Phlegm Misting-Disturbing the Orifices and Mitral Valve Prolapse

Introduction My initial appreciation of the role of the heart, in this instance the valves of the heart, in mental-emotional illness occurred in medical school, since in biomedicine at that time the prolapse of the mitral valve was associated with panic attacks and phobias. Therefore it was a simple cognitive step from that information to identifying other aspects of Heart function, the orifices in Chinese medicine, with psychological conditions. My work with my teacher, Dr John H.F. Shen, and his emphasis on the relationship of the heart valves and vessels to mental-emotional issues reinforced that initial connection with the concept and clinical reality of ‘Phlegm misting the orifices’.