Sickle Cell Anemia

[Guest guest]

You may want to ask about sickle cell anemia and TCM on the

discusschineseherbs group. There may be someone on that

list with more access to information than I have been able to find.

 

Victoria

 

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>One of my friend's son is suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia since 4years.

>Now he is 5 yrs old. He is living in Madras, India. He has been prescribed

>for changing his blood every 4

>months by allopathic doctors. I advised him to consult with Acupuncture

>professionals. Could you please some one explain about this problem and

>how

>to treat with acupuncture or any Chinese herbal medicines? Please advise

>your kind suggestions.

 

I've been searching through the literature, and so far haven't been able to

find much on sickle cell anemia. I'm passing on what I do have so far. I'm

forwarding in an article from healingpeople.com which has a few mentions of

sickle cell anemia, but doesn't give any TCM info on sickle cell anemia. In

the next few days I'll be doing posts on the TCM definition of Blood, the

Organs most concerned with the Blood in TCM, and Jing disorders. In

general, hereditary conditions are classified as a type of Jing (Essence)

disorder.

 

Here is some basic background information on sickle cell anemia for readers

without a background in Western anatomy and physiology.

 

Sickle cell anemia is classified as one of the hereditary

hemoglobinopathies. This means that there is a defect in the hemoglobin in

red blood cells, and this was inherited from one or both parents.

Hemoglobin is the pignment in red blood cells which gives them their color

and which is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. There

are three types of hemoglobin which is present in adults. Most of it - 97%

- is hemoglobin A. Hemoglobin A has 2 alpha and 2 beta chains. Sickle (S)

hemoglobin has a difference from A of a single amino acid in the beta

chains.

 

Basic genetics background info (simplified): Most of the traits that human

beings have are determined by genes inherited from the mother and genes

inherited from the father. There are a few that only are inherited from the

mother because they're not found on the male Y chromosome (males are XY and

females are XX), but this doesn't concern us here.

 

There are three genes from the mother and 3 from the father when it comes to

hemoglobin and hereditary hemoglobinopathies. These are designated A, C,

and D. One gene for A comes from the mother, one gene for A comes from the

father. It's the A gene which is involved in sickling.

 

Genes are classified as to being dominant or recessive. If a gene is

dominant, only one of it is needed for the trait to be expressed. If a gene

is recessive, it has to be inherited from both the mother and the father in

order for the trait to be expressed. For example, the gene for skin

pigmentation is dominant. If both of the parents pass along this gene (PP)

or if just one of the parents pass along the dominant P gene for

pigmentation (Pp), the child will have skin pigmentation. If both parents

pass along the p gene (pp), the child will be an albino. This is why

parents with pigmentation can produce an albino child. The recessive gene

has been passed down in both families but never manifested until each parent

passed on the recessive p gene.

 

In addition to genes being either dominant or recessive, there is a third

category called incomplete dominance. What this means is that if one of

these genes get passed on, it's only partially expressed. The sickle (S)

gene is an example of incomplete dominance. This means that if a person

inherits one normal A gene and one S gene, the person will have both normal

and sickling hemoglobin. A person who is A/S will is said to have sickle

cell trait. A person with sickle cell trait can live his or her entire life

unaware that he or she has a problem as blood counts, red cell morphology,

and red cell life span usually are normal. A/S rarely causes symptoms or

signs unless the person is subjected to an environment where there is not

enough oxygen - like high altitude flying, like climbing a very high

mountain, etc. In fact, having one S gene and one A gene can be a survival

advantage in some parts of the world. People with the A/S genotype have

increased resistence to malaria.

 

When a person inherits two S genes (S/S), this is sickle cell anemia.

