Digest Number 465

[Guest guest]

>Chief complaint

>breast discharge, started 2 wks ago black with green twinge, watery

consistency, tastes sweet ( " husband " )

 

This condition should be evaluated by a western medical practitioner.

Breast discharge can indicate a tumor of the pituitary or other endocrine

disorders.

[Guest guest]

I think trying to regulate herbs now would be cutting our own legs off. If we

start claiming the potential harmfulness of them then I don't think we would be

recognized as having the credentials to dispense them. Besides, regulate Liu Wei

Di Huang? These are all foods, they aren't drugs. Sure if you want to regulate

Ma Huang and few others, OK. Go into an Asian run

corner grocery store and you see the herbs packaged like Kool-aid, so entrenched

into every day habits. Perhaps a warning that these should be dispensed with the

help of a medical professional...

[Guest guest]

Ken said: <<What do you do to educate them?>>

Discuss constitution and the symptom picture then rrelay potential strategies. I

then review materials they would do well with and under what circumstances they

may use them.

 

<<Do you urge them to self-medicate?>> If it is appropriate and they have the

knowledge skills and ability to do so. I recommend they don't if it may cause

problems.

 

How do you manage the patient who insists on self-medication?

 

<< The situation can easily reverse into an ethic of territorial imperitive.

I don't understand this. Can you clarify?>>

Pracitioner as sole authority....market control over delivery of

medicinals.....the desire by the practitioner to maintain control over the

territory of the OTC compound. I still see sales of medicinals by practitioner

to patient as a greater ethical quandry than the OTC trade in America or China.

 

Will

 

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[Guest guest]

Todd

<<I have no problem with the free availability of most products. I have

a big problem with the promotion to the general public of unregulated

untested and unsafe products by corporate scum bags who have no ethics,

only profit motive. This has nothing to do with advising your patients

on how to take care of themselves. You are comparing apples and

oranges.>>

 

So you refer to only those companies that are scum bags with profit motive. I

reserve the right to relate with companies and promote product that is in

alignment with what I see appropriate. Pressure from colleagues around this

without a clear definition of what constitutes 'scum bag' is somewhat

unappealing. Lumping them all together is also unappealing. Regulation is

appropriate.

 

Will

 

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[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/11/04 7:30:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

Chinese Medicine writes:

I know of friends who have visited my Chinese doctor and have had

their knee problems sucessfully treated with a combination of Tuina

and qigong techniques. Basically the protocol is conceptually simple,

though I expect it takes lots of practice and experience to execute

correctly. I personally do not work on knees since I am still in study.

 

The essential ideas are:

 

1) Locate areas of stagnated blood and qi. This is usually cold qi

(congealed qi) or damp that is either inherited or a manifestation of

emotions.

 

2) Remove the obstructions so that fresh, healthful qi and blood can

flow through the body unimpeded - sort of like flushing out a plumbing

system.

 

3) Use vigorous qigong, tuina, gua sha, and cupping techniques to

remove obstructions and conjealed qi so that the body can be

reinvigorated and healed with a fresh flow of qi and blood.

 

4) Use pulling and rotating techniques to coax the body parts back to

their natural position.

 

Note, there is no thought of " balancing " energies using this approach.

The body naturally balances itself once qi and blood is freely flowing.

 

Generally there is lots of blood and qi stagnation existing above the

knee (repletion) and lack of energy flow (vacuity) below the knee.

This can extend back into the abdomen (hara) region and into the

shoulders. Almost always, the spine area is stiff and stagnant and

also has to be manipulated.

 

The treatment begins by first moving the " cold qi " in the meridians

using qigong intent. The cold qi usually is inherited (parents often

experience the same problems) or it may be accumulated from emotional

issues. Then the blood and " damp " are manipulated out of the the

muscles and sinews using very vigorous Tuina techniques that hurts

like craze. Most people learn to understand that the pain is a

" release " of the stagnated blood and toxins - though not everyone

adjusts. Most feel so much better afterwards (I have done this in my

classes) that they come back for more.

 

The pain comes from the stagnated energy and blood which has caused a

deterioration in the physical and energetic structures - the way I

visualize it is that it is similar to the way lack of water would

cause a tree branch to deteriorate and eventually break. The muscles

and bones below the knee will also hurt afterwards as new blood and

energy flood in areas that have become " brown " from lack of energy.

Usually patients are able to right away feel a significan difference -

enough to encourage them to further treatments.

 

Often the cold qi or damp is so deep in the muscles and bones that it

is necessary to use cupping and gua gua sha techniques. This is also

often painful and leave deep purple or black and blue marks where the

stagnation is deepest. My doctor uses his experience and senses to

locate the areas of obstrcution and releases them. He also uses tuina

rotating and pulling techniques to bring the knee back into alignment.

 

Those people who stick with it for a few months find that they are

able to avoid surgery. But there are those who chose surgery and

inevitably they develop chronic problems in their knee.

 

 

While I realize this outline is very inadequate and may not be of

direct usefulness to your patient, I hope it helps you a bit.

 

Regards,

Rich