Today's patient was quite interesting. A worker at SACHR, she presented with back and neck pain. So, I figured maybe a standard protocol for her, but her case turned out to be unstandard. Her limbs had definite signs of edema, with her legs showing non-pitting edema. Aside from bad low back and neck pain, she also said that she lives in the bathroom (to urinate). She also suffers from constipation, moving bowels only every 3-4 days. She suffered from nightmares, and then she was too afraid to go back to sleep. She had pain in her limbs as well. She reported that she often ran cold.
This patient definitely had signs of Kidney Yang deficiency, with deranged water metabolism. Her tongue didn't quite match. It was broad, pale, but with a dry yellow coat. However, she smokes roughly half-a-pack a day. Her pulses were relatively deep, slippery, and soft.
For this patient, I decided to focus on her back pain, and only obliquely address the water issues. Luckily, they overlap somewhat, since the Kidney Yang deficiency has a role in both. Points used were: UB 10, 13, 15, 23, 39, 40, 58, and 60. Other points were Lung 7, L.I. 4, Kidney 3, and Du 9. UB 10, 23, 40, 58, and 60 address her back problems, especially 10 and 40, while the other points help to strengthen the Organs responsible for water metabolism. Lung 7 and UB 13 for the upper source of water, the Lungs, L.I. 4 to help the L.I. with water absorption, UB 39 to help rectify the San Jiao, the minister of the water passages, and Kidney 3 with UB 23 to tonify the Kidneys, which dominate water. Du 9 is also useful for this, as fortifies the Spleen, drains dampness and strengthens the middle jiao. I added UB 15 to help regulate her Heart qi and ease her nightmares.
Pole moxa was applied to Du 4 Mingmen for ten minutes, to help boost Kidney Yang, further helping regulate water metabolism and relieve lower back pain.
The patient fell asleep on the table practically from the first needle, a sign that she was really sleep deprived. I retained the needles for 30 minutes, purely to let her sleep as long as possible. After withdrawing the needles, and waking her up, the patient was much refreshed. Her shen/disposition was vastly improved, she was more energetic, and she even bent over to tie her shoes, something she said she never did. I should be seeing her tomorrow as well. Hopefully, her other symptoms should have eased as well.
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Her water metabolism is out of my field but I think bodywork on her UB channel would have helped her in general. I always recommend the client see a doctor when i hear such a range of symptoms.
ReplyDeleteOn the shen aspect i might have a different point of view than tcm. I have recorded my dreams for over thirty years and find that what we call nightmares are often fears and anxieties we deny in waking life. Our fears manifest in our bodies usually in the musculature though not necessarily the skeletal musculature (heart, diaphram, bowel).
Bodywork can sometimes relieve this holding pattern which by its nature is chronic but what the sufferer does with this new or renewed openness is up to them.
Please inform you readers as to her progress.