Headache information

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I will try to give you as much

information as I can. Please tell me if you need something else.

 

The headache itself is definitely in the lower back of the skull. It goes

across the entire back of his head and then extends up and to the entire head.

There are times when it turns into a migraine and times when it is just a severe

(emergency room severe) headache. The emergency room component comes in because

his blood pressure goes up with the pain and we are afraid of a stroke or

something. The muscles in the back of his neck are so tight that the doctors

had to go to a smaller needle when they gave him a shot because the needle

wouldn't go through the muscle. The only trigger that we can find is weather.

When there is a storm he will always get much worse. This is not an aspirin

headache. The doctors have prescribed methadone Klonipin Prozac and Imatrex to

be taken every day. He is not doing this but does take them sometimes because

we don't have a better idea. Nothing gets rid of the headache but it does make

it go down a little. Also a hot water bottle or heat on his neck does help

sometimes. He can't stand vibration and many times he can't stand to touch his

head. The nerves are very sensitive and he can feel individual hairs hurt when

they move. There is a lot of stinging and burning throughout his body interior

and exterior.

 

We live in a very rural area of eastern WA and I have not been able to find a

TCM practitioner in this area. It would be very difficult for me to take him

too far (say over 100 miles)as it is very difficult for him to travel. We did

go to a lady who is certified for acupuncture but she also did an intake exam on

him. One of the things that she prescribed was Chase Wind Penetrate Bone. He

had balance problems and felt like there were " bugs " in his ears and after

taking that those symptoms went away. She also did acupuncture on him and said

that she was opening his pathways. This didn't help the pain at all but about

30 minutes after the session on the way home we stopped so he could use the

restroom. He said that he didn't know what happened but his urine was so thick

and yellow he had never seen anything like it. That was the most noticeable

thing from her acupuncture and it only happened once. We also went to another

acupuncturist who was more a one size fits all. He didn't do an intake just

started acupuncture for headaches. This didn't help the pain but it did make

his whole body shake uncontrollably.

 

Now the MDs call this a headache condition but it is much more than that,

although the headache is the worst of it. He has had very loose stools

bordering on diarrhea always for the last 20 years. Greasy food late at night

sometimes makes him sick. When he vomits it will fill a three pound coffee can

and can be explosive. Once (only once) a doctor pushed on his gall bladder area

and it hurt but after about 20 minutes again in the car we had to stop and he

vomited a lot of very green bile like liquid. He often sweats and is cold at

the same time and has night sweats that will cause him to have to change clothes

in the night. He also gets numbness in his hands and feet and a lot of pain

under his arm and behind his knees.

 

We do eat fried food, but we eat lots of raw fruit and vegetables from the

garden. He doesn't really like sweets. He drinks about 2 cups of coffee each

day. He drinks probably a gallon of water each day but he looses a lot of water

too. He doesn't use any artificial sugars. He is very sensitive to smell.

He hates any artificial smell. He is also sensitive to big crowds and noisy

congested places. When he feels good he enjoys going out but needs to come back

to our place in the woods and wouldn't be comfortable living in a city for

example.

 

I'm not sure what else to tell you I hope this much has been helpful Please

know how much we appreciate your trying to help.

Nancy

 

 

 

 

Nancy Steele

n.steele

Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.

 

 

[Guest guest]

First, let me say that from what you describe, he has several

imbalances. In TCM this is called " knotty " problems. Treating one

can aggravate other problems unless the healer knows what s/he is

doing. This is not a case for " cookbook " acupuncture with no intake.

 

It sounds like the first acupuncturist is a TCM acupuncturist or at

least uses some TCM. Did she do a pulse and tongue diagnosis? Your

friend may want to consider going back to see her.

 

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Nancy Steele " <n.steele

wrote:

 

>The only trigger that we can find is weather. When there is a

storm he will always get much worse.

 

What 3 things happen when a storm is coming up? The barometric

pressure drops (wind) and there is wind, it gets cooler in a hurry,

and the humidity rises (Dampness). Wind. Cold. Dampness. They're

recognized in TCM as the 3 triggers of Bi Syndrome, aka Painful

Obstruction Syndrome (POS). Arthritis. Though the term POS also

covers some things not covered by the Western term " arthritis " .

 

>We did go to a lady who is certified for acupuncture but she also

did an intake exam on him. One of the things that she prescribed

was Chase Wind Penetrate Bone.

 

Since Chase Wind Penetrate Bone isn't covered in Bensky's and

Barolet's Formulas & Strategies, I had to get this info off the web.

Using this website in no way constitutes an endorsement of a company

I know nothing about. But it's important that I document what Chase

Wind Penetrate Bone is for.

