chest pain, shortnessThese three symptoms, tightness in chest, shortness of breath, and chest pain (Angina), often appear at the same time, which was first mentioned in Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Coffer) by Zhang Zhongjing, a famous herbal physician in the Han Dynasty (206 BC). In this book he offered an insightful view on what causes and how to cure this disease.

Middle-aged and the elderly are susceptible to this condition, characterized as the repeated episodes of discomfort, short duration, oppressive pains on the upper left side of the chest, or even radiating into the back of left shoulder and the passing-through areas of the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin.

It mainly features paroxysmal oppressive pains behind the sternum or in left chest area, but also presenting heartburn, angina (stabbing or dull), or obscure discomfort. The lasting time can be a few seconds to over fifteen minutes. In the severe cases, it tends to last more than 30 minutes and can not be relieved even after taking drugs or rest, often accompanied with pale complexion, sweating, cold limbs, irregular pulse, or even death in 12 hours after the onset, which are the typical symptoms and signs of an Angina Pectoris.

From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is often induced by emotional stimulations, overeating, attack by cold pathogen, and overstrain, or attacked with no obvious predisposing causes, accompanied with frequently with lacking in strength, spontaneous perspiration, palpitation, or even asthma, and irregular pulse.

By the way, modern medicine believes that this condition is closely associated with heart attack, Angina, stress, Pericarditis, pneumothorax, Pneumonia, and asthma, etc. of breath