case histories

Two Case Histories

Case 1.

X is a 22-year-old woman who presented with chronic acne and very loose frequent bowel motions. The acne was severe and quite painful. Her digestion was poor with much bloating and pain.

Upon questioning it appeared that both the skin and bowel trouble had begun at the same time. Two years previously she had traveled to India where she had had food poisoning. She had been treated with antibiotics but had never fully recovered.

Her other symptoms included frequent chest infections; asthma; feeling hot and thirsty and sweaty especially at night; a dull lower back pain; irregular, painful periods; and a feeling of sadness that she related to her lung problems.

Her pulse showed stagnation and excessive mucous in the digestive system, stagnation in the liver, and a weakness in the lungs and kidneys. Her tongue showed her body was overheating and had poor blood circulation.

Although this appears to be a case of many separate symptoms, the holistic nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) allows the practitioner to make connections and trace the varied symptoms back to root patterns of disharmony. Because of this approach TCM often has desirable side affects when one treats the root, as we shall see.

The acne and bowel condition were caused by toxic heat and excess mucous. Although the antibiotics had killed the initial infection, they had failed to regulate her digestion. This toxic heat and excess mucous produced in the digestive system were manifesting as acne on her face. This is because the Qi pathways of the stomach and large intestine rise to the face from their respective organs. This is an example treating the root cause (the stomach and intestine) to teat the branch (acne). While some of her herbs were specifically for acne lesions it was necessary to deal with the root to provide a lasting cure. If she had only been treated for acne symptomatically it would simply have returned when she had stopped treatment.

The mucous was also manifesting itself in her lungs. Interestingly TCM theory states that sadness weakens the lungs. I felt that her kidney weakness was inherited and according to TCM also contributed to her asthma. Her poor circulation was due to prolonged stress leading to stagnant Qi that resulted in her menstrual blood being blocked and painful.

After three treatments with herbs and acupuncture her skin had improved and she was having two motions a day instead of five. She was also given herbal skin creams to stop acne and heal scarring. After a month her acne was still there but much improved. As the toxic heat had been mostly eliminated this required a change of strategy towards improving blood circulation. Upon questioning she had stated that the acne tended to be worse before her period. By promoting smooth blood flow her acne improved because there was less congestion allowing toxins to be eliminated. As a happy side effect her period pains improved also.

I did not see X for 6 months after that. When she contacted me again she had experienced some very difficult times and was suffering from much grief and felt she was loosing her mind. She also had a very tight chest with some very stubborn phlegm. Her chest problems had never been resolved as she is a smoker and the treatments had previously not been targeting her lungs.

I gave her an acupuncture treatment aimed at calming the mind and a herbal formula to help her deal with the grief. Interestingly the formula also addressed her lung weakness and the phlegm. After a week we spoke on the telephone and she reported she was feeling much better.

Case 2.

Y is a 65-year-old lady who suffered from severe lower back and hip pain. She had had a hip replacement 4 years before and also had osteoporosis. She had also been depressed since the death of her husband and was taking anti-depressants. Her only other symptom was high blood pressure for which she was also taking medication.

Her tongue and pulse showed a decline in the kidney energy and agitation in the heart. In TCM the kidneys are responsible for nourishing the bones and for the formation of healthy blood. In Y's case her kidneys had weakened due to age leading to weakness in the bones and a blood imbalance. The kidneys are also responsible for having a balancing effect on the heart and emotions. While it is natural to feel sad when a loved one dies, the failure of her kidneys to balance the sadness made it difficult for Y to come to terms with it.

Y had 9 acupuncture treatments after which her main complaint, pain was almost gone, this was a good result considering she had deterioration of the bones and joints. Massage was used in conjunction with acupuncture to help relax the lower back. She also was able to reduce her medication and felt more positive.


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	Arvin's Natural Health Centre 49 Pemberton Road, London N4, 020 8352 2657 arvinbark@ukonline.co.uk Case Histories
		Two Case Histories Case 1. X is a 22-year-old woman who presented with chronic acne and very loose frequent bowel motions. The acne was severe and quite painful. Her digestion was poor with much bloating and pain. Upon questioning it appeared that both the skin and bowel trouble had begun at the same time. Two years previously she had traveled to India where she had had food poisoning. She had been treated with antibiotics but had never fully recovered. Her other symptoms included frequent chest infections; asthma; feeling hot and thirsty and sweaty especially at night; a dull lower back pain; irregular, painful periods; and a feeling of sadness that she related to her lung problems. Her pulse showed stagnation and excessive mucous in the digestive system, stagnation in the liver, and a weakness in the lungs and kidneys. Her tongue showed her body was overheating and had poor blood circulation. Although this appears to be a case of many separate symptoms, the holistic nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) allows the practitioner to make connections and trace the varied symptoms back to root patterns of disharmony. Because of this approach TCM often has desirable side affects when one treats the root, as we shall see. The acne and bowel condition were caused by toxic heat and excess mucous. Although the antibiotics had killed the initial infection, they had failed to regulate her digestion. This toxic heat and excess mucous produced in the digestive system were manifesting as acne on her face. This is because the Qi pathways of the stomach and large intestine rise to the face from their respective organs. This is an example treating the root cause (the stomach and intestine) to teat the branch (acne). While some of her herbs were specifically for acne lesions it was necessary to deal with the root to provide a lasting cure. If she had only been treated for acne symptomatically it would simply have returned when she had stopped treatment. The mucous was also manifesting itself in her lungs. Interestingly TCM theory states that sadness weakens the lungs. I felt that her kidney weakness was inherited and according to TCM also contributed to her asthma. Her poor circulation was due to prolonged stress leading to stagnant Qi that resulted in her menstrual blood being blocked and painful. After three treatments with herbs and acupuncture her skin had improved and she was having two motions a day instead of five. She was also given herbal skin creams to stop acne and heal scarring. After a month her acne was still there but much improved. As the toxic heat had been mostly eliminated this required a change of strategy towards improving blood circulation. Upon questioning she had stated that the acne tended to be worse before her period. By promoting smooth blood flow her acne improved because there was less congestion allowing toxins to be eliminated. As a happy side effect her period pains improved also. I did not see X for 6 months after that. When she contacted me again she had experienced some very difficult times and was suffering from much grief and felt she was loosing her mind. She also had a very tight chest with some very stubborn phlegm. Her chest problems had never been resolved as she is a smoker and the treatments had previously not been targeting her lungs. I gave her an acupuncture treatment aimed at calming the mind and a herbal formula to help her deal with the grief. Interestingly the formula also addressed her lung weakness and the phlegm. After a week we spoke on the telephone and she reported she was feeling much better. Case 2. Y is a 65-year-old lady who suffered from severe lower back and hip pain. She had had a hip replacement 4 years before and also had osteoporosis. She had also been depressed since the death of her husband and was taking anti-depressants. Her only other symptom was high blood pressure for which she was also taking medication. Her tongue and pulse showed a decline in the kidney energy and agitation in the heart. In TCM the kidneys are responsible for nourishing the bones and for the formation of healthy blood. In Y's case her kidneys had weakened due to age leading to weakness in the bones and a blood imbalance. The kidneys are also responsible for having a balancing effect on the heart and emotions. While it is natural to feel sad when a loved one dies, the failure of her kidneys to balance the sadness made it difficult for Y to come to terms with it. Y had 9 acupuncture treatments after which her main complaint, pain was almost gone, this was a good result considering she had deterioration of the bones and joints. Massage was used in conjunction with acupuncture to help relax the lower back. She also was able to reduce her medication and felt more positive.