Holistic Elements - a group of holistic doctors and practioners who take most insurances

pain and stiffness in hands for years

2011-08-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female patient came to my office due to a variety of symptoms including chronic stomach acid which causes sharp pain in upper part of her stomach and stiffness and pain in her hands. in addition she has herniated disks at L 3 4 5 levels.

her chief complaint is pain in her hands. her fingers are so swollen she cant even wear rings that she used to wear. pain is worse in the morning and in addition she feels so stiff in all joints especially in her hands and fingers.

other signs and symptoms include nausea, stomach acid (worse with certain food) spitting out phlegm (sticky yellow) in the morning, asthma, dark circles around eyes, itchiness in the ears, appetite is fine but she experiences gas and distention in her stomach often. she also has a chronic history of vertigo.

in the past her doctors diagnosed her case Multiple Sclerosis, Acid Regurgitation, herniated disk and so on.

Tx: Sp 3 -

her stomach and hands got better immediately. added sp 9-.

2 glaucoma cases

2011-07-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

case 1

No liver signs

case 2

with liver signs and constipation

such as red eyes with heavy sensation.

when it rains she feels so tired and lethargic HBP thick white tongue coat.

she also suffers from abdomenial distention with gas which is worse with carbohydrates. Frequent urination esp at night.

First week. LV 1+ LU 8 - made her feel better in her abdomen but she felt the same in her eyes.

second week she states she goes to the bathroom better but eyes are still the same

St 36 - (to tonify UB) she felt a little better in her abdomen but no change in her eye pressure.

St 36 + makes her abdomen much better and eye felt better (less pressure)
added GB 41 -

after 20 min patient says she could open her eye more wide and feels much less pressure in her eyes.

according to Master Waloh, tonification of UB channel is used. points are UB 67 + LI 1 + ST 36 - UB 40 - but not this case.

palpitation for years

2011-06-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

55 yr old female says she suffers from heart palpitation for many years, which gets worse with anxiety and stress. her hands and feet are not cold. she urinates frequently (every 2 hrs or so and she wakes up at night once to urinate) she doesnt have insomnia but vivid dreams. she is thin and doesnt become angry a lot but suffers from anxiety more than stress.

she also suffers from stomach acid and dry mouth.

first Si 2 with reducing method and Si 3 with tonification methods. after 15 min there is no change. she was still having palpitation.

then needled KD 10 with tonification method. palpitation stopped immediately

Dx: Ht excess.

Common cold for 6 hrs

2011-06-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

a friend of mine stopped by my office complaining of dry cough and chest congestion for about 6 hours. she didn't feel fever or chills but her face was red and face/head was hot.

other signs and symptoms: slightly swollen throat, very stuffy chest so she couldn't breath in too deep (due to pain and tightness in her chest) no other signs

Lu 10 with reducing method -> after 10 min she felt better and she had fewer coughs but chest tightness remained. since she was very sensitive with Lung 10 not much reduction technique was done.

instead, mater tung points Ren Sha Di Sha Tian Sha (lung channel in the forearm 4 cun up from wrist crease then 3 cun apart) were needled and retained for 30 min. her face turned normal (no longer red) and chest tightness disappeared.

OA of knee for yrs

2011-06-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female came to my office due to chronic left knee pain for yrs. knee feels hot to touch and swollen all the time. she experiences the worst pain when she is walking up and down the stairs.

other signs and symptoms
palpitation upon stress, insomina, abdomenial distention, gas and bloating in stomach, anxiety and stress, stomach acid, psoriasis in right knee and leg, good appetite

tx: tong shin tong tian (along st line)

after 30 min patient states she has less pain and she can flex her knee about 30% more.

often knee pain is due to anxiety and stress. in her case HT is affected.

trigger fingers for serveral years

2011-05-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

50 yr old female came to my office due to pain and numbness in her right hand for several years. she self-diagnosed it as carpal tunnel syndrome because of occasional numbness in her hand and arm (right side)

based on exams she has tenosynovitis in her right hand (worst in the middle and ring finger area) this is also known as trigger finger. in her case the inflammation is not so severe her fingers dont "lock" (as shown in the picture.

all other signs and symptoms are negative and she tells me she needs to use her hands a lot at work.

tx: bled jing well points. (right SJ 1 and PC 9) then needled left SI 6 thru SJ 5 on her first visit.

then she had 3 more treatments using SI 6 thru SJ 5. stiffness in her right hand is gone and she doent feel numb in the hand.

mortons neuroma II

2011-04-27T21:19:00.001-07:00

50 yr old female came due to pain in her left foot for 1 year. she says this pain comes and goes but recently it got worse. no other s/s but she is a ST/SP deficient type patient.

upon palpation pain is located on the plantar side of her left foot (at the level of UB 65) between the little and #4 toe.

after needling Wu Hu # 3 pain is still the same. upon palpation tenderness was found around Ren 12 area.

then St 41 + and GB 41 - stomach pain (Rent 12) was gone along with her foot pain.

it seems Wu Hu #3 didn't work because there was stagnation in the stamach (ren 12 area)
this is why (i think) classic text books like the Treasure of Eastern Medicine advises to treat the food stagnation first if it is present. this case is interesting because I have treated a numerous foot pain cases due to morton's neuroma using Wu Hu #3 alone.

Arthritis in toes for 1 year

2011-04-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

50 yr old male came to my office due to moderate pain in right toes for about 1 year. he says this pain started after wearing a tight shoes about 1 yr ago. since then pain never went away.

pain is 3 out of 10 (where 10 is the worst pain) and pain is located # 2 3 4 toes in his right foot and is worse when he is walking.

treatment: local jing well points (bled) then needled opposite side Wuhu # 3 4 for 40 min. pain went down significantly.

SCM pain for a few weeks

2011-04-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

(SCM is Sternocleidomastoid muscle as shown in the picture.)

30 year old female patient came to my office due to pain in her neck for a few weeks. she works as a therapist and uses her upper limbs a lot at work. pain is sharp and constant and worse after work.

Pain is located on the left side of her neck near GB 20 (that is located at the base of the skull or posterior hair line) and pain radiates down to her left SCM. upon palpation, the whole left side of her neck was painful.

she also suffers from joint pain (shoulder and elbows) insomnia (waking up frequently at night) anxiety palpitation but no urination or defication problems. she is slightly over-weight. digestion is fine except for nausea at times.

treatment GB 43 with tonification method (left side) Pain in the neck including SCM disappeared after 15 minutes.

i told her Gall Bladder meridian has problems due to her anxiety and she agreed she has lots of anxiety issues.

Severe Headache for 2 days (behind eyes)

2011-04-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

"Can you help me?" was the first thing she told me. She suffers from an acute headache for two days along with nausea. Pain is sharp and is located right behind her right eye. She tells me she never had this type of headache before and adds she has been under so much stress for the last few days.

When her stomach is pressed she felt pain around Ren 14 and 12 (abdomen). she also has some insomnia (difficult to fall asleep) palpitation, itchiness around right eye, dry mouth and recently redness in both eyes.

In addition she suffers from chronic constipation (going only 2-3x a week.) her energy is low and so as her voice tone.

Treatment:

first SP 3 with reducing method (left side) --> nausea is gone. then LV 1 with reducing method --> headache slightly improves finally LV 2 with reducing method along with KD 10 with tonificaion method (Kd 10 added because she later adds she has some dizziness when she quickly gets up from sitting position and night blindness) headache totally GONE!!!

knee pain for a few months due to meniscus tear

2011-03-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

50 yr old female states she cant walk when it rains due to severe pain in her knees. She has suffered from bilateral knee pain for a few years but recently it became worse.

