Latent Tuberculosis
forum post
Submitted By: oepaga
Does anyone have any information about how to treat Latent Tuberculosis with TCM or Koryo hand acupuncture? I was diagnosed with Latent TB in July 2007 and I have been taking INH(Isoniazid) for about 7 months now. I had a Korean Acupuncture doctor in the states say that I didn't need to take INH, but that LTB could be cured with TCM alone. But he said that decision was up to me. Well, I started the INH treatment, and then I moved to Ecuador with my wife in August of 2007. I haven't seen a western Doctor or an acupuncturist since I've been in Ecuador, and I haven't had any major side effects from the INH, except initial signs of peripheral neuropathy, which I've read are normal, especially considering the fact that those signs only appeared when I had forgotten to take the vitamin B-6(50mg) supplements the western doctor told me to take in addition to the INH. I have been taking 300mg daily of INH since August 2007, and was prescribed by a western doctor to take that same dosage for 1 year. I am halfway through.
I haven't had any oficial schoooling in oriental medicine, but have taught myself almost everything(which isn't much). I have all the basics down no problem, but since I have no clinical practice, I generally only stick to Koryo therapy since there are supposedly fewer side effects if I make mistakes in treating myself. My questions are
WHAT POINTS ARE GOOD TO TREAT FOR LATENT TUBERCULOSIS(I have no outward symptoms, I have no cough, and my chest x-ray came back without any signs of lung tissue damage). My blood tests also show no signs of hepotoxicity.
HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER TO TONIFY OR SEDATE A POINT? I have been using hand acupuncture needles to treat points on my hands, and sometimes the traditional local and distal points on my body, are those needles appropriate even though they are smaller?
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO PULSE DIAGNOSIS? I cannot seem to figure out the condition of any of my organs when I feel my pulse at the points on both wrists. All I can notice is when my pulse is weak or forceful. But to know if its hollow, slippery, choppy, tight, leather, I have no clue, any help?
My resources that I am using to teach myself down here in Ecuador are as follows
Prescription for Nutritional healing(3rd ed)
Acupoint location guide: ISBN-965-222-735-8
Acupuncture, the ancient chinese art of healing and how it works scientifically(Felix Mann, MB)
Healing with Whole Foods(Paul Pitchford, 3rd Ed)
Lecture on Koryo Hand Therapy(Tae Woo Yoo, OMD, PhD)
Pocket Manual of Chinese Medicine(Richard Lee, Lucky Dog Publishing)
The Foundations of Chinese Medicine(Giovanni Maciocia)
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Comments / Discussions:
comment by "oepaga"
on Feb 2008
Latent Tuberculosis
Hmmm, everyone must be quite busy. I'm still waiting for even a basic comment. I wasn't sure becuase other forum topics received even very basic comments, but I guess my question was too complicated. Do I need to be a liscensed acupuncturist or a doctor to recieve comments? If things have been busy for all of you I understand. My most basic question was just, what are some appropriate points for treating Latent TB? Thanks.
-Jay
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comment by "ChadD" (acupuncturist)
on Feb 2008
My answer is generally the same for these types of questions. You should not be treating yourself, even if you are qualified. Particularly in a case where you have no signs, and in fact with latent TB you may never have an issue at all - you should be properly evaluated by a professional who may then offer acupressure points, dietary advice, etc. to allow you to help with your condition.
As I said earlier, having latent TB may mean next to nothing - not everyone will develop TB or any issues. That said, your main focus would be to keep your immune system elevated. The best for that, outside of professional treatments, would be exercise - particularly things such as qi gong and/or tai chi. This is, of course, in addition eating well, having a balanced life, etc.
Tai Chi can be complicated to learn without a teacher, but there are many qi gong routines that are fairly easy to pick up and they all have positive effects on immunity, circulation, bone density, etc. We have two forms that we teach regularly and have books for they are:
and Tai Chi Dao Yin
Of the two I am preferential to the da peng gong, but they are both great routines, easy to learn, and will help your overall health.
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comment by "oepaga"
on Feb 2008
Great, thanks so much Chad, that helps a lot. I will look into the Qi gong exercises you mentioned. Sorry if I came across impatient in the last comment. I think the comment about keeping my immunity strong is the best route. If I'm ever back in the US around your area, I'll hopefully stop by your Chatanooga center
-Jay
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