 

The S gene occurs primarily in people of central African ancestory, but it

is NOT limited to this racial group. In addition, sickling can occur in

other genetic disorders besides sickle trait and sickle cell anemia - like

sickle thalassemia. There are things which can go wrong with hemoglobin C

and hemoglobin D as well as with hemoglobin A. Sometimes it takes some

specialized testing to determine if a condition is sickle cell anemia or

sickle cell-hemoglobin D disease or sickle thalassemia or sickle

cell-persistent fetal hemoglobin syndrome. One distinguishing

characteristic is that enlargement of the spleen usually does not occur in

adults with sickle cell anemia but does occur in some of the other

hemogloginopathies.

 

Sickle cells will form when the concentration of oxygen is too low or the pH

of the blood becomes too acidic. Instead of being the normal round shape

that red blood cells are, the red blood cells will assume an elongated or

sickle shape when oxygen concentration is low. Needless to say, these funny

shaped red blood cells have trouble making it through capillaries. There

can be circulation problems, and thrombosis is a risk. Other symptoms of

sickle cell anemia include recurrent attacks of fever, pain the in limbs and

the abdomen, anemia, jaundice, and reticulocytosis.

 

The most debilitating thing about sickle cell anemia is not the anemia but

the pain.

 

I found one reference to sickle cell disease in Chinese Herbal Medicine

Formulas & Strategies, compiled and translated by Dan Bensky and Randall

Barolet.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

>One of my friend's son is suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia since 4years.

>Now he is 5 yrs old. He is living in Madras, India. He has been prescribed

>for changing his blood every 4

>months by allopathic doctors. I advised him to consult with Acupuncture

>professionals. Could you please some one explain about this problem and

>how

>to treat with acupuncture or any Chinese herbal medicines? Please advise

>your kind suggestions.

 

I've been searching through the literature, and so far haven't been able to

find much on sickle cell anemia. I'm passing on what I do have so far. I'm

forwarding in an article from healingpeople.com which has a few mentions of

sickle cell anemia, but doesn't give any TCM info on sickle cell anemia. In

the next few days I'll be doing posts on the TCM definition of Blood, the

Organs most concerned with the Blood in TCM, and Jing disorders. In

general, hereditary conditions are classified as a type of Jing (Essence)

disorder.

 

Here is some basic background information on sickle cell anemia for readers

without a background in Western anatomy and physiology.

 

Sickle cell anemia is classified as one of the hereditary

hemoglobinopathies. This means that there is a defect in the hemoglobin in

red blood cells, and this was inherited from one or both parents.

Hemoglobin is the pignment in red blood cells which gives them their color

and which is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. There

are three types of hemoglobin which is present in adults. Most of it - 97%

- is hemoglobin A. Hemoglobin A has 2 alpha and 2 beta chains. Sickle (S)

hemoglobin has a difference from A of a single amino acid in the beta

chains.

 

Basic genetics background info (simplified): Most of the traits that human

beings have are determined by genes inherited from the mother and genes

inherited from the father. There are a few that only are inherited from the

mother because they're not found on the male Y chromosome (males are XY and

females are XX), but this doesn't concern us here.

 

There are three genes from the mother and 3 from the father when it comes to

hemoglobin and hereditary hemoglobinopathies. These are designated A, C,

and D. One gene for A comes from the mother, one gene for A comes from the

father. It's the A gene which is involved in sickling.

 

Genes are classified as to being dominant or recessive. If a gene is

dominant, only one of it is needed for the trait to be expressed. If a gene

is recessive, it has to be inherited from both the mother and the father in

order for the trait to be expressed. For example, the gene for skin

pigmentation is dominant. If both of the parents pass along this gene (PP)

or if just one of the parents pass along the dominant P gene for

pigmentation (Pp), the child will have skin pigmentation. If both parents

pass along the p gene (pp), the child will be an albino. This is why

parents with pigmentation can produce an albino child. The recessive gene

has been passed down in both families but never manifested until each parent

passed on the recessive p gene.