In addition, she always feels tired. She usually feels bloated after meals. No defication or urination problems. for years she suffers from acid reflux. both knees are swollen and slightly warm. upon palpation, both of her calves are tight and painful. she has no palpitatino but suffers from insomnia-she wakes up frequently at night.

Her doctor told her she has meniscus tear and arthritis in her knees.

After needling LV 1 with tonification method, she feels much better in her stomach and her knees but she still felt pain in her calves. Dan points (master tung) calf muscles became painfree.

I will try GB 41 with tonification method on her next visit.

Chronic headache

2011-03-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

40 yr old male patient states he has severe headache located in the back of his head and at the base of his skull for a few years. Headache comes and goes. It is sometimes worse with stress.

in addition, patient also complains of neck pain which radiates down to his left index finger (left)
often he sees floaters in his left eyes without eye pain. He is heavy and his appetite is too good.
after meals, he has bloating and gas in his stomache which disappears after a while. His work is physical and he exercises a lot which aggrevates his neck/headache worse at times. He has no problem with urination or defication. overall he feels warm and prefers cold drinks.

His problem is due to overeating and stress. after needling LV 1 with sedating method all of the above symptoms disappeared. right side was needled since most of his problems are located on his left side.

right foot pain due to Plantar fasciitis

2011-03-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Pain in foot due to plantar fasciitis is very common and can be successfully treated by acupuncture.

case: 30 yr old male patient came to my clinic due to severe pain in his right foot
(plantar fasciitis) for 2 yrs.

no significant signs or symptoms.

acupuncture point used: WuHu # 5 bilaterally (master Tung's style acupuncture) for 3o min improved the pain by 70%.

normally for chronic pain like his requires about 6 treatments. Wu Hu #3 it can also successfully treat pain due to morton's neuroma.

sciatica due to anxiety

2011-03-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

45 yr old female patient came to my office due to low back pain (sciatica radiating down her right leg along the side) for 2 months.

She also suffers from insomnia, anxiety, stress disorder. Patient is about 140 LB/ 5'5". her hands and feet are normally cold and she urinates every two hours. She also wakes up at night at least once to urinate. when she is under stress/anxiety, she feels her heart is beating fast.

She has difficulty falling asleep and wakes up a few times every night. Often she has vivid dreams.

Her low back pain is not due to any accident and radiating pain is along the side-Gall Bladder channel. Upon palpation right hip muscles were painful.

Treatment: GB 41 + (left side)

after 15 min of acupuncture, patient could raise her leg higher and walk without pain.

massage therapy was added after acupuncture treatment. She felt almost no pain afterwards.

often anxiety and stress can cause low back pain.

arthritis in hands for 1 month

2011-03-23T02:55:00.000-07:00

50 yr old female patient came due to pain in her hands for 1 month. most of her hand joints are swollen and deviated.

Patient is thin female and has a history of chronic slow digestion issues-gas and bloating in her stomach. she always has cold hands and feet and according to her pain in her both hands gets worse when the weather gets cold and damp.

acupuncture was used right after a physical therapy treatment.

ST 44- St 41 +

immediately patient felt the improvement. this type of pain normally requires about 8 sessions until the pain is gone.

discoid LUPUS

2011-03-23T02:41:00.000-07:00

45 yr old female patient came to my clinic due to discoid lupus for yrs.

She says she is under a lot of stress and it (scarring on her face) worsens before menstruation. Her face is red and about 60% of her face is affected by lupus. Patient also has ingestion-gas and bloating in her stomach without constipation.

other signs and symptoms: good appetite, slightly heavy, swollen eye lids (lower is worse)
occasional SOB and asthma like chest congestion.

tx: acupuncture and massage therapy using Liver and lung meridian (LV 1 and LU 8)

after 2 treatments there was a noticable change (about 10% improvement)

since the progress was relatively slow, yi bae acupuncture point was added bilaterally. (normally this point is bled. only 2-3 drops of blood)

then the following week there was about 30% improvement.

Breast Cancer

2011-03-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female patient came in for moderate pain in right chest rib flank area after the removal of her right breast due to cancer 1 yr ago.

patient is thin and under lots of anxiety and stress. she suffers from fatigue and severe insomnia. at times she experiences left side hypochondriac pain. though she says her digestion is normal, she had pain and tenderness along Ren from 15 down to 3. (all located in the abdomen)

other signs and symptoms: palpitation, occasional vivid dreams, frequent urination-once every 1-2 hours, she gets up to urinate at lease once every night.

treatment: GB 41 + (right side) then SJ 5 (left side)

after 30 min of treatment, she felt no pain in her abdomen upon palpation. all pain was gone and she could breath deeper.

spasm in calf muscle for a few days

2011-03-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female came to the office seeking a treatment for pain and spasms in her calves. she states that she had too much exercises over the weekend and after that this pain/spasms in calves started.

she received massage on both legs with aroma oil then got acupuncture on Dan points.

pain/spasms were gone when this treatment was done.

Tendonitis in elbow

2011-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

25 yr old female patient with acute elbow pain came to my office. She does massage for a living and there is sharp pain and clicking in right elbow which is worse after work.

pain is located along SJ SI LI channels. according to master Tung, Lung 5 can be used for tendonitis. SI 6 through SJ 5 can also be used but based on my experience it does not work well for elbows compared to other points.

1st point, LU 5

patient tells me her elbow feels lighter (about 20%)

2nd point, CeSanli then patient feels about 50% more better

then LI 11 on the opposite side for pain around LI 11.

Tendonitis is not easy to treat. Compared to other modalities, acupuncture works well to reduce inflammation. In acute cases patients need to come in 1-4 treatments.

Pain in neck for 6 months

2011-03-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

50 yr old female patient came to my office due to severe pain in neck for 6 months. According to her pain started after a series of dentist visits.

She has lots of stress at work and chronic indigestion problems (gas and bloating in the stomach)
Her body is thin. She suffers from chronic fatigue along with cold hands and feet. Due to her neck pain she has difficulty rotating her neck side to side and up and down.

Other signs/symptoms are dry lips, whole body ache with cold weather, frequent urination during the day.

Diagnosis: Spleen SI deficiency

Treatment: Liver 1 Spleen 1 reducing tech.

Pain disappeared completely after 1 treatment.

frozen shoulder for 3 yrs

2010-12-01T14:27:00.001-08:00

71 yr old female

cc: left frozen shoulder for 3 yrs. ROM restricted. upon exam she had to pick up her left hand using her right hand to move it.

pain is not related to weather. patient is slight heavy. she wakes up to urinate at night. no digestion problems. pain in low back.

tx: bleed same side LU 5 point

then she could move her shoulder 20 degrees in all angles.

shen quan. pain and rom improved about 50 %

(kidney deficient type frozen shoulder)

post stroke symptoms

2010-11-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

50 yr old male cc weekness in right leg for yrs.

his right arm and leg is affected due to stroke including speech. overall, right side is stiff and very weak according to patient.

tx: ba guan 3/4. - mater tung point located on the dorsum of middle finger about 1 cun proximal to the dam points.

after40 min he says it improved about 50%. (just his right leg.)

burning sensation in the vagina for wks

2010-11-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

60 yr old female cc burning sensation of her vagina for wks.

she often has abdominal distention with good appetite. slight heavy body type. dark circles under her eyes. left knee pain which is not affected by weather. hands and feet are not cold. she is under stress and anxiety but she doesnt look like a "liver type" person.

she wakes up once every night to urinate.

left knee pain is located around sp 9 and liver 8 and along liver channel from knee to thigh.

she worries a lot. no lung s/s.

dx: sp excess and kd def.