 

Chinese Medical Actions:

 

http://holisticchineseherbs.com/goldenflower/chasewindpenetratebone.h

tml

 

" Removes painful obstruction from wind-cold and wind-damp, reduces

swelling, alleviates pain, moves stagnant qi and blood, warms the

kidney, disperses constrained liver qi, strengthens the muscles. "

 

Also from the website:

 

" Zhui Feng Tou Gu Wan

 

This Chinese herbal formula is a combination of herbs which remove

wind, cold, and dampness, and herbs which move the blood, and

strengthen qi, blood, yin, and yang. It can be used for various

types of acute and chronic joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. "

 

The formula also has herbs for Blood Stasis as well as herbs to

improve Qi, Blood, Yin, and Yang. But I suspect not enough tonic

action as your friend needs. (I'll go into that more in the next

post.)

 

The ingredients listed on the website are:

 

Cortex Eucommiae Ulmoidis (Eucommia Bark / Du Zhong)

 

Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (Ox Knee / Nlu XI)

 

Radix Angelicae Dahurica (Angelica Dahurica Root / Bai Zhi)

 

Radix Dipsaci (Japanese Teasel Root / Xu Duan)

 

Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (Licorice Root / Gan Cao)

 

Radix Paeoniae Lactiflorae (White Peony Root / Bai Shao)

 

Ramulus Sangjisheng (Mulberry Mistletoe Stems, Loranthus / Sang Ji

Sheng)

 

Rhizoma et Radix Ligustici Sinensis (Chinese Lovage Root / Gao Ben)

 

Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii (Notopterygii Root / Qiang Huo)

 

Rhizome Cyperi Rotundi (Nut-Grass Rhizome / Xiang Fu)

 

Semen Phaseoli Calcarati (Aduki Bean / Chi Xiao Dou)

 

Speranskia Tuberculata (Speranskia Herb / Tou Gu Cao)

 

Radix Notoginseng (Pseudoginseng Root / San Qi)

 

Cortex Cinnamomi Cassiae (Cinnamon Bark / Rou Gui)

 

Gummi Olibanum (Frankincense / Ru Xiang)

 

Myrrha (Myrrh / Mo Yao)

 

Radix Angelicae Pubescentis (Angelica Du Huo Root / Du Huo)

 

Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae (Gentiana Root / Qin Jiao)

 

Radix Ledebouriellae Seslidis (Slier Root / Fang Feng)

 

Rhizoma Gastrodiae Elatae (Gastrodia Rhizome / Tian Ma)

 

Rhizoma Nardostachytis Chinensis ( / Gan Song Xiang)

 

Sclerotium Poriae Cocos (Hoelen, Tuckahoe / Fu Ling)

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Nancy Steele " <n.steele

wrote:

 

>He can't stand vibration and many times he can't stand to touch his

head. The nerves are very sensitive and he can feel individual

hairs hurt when they move. There is a lot of stinging and burning

throughout his body interior and exterior.

 

(snip)

 

>He had balance problems and felt like there were " bugs " in his ears

 

(snip)

 

>He is very sensitive to smell. He hates any artificial smell. He

is also sensitive to big crowds and noisy congested places. When he

feels good he enjoys going out but needs to come back to our place

in the woods and wouldn't be comfortable living in a city for

example.

 

There are two things which can account for this type of extreme

sensitivity: Yin Deficiency and magnesium deficiency. One of the

possible manifestations of Yin Deficiency is that the person's pain

threshold is lowered. There may not have been enough Yin support in

the formula he tried. There was enough to get rid of the sensation

of bugs in the ears, but not enough to raise the pain threshold and

address some other problems.

 

Even though magnesium deficinecy isn't TCM, I want to go into it

because it is a lot more common than many people realize, and

because of something you mentioned.

 

Muscles need Mg (magnesium) in order to relax. If there is too

little Mg, muscles will tend to stay overly contracted. This

creates pain, weakness, and fatigue.

 

Also, Mg is a GABA enhancer. GABA is an inhibitory

neurotransmitter. It keeps nerves from firing too much. In a well

person, the exitatory and the inhibitory neurotransmitters balance

each other so that nerves fire neither too much nor too little. What

happens when they fire too much is that the person becomes

supersensitive. A touch can feel painful. The person can be

overwhelmed by smells, the patterns in a rug, crowds, etc. A lot of

PWCs (People With CFIDS) experience this overload, and are helped by

Mg supplementation. The problem is not limited to PWCs. (See the

work of Paul Cheney, MD, for more on Mg as a GABA enhancer.)

 

Too much Mg like too little can be fatal so this is not an " if a

little is good, more is better " thing.

 

Has your friend ever been evaluated by a MD or DO for Mg deficiency?

You also mentioned " He has had very loose stools bordering on

diarrhea always for the last 20 years. " From a TCM standpoint, this

is a symptom of Spleen Qi Deficiency. From a Western allopathic

standpoint, this raises the possibility of celiac disease, celiac

sprue, Leaky Gut Syndrome, possile lactose and/or milk allergy, and

some other disorders that can interfere with the absorption of

minerals and other nutrients. (You also mentioned a problem with

fats sometimes.)

 

In any event, after 20 years of " very loose stools bordering on

diarrhea " I'd be surprised if he didn't have some mineral and other

deficiencies.

