The Treatment of Modern Western - Biblio.nhat-nam.ru

122 THE TREATMENT OF MODERN WESTERN DISEASES WITH CHINESE MEDICINEFactors negatively impacting the degree of improvementfrom surgery include age greater than 50, duration of symptomsfor more than 12 months, and involvement of multiplelevels. Patients who are poor surgical candidates or who aretreated nonsurgically for some other reason should be followedclosely for worsening myelopathy.CHINESE DISEASE CATEGORIZATION: Dependingon its signs and symptoms, this disease is categorized variouslyas bi zheng, impediment condition, wei zheng, wiltingcondition, tou tong, headache, yun zhen, dizziness, jing qiang,stiff neck, jing jin ji, neck sinew cramping or tension, andjing jian tong, neck and shoulder pain.DISEASE CAUSES: External invasion by wind, cold,damp evils, faulty diet, enduring taxation detriment, andvacuity due to agingDISEASE MECHANISMS: If externally invading wind,cold, and/or damp evils invade and cause impediment to thefree flow of the channel and vessel qi and blood, this willusually result in pain and lack or restriction of movement.Often such evils take advantage of bodily weakness in theelderly, in which case the interstices are hollow and vacuousand the qi and blood are scanty and weak. Damp evils mayalso be internally engendered, commonly due to spleen vacuityand faulty diet. If dampness endures, it may transforminto phlegm. If phlegm and dampness spill over into theregion of the neck and shoulders, they may block the freeflow of qi and blood there, resulting in aching and pain. Inaddition, habitual bodily vacuity due to aging may also resultin lack of moistening and nourishment of the sinews andbones, thus leading to aching, pain, and insensitivity.Habitual bodily vacuity resulting in neck pain, stiffness, andnumbness, is usually characterized as liver blood-kidney yinvacuity. Further, long-term microtrauma to the neck mayresult in taxation detriment to the cervical muscles andjoints. If any of these disease mechanisms endure and do notheal, they may give rise to qi stagnation and blood stasiswhich then complicate these other disease mechanisms.TREATMENT BASED ON PATTERNDISCRIMINATION:1. WIND COLD IMPEDIMENT &OBSTRUCTION PATTERNMAIN SYMPTOMS: Head, neck, shoulder, and upper backaching and pain, fixed neck pain, tender points on the neck,a possible palpable cord-like feeling in the neck, stiff neck,inhibited movement, soreness, pain, and numbness of thefour limbs, possible weakness and heaviness of the upperlimbs and also heavy-headedness, a liking for heat and anaversion to cold, a pale tongue with thin, white fur, and afloating, moderate (i.e., slightly slow) or tight pulseTREATMENT PRINCIPLES: Dispel wind and scatter cold,free the flow of the network vessels and diffuse impedimentRX: Gui Zhi Jia Ge Gen Tang Jia Jian (Cinnamon Twig PlusPueraria Decoction with Additions & Subtractions)INGREDIENTS:Ge Gen (Radix Puerariae)Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi)Bai Shao (Radix Paeoniae)Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis)Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong)Cang Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis)Mu Gua (Fructus Chaenomelis)Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae)San Qi (Radix Notoginseng)Sheng Jiang (uncooked Rhizoma Zingiberis)Da Zao (Fructus Jujubae)15g9g9g9g9g9g9g6g3g3 slices3 piecesANALYSIS OF FORMULA: Ge Gen, Gui Zhi, Chuan Xiongand Cang Zhu dispel wind. Ge Gen effuses the exterior andresolves the muscle, especially treating muscular pain in theupper back and the back of the neck. Therefore, it is a keymedicinal for this condition. Gui Zhi scatters cold and, withBai Shao, harmonizes the defensive and constructive to preventfurther invasion of evils in the exterior. In addition, BaiShao relaxes cramping, thus helping Ge Gen stop pain in theneck. Chuan Xiong and Cang Zhu dispel wind dampness andtreat impediment pain, especially in the upper part of thebody. Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong and San Qi free the flow of thenetwork vessels, transform stasis, and stop pain. Dang Guiand Bai Shao also nourish the blood to fill the vessels to avoidpenetration of cold into the channels of the neck. Mu Guaeliminates dampness, frees the flow of impediment, relaxescramping, and soothes the sinews. When combined with GeGen, it relaxes tension in the neck. Da Zao, Sheng Jiang andGan Cao are the other standard ingredients of Gui Zhi Tang(Cinnamon Twig Decoction) which help Gui Zhi and BaiShao dispel wind, scatter cold, and harmonize the defensiveand constructive.ADDITIONS & SUBTRACTIONS: For inhibited movement,add nine grams each of Shen Jin Cao (Herba Lycopodii) andLuo Shi Teng (Caulis Trachelospermi). For severe fixed pain,add six grams each of Ru Xiang (Olibanum) and Mo Yao(Myrrha).For preponderant damp impediment with a bag-over-theheadsensation, heavy, aching limbs, painful joints, and chestoppression, replace Gui Zhi Jia Ge Gen Tang Jia Jian withQiang Huo Sheng Shi Tang Jia Wei (NotopterygiumOvercome Dampness Decoction with Added Flavors): GeGen (Radix Puerariae), 12g, Qiang Huo (Radix Et RhizomaNotopterygii), Du Huo (Radix Angelicae Pubescentis), andGui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi), 9g each, Gao Ben