Guest guest Report post Posted January 11, 2010 I have a 16 year old patient with symptoms that look like fibromyalgia. She is improving quite a bit, but since she is so young I want to do everything I can to help her so that maybe she won't be saddled with this the rest of her life. So I thought I'd see if you all have some ideas to share. She is a swimmer and she took a break from swimming and then when she started again it was with a different team and the workouts were much more rigorous. So she jumped back in after a break with a more rigorous workout than she has been doing before the break (a great way to hurt yourself). First she just had extreme fatigue. She went from being a kid with 10 level energy to 1 or 2. Then she started getting moving pain in her back, numbness/pain in her hands and feet, heavy frontal headaches, foggy thinking, acne, and dizziness. She has had a sinus condition since about 7th grade, so that seems to be at play as well. Then about 6 months into it she became very depressed. I started seeing her when she was about 8 months into it, starting about 1 1/2 months ago. Definitely a lot of heat--red tongue that was very coated and yellow(less so now, after being on herbs). Pulses were very weak on intake, but are much stronger now. I've done quite a few formulas--started with a formula that Maciocia writes about for fibromyalgia for someone who has had repeated bouts of windheat that were unresolved. Helped a lot but she was still having a lot of dizziness and sinus congestion and pain/numbness off and on. Did a Wen Dan Tang formula with Tian Ma, Shi Chang Pu, Bai Zhi, Xin Yi Hua, Huang Lian, Huang Qin. Most of her symptoms were improved but she felt very depressed and tired and adding qi tonics did not help the energy. Also, she was getting hair loss. Added in Dang Gui, Sang Ji Sheng, Bai Shao. Then she had increased damp symptoms. Argh. Familiar story, eh? Since she was having hair loss and the yin blood additions were making her damp I took a break from herbs and just did acupuncture: Du 14, SJ 7, St 36, Sp 6, St 40, Sp 5, LI 11, P6, yintang, Ren 4. She has felt much better with mood and energy--feeling almost like herbself again. But dizziness, numbness and pain are returning more and more the longer we go without herbs. I had another patient years ago who came with an almost identical presentation and had been formally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, so I think from a western point of view that would be her diagnosis, but it has not been formally given. Any thoughts or ideas who be great, thanks! Laura Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted January 12, 2010 I think that your patient matches a chai ge jie ji tang presentation: the formula releases the heat from the muscles. it contains bai zhi for the sinus. it clears heat. I use this formula often for fibromyalgia with excellent results. Cara O. Frank, R. OM On Jan 12, 2010, at 1:28 AM, heylaurag wrote: > I have a 16 year old patient with symptoms that look like fibromyalgia. She is improving quite a bit, but since she is so young I want to do everything I can to help her so that maybe she won't be saddled with this the rest of her life. So I thought I'd see if you all have some ideas to share. > > She is a swimmer and she took a break from swimming and then when she started again it was with a different team and the workouts were much more rigorous. So she jumped back in after a break with a more rigorous workout than she has been doing before the break (a great way to hurt yourself). > > First she just had extreme fatigue. She went from being a kid with 10 level energy to 1 or 2. Then she started getting moving pain in her back, numbness/pain in her hands and feet, heavy frontal headaches, foggy thinking, acne, and dizziness. She has had a sinus condition since about 7th grade, so that seems to be at play as well. Then about 6 months into it she became very depressed. I started seeing her when she was about 8 months into it, starting about 1 1/2 months ago. > > Definitely a lot of heat--red tongue that was very coated and yellow(less so now, after being on herbs). Pulses were very weak on intake, but are much stronger now. I've done quite a few formulas--started with a formula that Maciocia writes about for fibromyalgia for someone who has had repeated bouts of windheat that were unresolved. Helped a lot but she was still having a lot of dizziness and sinus congestion and pain/numbness off and on. Did a Wen Dan Tang formula with Tian Ma, Shi Chang Pu, Bai Zhi, Xin Yi Hua, Huang Lian, Huang Qin. Most of her symptoms were improved but she felt very depressed and tired and adding qi tonics did not help the energy. Also, she was getting hair loss. Added in Dang Gui, Sang Ji Sheng, Bai Shao. Then she had increased damp symptoms. Argh. Familiar story, eh? > > Since she was having hair loss and the yin blood additions were making her damp I took a break from herbs and just did acupuncture: > > Du 14, SJ 7, St 36, Sp 6, St 40, Sp 5, LI 11, P6, yintang, Ren 4. She has felt much better with mood and energy--feeling almost like herbself again. But dizziness, numbness and pain are returning more and more the longer we go without herbs. > > I had another patient years ago who came with an almost identical presentation and had been formally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, so I think from a western point of view that would be her diagnosis, but it has not been formally given. > > Any thoughts or ideas who be great, thanks! > > Laura > > Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