tx: sp 3 -

immediately she feels the cooling sensation in the vagina and knee pain improved about 80% according to the patient.

knee pain (acute)

2010-11-16T20:42:00.000-08:00

60 yr old male cc: left medial knee pain for wks. there is no injury but he exercises daily including yoga.

knee pain is worse when he medially rotate his knee. Pain is located along the line connecting inner eye (opp of st 35) and lv 8.

tx: mater tung;s dam point (since point is on the medial side) i tried medial point of the two which is closer to the thumb.

pain disappeared 100%.

according to his doctor pain was due to miniscus tear

carpal tunnel syndrome for yrs

2010-10-19T21:03:00.001-07:00

40 yr old female with carpal tunnel syndrome for yrs.

pain is located along medial side of her right wrist near pc 6. she experiences numbness in her right hand. she works with mouse and keyboard all day and pain/numbness is worse after work.

s/s: indigestion with abdominal distension (worse with grease food) good appetite. heavy sensation and stiffness in her right hand in the morning.

tx: lv 1 + and lu 8 -

after thirty min of treatment pain and numbness disappeared.

knee pain for a few wks

2010-10-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

medial knee pain for a few weeks.

patient is 60 yr old female. cc right medial knee pain for a few weeks. pain is located near sp 9 area (medial side of her right knee)

no significant s/s

treatment Si 6 through Sj 5

bunion

2010-10-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

bunion for yrs

the foot joint btwn SP 2 and SP 3 area (typical bunoin area in big toes) was red and swollen.

tx acupuncture with electrical stimulation for 30 min (surrounding the bunions)

redness and swelling was reduced and pain was reduced by 80 % after 2 treatments.

anterior deltoid pain (frozen shoulder) for few months

2010-10-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

50 yr old female cc left shoulder pain for few months. no significant s/s. upon palpation anterior deltoid was very painful.

TX Jian Zhong (right side)

after moving Qi tech for 15 min pain disappeared.

chronic low back pain

2010-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

chronic low back pain for many yrs. he works as a carpenter and back pain is worse after work. no other s/s. L4 5 and S 1 areas are painful upon palpation. ( i could feel the heat and inflammation upon palpation) also UB 20 to 25 on the left side was very tender upon palpation.

TX: UB 60 -

after 25 min pain was reduced by 70 % and UB 20 - 25 areas were not painful.

itchy skin for 3 months

2010-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

45 yr old female with itchy skin for three months without any eruption or pus.

the affected area is red in color and it looks as if she got sunburn. she experiences extreme itchiness which worsens with humidity and heat. the worst area is the front of her neck and chest (ren 17 and above)

she is heavy and experiences the following:

indigestion with greasy food (abdominal distension) good appetite heavy feeling when it is humid. constipation.

Tx: LU 8 - (to reduce sp)

itchiness was reduced by 70 %

then added Jian Zhong

it disappeared.

vertigo for few days

2010-09-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

55 yr old female cc vertigo for a few days.

s/s pale complextion without cold hands and feet, nausea, indigestion, abdominal bloating, she had an episode of vertigo a yr ago too. back then she had stuffy chest but not this time
she is thin and has low appetite.

when she turns had she experiences dizziness.

upon palpation ren 14 and 12 area are tender

tx: sp 3 - ren 14 12 tenderness disappears!

then lu 9-

overall she feels better but vertigo is not completely gone.

sp 3- lu 9- resulted in 25% improvement according to patient

lu 10 ht 8 + resulted in additional 50 % improvement.

Pain in fingers and hip for 2 wks

2010-08-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

45 yr old female cc pain in right index finger and left middle finger with swelling and left hip pain for 2 wks.

patient is thin and had this patient for few yrs but recently it got worse. No injury to the fingers or hip. pain is worse with rain. no sleeping problems. no digestion disorders. energy is fine she says. cold hands and feet and pain is worse with cold and damp weather.

rom in the index finger and middle finger is slightly restricted due to swelling
left hip-SLR is positive with pain at 20 degree angle.

tx left LI 5 +
right gb 38 +

dx cold damp bi

sinus headache - use of Ling Ku point

2010-07-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female cc sinus headache for yrs.

thin body type pain is located near UB 1 and UB 2 right side only. worse with fatigue and sinus congestion. she looks pale and has low voice tone.

tx: Ling Ku (sinus headache is gone)

this is the major master tongs point for headache and works great when patients have qi def and sinus headache with clear mucus or qi def.

WHEN TO SEDATE UB- ED

2010-07-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

45 YR OLD MALE CC. LOW BACK PAIN (HIP PAIN) AND ED FOR YRS

CC. FREQUENT URINATION (EVEN AT NIGHT ON OCCASIONS) SL COLD BODY TEMP, LOW BACK PAIN IS LOCATED IN RIGHT SIDE (HIP) ALONG GB CHANNEL. ED FOR A FEW YRS (NO FULL ERECTION) SLIGHTLY HEAVY (BUILT) BODY TYPE.

TX: GB 41 - (HIP PAIN DISAPPEARED 100%) THEN ST 36 +

HERBS JIN GUI SHEN QI WAN

(MANY PATIENTS HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES AND ED CAN BE CORRECTED USING THE SAME POINTS FOR THIS PATTERN)

KIDNEY DEF LOW BACK PAIN FOR YRS

2010-07-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

45 YR OLD FEMALE CC. CONSTANT LOW BACK PAIN FOR YRS

thin body type, dark facial complexion, cold sensation all over the body, don't like cold weather and no thirst. low back pain which is constant low intensity which is worse upon flexion and extension of lumbar spine. upon palpation pain is located along du channel. no radiating pain. frequent urination (on occasion patient gets up at night to urinate) no digestion problems. no palpitation, no bowel movement problems, no stress or anxiety issues.

dx: kidney yang def low back pain

tx. KD 10 - sp 3 + pain disappears.

txtbook says BU Shin Wan for this type of disorder. not jin gui shen qi wan. however,
patient refused to take herbs.

ITCHNESS AND SWELLING DUE TO INSECT BITES

2010-07-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

30 yr old male patient cc itchness due to insect bites for 2 days (right foot near kd 6 area)

the affected area looks red and slightly swollen (about 2 inch in diameter)

TX kd 10 + (about 30% better)

Lu 10 - almost no change. then 20 min later swelling looked about 30% less.

next day patient said there was no more improvement.

textbook says itchness is due to heat. another text says to reduce sp3.

perhaps (based on sp 3 -) idea one should reduce HT which is sp3 - kd 10 + HT 3 +

then see if it works better.

carpal tunnel syndrome cases

2010-07-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

case 1:

30 yr old female cc carpal tunnel syndrome for 1 month (right hand)

right elbow LI 11 pain (tennis elbow) CTS along right HT channel in her hand. slightly warm hands and feet without excessive sweating. no thirst. thin body type. no anger but anxiety issues. she is under stress. frequent urination (white yellow collor) no palpitation, st acid and ulcer, no indigestion, no constipation or loose stool, fatigue. lots of dreams not no insomnia

tx: LI 1 + KD 10 -

pain disppeared 100%

case #2:

40 yr old female cc carpal tunnel syndrome for yrs (bilateral pain) there is numbness in both hands so patients cant fully make a fist as if hands feel swollen.

slightly heavy body type, no cold hands or feet. no indigestion but abdomenal distention after meals. loose stool. heavy feeling when it is humid. whole body ache when it rains. appetite is good.

tx: LI 1 - (left side) pain and numbness disappeared in her right hand (nearly 100% gone)

want to give her "dry dampness Tang" which is Ping Wei San + huo xiang and ban xia

ACUTE LOW BACK PAIN (LING KU)

2010-06-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

30 YR OLD MALE PATIENT CC LOW BACK PAIN FOR 1 DAY

RIGHT SIDE LOW BACK PAIN. FATIGUE BACK PAIN IS LOCATED ALONG DU CHANNEL FROM L1 - L5

STIFFNESS. WORSE ON THE RIGHT SIDE. SLOW DIGESTION AND PAIN IS WORSE WITH FATIGUE.

