical diagnoses that may fall into the Traditional Chinese medicine category of "wheezing".

Lets talk Chinese metaphors to describe your dog's wheezing...because that's why your reading this, to get an understanding as to how we use herbs to treat TCM's definition of wheezing.

In Chinese medicine terms, wheezing is due to the failure of Lung qi to descend as it naturally should. There are two fundamental principals that explain this and one is to say that it is a condition of Lung qi excess or a condition of Lung qi deficiency.

Excess wheezing conditions are described as obstruction of the Lungs energetics by the contraction of an external pathogen (Wind plus Heat or Cold) or internally generated pathogens (Phlegm, Heat or qi stagnation).

Deficiency wheezing is said to occur when the Lung qi is too weak to descend by itself, or that the Kidney qi is unable to grasp qi in the chest and help the Lungs.

The causes of wheezing according to the principles of Traditional Chinese medicine are as follows:

• External pathogens (germs)
• Spleen deficiency (weak digestion)
• Phlegm Damp or Phlegm Heat  (mostly diet related)
• Liver qi stagnation (emotional component to wheezing)
• Lung deficiency (chronic disease of the Lung)
• Kidney deficiency (Kidney and Lungs work together)

Clinically most of the time we see Phlegm Damp and Phlegm Heat wheezing, we believe it is attributed to diets that are too rich for the canines digestive system. The component of the diet that we think causes the most harm and helps create this Phlegm is the over abundance of processed grains and over processed foods.

We use your survey to pick out the right herbs for the wheezing pattern that you describe your dog to be presenting with. We most likely we suggest two formulas, one for the acute wheezing, and then the second to help the dog transform the phlegm for more long term relief.

Lastly Hound Honey Wheeze away is our suggested adjunct to help the wheezing dog because it provides on the spot relief.