 

In addition to genes being either dominant or recessive, there is a third

category called incomplete dominance. What this means is that if one of

these genes get passed on, it's only partially expressed. The sickle (S)

gene is an example of incomplete dominance. This means that if a person

inherits one normal A gene and one S gene, the person will have both normal

and sickling hemoglobin. A person who is A/S will is said to have sickle

cell trait. A person with sickle cell trait can live his or her entire life

unaware that he or she has a problem as blood counts, red cell morphology,

and red cell life span usually are normal. A/S rarely causes symptoms or

signs unless the person is subjected to an environment where there is not

enough oxygen - like high altitude flying, like climbing a very high

mountain, etc. In fact, having one S gene and one A gene can be a survival

advantage in some parts of the world. People with the A/S genotype have

increased resistence to malaria.

 

When a person inherits two S genes (S/S), this is sickle cell anemia.

 

The S gene occurs primarily in people of central African ancestory, but it

is NOT limited to this racial group. In addition, sickling can occur in

other genetic disorders besides sickle trait and sickle cell anemia - like

sickle thalassemia. There are things which can go wrong with hemoglobin C

and hemoglobin D as well as with hemoglobin A. Sometimes it takes some

specialized testing to determine if a condition is sickle cell anemia or

sickle cell-hemoglobin D disease or sickle thalassemia or sickle

cell-persistent fetal hemoglobin syndrome. One distinguishing

characteristic is that enlargement of the spleen usually does not occur in

adults with sickle cell anemia but does occur in some of the other

hemogloginopathies.

 

Sickle cells will form when the concentration of oxygen is too low or the pH

of the blood becomes too acidic. Instead of being the normal round shape

that red blood cells are, the red blood cells will assume an elongated or

sickle shape when oxygen concentration is low. Needless to say, these funny

shaped red blood cells have trouble making it through capillaries. There

can be circulation problems, and thrombosis is a risk. Other symptoms of

sickle cell anemia include recurrent attacks of fever, pain the in limbs and

the abdomen, anemia, jaundice, and reticulocytosis.

 

The most debilitating thing about sickle cell anemia is not the anemia but

the pain.

 

I found one reference to sickle cell disease in Chinese Herbal Medicine

Formulas & Strategies, compiled and translated by Dan Bensky and Randall

Barolet.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

> >One of my friend's son is suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia since 4years.

> >Now he is 5 yrs old. He is living in Madras, India. He has been prescribed

> >for changing his blood every 4

> >months by allopathic doctors. I advised him to consult with Acupuncture

> >professionals. Could you please some one explain about this problem and

> >how

> >to treat with acupuncture or any Chinese herbal medicines? Please advise

> >your kind suggestions.

 

Judy Fitzgerald reported:

 

> symptoms of

> sickle cell anemia include recurrent attacks of fever, pain the in limbs and

> the abdomen, anemia, jaundice, and reticulocytosis.

>

> The most debilitating thing about sickle cell anemia is not the anemia but

> the pain.

 

Sometimes the best way to understand a pathology in TCM terms is to look

at how it presents in the patient rather than Western medical

information. What we have in these last two paragraphs are some signs

and symptoms that begin to paint a picture that can look a lot like a

TCM diagnosis.

 

These symptoms do begin to look like a blood deficiency in TCM terms.

 

A low grade fever can arise from either a deficiency of Yin (body fluids

in general) or Blood (the red fluid in particular).

 

Pain in the limbs could be due to a lack of Liver Blood unable to

nourish the tendons and sinews. Or perhaps the deficiency of Blood

leading to a stagnation issue. Stagnations hurt. Again, the Liver is

implicated as it is in charge of keeping the Qi and Blood flowing. (The

Heart pushes the blood, but the Liver lubricates the vessels.)

 

Pain in the abdomen could be just about anything, but pain is usually

due to something causing a stagnation of Qi or Blood, and a deficiency

of Liver Blood is one of these possible causes.

 

Anemia would obviously be related to a Blood deficiency, even in TCM.