TX 1 CUN ABOVE LV 2. NO CHANGE

THEN LEFT SIDE LING KU PAIN DISAPPEARS.

acute headache for 1 day

2010-06-27T08:17:00.001-07:00

30 yr old male student cc temporal headache for 12 hrs

slight cold hands and feet. no digestion problems. not so much stress except for his job. he sounds calm but states headache is not bearable.
dizzy when standing up from sitting position. blurry vision but no red eyes. no palpitation, no bowl movement issues no urination problems.

take a while to go to sleep. has some dreams at times. under stress from work and studies.

tx: KD 10 + LV 8 + (on left side)

75 % of headache overall is better according to patient. right side is fine after tx. patient had to go back to work so I wasnt able to treat left side headache.

lots of Dampness

2010-06-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

case #1: 40 yr old female (thin body type) cc migrain headache for 20 yrs. pain is a lot worse with dampy weather.

digestion is fine. right thumb arthritis right knee arthritis according to her doctors. heavy sensation in her body. fatigue. no thirst. sinus headache and slight congestion.

tx: SI 5 + LI 5 +

pain disappeared and sinus was cleared. this is damp cold. i wanted to give her herbs but patient refused.

case #2: 30 yr old female patient cc. whole body pain for a few years due to auto accident.

pain is worse with cold dampy weather. pain is worse on the left side from ub 11 to ub 15 area.

no digestion problems

treatment: UB 60 +

the use of GB 38

2010-06-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

case #1. 30 yr old male patient cc. swelling (inflamation) of left ear for 2 days due to wearing head phone for too long.

upon palpation, left ear from ear shenmen to shoulder area is red and swollen and painful to touch.

tx: reducing tech GB 38 right side. pain disappeared 100%

case #2: 45 yr old female cc acute pain along GB channel (right side) for 2 months)

she never had this pain before. no other GB signs or sypmtoms

tx: GB 38 -

sciatica for 2 yrs (hernicated disc at L5 S1 level)

2010-06-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female cc low back pain for 2 yrs

ss: auto accident yrs ago, upon palpation du and hou tou point at L5 and S1 are painful. radiation across low back, painful hip both sides upon pressure, worse pain after sitting for a while, pain gets worse with standing and sitting for a long period of time other ss are negative.

tx: zou gu and gb 30 opposite side

after tx, no more radiating pain and walking is fine.

SPASMS IN CALF FOR YRS

2010-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female cc pain and muscle spasms in calf for yrs (right calf)

ss: heavy body type, warm hands and feet, palpatations, anxiety, nausea and stomach acid, no other indigestion problems, urination and defication are fine, insomnia

tx gb 43 + li 1-

herbs wen dan tang

frequent gas for 6 yrs

2010-06-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female cc frequent gas and low abdomen distention for yrs

ss: thin body type, no cold or warm signs, no thirst, frequent gas for yrs smelly at times, low abdomen distention, slight indigestion at time (upon palpation, ren 14 12 6 4 areas are tender esp, ren 4 6) insomnia, pain in ren 14 12 area with indigestion, no st acid, no palpitation, sl itchy ears, so anxiety or stress, no red eyes, dizzy (when stand up )at times, no bruise easily, skin problems eczema, good or perhaps excessive appetite (she never gets full)

tx: li 1 st 45 -

ren 12 14 area get 100 % better ren 4 6 area about 30 % better

herbs ping wei san

excessive sweating for yrs

2010-06-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

29 yr old female cc excessive sweating for yrs.

anxiety stress (student) fatigue better with exercise, palpitation, constipation with stress, sweaty hands and feet and arm pit with anxiety, thiry for cold drinks, body always hot, likes cold temp, red eyes, going to gym 4 x wk

she wants to fix her sweating problem

tx ht 7 sp 3- ht 8 + (all right side)

after 15 min sweating is less on left side

herbs: modified dao chi san

ht excess heat

Reynaud's disease/fibromyalgia for yrs

2010-06-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female. cc. pain in upper back and Reynaud's disease for yrs

s/s: cold hands and feet, insomnia, palpitation, sweaty (slight) hands and feet with anxiety, frequent passing gas, frequent urination, neck pain and upper back pain and spasms at times, anxiety and stress, thin body type and skin looks like it doesnt have moisture or oil... looks very dry, anxiety and nervous look.

indigestion problems cold hands and feet bloating after meal, no st distention, low appetite, ren 14 and ren 12 ren 4 6 pain when pressed, itchy ears and skin, borborygmus, loose stool, viginal discharge think sl yellow, slightly dark circles around eyes

tx lv 1 sp 1- ht 8 and sp2 + (ub 66-)

herbs modified er chen tang

after 2 wks of herbs and 3 treatments of acupunture

patient states her sleep and palpition digestion raynoids and pain and itchiness borborygmus along with vaginal discharge improved significantly.

strange knee pain for 6 months

2010-06-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

67 yr old female cc. right knee pain for 6 months.

s/s: knee pain worse with cold damp weather. palpitation, heavy body type, no cold hands or feet. upon palpation, liver channel is painful from lv 8 and along right thigh liver channel. slight sleeping issues. slight dizziness (sit to stand) no digestion problems slight frequent urination

first kd 10 - (to tonify ht) no change.

then LV2 + to dry damp no change

asked "did you have a lot of stress for the last 6 months or 6 months ago when you started having this knee pain?"
patient says yes.

LV 2 -

60 % of pain is gone. then when she stood up she said pain is a lot less.

palpation !!!

Jian zhong point

2010-05-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

use of jian zhong point

case 1

dame bi in low back and hip bilaterally for 6 months. back and hip are very tight and stiff and worse with rain. after jian zhong point rom and pain improved about 50 percent.

case 2.

trainer got injury while exercising. right shoulder (deltoid) was tight and painful to touch. after this point and moving qi tech. pain was completely gone.

food allergy - gluten intolerant

2010-05-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

recently had four patients with gluten intolerant. though some patient were allergic to other food like shell fish or nuts ... in addition to gluten they share similar s/s such as body gets warm and slightly swollen skin eruptions (red without pus) swollen neck (glands) itchy throat ... all of there patients are somewhat thin and showed some signs of sp issues.

tx tonify spleen

in all cases, allergic reactions stop immediately. and they were able to eat food that contain gluten for a few days without any allergic symptoms.

dry eyes for a few yrs

2010-05-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

35 yr old female patient cc. stress and neck pain (due to auto accident a few yrs ago)

thirst for cold drinks warm hands and feet without palpitation dry eyes and skin. dizziness (sit -> stand fast) floaters easily constipated fatigue expecially after lunch time. digestion is fine. under lots of stress. tightness in neck rom is not full. red eyes at times.

tx kd 10 + floaters arealmost gone and driness in eyes are slightly better neck is looser

then lv 2 - driness is gone and neck is much better

herbs: she gan san without long dan cao

MS patient

2010-05-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

35 yr old male patient cc ms for yrs. (numbness in hands feet and abdomen) bloating feeling in st after defication. poor appetite cold hands and feet. thin body type low voice tone constipation insomnia

hands and feet gets more numb with damp weather.

tx GB 41 + st 43 + then LI 1-

needled left side and then the numbness in right side hand and foot disappeared completely.

