To Victoria Dragon

[Guest guest]

Hello Judy,

I had RA since May 2003 and with help from Dr Stoll, I've been quite

successful at getting rid of my pains. But I still feel that LGS

though under control has not fully recovered.

What's the methodology used in TCM to treat LGS? I do the 3 legged

stool and would like to fine tune to speed up the process.

 

Thanks for such a wonderful board !

 

Chandu

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " northstarz2002 "

<chandus99@a...> wrote:

> I had RA since May 2003 and with help from Dr Stoll, I've been

quite

> successful at getting rid of my pains. But I still feel that LGS

> though under control has not fully recovered.

> What's the methodology used in TCM to treat LGS? I do the 3 legged

> stool and would like to fine tune to speed up the process.

 

The first step is to get a TCM diagnosis as what TCM healers treat

are TCM imbalances.

 

TCM imbalances can manifest in a number of different ways depending

on how long the person has been imbalanced, the person's diet and

lifestyle, heredity and individual biochemistry, other treatments,

etc.

 

I've found a few references to Restless Legs Syndrome in The

Treatment of Modern Western Medical Diseases with by

Bob Flaws and Philippe Sionneau. RLS can arise when several

imbalances are present.

 

" Restless leg syndrome, which is also seen in diabetiecs and

hypertensives, is treated accoding to basically the same pattern

discriminaiton as above with an emphasis on qi and yin vacuiy,

dampness or damp heat, wind, and blood stasis. " (p. 419) " Vacuity "

means " Deficiency " . The person often is Qi and Yin Deficient plus

suffers from Dampness or Damp Heat, Blood Stasis, and Wind.

 

In another chapter, Flaws and Sionneau write, " In addition, spleen

vacuity often also becomes complicated by damp heat which pous

downward, resulting in sores, urinary disturbances, impotence,

restless leg syndrome, and /or vaginitis. " (p. 210).

 

To be continued.

[Guest guest]

Flaws and Sionneau in The Treatment of Modern Western Medical

Diseases with list 5 different patterns that can

underlie RA. One of these is Wind Damp Heat Impediment Pattern.

 

" Main symptoms: This pattern is seen in those with the acute, active

stage of rheumatoid arthritis. There is joint swelling, pain,

heaviness, and restricted movement. The affected areas are burning

hot to the touch and red to inspection. Coolness makes the pain

less. Other accompanying symptoms include fever, sweating, aversion

to wind, oral thirst but sometimes no desie to drink, possible

vomiting, short, reddish urination, a red tongue with thin, yellow

fur, and a slippery, rapid or soggy, rapid pulse.

 

" Note: " This pattern is not commonly seen in Western clinical pactice

in its pure form. Commonly, wind, damp, and heat evils complicate

spleen vacuity and liver depression patterns where the damp evils are

internally engendered as opposed to externaly invading and the heat

is due to depression transforming heat. " (p. 463.)

 

Does this accurately describe your RA?

 

The reason why a consultation with a trained TCM healer in person is

so important is that not all cases of RA have the same underlying Root

(s). The constellation of signs and symptoms which Western medicine

calls Rheumatoid Arthritis can have very different TCM imbalances

underlying them. For example, some sufferers of RA have an

underlying pattern of Wind Cold Damp Impediment (p. 462). Instead of

the affected area feeling hot to the touch and looking red, it may be

cold to the touch. More important, the treatment which helps the

person with a Wind Damp Heat Impediment will make this person sicker.

 

In addition to these two patterns, RA also can have an underlying

imbalance of Enduring Impediment Transforms Heat and Damages Yin

Pattern (this is a mixed Cold and Heat pattern - p. 464), Qi and

Blood Dual Vacuiy, Phlegm and Stasis Mutually Binding Pattern (seen

mostly " in the later stages of RA where there is joint rigidity and

deformation " - 464), and/or Liver Blood - Kidney Yin and Yang Vacuity

with Phlegm and Stasis Mutually Binding Pattern (p. 465).

 

To be continued.

[Guest guest]

From The Treatment of Modern Western Medical Diseases with Chinese

medicine by Bob Flaws and Philippe Sionneau:

 

" When damp heat complicates RA, then patients should stick to a

clear, bland, hypoallergenic, yeast-free diet. This means eating

little or nothing made through fermentaiton or which molds easily.

This includes, in addition to sugars and sweets, bread and yeasted

grain products, cheese, alcohol, and vinegar, tomatoes, oranges,

peaches, strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, etc. Although acrid,

hot foods are contraindicated in cases of damp heat, if there are gu

worms, one should eat onions and garlic liberally. "

 

" Like most other autoimmune diseases, this conditions's severity

fluctuates, and there are often periods of relative remission. In

general, Chinese medical treatment should mainly be used for the long-

term prevention of future reoccurrences and the progression of this

disease, while during acute attacks, a combination of Chinese

medicine, including acupuncture and moxibusion, and moden Western

medicine may be most effective. In particular, many patients with

rheumatoid athritis may be prescribed corticosteroids during acute

attacks, and Chinese medicine can be used to treat the side effects

of mediciens like Prednisone. In that case, treatment should merely

be given based on the patient's total pattern discrimation. " (p. 466.)

 

To be continued.