 

Jaundice is generally considered a problem of dampness with or without

heat. I don't really see the connection to Blood from the TCM

standpoint. Except perhaps that the Blood is said to be stored by the

Liver and jaundice is often considered " damp heat " in the Liver... but

that's a really weak relationship.

 

Reticulocytosis is another blood condition, not a symptom that one would

necessarily see with the naked eye, unless the naked eye was wearing a

microscope. It is a higher number of a certain type of blood cells than

is normally seen in the blood stream. If there are symptoms associated

with this condition, I don't know what they are.

 

Added to the above information, as a practitioner, I would also include

the point about this being hereditary. Things that get passed on from

one generation to the next tend to have something to do with the Kidneys

in Chinese medicine. The Kidneys and Liver are really close as far as

internal organs go. There's an old Chinese medicine saying that says

" The Kidneys and the Liver come from the same source. " Which is to say

that when the Kidneys are diseased, it often shows up in the Liver. If

memory serves me I believe that in the growth of the fetus, the Liver

and Kidneys do actually arise from the same tissue early on in our growth.

 

To say that there is a genetic blood pathology really brings this

statement home about the Kidneys (genetic) and the Liver (Blood

deficiency/sickle cell anemia) arising from the same source.

 

So, how to fix this problem? We can certainly tonify and stimulate the

movement of the blood with formulas such as Si Wu Tang and acupuncture

points such as UB 17 with UB 18 and UB 20.

 

We can perhaps effect future generations within the blood line too. The

stronger the parents are at the time of conception (and the stronger the

mother during her pregnancy) the less Kidney related issues the baby is

going to have, so treating the Kidneys of the parents prior to

conception can potentially limit the amount of children who manifest

this pathology.

 

Of course, we don't treat people based solely on what we *think* may be

going on. We'd also like to see a thin pulse, a pale tongue, dry eyes,

brittle nails, thinning hair and a few other symptoms to really support

the diagnosis of Liver Blood deficiency. That done, we're on our way!

 

Be well.

 

--

Al Stone L.Ac.

<AlStone

http://www.BeyondWellBeing.com

 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

[Guest guest]

>To say that there is a genetic blood pathology really brings this

>statement home about the Kidneys (genetic) and the Liver (Blood

>deficiency/sickle cell anemia) arising from the same source.

 

Thanks for another great post and a lot of good info.

 

>We can perhaps effect future generations within the blood line too. The

>stronger the parents are at the time of conception (and the stronger the

>mother during her pregnancy) the less Kidney related issues the baby is

>going to have, so treating the Kidneys of the parents prior to

>conception can potentially limit the amount of children who manifest

>this pathology.

 

BTW, there's an article in the NY Times about all the problems scientists

are running into with cloning. At best there's a 3% success rate, and all

kinds of unexpected problems are cropping up at various life stages of the

organisms. The list of problems reads like a list of Jing Deficiency

symptoms.

 

Victoria

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste Ma'am,

 

This is Sanu

I want the guidance for the treatment of Sickle Cell

two types- trait in which RBCs are sickle shaped

Anemia-in which RBCs and Haemoglobin is defected.

 

Thank you

 

Sanu

====================================================

 

Dear Sanu,

 

Namaste.

 

Medical Background:

 

Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition. Two

genes for the sickle hemoglobin must be inherited from

one's parents in order to have the disease. A person

who receives a gene for sickle cell disease from one

parent and a normal gene from the other has a

condition called " sickle cell trait. " Sickle cell

trait produces no symptoms or problems for most

people. Sickle cell disease can neither be contracted

nor passed on to another person. The severity of

sickle cell disease varies tremendously. Some people

with sickle cell disease lead lives that are nearly

normal. Others are less fortunate, and can suffer from

a variety of complications.

