Cut Finger

[Guest guest]

Would acupuncture/herbs be helpful in treating a cut finger? When I say cut I

mean the pad of the finger has been cut off. If so do you have recommendations

for treatment? And/or treatment in case it gets infected?

 

Thank You

Julie

 

 

[Guest guest]

At 02:20 PM 8/9/2006, " Julie Ormonde, L.Ac. " <cariadanam wrote:

>Would acupuncture/herbs be helpful in treating a cut finger? When I

>say cut I mean the pad of the finger has been cut off. If so do you

>have recommendations for treatment? And/or treatment in case it gets infected?

 

One proven possibility: herbal " hit-medicine " products, like

" Resinall-K " tincture and " Resinall-E " tablets. (These are from

Health Concerns; I don't mean to promote them, but it's the only

place I know for sure such remeidies are available; I would bet other

vendors offer similar products.)

 

The Resinall-K tincture contains:

XueXie (Dragon's blood / fossil resin)

SanQi aka TienQi [the presumed major ingredient in, say,

Yunnan Baiyao)

ErCha (Catechu)

YanHuSuo (Corydalis)

HongHua (Carthamus flower)

MoYao (Myrrh)

RuXiang (frankencense)

BingPian (Borneol resin)

in a base of alcohol and glycerine. Used topically, also oral. (e.g.

great for post dental surgery)

 

This " Hit-medicine, " i.e. martial arts medicine; antiseptic, directly

in open wounds (always good to clean first). Apparently provides a

good medium for connective tissue and especially epithelial tissue to

repair and reseal. Is sticky, gooey, doesn't evaporate off quickly,

i.e. remains s/w liquid.

 

(Just last week a Q/A in NYTimes science section: Q: " Is it better to

let wounds be exposed to air to heal? " A: No. Keep covered and moist.

Exposure to air hastens scabbing -- the tissue rushes to seal the

surface off, but hinders the somewhat slower, more complete

rebuilding of tissue.)

 

Caution: can stain clothing, and takes something like paint thinner to remove.

 

The Resinall-E tablets consist, half, of the same ingredients as -K,

plus " protolytic enzymes " :

bromelain

papain

trypsin

chymotrypsin

rutin

 

Case study (my own finger):

 

January 2006, closed car door (completely) on distal digit of left

index finger; open cut from mid radial side of distal digit,

diagonally to distal PIP crease at ulnar side; open cut nearly down

to bone (but not completely severing all the tissue; plus severe

bruising on opposite side at/around base of fingernail.

 

Tx: immediately washed out (just soap & hot water -- the current WM

convention; actually I did an H2O2 (hydrogenperoxide) wash also),

then doused with Resinall-K, gently closed edges of skin back

together, and bandaged -- moderatly firm to hold gash closed, but

not really tight. Redressed 2 or 3 times daily; had to avoid

excessive moisture, but still could shower/bathe reasonably normally;

of course, avoiding using the finger, i.e. hard flexing/extending or

pressure. Plus Resinall-E ca. 2T TID.

 

In about a week, the epithelium had closed over, but the area still

swollen. Continued above Tx.

 

After about a month, skin fully restored, swelling slight (was also

some bone swelling at the proximal internal/epicondyle side of the

distal digit.) Continued Res-K and Res-E, less rigorously for another

month. By then the palmar side of the digit was fully intact, and

scarless! Still then some slight bone swelling and tenderness. As

soon as the skin sealed off, began hot water soaks, 5-10min, BID or

TID, for a couple of months -- to warm circulation for the deeper

tissue healing.

 

Continued Tx another month or so. Meanwhile, on the dorsal side, a

ca. 4-5mm oval-shaped bruise moved from the base of the nail outward.

By six months (mid June) it had moved all the way out and off (via

cutting) the nail. At the bruise/wound was a slight depression (from

the car door compression), and following it developed a mound in the

nail, which also grew out and off, being followed by another dip and

another mound, each less pronounced. Apparently some sort of wave

form, with gradually decreasing amplitude develops in the nail growth.

 

Now - 7 months later - palmar side near perfect -- no scar; comparing

it with the other hand just the same creases and wrinkles; I still

flavor it slightly, which also can be seen as still " sending healing

energy " into it; nothing abnormal on pressure, but occasional slight

twinge when using it strongly (as in using carpentry tools, etc.).

Nail side texture and color perfect; still noticable wave (dip-mound)

pattern, ca. 0.5-1mm depth.

 

I was actually quite impressed.

 

In the case Julie Ormonde describes, the epithelial tissue and dermis

will have to grow back from the edges towards the middle, which will

take a while. (In my case, the rejoined dermis was able to quickly

heal at the dermis level.) In any case, I would recommend considering

the sort of Tx outlined above.

 

 

 

PS I use Res-K routinely when a patient has a scratch (lots of cat

owners), abrasions (kids), open blisters, eczema sores, etc. And

Resinall-E not only for patients, e.g. athletes with injuries, but

also recommend small dose prophylactically prior to intense sport

activity -- have the stuff available in the blood for inevitable

micro muscle and tissue damage. Similarly as the Health Concern

clinical data mentions that such medicine is used in martial arts

prior to encounters.

[Guest guest]

Yunnan Baiyao (or Tian Qi powder by itself) would be well to take

internally, of course would have been well to apply externally (as

would cayenne), it speeds the healing time, moves the blood and i

think acts as an antiseptic as well.

Also, the finger should never stop moving, nor the mind for that

matter. I always instruct patients to deeply breath as they do

exercises and visualise the body part doing the best it can, perhaps

this is from doing Trager work, but in Medical Qi Gong it's truly an

aspect of the treatment as well, and in my experience excelerates healing.

Tym

 

 

Chinese Medicine , " Julie Ormonde,

L.Ac. " <cariadanam wrote:

>

> Would acupuncture/herbs be helpful in treating a cut finger? When I

say cut I mean the pad of the finger has been cut off. If so do you

have recommendations for treatment? And/or treatment in case it gets

infected?

>

> Thank You

> Julie

>

>