Globus Sensation
Globus sensation is a functional esophageal disorder primarily characterized by a sensation of a lump or foreign body in the throat. It is often described as a painless sensation of something in the throat that can neither be swallowed nor coughed up; some people describe a feeling of tightness in the throat. Symptoms may be persistent or intermittent and vary in severity. They are not accompanied by difficulty swallowing, and may often ease with eating. Dry swallowing and emotional distress may trigger or worsen symptoms. Objective examinations find no structural disease of the throat, esophagus, or other nearby organs. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this condition falls within the category of “plum-pit qi” (梅核气, meihe qi).
TCM Pattern Differentiation and Treatment Reference
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
A foreign-body sensation in the throat, as if a plum pit were stuck there, which cannot be swallowed or coughed up; in severe cases, a distressing feeling of tightness or obstruction. Low mood, excessive worry and suspiciousness, chest oppression and distension along the ribs, frequent sighing, irritability, belching, a pale-red tongue with a white coating, and a wiry pulse.
In everyday terms:
- A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the throat
- It cannot be swallowed or coughed up
- In severe cases, the chest may feel tight, with a distressing sense of difficulty breathing
- Often accompanied by low mood, depressed feelings, excessive worry, or suspiciousness
- Distension or discomfort in the chest and along the ribs
- Frequent sighing to ease discomfort
- Irritability and a tendency to become angry
- Frequent belching
- A pale-red tongue with a white coating
- A wiry, taut pulse, which in TCM terms may be associated with emotional constraint and impaired qi flow
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Soothe the liver and relieve constraint; regulate qi and ease chest oppression.
In everyday terms:
- Use methods intended to soothe the liver qi and relieve emotional constraint, helping qi flow more smoothly and easing low mood, irritability, frequent sighing, distension and pain along the ribs, and chest tightness.
- Regulate qi to help the chest feel more open and breathing feel easier, addressing chest tightness or distension, distending pain in the chest, difficulty breathing comfortably, and throat tightness.
|Related Products
The products listed below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
A foreign-body sensation in the throat, irritability and a tendency to become angry, chest oppression and distension along the ribs, headache and red eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, gastric discomfort and acid reflux, constipation and dark yellow urine, a red tongue with a yellow coating, and a wiry, rapid pulse.
In everyday terms:
- A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the throat
- Irritability and a tendency to become angry
- Chest tightness and discomfort or distension along the ribs
- Frequent headaches and red eyes
- A bitter taste in the mouth
- Gastric discomfort and a tendency toward acid reflux
- Hard stools and dark yellow urine
- A red tongue with a yellowish coating
- A taut, rapid pulse, described in TCM as possibly reflecting exuberant liver fire
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Soothe the liver and relieve constraint; clear liver heat and drain fire.
In everyday terms:
- Use methods intended to soothe liver qi and relieve constraint, helping qi flow more smoothly and easing low mood, irritability, frequent sighing, distension and pain along the ribs, and chest discomfort.
- Also clear the “fire” described in TCM as constrained in the liver and help settle rising heat, addressing bitter or dry mouth, red eyes, head pressure, facial flushing, restlessness, and irritability.
|Related Products
The products listed below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Throat discomfort with a sensation of blockage, something that cannot be coughed up, chest oppression and shortness of breath, epigastric distension and fullness, uncomfortable belching, a dusky tongue with purple stasis spots along the edges, a white tongue coating, and a choppy pulse.
In everyday terms:
- Persistent throat discomfort, as if something were stuck
- A feeling of wanting to vomit but being unable to
- Chest tightness and a tendency to feel short of breath
- Distension and discomfort in the upper abdomen
- Frequent belching that does not relieve the discomfort
- A dusky tongue, sometimes with purple spots along the edges
- A white tongue coating
- A choppy pulse, described in TCM as possibly indicating impaired qi and blood flow with stasis
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Promote qi movement and soothe the liver; invigorate blood and resolve stasis.
In everyday terms:
- Use methods intended to promote qi movement and ease constraint along the liver meridian, helping qi flow more smoothly and addressing distension and pain along the ribs, chest discomfort, low mood, irritability, and frequent sighing.