 

Some of the common symptoms seen in patients suffering

from sickle cell anaemia include:

 

- Anaemia

- Intermittent Jaundice

- Severe joint pains

- Recurrent infections

 

These symptoms usually appear between the ages of four

and five and severity increases with age. Most of the

patients do not require blood transfusion. Careful

history, presence of the above mentioned symptoms and

caste constitute basis for diagnosis of sickle cell

anemia.

 

Pranic Healing:

 

Ref: Advanced Pranic Healing by Master Choa Kok Sui.

 

1. Invoke and scan before, during and after

treatment.

 

2. General sweeping several times.

 

3. Localized thorough sweeping on the crown,

forehead, ajna, back head and throat chakras with LEV

or EV. Energize with LEV or EV.

 

The emphasis of treatment is on the ajna which must be

thoroughly cleansed and energized. Rescan and repeat,

if necessary.

 

4. Localized thorough sweeping on the front and back

heart using LEV or EV. Energize through the back heart

with LEV or EV. This step is very important.

 

5. Localized thorough sweeping on the front, sides

and back of the lungs. Energize the back of the lungs

with LWG then with more of LWV.

 

6. Localized thorough sweeping on the front and back

spleen laternately with LWG and ordinary LWV.

 

For proficient pranic healers: Energize the spleen

chakra with EV with the intention of neutralizing the

abnormal cells. This has to be done with caution.

 

For not so proficient pranic healers: just use

ordinary LWV to energize the spleen chakra.

 

7. Re scan the front and back spleen and the meng

mein chakra. If they have become over activated, aply

localized sweeping and inhibit with LWB until they

have become normalized.

 

8. Localizd thorough sweeping on the spine

alternately with LWG and LWV.

 

9. Localized thorough sweeping on the basic chakra

alternately with LWG and LWO. This has to be done very

thoroughly. If the basic chakra is over activated,

inhibit with LWB. Rescan the basic.

 

10. Localized thorough sweeping on the both arms and

both legs with emphasis on their minor chakras

alternately with LWG and ordinary LWV. Energize the

chakras with LWR.

 

11. A proficient advanced pranic healer is required

to apply this step properly :

 

Form the intention not to over activate the basic

chakra. Exert a certain degree of will to energize

the basic with EV with the intention of disintegrating

the abnormal cells. Visualize the pranic energy going

into the spine, ribs, breast bone, hip bones, arma dn

leg bones.

 

For a less proficient pranic healer, just use LWR for

energizing.

 

12. Rescan the basic chakra.

 

13. Localized thorough sweeping on the front and back

solar plexus and the liver alternately with LWG and

ordinary LWV. Energize the solar plexus with LWG, LWB

then with more of ordinary LWV.

 

14. Localized thorough sweeping on the meng mein,

sex, and navel chakras. Energize the sex and navel

with LWR.

 

15. Stabilize and release projected pranic energy.

 

16. Repeat treatment three times per week.

 

For th epatient:

 

1. Daily practice of the Meditation on Twin Hearts.

 

Instruct the patient and the patient's family how to

practice the Meditation on Twin Hearts properly. This

meditation when practiced daily regularly will

facilitate the proper assimilation of healing energy

and produce positve karma for the practitioner. When

practiced as a group, the energy generated is

increased exponentially.

 

2. Practice Loving Kindness, Mercy and Forgiveness.

 

3. Do service for the good of others.

 

4. Tithe for healing. This may be done by donating a

sufficient amount of money to a clinic or hospital for

the purchase of clean blood for the use of indigent

patients who need blood transfusion. As healthy blood

is given, healthy blood is received.

 

Love,

 

Marilette

 

 

Pranic Healing is not intended to replace orthodox medicine, but rather to

complement it. If symptoms persist or the ailment is severe, please consult

immediately a medical doctor and a Certified Pranic Healer . ~ Master Choa Kok

Sui

 

Miracles do not happen in contradiction to nature, but only to that which is

known to us in nature. ~ St. Augustine

 

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