Understanding Your Pain Pattern
Why pain relievers only mask the problem
You take ibuprofen. The pain goes away for a few hours. Then it comes back.
You take more. It helps temporarily. But the pain keeps returning.
Headaches. Back pain. Joint pain. Muscle pain.
Same pattern: temporary relief, persistent problem.
Here's why: pain relievers suppress the signal without addressing what's causing it.
Pain isn't random. It's your body communicating about a specific imbalance. Different types of pain have different root causes—and once you understand YOUR pattern, you can address it properly instead of just masking symptoms.
When Pain Relievers Stop Working Well
Maybe pain relievers used to work better. Now you need more, more often, and they don't work as well.
Or maybe they never worked that well for you.
Here's why medications have limitations:
NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen): Block inflammation signals. But if inflammation keeps being created from an internal pattern, you're just suppressing the signal—not fixing the source.
Acetaminophen: Blocks pain signals in the brain. The pain is still happening—you just don't feel it as much.
Muscle relaxants: Force muscles to relax. But if tension is from an internal pattern (cold, stagnation, deficiency), the tension returns.
These medications manage symptoms. But if the root cause isn't addressed, pain persists.
The Four Pain Patterns
Traditional medicine identifies four main patterns that cause pain. Each has different characteristics, different causes, and different solutions.
Pattern 1: The Weak Foundation (Qi-Blood Deficiency 氣血虛弱)
Your imbalance: Insufficient nourishment to muscles, joints, and tissues
Why This Happens
Your tissues need constant nourishment from Qi and Blood to function without pain. When these are deficient—from poor nutrition, chronic illness, overwork, or blood loss—tissues become undernourished and cry out in pain.
Think of a plant wilting from lack of water and nutrients. It's not diseased or blocked—it's simply not getting what it needs. That deprivation causes distress (pain).
What it feels like:
- Dull, achy pain (not sharp or stabbing)
- Pain that's worse with exertion or at end of day
- Pain improves with rest
- Pain improves with gentle pressure or massage
- Chronic fatigue along with pain
- Pale complexion, dizziness
- Muscle weakness, poor endurance
- Pain in multiple areas (generalized)
Key characteristic: Dull, achy, tired pain that improves with rest and nourishment
Common in: Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, post-surgery, after illness, chronic stress, poor nutrition, women after childbirth
Pattern 2: The Traffic Jam (Qi-Blood Stagnation 氣滯血瘀)
Your imbalance: Blocked circulation creating pain from stagnation
Why This Happens
Chronic stress, injury, or tension creates blockages in your circulation. Qi and Blood can't flow smoothly through the blocked areas. The pressure and stagnation create pain—sharp, fixed, intense.
Think of a traffic jam. When flow is blocked, pressure builds. The blockage itself hurts, and everything downstream is also affected.
What it feels like:
- Sharp, stabbing, or piercing pain
- Fixed location (same spot, doesn't move)
- Pain worse with pressure (don't want to be touched)
- Pain worse at night
- Pain that started after injury or trauma
- Headaches with throbbing quality
- Menstrual pain with dark clots
- Visible signs: purple/dark coloration, varicose veins
Key characteristic: Sharp, stabbing, fixed location, worse with pressure
Common in: Old injuries that never healed right, chronic stress creating tension, post-surgical adhesions, repetitive strain, traumatic injuries
Pattern 3: The Cold Seize (Cold Obstruction 寒凝)
Your imbalance: Cold causing contraction and poor circulation
Why This Happens
Cold causes contraction—blood vessels constrict, muscles tighten, circulation slows. When your body is cold (from weather, constitution, or diet), everything contracts and blood can't flow smoothly. This creates cramping, contracting pain.
Think of trying to move thick oil in a cold engine. Everything's stiff, contracted, resistant. Warming up allows flow again.
What it feels like:
- Cramping, contracting, tight pain
- Pain dramatically improves with heat (heating pad, hot shower)
- Pain worse in cold weather or cold environments
- Joint stiffness that's worse in morning
- Muscle spasms or cramping
- Feeling cold in the painful area
- Prefer warm drinks, warm foods
- Pale or grayish complexion
Key characteristic: Cramping pain that improves significantly with warmth
Common in: Arthritis worse in winter, menstrual cramps that need heating pad, cold climates, people who are always cold, those who love iced drinks
Pattern 4: The Hot Inflammation (Damp-Heat/Fire 濕熱或火)
Your imbalance: Heat and inflammation creating pain
Why This Happens
Heat and inflammation in tissues create burning, throbbing pain. This can come from acute injury, infection, or chronic inflammation from diet/lifestyle. The inflammatory heat causes swelling, redness, and burning pain.