herbs ping wei san

相通 means mutual comunication

2010-05-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

相通 (pronouced as sahng tong in korean) means mutual communication. in acupuncture, it means the communication between certain Zhang Fu pairs as follows:

KD-SJ
LV-LI
SP-SI
HT-GB
LU-UB
PC-ST

recently there were a couple of patients with anxiety symptoms along with various GYN disorders. their s/s look very complicated because it looked like a confusing mixture of LV SP HT SI s/s. tonify SP took care of it all because of this SP SI sahng tong communication.

sprain ankle for 2 wks

2010-05-04T17:39:00.001-07:00

45 yr female patient cc right ankle sprain for 2 wks.

pain is located on the medial and lateral side of right ankle. the worst pain is located in gb 40 area which is very tender to touch.

tx sp 4 -

both the medial and lateral side pain disappeared.

damp in the low back

2010-05-04T17:35:00.001-07:00

30 yr old male patient cc low back pain for 4 months

pain is worse with humidity. pain is located at around L5 S1 area along DU and huatou jia ji points.

s/s thin body type low voice tone low energy cough when exposed to cold air.

since pain is worse when it rains,

tx UB 60 +

patient says "much better"

right ub 60 took care of left side pain. then added uib 60 on the left side for right side pain

stress and neck pain

2010-05-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

20 yr old female patient cc neck pain for yrs.

worse with stress
no insomnia or sleeping issues
no digestion issues
no palpitation or urination problems

dizzy when standing up fast from sitting postion
no red eyes but blurry vision
normally tired but feels better after work out

tx 1cun above LV 2

chronic sinusitis for 5 yrs

2010-05-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

35 yr old male patient. cc. stress and sinus congestion for 5 yrs

thin body type frequent urine (sl yellow) insomnia anxiety dark circles under eyes
sinus congestion with think yellow mucus fatigue all the time no cold s/s.

tx si ma bilaterally

knee pain

2010-04-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

50 yr old cc. right knee pain.

originally she had LV channel problems and felt better with LV 2. after 5 tx, knee pain is a lot better but still bothers her when she goes up and down the stairs.

pain location is lv 8 and lateral side (btwn gb ub) of her right knee. when tendon/ligament were pressed she experiences pain.

si 6 thru sj 5

since pain is worse along lv channel lv 3 on the same side was added.

sciatica

2010-04-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

40 yr old thin body type cc sciatica for few months along gb channel right side.
worse after driving or sitting for a long period of time. history GB stone.

tender spots: right UB 23 25 and GB 30 right side. yao yan point pain.

TX: BI yi left side SI 18

radiating pain is reduced by 30 % or so.

(i want to try GB 30 and zua gol next time)

Fatigue for 6 months

2010-04-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

30 yr old male. cc fatigue for 6 months after left knee injury. fatigue all the time. SOB. no digestion problem appetite is good. Low voice tone. thin body type.
palpitation at times. warm hands and feet with some sweat with anxiety.

tx tonify LU

LU 9 + SP 3 + Ht 8 - (txt book says reduce kd 2 but I didnt do it on the first tx.)

SI 18 for Low back pain !!!

2010-04-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

For one week there were 5 patients who suffered from unilateral Yao Yan low back pain

Some pain was due to heavy lifting or excersing and some patients got up with it without any injury. some patients were tall thin some patients were tall and built. however, all of these patients had pain stemming out from Yao Yan point (one side) often associated with radiating pain down to leg along UB channel.
pain is worse with physical activities and movement. SLR is positive.

SI 18 is used as Master tongs point (Ma geum Soo) and worked on all patients with such pain described above. there is a point 1 cun below SI 18 called Ma Gui Soo which takes care of the radiating pain along UB channel in this case.

according to the master tongs text book ma geum soo is associated with KD (so it treats inflammation of KD and so forth) and ma qui soo with UB. Addcording to Dr Kim Kwang H, these point combination treats pain which starts around HuaTouJiaJi points and down the leg. so far it worked great for low back pain around Yao Yan Point.

this type of treatment is much better than needling Yao Yan points locally.

sinus allergy

2010-04-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

it is an allergy season. runny / stuffy nose itchy eyes coughing itchy skin etc...

many patients ask me if there is any "magic" point for seasonal allergy.

Gien Joong - master tongs point is very good for

runny stuffy nose when there is clear mucus. I treated three patients with this point and such symptoms disappeared right away.

Si Ma - master tong is great as well. the book says it works great when there is yellow or green mucus along with or without nasal congestion but it also worked when there is clear mucus as well.

there are more points or treatment meathods but as an acupuncturist we need to deferenciate different patterns to increase success rate.

CTS for 6 months

2010-04-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

50 yr old female cc CTS bilateral for 6 months.there is no pain but numbness and tingling sensation in the palm area close to P7.( 2 inch diameter)

she is experiencing post menopausal symptoms such as palpitation night sweats insomnia for a few months

only other symptoms are blurry vision and dizziness when she gets up quickly.

tx: lv 8 kd 10 +

numbness and tingling disappeared. upon her second visit she states numbness and tingling comes less frequently. so far she came three times and she states her CTS symptom comes about 1 day a wk and it disappears very quickly.

chronic fatigue for 2 yrs

2010-03-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female patient cc chronic fatigue for 2 yrs. under stress and anxiety

s/s; slightly heavy body type dizzy when standing up fast from sitting position occasional blurry vision constipation low abdominal pain at times slight indigestion upon stress tightness in neck and back (worse after work or upon stress)
fatigue all the time but worse in the afternoon palpitation sweaty hands feet and arm pit when nervous frequent urination when nervous warm hands and feet and prefers winter over summer thirty and likes to drink cold water
upon palpation low abdomen is tender around st 25 bilaterally and ren 4 area. according to her lots of her s.s came after her childbirth a few yrs ago.

dx LV excess along with slight def.

tx. kd 10 + (abdominal pain is gone about 20%)

lv 2 - ht 8 - (pain is almost gone)

abdominal pain for 2 days

2010-03-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

40 yr old female patient cc. abdominal pain with cold sensation

thin body type

without cold hands or feet. but abdomen feels cold for a few days + insomnia for a few days. thin body type. history of recent abortion (3 months ago) slighly constipated for a few days.

no sweating or palpitation or frequent urination

tx: si 2- pain stays the same

gb 41 + pain is gone by 50% or so.

si 3 + pain is slightly better

after 30 min of gb 41 and si 3, pain is almost gone and patient states she feels sleepy.

right shoulder pain

2010-03-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female. cc. right shoulder pain for 4 yrs due to auto accident. recently pain became worse. pain is generally worse when it rains or when it is humid and cold. pain is located along gb and si channels in right shoulder in addition to ub 11-15 area (right side) rom of right shoulder is limited with pain. she states right shoulder seems inflammed all the time.

all other s.s are negative.

dx dampness in SI GB UB (right shoulder)

tx SI 5 + pain is gone. rom became normal.

differentiate!!!

different knee pain

2010-03-31T20:39:00.001-07:00

1. 40 yr old female. cc. left knee pain for 2 days. moderate pain in the joint came after doing too much exercise at the gym. she did not have any previous knee injuries or pain. there is clicking sound in addition to moderate pain along sp channel as she flexes and extends her left knee on the treatment table.

heavy body type. no sign of inflammation. all other s/s are negative.

tx: gb pain in right hand (master tong)

pain was gone after 30 min. upon the second visit she states her knee pain is no longer there.