 

The best tests for Mg deficiency are urinalysis tests. The blood

tests will reveal deficient Mg in the blood but not in the cells. IF

he is Mg deficient, he may not be able to abosrb enough Mg from oral

supplementation even with malic acid (which increases absorption of

Mg). (Though pills may help some.) He may require injections of Mg

for a while. These only can be prescribed by a MD or DO. After the

initial shot is given in the doctor's office (to make sure there is

no reaction), a friend can be trained to give the twice a week

injections.

 

Aluminum interferes with Mg absorption, so he may want to switch to

non-Al cookware and be careful about eating or drinking anything

from Al cans. Some soft drink manufacturers don't line their Al

cans, and this can trigger Mg deficiency problems in some people who

already are at risk for Mg deficiency.

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Nancy Steele " <n.steele

wrote:

>

> We do eat fried food, but we eat lots of raw fruit and vegetables

from the garden.

 

It may be best for him to cut back on the raw fruit and veggies for

a while. Lightly cook most of them instead. Lightly steam, lightly

stir-fry, etc. When he does eat a little bit of raw food, it should

be room temperature, never cold from the refrigerator. Prior to a

meal you can leave it sitting out for a while until it warms up.

 

The reason for this is that raw foods and chilled foods are very

hard on the digestion. In order for proper digestion to take place

(from a TCM standpoint), the food in the Stomach has to be 100

degrees F for the proper " ripening " and " rottening " to take place.

When one eats raw food and especially chilled food, the body has to

expend a lot of Qi bringing the food and liquids up to that 100

degrees.

 

>He drinks about 2 cups of coffee each day.

 

He might want to seriously consider cutting out the coffee.

 

" In Chinese medicine, coffee is classified as a bitter, pungent, and

warm esterior-resolving medicinal. Exterior-resolvers are basically

diaphoretics. " (They induce sweating.) " These medicinals work by

transforming kidney yin or essence into qi which is then liberated

upward and outward through the system. As these move outward

through the body's various energetic layers, they flood the organs

within these layers with yang qi and so one experiences increased

energy. In addition, this yang qi moving upward and outward

promotes the flow of all the qi of the body, liberating stuck qi and

with it activating blodd and body fluids. " (The Tao of Healthy

Eating by Bob Flaws, p. 53.)

 

He may be self-medicating. Coffee does some of the things that the

TCM formula he was on does, but it has some drawbacks that the

formula doesn't have. Coffee isn't tonic (increasing of)Qi,Blood,

Yang, or Yin.

 

What all the diaphoresis herbs do to a degree is they promote the

changing of Yin and Essence into Qi. It's like robbing Peter to pay

Paul. The Qi tonic herbs don't do this. They increase Qi in the

body without taking away from Yin or Essence. I want to emphasize

this paragraph for the students on the list. If I may digress for a

moment, it's what Ma Huang, ephedra, does. Ma Huang also is an

exterior-resolving herb. But it's being misused to promote energy.

Yes, it will give people temporary energy, but it's robbing the body

to do this. Eventually the bill comes due. Don't get me wrong. Ma

Huang can be a very good and effective herb WHEN USED AS INTENDED.

Temporary energy boosts and losing weight are not things it should

be used for.

 

Coffee also is a diuretic, and additional Qi and Yang are lost that

way. " Such diuresis weakns kidney yang at the same time as coffeee

steals kidney yin or essence. " (p. 54.)

 

Would your friend consider going back to the TCM acupuncturist for

another evaluation? The clinical picture has changed from what it

was, and treatment should be changed.

 

I also recommend reading the posts of Dr. Vinod on here on acid-

alkaline balance in the body. When your friend reports a sensation

like acid, he may be closer to the truth than he realizes.

 

For the students: A tendency to Exterior problems and Deficiency

states feed each other. Protective Qi Deficiency, long-term Blood

deficiency, and long-term Kidney Yang Deficiency makes a person more

vulnerable to invasion by Pernicious Evils in the Environment. Once

these Pernicious Evils make it into the Interior (the Organs) of the

body, they add to the already existing Deficiency. Damp attacks the

Spleen, and the Spleen plays a primary role in producing Qi for the

body, including Protective Qi. The Spleen also plays a major role in

the production of Blood. Dampness weakening the Spleen results in

even less Qi and Blood. Cold attacks the Kidneys and the Spleen.

Cold also harms Yang. The Kidneys supply the Yang (and Yin) to the

rest of the body.

 

There is a general caution against tonifying before expelling evils

because otherwise the tonifying herbs may " feed " the pathogens. The

operative word here is " general " . Often both expelling the Evils and

tonifying will need to be done at the same time. Sometimes the

emphasis will need to be on tonifying, and sometimes it will need to

be on expelling. The client will need to be reevaluated regularly

and treatment adjusted because the clinical picture will keep

changing.

 

I also want to caution readers that Kindey Yang Deficiency, Kidney

Yin Deficiency, and Dampness can take some time to correct. Dampness

will take time to resolve because of its quality of being " sticky " .