Guest guest Posted January 3, 2001 Report Share Posted January 3, 2001 Dear Group, I have not met the patient yet, but I have been asked to see an 89-year old man with severe chronic constipation. The blockage appears to be in the right lower quadrant, and he is considering having his entire colon removed and the ileum attached directly to the rectum! His main complaint is distention and discomfort which interferes with his tennis and other activities. The problem was termed " severe colonic inertia. " He now uses purgatives (rhubarb and senna) every day and without them, he has no bowel movement. With them, he has a watery stool every morning. He is obsessed about the fear of becoming blocked! He wonders if he should try a colonic. He is a medical doctor, very skeptical about alternative medicine, and his son (who contacted me) is also a MD, a gastroenterologist. The problem started about 2 years ago and may have been related to drugs he was taking (beta blockers and others) but which he has stopped. Any advice would be appreciated. I obviously realize there is not a TCM diagnosis yet, and accordingly, if there is no advice possible to be given at this point, so be it. Someone may have encountered this problem before and can give me some guidance. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2001 Report Share Posted January 4, 2001 , juliej8@a... wrote: > Dear Group, I have not met the patient yet, but I have been asked to see an > 89-year old man with severe chronic constipation. Julie Given your patient's age,it is likely that the kidneys are involved. If the patient presents as yinxu, then ma zi ren wan may be a good base rx, while if yang xu, then ji chuan jian. In middle aged folks, I have often used modified ba zhen tang with success. By moistening the blood and building fluids while also supplementing qi to promote the power of movement, good results can be achieved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2001 Report Share Posted January 4, 2001 Chronic use of rhubarb and senna will destroy the peristalic action of the colon, although they can be used as minor herbs in formulas without that consequence. The British Navy apparently destroyed a generation of men's eliminatory activities by routinely dosing them with senna according to David Hoffman. He thinks the destruction may be permanent. I'm not totally convinced, although it is probably a long process to reestablish normal function. Karen Vaughan CreationsGarden *************************************** Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment. " Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. " -- Anais Nin ______________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2001 Report Share Posted January 5, 2001 Even moderate use if Rhubarb can cause changes in the colon. The amount that's in ma zi ren wan can cause the colon to take on a dusky appearan that is indicative of laxative abuse. And of course, as Karen said, it can cause atonic bowel. for a successful strategy using supplemnts, please email me privately. Cara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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