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

274 THE TREATMENT OF MODERN WESTERN DISEASES WITH CHINESE MEDICINEtion during vaginal delivery, pregnant women with genitalherpes may be delivered by Caesarean section. Because thedecision for Caesarean section is based on many factors,pregnant women with HSV infection should discuss the subjectwith their obstetrician as early as possible in pregnancy.If a pregnant woman in her third trimester feels a herpes outbreakcoming on, she should call her doctor immediately.Other complications of genital herpes include aseptic meningitis,transverse myelitis, autonomic nervous system dysfunction,or severe sacral neuralgia. During primary infection,hematogenous dissemination of the virus to the extragenitalskin, joints, liver, or lungs occurs primarily in immunosuppressedor pregnant patients. Extragenital lesions in the buttocks,groin, or thigh may occur in recurrent disease by neuronalspread. Direct inoculation occasionally accounts forinfections of the fingers and/or eyes.A presumptive Western medical diagnosis of genital herpesis based on visual inspection of the affected area lookingfor characteristic lesions and finding characteristic multinucleatedgiant cells in Wright’s-Giemsa-stained smears ofcells taken from these lesions. This is referred to as theTzanck test. Diagnosis is confirmed by culture, directimmunoflourescent assay, or serology. The appearance ofgenital herpes can vary from patient to patient. Further,HSV infection can mimic the appearance of other STDs andother STDs can mimic herpes. Therefore, the definitiveWestern medical diagnosis of this condition must rely onlaboratory tests.The Western medical treatment of genital herpes consists ofantiviral therapy with acyclovir. This is used either remediallyduring acute outbreaks or prophylactically in order to tryto suppress recurrences. The side effects of acyclovir includenausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (8% in long-term use), nervousnessand depression (3%), and joint and muscle pain(3%). Other unusual, unexpected adverse reactions includeskin rash, acne, and hair loss. It is also possible to developstrains of herpes virus which are resistant to this drug. Otherantivirals used for less frequent but more severe recurrencesinclude famcyclovir and valacyclovir. Postherpetic neuralgiais commonly treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatorydrugs (NSAIDs). As of this writing, there is no Westernmedical cure for this disease.CHINESE DISEASE CATEGORIZATION: Sores andulcers on the genitals are referred to generically as yinchuang, genital sores. Sores which come and go like a foxdarting its head in and out of its burrow are called hu huo,fox-like bewilderment, and this is the name given to herpesinfections in general, including herpes infections ofthe oral cavity, eyes, and external genitalia. This namefirst occurs in Zhang Zhong-jing’s Jin Gui Yao Lue(Essentials of the Golden Cabinet) where it says that lesionsin the mouth region are called bewilderment, whilelesions in the genital region are called fox-like. In the YiZong Jin Jian (Golden Mirror of Ancestral Medicine), foxlikebewilderment of the anogenital region is also referredto as xia gan, lower gan.DISEASE CAUSES: External invasion by damp heat eviltoxins (in the primary infection stage) and deep-lying warmevils activated by righteous qi vacuity and/or internallyengendered damp heat evils (in recurrent outbreaks)DISEASE MECHANISMS: Due to external contractionof damp heat evil toxins, there is localized redness, swelling,pain, and ulceration when these damp heat toxins brew andputrify the skin and flesh. Because of exuberant heat toxins,there are also emission of heat (i.e., fever) and malaise.Because of either the inherent strength or nature of these eviltoxins or righteous qi vacuity, these warm evils may beretained and lie deeply in the blood aspect. If, for any reason,such as faulty diet, fatigue, or disease, the spleen becomesvacuous and weak, righteous qi may become vacuous andweak, thus allowing these hidden warm evils to becomeactive again. It is also possible for these evil toxins to be activatedby internally engendered damp heat due to faulty diet,such as overeating sugars and sweets, chocolate, fatty meats,hot, spicy foods, deep-fried foods, and/or alcohol. If dampheat evils linger and endure, they may eventually damageand consume yin fluids, this may give rise to yin vacuity fireflaring which stews and burns fluids and humors, also internallyengendering damp heat.In terms of recurrent herpes outbreaks in females associatedwith the menstrual cycle, dampness in the lower burnerincreases and accumulates premenstrually. This is becauseblood and fluids flow together, and when blood is sentdownward to the uterus, fluids arrive there first.Postmenstrually, many women are left blood and yin vacuousand insufficient. This can thus give rise to damp heatlesions due to yin vacuity fire flaring. In addition, at midcycle,yin has reached its extreme and is transformed into yang.Therefore, heat in the body increases in general. If there iseither accumulated dampness or qi depression, this may betransformed into damp heat.TREATMENT BASED ON PATTERNDISCRIMINATION:1. WIND HEAT PATTERNMAIN SYMPTOMS: Fever, slight aversion to wind coldaccompanied by generalized bodily discomfort, outbreak ofwater blisters on the two yin orifices and possibly on themouth and nose area, slight pain or an itchy sensation, oralthirst, possible sore throat, a red tongue tip with thin, whiteor thin, yellow fur, and a floating, rapid pulse