2. 50 yr old female cc. bilateral knee pain for 1 month without injury. she states she got up with it. pain is located around LV 8 bilaterally. when asked, she says she is under lots of stress.

s.s: heavy body type. she doesnt talk much and looks upset. when i touched the lv 8 area i could feel heat coming out. LV 8 is also tender to touch.

all other s/s negative

tx: lv 2 -

pain disappears.

infertility (pcos)

2010-03-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female patient visited my office due to infertility for three yrs. she says she has PCOS and very irregular cycle.

s/s: cold feet good appetite frequent urine (every hr worse when she is anxious) indigestion abdominal distention recently became near sighted dizzy when she stands up quickly from sitting position blurry vision dry mouth, rare palpitation, constipation once in 3 days, itchy eyes and cheeks and forehead, sticky (white and yellow) discharge, dark circles around the eyes, nausea, stomach acid, easily bruised, acne, edema in the legs.

abdominal palpation: (accumulation) pain when pressed on ren 12 left side st 25 are and ren 4 area.

herbs (according to Treasure of Eastern Medicine, dao tan tang is used for infertility for this type of case however, since she has lots of digestion s/s)

modified er chen tang

tx: LU 8 - (ren 12 pain is much better)
Lv1 + st 25 area ren 4 area pain is gone

damn yin / sp excess

right knee pain for 3 months

2010-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

50 yr old female patient. cc severe right knee pain for 3 month. she didnt have any accidents but she got up with it.

s/s anxiety palpitation without any other s/s she is slightly heavy
whole joint is painful rom is slightly limited. pain is induced at the end of flex and ext of right knee with sharp pain.

tx: dahm point in middle finger (master tongs points)

rom improved about 30 %

sciatica for two months

2010-03-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

40 yr old female patient came due to right side sciatica along gb channel. pain starts from right buttock area and radiates down to gb 31 and down to knee along st channel

s/s all negative

pain is worse with cold weather and dampness

hip joint (right) is severely painful when pressed.

1st treatment gb 30 and zua gol left side (radiating pain was reduced by 50 percent)

upon second visit gb 38 + hip joint pain disappears

(even though pain is along gb channel. it is very crucial to defferentiate. tonifying gb channel would have not worked for this case)

freiberg infraction for 2 months

2010-03-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

30 yr old female patient fell on stairs resulting in a medical condition called Freiberg infraction in her right (#2) toe) patient states her doctor wants to operate on it but she wants to try acupuncture first.

s/s: stiffness in the toe and shooting pain (from #2 toe to heel) in her right foot when she walks. numbness in the toe

other s/s negative.

Sp 3 + LI 11 -

so far she had 5 treatments over 3 wks. initially her right big toe and #2 toe formed a v-shape (about 20 degrees). Now it is about 10 degrees. she can also move her toe freely and feels less stiff and numb in the toe area.

achiles tendonitis for 6 months

2010-03-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

left achiles tendonitis for 6 months due to auto accident. (partial tear according to her doctor)

wu hu #5 opposite side double needle tech

rom improved immediately

patient states she feels better for a couple of weeks after this treatment but comes back. I advised her to come in for an acupuncture treatment at least 2x wk. she is too busy to come in that often.

pain in shoulder (deltoid)

2010-03-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

35 yr old female patient came due to chronic pain in her right shoulder (deltoid). she is very athletic and often injures her right shoulder. upon exam all s/s are negative.

tx: left side giun joon

then added (sang gok and woon bak) for anterior and post delt.

pain was gone after these three needles.

another case

40 yr old muscular male patient. cc. pain in deltoid (right side). he is left handed and forced to use right hand a lot when he is playing some sports. pain is severe in the morning he cant raise his right arm in the morning. he has to take a hot shower for 20 min to loosen up the muscle. other s/s negative.

pain is located along Li channel.

tx gieun joong

after two tx pain diappeared.

patient says he thought it was not possible to get rid of that pain.

pain in ear for 2 days

2010-03-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

50 yr old female. thin body type. she says she suffers from occasional pain in her left ear which is triggered by fatigue. up on the exam, she has pain in her neck along gb 20 and 21 area.

s/s slight bitter taste in mouth sleepy sensation around 4 5 pm thirst (for cool drinks) (diarrhea or loose stool when stressed) and frequent urine when anxious. red eyes when she tired palpitations once in 2-3 months once in a while difficult to fall asleep due to over thinking. warm hands and feet. sweating in Ren 14 and upper back area when she is anxious. she feels like her whole body tightens up when she is under stress.

digestion is fine.

she works out 5 days a week and she feels lighter after workouts.

tx lv 2 - (reducing by 4 turns) neck pain is much better and pain in ear disappears

ht 8 - neck pain is gone. (reducing by needling against the channel)

after the treatment she states she feels like ren 15 14 areas are open.

facial paralysis for 1 yr

2010-03-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

50 yr old female patient came to my office due to left facial paralysis for 1 yr. she is thin and around that time she was tired from overworking at job. and had a big argument with her family member on the phone the night before she had this facial paralysis.

s.s stressed anxious dizziness (standing from sitting position) cold hands and feet sweaty hands and feet + arm pit hate cold weather but loves summer no thirst

no palpitation. urination is fine no bowel problems.

blurry vision

stiffness in neck

on the first day she got this facial paralysis she had so much pain in her eyes in additon to vertex headache. + sensitive to sound and light

abdomen pain when palpated around navel and low jiao.

tx. lv 1 + kd 10 -

facial paralysis improved about 30% and abdomen pain disappeared completely

so far she came three times. each time she comes in she received Lv 1+ KD 10 - HT 3-

pain in abdomen improved about 30% or so. however, the paralysis is just a slightly better.

Tx: (added) bleeding the interior wall of mouth (same side)

according to four needle txt and dr youngs book st 36 can be used for facial paralysis. I will keep treating her with the same treatment for 4 more visits before making any changes in the acupuncture formula.

golfers pain

2010-03-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

40 yr old male patient came due to chronic right shoulder and right elbow pain. pain is located along SI and LI channels

upon palpation, SI 11 UB 10, 11 GB 20 21 LI 14 LI 11 LI 10 areas are tender and painful. elbow pain seemed to be due to tendonitis he plays golf everyday for 3 hrs.

no other s/s

tx: gien joong for deltoid

LI 11 opposite side for the tendonitis in right elbow

ling ku for LI 10 muscle pain

SI 3 for shouder pain along si channels.

80% improvement after this treatment

(would LI 5 - SI 5 - work better?)

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donitis.

knee pain after arthroscopic surgery for 1 yr

2010-03-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

40 yr old male patient suffers from bilateral knee pain for 1 yr. he states he had an arthroscopic surgery 1 yr ago then this knee pain came. pain is located along UB channels in the knees and rom is limited: flex 90 degrees with extreme pain on both sides.

tx shin guan

rom improved 100 % no more pain but slight stiffness remained.

dx blood stasis in knee due to surgery

after 2 visits pain and rom improved about 80%

neck pain due to anxiety for 2 days

2010-02-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

severe pain in neck (gb 20 21 si 9 10 11 area) bilaterally for a couple of days
she is around 45 yr old thin body type slight cold hands and feet (sweaty feet at times) experiences palpitation with anxiety and stress. spasms in the neck area. frequent urination (go every two hrs) sleep is fine. dizziness at times when she stands up quickly from sitting position.

tx si 2- si 3 + (right side)

slight pain remains but spasms are gone after this tx.

left shoulder and left ankle pain for 4 months

2010-02-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

40 yr old female patient came in due to pain in left shoulder and left ankle. she states she had an auto accident about 4 months ago. doctors told her there is tear in tendon (both shoulder and Achilles)

Tx: right side SI 6 through SJ5. shoulder pain almost disappeared but pain in achilles is almost the same.