Think of a burn or infection—the heat itself hurts. That hot, inflamed tissue is painful because of the excess heat and inflammatory response.
What it feels like:
- Burning, hot, throbbing pain
- Pain worse with heat (hot shower makes it worse)
- Pain better with cold application
- Redness and swelling in painful area
- Area feels hot to touch
- May have fever or feeling hot
- Worse in hot weather
- Associated with acute injury or infection
Key characteristic: Hot, burning, swollen pain that improves with cold
Common in: Acute injuries with swelling, gout, some types of arthritis, infections, sunburn, inflammatory conditions
Which Pattern Are You?
Use these checklists to identify your primary pattern:
Weak Foundation (Qi-Blood Deficiency) Checklist
- □ Dull, achy pain (not sharp)
- □ Worse with exertion, end of day
- □ Improves with rest
- □ Improves with gentle pressure/massage
- □ Chronic fatigue along with pain
- □ Pale, tired appearance
3+ checks? Likely Qi-Blood Deficiency
Traffic Jam (Qi-Blood Stagnation) Checklist
- □ Sharp, stabbing pain
- □ Fixed location (same spot)
- □ Worse with pressure
- □ Worse at night
- □ Started after injury/trauma
- □ Dark or purple coloration
3+ checks? Likely Qi-Blood Stagnation
Cold Seize (Cold Obstruction) Checklist
- □ Cramping, contracting pain
- □ Dramatically improves with heat
- □ Worse in cold weather
- □ Joint stiffness worse in morning
- □ Muscle spasms or cramping
- □ Feel cold generally
3+ checks? Likely Cold Obstruction
Hot Inflammation (Heat Pattern) Checklist
- □ Burning, hot, throbbing pain
- □ Worse with heat application
- □ Better with cold application
- □ Redness and swelling
- □ Area feels hot to touch
- □ Acute injury or infection
3+ checks? Likely Heat Pattern
Key Differences to Help You Distinguish
Temperature Response is Critical
Improves with HEAT:
- Cold Obstruction (dramatic improvement)
- Qi-Blood Deficiency (gentle warmth feels good)
Improves with COLD:
- Heat Pattern (clear improvement with ice)
Neutral (neither helps much):
- Qi-Blood Stagnation (pressure is worse, but temperature doesn't matter much)
Pain Quality
Deficiency: Dull, achy, tired—like something is missing
Stagnation: Sharp, stabbing, fixed—like something is stuck
Cold: Cramping, contracting, tight—like everything is seized up
Heat: Burning, throbbing, swollen—like inflammation
Mixed Patterns Are Common
Many people have combinations:
Deficiency + Cold: Weak AND cold. Dull achy pain that's also worse in cold weather. Need both nourishment and warming.
Stagnation + Cold: Old injury in cold weather. Sharp pain plus cramping. Need both to move blockage and warm circulation.
Deficiency + Stagnation: Weak foundation with areas of blockage. Generalized dull pain with specific sharp spots.
Why Pain Relievers Have Limitations
What They Do vs What You Need
NSAIDs (ibuprofen):
- Suppress inflammation signals
- Don't nourish deficiency
- Don't move stagnation
- Don't warm cold
- Don't clear heat at root
Acetaminophen:
- Blocks pain signals in brain
- Doesn't address any root pattern
- Just makes you not feel the pain
Muscle relaxants:
- Force muscles to relax
- Don't fix why they're tense (cold, stagnation, deficiency)
- Temporary effect only
Long-term Medication Use Issues
NSAIDs taken regularly can cause:
- Stomach damage, ulcers
- Kidney problems
- Cardiovascular risks
- Liver stress
You're trading one problem for another—and still not fixing the root cause.
Your Body's Natural Pain-Free State
Here's what's important to understand:
Your body is designed to function without pain. Chronic pain signals a specific imbalance.
Once you understand your pattern, you can address it properly:
Weak Foundation: Nourish Qi-Blood → Tissues get what they need → Pain resolves naturally
Traffic Jam: Move stagnation → Circulation flows → Blockage releases → Pain disappears
Cold Seize: Warm system → Circulation improves → Cramping releases → Pain dissolves
Hot Inflammation: Clear heat → Inflammation resolves → Swelling subsides → Pain calms
This isn't about masking pain with medication. It's about addressing why the pain exists—so your body can return to its natural, comfortable state.
Chronic pain isn't something you have to live with.
Your pain has a specific pattern with a specific cause.
Address the pattern, and pain relief becomes naturally achievable.