Guest guest Posted November 4, 2003 Report Share Posted November 4, 2003 Hello everyone, I have been treating a 45 year old man with Lou Geherig's disease (ALS), presenting as weakness and loss of mobility starting in the right hand moving to the shoulder, now in both arms and increasing in the legs. His tongue and pulse at one time showed phlegm and heat.The tongue is now more pale and swollen with a thin light yellow coat and the pulse varies from thin to slippery. I would like to hear any suggestions for treating this wasting disorder. I can give more details if needed. Thanks, Julia Thie, LAc Kingsport, TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2003 Report Share Posted November 4, 2003 Chinese Medicine , Julia wrote: > Hello everyone, > I have been treating a 45 year old man with Lou Geherig's disease > (ALS), presenting as weakness and loss of mobility starting in the > right hand moving to the shoulder, now in both arms and increasing in the legs. His tongue and pulse at one time showed phlegm and heat.The tongue is now more pale and swollen with a thin light yellow coat and the pulse varies from thin to slippery. I would like to hear any suggestions for treating this wasting disorder. I can give more details if needed. >>> Julia: I've been treating a middle age woman with ALS with herbal formulas and she's been stable the past 6 months or so. While you have to treat them for an acute developments, when I first started working on her she clearly showed a hollow pulse movement in the peripheral nervous system (the 2nd of 5 depths, if you do the Nan Jing pulse style). So you need strong tonification herbs supported by circulatory herbs. For example, I have a blood and marrow tonification formula based around Dang Gui Yin Zi (noted in the Qualiherb catalog). Her pulses now don't show the hollowness; although sometimes we can find autoimmune activity, which is resolved by an immune support based on Tuo Li Xiao Du Yin (also found in the Qualiherb catalog). Over the course of months, I've given her a variety of different herb formulas depending on what was going on. I started seeing her several times of week at first; but now only once per week. You can also do thread moxa 500x on both CV4 and CV12 (in one session) if those points are easy to get to. It can be done by family members fewer times but more often---say 9x on each point every day. We also did 500 moxa on LI10 and St36. The real limitation is how much damage there is at the cellular level; but you may be able to stop or slow the degeneration. Jim Ramholz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2003 Report Share Posted November 6, 2003 Chinese Medicine , " James Ramholz " <jramholz> wrote: > Chinese Medicine , Julia wrote: > > Hello everyone, > > I have been treating a 45 year old man with Lou Geherig's disease > > (ALS), presenting as weakness and loss of mobility starting in the > > right hand moving to the shoulder, now in both arms and increasing > in the legs. His tongue and pulse at one time showed phlegm and > heat.The tongue is now more pale and swollen with a thin light > yellow coat and the pulse varies from thin to slippery. I would like > to hear any suggestions for treating this wasting disorder. I can > give more details if needed. >>> > > > Julia: > > I've been treating a middle age woman with ALS with herbal formulas > and she's been stable the past 6 months or so. While you have to > treat them for an acute developments, when I first started working > on her she clearly showed a hollow pulse movement in the peripheral > nervous system (the 2nd of 5 depths, if you do the Nan Jing pulse > style). So you need strong tonification herbs supported by > circulatory herbs. For example, I have a blood and marrow > tonification formula based around Dang Gui Yin Zi (noted in the > Qualiherb catalog). Her pulses now don't show the hollowness; > although sometimes we can find autoimmune activity, which is > resolved by an immune support based on Tuo Li Xiao Du Yin (also > found in the Qualiherb catalog). > > Over the course of months, I've given her a variety of different > herb formulas depending on what was going on. I started seeing her > several times of week at first; but now only once per week. > > You can also do thread moxa 500x on both CV4 and CV12 (in one > session) if those points are easy to get to. It can be done by > family members fewer times but more often---say 9x on each point > every day. We also did 500 moxa on LI10 and St36. > > The real limitation is how much damage there is at the cellular > level; but you may be able to stop or slow the degeneration. > > > Jim Ramholz Acupuncture is usually very effective treating Wei syndromes of various Western names. The treatment should focus, in my opinion, on enhancing Qi and blood flow in the arms and hands rather than the underlying manifestations, as suggested above. I recommend using points starting from Du-16/15/14 down to the arms and hands, especially the Yang Ming. Only as secondary, treat the spleen points for excess dampness (st-46/40/ sp-9 etc.) + and very important, Yuan points of K + Sp as well as Ren-4/6. Hope this helps. http://www.acumedico.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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