Tearing Chest Pain yet Tests Are Normal? The Hidden Reason Behind 'Chest Pain'

Modern medicine refers to this pain—where the chest feels like it is tearing apart yet hospital tests show no abnormality—as 'non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP)' and investigates various underlying causes. The insight in Donguibogam that 'the mind injures the heart' bears a striking resemblance to modern medicine's concept of 'mind-body interaction.' Our brain and mind constantly communicate with the body through the autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. One of the primary causes of chest pain is 'autonomic nervous system imbalance.' Extreme stress, anxiety, or panic disorder can excessively activate the sympathetic nerve. When sympathetic tone rises, heart rate accelerates, blood vessels constrict, and the muscles surrounding the chest become tense. Such muscular tension can cause chest wall pain or costochondritis. Additionally, it can induce spasms in the esophagus, leading to 'esophageal spasm' that feels remarkably like heart pain. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is another common cause of non-cardiac chest pain, provoking burning sensations or chest tightness. All of these factors are closely linked to stress. Furthermore, the brain can amplify physical symptoms depending on how it perceives distress. Chronic stress or anxiety alters the pain-processing circuits in the brain, potentially making you perceive even minor stimuli as severe chest pain. This phenomenon is known as 'central sensitization.' When the mind is anxious, the balance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA is disrupted, and an overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol places the entire body into a state of hypersensitivity. Chest pain may be a powerful warning from your brain saying, 'Please rest, this is too difficult.' Therefore, rather than simply taking comfort in being told you are 'normal,' you need to listen closely to what your mind and body truly need.