- Use methods intended to promote blood circulation and disperse “stagnant blood,” with the aim of gradually easing pain and addressing stabbing or localized pain, tenderness to pressure, local firmness, or bluish-purple stasis marks.
|Related Products
The products listed below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
A foreign-body sensation in the throat, persistent rumination and worry, chest oppression and palpitations, insomnia and forgetfulness, a sallow complexion, dizziness, fatigue and lassitude, easy sweating, poor appetite, a pale tongue with a thin white coating, and a wiry-thin or thready, rapid pulse.
In everyday terms:
- A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the throat
- A tendency to overthink and feel burdened by worries, with difficulty letting go of concerns
- Chest tightness and frequent palpitations
- Poor sleep, insomnia, and forgetfulness
- A yellowish, lackluster complexion
- A tendency to feel dizzy
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- A tendency to sweat easily
- Poor appetite and little enjoyment of food
- A pale tongue with a thin white coating
- A wiry-thin or thready, rapid pulse, described in TCM as possibly indicating qi and blood deficiency and deficiency of both the heart and spleen
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify qi and nourish blood; nourish the heart and calm the mind.
In everyday terms:
- Use methods intended to supplement qi and nourish blood, supporting vitality and nourishment, and addressing easy fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness, a pale complexion, dizziness, palpitations, and pale nails.
- Also nourish the heart and calm the mind, addressing palpitations, insomnia and vivid dreams, being easily startled or waking easily, anxiety, and forgetfulness.
|Related Products
The products listed below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
A foreign-body sensation in the throat; in a prolonged course, restless irritability and poor sleep, irritability and a tendency to become angry, dizziness and palpitations, flushed cheeks, heat in the palms and soles, dry mouth and throat, and sometimes night sweats; a red tongue with a thin coating, and a wiry-thin or thready, rapid pulse.
In everyday terms:
- A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the throat
- With a prolonged course, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep
- Irritability and a tendency to become angry
- Frequent dizziness and palpitations
- Flushing over the cheekbones
- Heat in the palms and soles
- Dry mouth and throat
- Sometimes sweating during sleep
- A red tongue with a relatively thin coating
- A wiry-thin or thready, rapid pulse, described in TCM as possibly indicating yin deficiency with internal heat
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Clear heat and nourish yin; enrich yin and reduce fire.
In everyday terms:
- Use methods intended to clear heat and nourish fluids, addressing internal heat and supporting yin, with the aim of easing dry mouth and throat, restlessness, sore throat, dry cough with little phlegm, and insomnia or vivid dreams.
- Use methods intended to moisten the body and replenish yin to reduce the “deficiency fire” described in TCM, addressing bouts of heat in the afternoon or at night, heat in the palms and soles, night sweats, flushed cheeks, thirst, and dry mouth and throat.
|Related Products
The products listed below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
A foreign-body sensation in the throat, often with abundant phlegm that is difficult to expectorate, or a cough with white phlegm, fatigue in the limbs, poor appetite, a swollen tongue with a white, greasy coating, and a slippery pulse.
In everyday terms:
- A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the throat
- Abundant phlegm that is difficult to cough up
- Sometimes a cough with white phlegm
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Poor appetite and little desire to eat
- A swollen tongue with a white, greasy coating
- A slippery pulse, described in TCM as possibly indicating phlegm-damp obstruction
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Strengthen the spleen and harmonize the stomach; regulate qi and transform phlegm.
In everyday terms:
- Use methods intended to regulate the spleen and stomach and support their digestive functions, addressing poor appetite, post-meal abdominal distension, upper abdominal discomfort, heaviness and fatigue, and loose or watery stools.
- Use methods intended to regulate qi and transform thick, sticky phlegm-dampness so that phlegm may be easier to expectorate, addressing chest tightness, cough with abundant phlegm, phlegm or a foreign-body sensation in the throat, belching, acid reflux, nausea, and vomiting.
|Related Products
The products listed below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
References
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