wuhu 5 + Mu Guan Pain achilles is better at least 50%

she had about 4 treatments. shoulder pain disappeared but pain in achilles is on and off.

use of gol guan - low back pain

2010-02-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

30 yr old patient has been coming due to acute low back pain for 2 months. pain is almost gone but sharp pain around si joint area lingers.

pain is not due to any zhang fu disorder

tx: gol guan

pain is reduced by about 60 %

if this point worked perhaps UB 67 + might work better. (next visit i would like to try gol guan but after UB 67 +) --patient is tall n thin.

chronic asthma

2010-02-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

50 yr old female patient states she was hospitalized for 1 day due to asthma attack. she came to my office for a treatment.

s/s: crawling sensation along right side ub channels in the back. itchy eyes and ears, dark circles under eyes. poor digestion poor appetite diarrhea loose stool frequent vaginal infection (excessive vaginal mucus) spitting out phlegm in the morning nausea stomach acid. oppression in the chest. heavy sluggish feeling when it is humid or rainy. palpitations...pain in ren 14 12 areas (+ cold sensations in the st area) prefers warmth.

asthma is triggered by upset stomach all the time. stress triggers upset stomach at times

dx phlegm in st and lu (mainly in the st)

tx. lv 1 - ht 8 + (tonifying sp)

(was going to do lu 9- sp 3- ht 8 lu 10 + but changed to tonifying sp because all of her symptoms stem out from sp issues.

after this treatment her stomach and breathing improved. want to try sp 3 - next time to compare it to tonifying sp formula.

chronic low back pain qi deficiency

2010-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

tall male patient came due to chronic low back pain (not related to injuries) for 2 yrs. he has two jobs (day and night) and doesnt have enough sleep. body feels heavy and he is always tired. his voice is low and he speaks slowly.

pain is located L5 S1 area (du meridian) low back area is stiff. slr is positive for both legs at 50 degrees with pain.

tx: ling ku (master tong) bilaterally. rom improved to 90 degrees without pain.

perhaps i can tonify LI channel next time.

Pain in right foot

2010-02-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

50 years old female patient came to my clinic and complaining of right dorsal foot pain for 1 month. She describes her pain as sharp, and feels like heat in the area.

s/s: constipation, insomnia, foot pain along with ST and GB ch, good appetite, poor digestion, gassy and bloating after eating. pain in all fingers.

tx: ST 43 + --> pain is gone after tx.

wanted to gb 41 + but pain disappeared completely after st 43. according to korean four needle acupuncture reducing stomach points are
LI 1 ST 45 -
GB 41ST 43 +
it is so interesting to see this case st and gb channels are affected and ST GB LI organs are also affected making this acupuncture formula nearly perfect to treat her conditions.

after 4 treatments pain in the foot is gone. Pain in fingers and digestion problem are much better.

according to the TREASURE OF EASTERN MEDICINE, when the blood vessel on the dorsal of foot yang ming channel (ST) is affected.

so far I have treated about 5 patients like this and all were treated using st channels.

after cast (right ankle stiffness)

2010-02-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

gb 43 UB 66 + LI 1 GB44 - is routinely done for stiffness and pain after cast is taken off. however we as an acupuncturist should be awake all times meaning we should not forget to differentiate based on clinical findings.

40 yr old female patient came due to severe pain in right foot knee and calf along with stiffness in right ankle (she had cast around right ankle for 1 month) she states all pain came along with her ankle injury except her foot pain is chronic.

her right ankle is stiff without pain. at night time she feels heat sensations around the ankle and it travels from the ankle to right knee along st/gb channels.

s.s/ no palpitation no sleeping problems no urination no other heat signs other than the heat sensation around right ankle at night

tx: gb 43 + 30 % better then gb 38 - no more stiffness

foot pain knee pain stay the same

calf pain is better by 80 % (dahm point mater tong added) then calf pain was gone.

right knee pain (st --- ub)

2010-02-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

70 yr old female patient came to due right knee pain with swelling for 1 week. she had this knee pain before on and off but pain is so severe this time she cant walk.

s/s: slightly heavy body type prefers summer over winter dry eyes and dry skin, no palpitation, no insomnia, ringing in both ears poor digestion stomach distention patient states her stomach size doubles after meal at times moderate appetite, acid reflux, chronic constipation frequent urination day and night, itchy ears dry skin in occiput area, knee is swollen and warm to touch pain is located in
GB and UB area in right knee.
dx ub deficient st excess

tx: shin guan --> no change

2nd needle LI 1 - pain 30% reduced

3rd needle ST 45 - almost no pain after this point.

question if this problem is st invading ub will st 36 - work better than the points above?

pain in left toes for 6 months

2010-02-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

she had right knee surgery last aug 09 and she has been having pain in left toes (#234) since then she developed left groin pain. she is 50 yr old.

s/s: heavy body type. cold feet at times bleeding gum dry skin, trouble staying asleep for the last few months normally her sleep is shallow st acid (reflux) abdomen distention at times lower jiao gas (frequent) ankles--edema when humid thumb pain all fingers have arthritic pain borborygmus, post meno hot flashes night sweats excessive appetite

dx. st excess and gb deficiency

1st tx gb 43 + LI 1 -

upon second visit she states toes/fingers are 30% better. her sleep quality was good as well. however groin pain stayed the same.

2nd visit

GB 41 + ST 43 + pain in toes is gone. finger pain improves. groin pain stays the same.

Shen Men -- master tong right side groin pain improves.

strange numb/radiating sensation for 2 months

2010-01-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

65 yr old female patient

compliant: strange numbing sensation moving down to her left foot for 1 month. (she states it is not pain but something between cold sensation and numbness but not tingling sensation)

s/s: thin body type, low appetite, slight insomnia, bitter taste in mouth, ren 14 12 4 areas are painful when pressed, indigestion, "food is digested so slowly" no history or backpain upon palpation there is no pain in low back area. affected channels in left leg are ST and GB
itchy inside ears at times. cant digest vitamines; she feels bloated afterwards. skin--strange sensation as if an insect is on her skin (slight itchy when she experiences such a symptom)

TX ST 41 + GB 41 - SI 5 +

upon second visit patient states digestion is slight better and the moving numbness she complained almost disappeared. insomnia stays the same.

TMJ (during pregnancy)

2010-01-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

30 yr old female patient says she suffers from severe TMJ pain. she never had this problem and it started with her current pregnancy. she is 4month pregnant and healthy.

s/s: constant severe neck and upper back pain, right side jaw pain all these pain causes migraine headache bilaterally a few times a wk.

no palpitation no urination issues

contipation which is worse with stress. slight indigestion problems (gas)

bleeding gum without thirst
tired

dizzy when she stands up fast blurry vision

no red eyes or heat sensation in the neck or upper back area.

tx: KD 10 LV 8 +

patient says she feels a lot better

2nd visit

no more jaw pain but she asked if asthma can be treated by acupuncture

tx: LU 8 -

her SOB calmed down.

knee pain for 1 yr (dry eyes)

2009-12-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

"my eyes are killing me..." she added, "they are so dry like sand paper" I have seen a number of patients with dry eyes but she seems to have the driest eyes. even though she came due to her left knee pain, she complained about her eyes more than her knee pain.

she is around 50 yr old and very healthy otherwise. upon palpation there is no tender points around her left knee. she says pain is inside the joint and is worse when she walks up and down the stairs. Pain was induced when she flexed her left knee on the treatment table.

s/s: sightly nausea and st acid. no digestion problems.

tx: sp 3- kd 3 - lu 8 + there is no change.

shin guan 1.5 cun below sp 9 right side 1.5 in -- knee pain dispeared but dry eyes reminded the same.

she surely has some kidney problems. I will try KD 10 + next time in addition to tonifying kd points.

according to classic txt books, all bodily fluid is governed by kd and tear is assoicated with lv.

to be continued

tendonitis case

2009-12-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

40 yr old patient has been suffering from tendonitis in her wrist elbow and shoulder for 2 months. she didnt try physical therapy or acupuncture but relied on medication only which just alleviated pain temporarily.

s/s: all negative. it seemed her pain is due to over use.

tx: SI 6 thru SJ 5 opposite side --> shoulder pain is much better. Elbow is slight better. Wrist no change.

