Guest guest Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Back pain Impossible Pete said: I have a patient returning on Wednesday who suffers from excruciating back pain. MRI shows many protruding disks, protruding in the anterior direction, very deep pain. Which vertebrae are affected? You said the pain is excruciating The pain is worst when he stands up - probably because his huge belly weight compresses the protruding disks and puts more pressure on the nerves, so he sits or lies down almost all the time, belly supported by his thighs or by the bed. Sharp stabbing pain usually in a fixed location. Slow or no movement. Yes. (deficient cold, usually spleen) Tremors or convulsions. Yes. Is this only in the back or is this type of pain in other places as well? What are the other qualities of the pain? What makes the pain better or worse besides standing? Bending forward, leaning backward, on rising, daytime, nighttime, coughing, exertion, jarring motions, traction, stormy weather or high humidity or anything else? Is it better or worse with heat, cold, pressure, no pressure, massage, twisting, turning? Any sciatic or extending pain? Why is he slow moving? Pain, weight, worse movement, slow to react? Pete said: Crying. Yes. (related to metal, lung deficiency) Why does he cry? From Pain, music, sentiment, arrogance, not getting his way, something else? If from pain does the pain seem to be out of character for the type illness? If so a 30C Chamomile 3x a day for a couple of days may take care of the pain and over sensitiveness to his condition. If you don't desire to do homeopathy then tell him to drink 2-3 cups of chamomile tea daily when he hurts and feels stressed. Itchy skin where? Is there a rash? If so does it have an exudate and if so what color, consistency and appearance does it have? (wind) Pete said: He is very obese above the waist and he *will not* lose any weight. He loves to eat sugar, cookies, ice cream, cake . . . addicted to the stuff. Addictions are hard to break. Could he also have an allergy to sugar and other food allergies? Sometimes taking offending foods out will help the back and the weight. As you know intention is everything. You Px is resistant to losing weight and as long as there is a secondary gain or reason for why he is holding the weight it will not come off. Doing some questioning as to when and why and where he gained weight would be appropriate. I wonder if it is your intention for him to lose weight anyway. He can consciously or subconsciously (depending on what you have told him) pick up on this and resist your treatments on an energetic level. It is important to create a safe environment for him to be thin or more emotional damage may be incurred. After you earn his trust and he is not in pain you can gently approach the subject again and he might be willing to listen. Pete said: How about some TCM pain pills? I have Tien Tzat and China Tung Hsueh in stock and I have not tried these with him yet, any others? I tried to tonify him with Liu Wei Di Huang Wan but he didn't take all of them because they weren't a magic bullet on the pain. Those might be effective so might: Qi Ye Lian Pian analgesic pills Promotes blood circulation, expels wind, and alleviates pain. Applications: Low back pain, joint pain, trauma, headache. Since he has some wind and dampness going on Feng Shi Xiao Tong Pian Expelling wind and clearing away cold, promoting blood circulation to stop pain. It is used for arthralgia due to wind-cold-dampness, Limited movement of the muscles, numbness of limbs, pain in waist and lower extemities, injuries from falls, fractures, contusions and strains, and pain due to blood stasis. And many others although it seems he might be non compliant and why get frustrated. Pete said: He is diabetic, has peripheral neuropathy, has had cancer surgery, disc surgery, surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm and has another aortic aneurysm which he is too weak to have repaired. Cancer of what and how was it treated and the results of treatment? How compromised is his immune system? Does he have metal rods or bone from his hip to stabilize the spine? In homeopathic terms these conditions are considered to be Sycotic (excess) and Syphillitic (destructive) Miasms. How much water is he drinking. Water and not tea and coffee can really benefit keeping the discs moistened and even help them repair themselves if possible. Pete said Starting points: Sp 6; St 36; LI 4, 11; Lu 7. Back shu & front mu of various organs, as convenient. Convenient to what? You did not tell us what part of the back hurts. I am assuming it is low back since the belly makes it worse on standing. If he has neck or thoracic problems I will give a different set of points later. Try these points with only the intention of pain relief not weight loss and let us know how it goes. If it is for low back pain: Patterns: For cold use a ginger moxa box if excess bleed the apex of the ear 5-6 drops of blood. Retain the needles 20-30 minutes. Local: Bl 23, 25, In an earlier post Majid said: While Bladder 23 and 25 may