Tough Patient case -Treating a possible Fibro

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Could you please detail the points, needling methods, and any associated techniques (cupping, moxa, etc.) that you have already tried. This will help myself and others offer a different approach....

I would also like to know the number of treatments she has had, the frequency (recently) and if she has any periods of no pain/discomfort at all at any time over the past 3 years. In other words when you say heat makes it better - does this mean all the way better or just less painful?

Comment by Archived User

Hi Chad, apologies i should have been clearer.

Well i treated her day 1 with ren 6, k3, st36, gb34, sp6, also st38 on contralateral side with movement of affected shoulder(mainly right side)....also some local ashi needling with moxa. 40min treatment altogether.

i gave her 2 treatments with the above. 1 week apart. She experienced the shoulder feeling a small bit lighter after treatment for approx 3 days, it then slowly returned to normal very painful state. She also suffered hugely from fatigue after the treatments for upto a week. I stopped that treatment after the second session as i felt there was something deeper causing the problems. it was just a hunch i had.

I then went onto treat the extraordinarys as described above. So far she has had 7 treatments, 3 times a week.

Treatment: Open/close Yin mai with master/couple point for 15mins, also open/close Yang mai for the same. Altogether 4 needles. i split the treatment into 2 halfs for both vessels. I needled with the flow of channel, with intention of opening at master and closing at couple. Simply contacted Qi and left. no manipulation.

After first treatment she was amazed at how she felt. The effects were imediate. When she got off the table her legs felt light. she was swinging her leg saying it was never this light for the last 3 years. I continued on with the same protocol for the remainder of the treatments. adding in some local ashi needles on her thighs for the last 3.

Her legs have stayed light for most of the time. but whilst doing her daily 30min walk, she noticed that there is now tight muscle pain and its moving. Muscles on the side of her legs used to be very painful to palpate but since treatment are now not sore to press hard. the pain has instead returned to where it first manifested - just above the knee, her hip which hasnt showed for or 2 and a half years and around the siatica area. it is now really effecting her lower back where she is feeling most of the pain and up to shoulders.

In terms of heat...it only helps quell it a little, in no way does the pain dissipate. She has had no relief in anyway in the last 3 years. Only since treatments of EVs started.

I also gave Tuina on thighs for very last treatment. She didnt do her 30min walk for 2 days to rest. when she did very sore pulling feeling as before. heavyness only returned a little.

Hope that helps a little more,

Thanks guys,

CC

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

If you look at the EV treatments as they are performed with the ion cords (in the Japanese section) you will see there are a few steps instead of just needling the ev's. As I think you know we tend to use huatuo points and more tuina than many practitioners so what I would do personally would be quite a bit different from what you are doing more than likely. That said, it seems like you are getting decent results with the EV's so I would continue along that path but add the corresponding shu points and ashi points on the back as appropriate. Again looking at Manaka's ion cord treatments should give you an idea of what to do (they use needling and okyu on the shu points).

I'm not suggesting the ion cord part specifically, but by reading steps two (shu points) and three (adjunctive techniques) you will get some good ideas.

Comment by Archived User

Sounds like chronic stress, overcharged TW, underenergized Spleen.

Do you think she is willing to do some energy balancing qigong-derived exercises?

Donna Eden's book, Energy Medicine, offers a number of them, along with an explanation of how TW grabs spleen's energy.

Does she sleep well? Get to sleep before 11 (end of TW time?)

Does she crave sweets?

That's a start. Some of my articles on this site talk about TW. There's also a description of a potent exercise to balance TW and Spleen energies and activatre regulator channel in my book "The Well-Being Switch" available from the store at my website.

Comment by Archived User

sounds like Sp-qi deficiency with damp to me: always tired, weak muscles, oversleeps, craves sweets, chronic ear congestion. Ask more details about her digestion and especially diet. Does she eat enough? Does she eat regularly?

Comment by Archived User

sp definately needs work. SP3, st 40,st 36, moxa sj4, light cupping is good to use on fibro pt&#39s as well.

Try a damp- heat pain herbal formula.

Comment by Archived User

The increased Hunger / Appetite along with dark ( Yellow ) urine is classicaly indicating towards Repletion in Stomach - To be treated by St 34 ( Xicleft Point ) + Ren 12 ( Front Mu Point ) + PC 6 ( Removes Repletive Heat from Middle Jiao and corrects disturbed Rapport between St and Sp ).

Increased amount of urine indicates weakness of Kidney Qi - To be treated by K 1 , K 2 , K 3 ,

Du 4 ,UB 23 , UB43 , H 4 .

Somnolence , Prostration and Sweet Tooth Indicate towards Sp Qi Deficiency which is usualy found with Kidney Qi deficiency and can best be treated with a combination of K 4 and H 5 .

Along with that liver should be kept in check so that it can not attack Spleen - Lu 5

Burning Eyes can be handled with GB 14 which communicates with yang wei , St , Li and SJ .

Hope it should help your patient .

All the best .