LI 11 + opposite side (patient is sl heavy) used it as Master Tong and LI tonifying tech.
Elbow is much better but wrist without change.

Luo Zen (opposite side since pain is located around LI and SJ channels)---wrist pain is gone.

so far she received 2 tx, wrist pain is no longer there. Elbow is about 60% better and shoulder is about 50% better.

another LV 1 case

2009-12-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

30 yr old male patient came in due to indigestion for 2 days. while he was working in the cold weather he heard bad news: his friend was badly injured due to an accident.
he immediately felt a "knot" in his stomach and since then he had stomach issues

s/s: pain in ren 12ren 14 area when pressed. foul smell belching and gas, no appetite, cold hands and feet(normally he has warm hands and feet) , cold sweat, abdominal distention.

tx:

1st point- PC 6 left side --> patient says he feels a little better. ren 14 is less painful.

2nd point-st 41 - then + again patient feels a bit better

this is liver invading sp.

LV 1 - 80 % better right away as needle was stimulated.

patient felt no stomach pain the next day.

LV1 vs LV 8

2009-12-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

20 yr old female patient with chronic indigestion and food allergy for 2 yrs.

a few yrs ago she developed food allergy: when she eats anything too heavy red spots (size of pimples) without pus appear on her skin which are itchy and last for a few days. it happens worse when she is under stress.

s/s: low appetite, slight abdomenal distention after meals, some belching, pale complexion, chronic fatigue, low voice tone, under stress (study too much). she is thin and tall. cold hands and feet, palpitation

treated her with lv 1 sp 1 - ht 8 +

after a couple of sessions patient told me she has more appetite and digestion is somewhat better. and when her digestion is better her skin allergy is doing better as well.

swelling and pain in knee for 10 yrs

2009-12-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

50 yr old female patient with chronic left knee pain for 10 yrs. the whole left knee joint is swollen (about 2x bigger than right knee) pain is worse when she walks. sharp pain is induced even with slight pressure all around the joint.

pain is worse with cold weather and fatigue

s.s: cold body temp., without thirst prefers summer Heart murmur, currently experiencing post menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, poor digestion slight epigastric distention after meals, acid reflux, edema (knee)

tx: kd 10 - pain was reduced somewhat. then LV 1 + HT 9 +
knee pain is much better. pain was induced when pressed hard but no pain with slight or moderate pressure.

upon second visit pain was still less than 1st visit and swelling is down by about 20%

patient said walking became easier.

she had about 5 treatments with the same points but some days seem better than other days and relief doesn't last.

Tx: PC 6 opposite side. patient says this tx is much better than tonifying ht tx.

is this LI channel sign/symptom ?

2009-12-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

classic text books mention "swollen glands" or cysts below ear a lot when they talk about LI channel s/s.

recently a patient came with swelling (with diameter of 1/2 in) near SI 19 and 1 cun below it.
patient had chronic headache (she had it for about 20 yrs) and pain in neck. (primarily on her right side)
upon palpation she had pain all around TMJ (right) and GB 20 UB 10 (right) area along with GB and SI channels in her right shoulder area. she shows some SI s/s along with the "swelling"

TX: st 36 + --> she felt better in GB 20 UB 10 area but some pain remained. SJ 17 SI 19 area was still painful.
LI 5- SI5 - her shoulder pain and jaw pain improved about 50%.

on her second visit, swelling is down about 60% and pain improved about 50%.

was that LI channel sign? or just swelling from TMJ syndrome?

pain in calf

2009-12-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

1. GB point (Tong)

2. Cha bak (Tong-1 cun lateral to Luo zen)

3. UB 61 Through UB 64

4. ST 36 + or -

#1 if patient shows GB signs and symptoms
#2 #3 can be used anytime #2 is more convinient and works great.
#4 is related to UB channel and it doesnt seem to work otherwise.

chronic neck pain

2009-12-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

30 yr old male patient who works in front of computer all day came due to chronic neck pain. he states he received physical therapy for 4 months but it just alleviates pain for a few days. for that reason he wants to try acupuncture.

he also tried acupuncture and when asked where he was needled he says he got ashi points with estim which didnt really do anything.

s/s: thin body type low voice slight insomina pain is located GB 20 21. SI channel is not affected. no palpitation no cold hands or feet w/o nausea no anxiety or stress. upon palpation, c 5 area is tender as well as GB 21 bilaterally.

Tx: Left GB 43 + (since pain is worse on his right side)

pain disappeared immediately.
(would wen dan tang work for this type of pain?)

after knee surgery

2009-12-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

50 yr old female patient came in due to knee ongoing pain for 3 months. she had torn ligament in her left knee (near st 35). pain is sharp and constant ... worse when she walks.

s.s. none. tongue is purple.

tx: (blood stasis) sp 3+ li 11-

pain is 50%better tongue is less purple after tx.

(she said pain is not worse at night but it is due to surgery and tongue is purple.)

does acupuncture work for laceration?

2009-11-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

50 old female patient recently had an injury to her left hand. dorsal side of her left hand was hit by a door resulting in a 1" x 2" laceration. It causes burning pain which is worse at night and when her hand is down (lower than her heart level)

tx: sp 3 + LI 11- sj 5-
she felt better for that moment but this tx did not really improve her condition much.

2nd visit: sp3 + lu 9 + lu 10 - ht 8 - tonify lung
this tx promoted healing a lot and laceration improved by about 50% (in a few days)

post operative knee pain for 1 month

2009-11-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

40 yr old female patient came in to get some relief for her pain in hip and knee. she had a surgery on her knee and since then her knee feels so stiff and tight. rom is limited in her knee joint.

s/s: nausea, indigestion, occasional st acid. low appetite. abdominal distention her knee and hip (all right side) pain is worse when it is cold and humid. slight insomnia and occasional palpitation. she does not look like depressed or anxious type.

Tx: tonify sp. sp 1 lv 1 - sp 2 ht 8 +
patient says she feels bubbles in her stomach and much better after 15 min of tx.

2nd visit
she states she feels better in her stomach but not in her knee or hip.

TX: sedate GB GB 38+ SI 5+ (to dry damp and expel cold)
ROM improved about 50% and pain lessened by about 50%

3rd tx (I did not want to use 5 element points since those points are relatively sensitive)
Shin Guan (double needle tech) BiYik (nose) -- worked as good as GB 38 and SI5

Occipital Headache and neck pain for a few days

2009-11-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

30 yr old female patient came to my office. first thing she said was " I am so stressed! and I have a terrible headache"

when patients tell me such complaints I usually think of HT LV SI GB channels t o be continued

pain in foot

2009-11-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

patient in her early 50s came due to chronic pain in her foot. it is located in the sole of her left foot btwn 2nd and 3rd toes.

overall she showed signs of SI deficiency however tonifying SI did not help pain in her foot.

tx: wu hu #5 ---> did not work at all then tried wuhu number 4.

pain disappeared immediately. the distance btwn these two points is about 2 mm or 0.2 cm i e one tenth of an inch. there are two different theories regarding location of wuhu points. the one i used (#4) is 1/10 inch proximal to wuhu #3.