be needled perpendicularly, clinical experience has shown that an oblique insertion toward the spine is clinically effective to change the position of the prolapse and the neural roots + BL 51, 52, or 53 in line with where his pain and protrusions are since there are no ashi pts. Gv 3 or 4, X_25 Shi Qi Zhui (Josen) Below GV line, in lumbosacral (L5- S1) space Distal Points as needed GB 30, 31, 34, 39, BL 37, 40, 57, 60, 62, SP 3, GV 26 Wind GB 20 and or BL 10 (BL 10 with BL 60 can help invigorate the whole BL channel) Extra Pts Yao Tong Xue The extra On the dorsum of the hand, midway between the transverse wrist crease and metacarpophalangeal joint, between the second and third metacarpal bones, and between the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones, 4 points in all on both hands. Very little manipulation for back pain. I often use these points separately from the above tx time and have them walk and slowly do deep knee bends if possible (while holding on to a walker or doorway.) They are normally astonished that they can do them. Shi Qi Zhui (Josen) Below the spinous process of the 5th lumbar vertebrae Lumbar & thigh pain, paralysis of lower extremities No spirit; consider (Liv 14 Qimen front Mu Liver Gateway of hope) as part of a treatment for an entry/exit Several ear points May be effective: Back region affected, Spleen, St, Zero Pt Sympathetic, shenmen Another good E stim combo is Left SI 3 Red connected to Rt BL 62 Black + Left Kd 3 Black connected to LU 7 Red + GV 3, 4, 26, BL 60, BL 40, BL 10, GB 39. Magnets 30 min to one hour.: I sometimes use a South pole 1500 gauss magnet under the painful area and down the path of the pain. Sometimes the body or ear seed magnets can give relief when not in the office. Patients with low Back Pain may aggravate if they are kept on magnets for a long time or they stand up immediately after tx. Let them rest for about 5 minutes or more without the needles or magnets. Epsom Salt Baths Epsom salt is primarily magnesium sulfate. The heat of an Epsom salt bath can increase circulation and reduce the swelling of arthritis, and the magnesium can be absorbed through the skin. Magnesium has both anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties. Directions: Fill a bathtub with water as hot as can be tolerated. Add 2 cups of Epsom salts. Bathe for thirty minutes, adding hot water if necessary to keep the bath water warm. Rosemary Drinking rosemary tea for pain. Its leaf also contains four anti- inflammatory substances---camosol, oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid, and ursolic acid. Carnosol acts on the same anti-inflammatory pathways as both steroids and aspirin; rosmarinic acid acts through at least two separate anti-inflammatory biochemical pathways; and ursolic acid, which makes up about 4 percent of the plant by weight, has been shown in animal trials to have anti-arthritic effects. Directions: Put 1/2 ounce of rosemary leaves in a 1-quart canning jar and fill the jar with boiling water. Cover tightly and let it stand for thirty minutes. Drink a cup as hot as possible before going to bed, and have another cupful in the morning before breakfast. I wish you and your px well, Sunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Hi Sunny! Wow! Thanks for all this material. I will study this, question him on it, and get back. At 09:09 PM 4/20/2004, you wrote: >Back pain Impossible Regards, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Hi Sunny! I am looking at a set of this patient's MRI pictures. From these it appears to me that at least four disks are causing pain. L4 - L5 disk is protruding in the anterior direction about 3/4 inch. The L2 - L3 disk is also protruding in the anterior direction, however, this pair is *supposed* to be fused and the protrusion is being forced into and through the fusion. L3 - L4 is pressing on the spinal cord as is L1 - L2. The Lordosis is maybe three times normal. Of course, with this combination of Lordosis and collapsed disks the foramina diameter for the exiting nerves is minimized. I do not see any metal in the pictures. I don't know where the bone for the fusion came from. He may have some other pain, but he is most bothered by the back pain. It is relieved by sitting or lying down. He is comfortable in the swimming pool also. He is slow moving because of the pain. I think the crying is over not just the pain, but the way it limits him. He is always reminiscing how he used to enjoy tennis, cycling and other things of a physical nature that he can't do anymore. His former active lifestyle is how he balanced his tremendous food intake and his dietary preference for huge amounts of sugar. After the cancer (intestinal cancer, skin cancer) and aorta surgeries which began 5 years ago he couldn't move for a long time and he began to pack on the weight. The itchy skin is related to diabetic dryness of the skin. He doesn't bother with skin lotion, perhaps because it hurts to move enough to put it on. He eats every meal in a restaurant. He can't prepare food himself at home and his wife won't - she is " retired " at age 73. She instead drives him to the restaurant where they eat together. The restaurants have all the wrong stuff just waiting for them, and way too much of it in every serving at that. She also is quite overweight, so I conclude that the eating wrong food and eating too much of it is part and parcel of their social bond, and has been for the last ten years. This is very common in the US. I think it is impossible to " eat thin " in a US restaurant, unless you are naturally thin to begin with. I doubt that he is allergic to sugar or any other food. These things do not make him sneeze, break out or have any digestive upset, they just make him fat. Convenient points are those that can be reached with the patient in a bearable position. For example, this patient can only lie down on his back for treatment. The belly is much too big to lie on the front or side. He also has a lot of thick hard brown scab-like lesions all over his skin that the dermatologist has pronounced benign. Benign or not, the points under these are unavailable. Even if I thought it appropriate to needle through these, I don't think the needle would penetrate them. At 09:09 PM 4/20/2004, you wrote:<snip> >Which vertebrae are affected? You said the pain is excruciating<snip> > Regards, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Hi, Pete I had somewhat similar patient, though not as bad. With advanced Qi Def (night shifts & stressful job) Sharp pain At L3-L4 level when bent forward. NO on-pressure-Ashi points. None of standard points helped. I suspected forward part of a Disk pinched Asked to take X-ray I was the right. He did not come back. My question is regarding relationship between NO ashi point and NO effect from needling. Peter --- Pete Theisen <petet wrote: Hi Sunny! I am looking at a set of this patient's MRI pictures. From these it appears to me that at least four disks are causing pain. L4 - L5 disk is protruding in the anterior direction about 3/4 inch. The L2 - L3 disk is also protruding in the anterior direction, however, this pair is *supposed* to be fused and the protrusion is being forced into and through the fusion. L3 - L4 is pressing on the spinal cord as is L1 - L2. The Lordosis is maybe three times normal. Of course, with this combination of Lordosis and collapsed disks the foramina diameter for the exiting nerves is minimized. I do not see any metal in the pictures. I don't know where the bone for the fusion came from. He may have some other pain, but he is most bothered by the back pain. It is relieved by sitting or lying down. He is comfortable in the swimming pool also. He is slow moving because of the pain. I think the crying is over not just the pain, but the way it limits him. He is always reminiscing how he used to enjoy tennis, cycling and other things of a physical nature that he can't do anymore. His former active lifestyle is how he balanced his tremendous food intake and his dietary preference for huge amounts of sugar. After the cancer (intestinal cancer, skin cancer) and aorta surgeries which began 5 years ago he couldn't move for a long time and he began to pack on the weight. The itchy skin is related to diabetic dryness of the skin. He doesn't bother with skin lotion, perhaps because it hurts to move enough to put it on. He eats every meal in a restaurant. He can't prepare food himself at home and his wife won't - she is " retired " at age 73. She instead drives him to the restaurant where they eat together. The restaurants have all the wrong stuff just waiting for them, and way too much of it in every serving at that. She also is quite overweight, so I conclude that the eating wrong food and eating too much of it is part and parcel of their social bond, and has been for the last ten years. This is very common in the US. I think it is impossible to " eat thin " in a US restaurant, unless you are naturally thin to begin with. I doubt that he is allergic to sugar or any other food. These things do not make him sneeze, break out or have any digestive upset, they just make him fat. Convenient points are those that can be reached with the patient in a bearable position. For example, this patient can only lie down on his back for treatment. The belly is much too big to lie on the front or side. He also has a lot of thick hard brown scab-like lesions all over his skin that the dermatologist has pronounced benign. Benign or not, the points under these are unavailable. Even if I thought it appropriate to needle through these, I don't think the needle would penetrate them. At 09:09 PM 4/20/2004, you wrote:<snip> >Which vertebrae are affected? You said the pain is excruciating<snip> > Regards, Pete Membership requires that you do not post any commerical, swear, religious, spam messages,flame another member or swear. To change your email delivery settings, Chinese Medicine/ click ‘edit my membership' on the right hand side and adjust accordingly. If you , it takes a few days for the messages to stop being delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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