Fwd: question regarding last appointment

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I've been seeing a TCM doctor for a few months now, and was wondering

if anyone could give me some info.

 

I originally went because I had shingles. They were cleared up, and

I've been working on harmonizing spleen and kidney, and some blood

stagnation in the lower abdomen since.

 

However, I'm confused about what patterns I'm exhibiting which I'd like

to know to help determine what food is best to eat. (Although my doctor

did say that she thinks I'm too rigid about my eating habits and need

to be more flexible as Qi is not rigid.)

 

I saw my doctor last week because I had another rash (this time not

shingles like and on my cheeks). I was told I was exhibiting some heat

in the stomach meridians. The masses in my lower abdomen are almost

gone ( which I believe are related to liver blood stagnation?).

 

I have a combination of herbs my doctor gave me which I am taking at

the moment.

Shu Di Huang

Shan Zhu Yu

Mai Dong

Fu Ling

Gui Zhi

Bai Zhu

Zhi Gan Cao

Zhi Mu

Tu Si Zi

Gan Jiang

 

I asked what these herbs were for and was told they were for

strengthening the Spleen and Kidney, and therefore the Stomach.

What I'd like to know is more specific details about what that means.

 

Does this mean that I have deficiency in Spleen and Kidney, or

excess---and if so excess or deficient yin or yang, or Qi? Or does it

mean something else?

 

When I asked my doctor this the reply was : " both but more yin kidney

spleen qi. "

 

 

The reply was through email, so we haven't had an actual discussion. I

know my doctor is always very busy, so doesn't have time to give

detailed responses via email. Any insight here would be valuable!

 

Thanks!

Brenda

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , Brenda Harriman <brenda

wrote:

> I saw my doctor last week because I had another rash (this time not

> shingles like and on my cheeks). I was told I was exhibiting some

heat

> in the stomach meridians.

 

To see the path of the Stomach meridian on the face, you can go

directly to:

 

http://www.qi-journal.com/tcmarticles/acumodel/acumodel.asp

 

Click on the upper part of the model to get an enlargement of the head

area. As you run the cursor over the points, their numbers will

appear. I believe the site abbreviates Stomach as ST (though I could

be mistakened about this).

 

For more details on the points you can go to:

 

http://www.qi-journal.com/tcmarticles/acumodel/listpoints.asp

 

Click on Stomach. Then click on the particular point you want to

learn more about. The site will tell you the main uses of the point.

 

Any time there is something unusual along the course of a meridian -

feelings of cold or heat, redness or other discoloration, tingling

feelings, a rash, numbness, etc. - suspect trouble in that meridian

and rule in or out.

 

For example I used to have the type of migraines that were preceeded

by the outer edge of my hand getting cold. If I was able to warm my

hand up, the migraine was prevented. Western allopathic doctors

discovered this cold outer hand - migraine connection. What wasn't

realized at the time (because acupuncture had not yet become fairly

widespread in the US) is that the area of the hand that gets cold is

where the Small Intestine meridian runs. TCM healers have been using

knowledge to treat some (not all) migraines and some other headaches

for centuries.

 

Something that a lot of Westerners are most amazed by is that TCM

recognizes that the same allopathic diagnosis can have different TCM

Roots (underlying imbalances). The migraines due to Liver Yang Rising

are a different Root from the headaches due to Wind Cold Invasion or

Wind Heat Invasion. So the treatments are going to be different in all

3 cases. The allopathic diagnosis is the same, but the Roots are

different. What helps one migraine sufferer may do nothing for a

second and could even make a third sicker because the underlying

imbalances are different. BTW, the point that is particularly helpful

for Wind Cold or Wind Heat invading the Exterior is Small Intestine 3.

Regular working of this point with acupressure can reduce the tendency

to migraines due to Wind Cold or Wind Heat Invasion. Also, some

migraine sufferers may suffer from both Wind Invasion and Liver Yang

Rising or some other imbalance that can manifest as migraines. The

reason why warning signs show up along the course of the Small

Intestine meridian is that when Pernicious Evils in the

environment " invade " (affect) the body, the Small Intestine and

Bladder meridians are the first to be affected.

 

Sorry to digress, but I wanted to give another example of changes

along the course of a meridian.

 

Pernicious Evils can invade from the environment, but they also can

arise within the body. For example, Heat or Fire in the Stomach

(Organ) can manifest as a rash on the cheeks or as some toothaches

because of the course of the Stomach meridian. Since the proper

direction of Qi flow in the Stomach meridian is descending, there also

may be some Stoamch Qi rebelling problems. (Not always, but it is a

possibility that needs to be ruled in or ruled out.)

 

The Stomach's job of " rottening " and " ripening " food depends on it

bringing the food and drink up to a certain temperature. What I'm

talking about here is abnormal Heat. Two of the possible causes of

this are Stomach Yin Deficiency (Deficiency Heat - not enough Yin to

cool properly) or Excess Heat due to the person consuming too many

foods or herbs with a Heating effect on the body. Qi Stagnation also

can cause Heat to build up. Qi is warm. When it becomes stuck or

stagnates, Heat builds up in the area.

[Guest guest]

The Chinese names are followed by the Pharmaceutical names.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that whenever possible, TCM treats all

problems at the same time. It's not like allopathic medicine where

all too often the person takes one pill for this and another pill

for that. Whenever possible the herbalist will take care of all

problems at the same time by adding the appropriate herbs. Like the

one added to this formula to Drain Fire.

 

Chinese Traditional Medicine , Brenda Harriman <brenda

wrote:

>

> Shu Di Huang - Radix (Root of) Rehmanniae Glutinosae Conquitae -

cooked rehmannia - Blood Tonic herb. (Also tonifies the Essence

(Jing).)

 

> Shan Zhu Yu - Fructus (Fruit of) Corni Officinalis. Classified as

Herb that Stablilizes and Binds. Among other thigs - as I put it -

this class of herbs " stops leaks " . I'm talking about excessive

sweating, incontinence, excessive urination, etc. It's particularly

good for the Kidneys and in cases of weak Essence (Jing). You want

to stop that leakage of Fluids because the person is losing Qi. For

the TCM students, this is an herb that gets used in cases of shock

(collapsed Qi) thought it's not limited to that.

 

> Mai Dong - Tuber Ophiopogonis Japonici. Yin Tonic herb. It's

moistening properties are particularly marked.

 

> Fu Ling - Sclerotium Poriae Cocos. It's a fungus that grows on the

roots of I believe some pine trees. It's classified as an Herb That

Drains Dampness. Some readers may be wondering why an herb that

drains Dampness is being prescribed with an herb that moistens.

It's because Dampness and Dryness can exist that the same time. It's

fairly common. This herb also strengthens the Spleen. The Spleen

hates Dampness and is weakened by it. As the Spleen becomes weaker

and weaker, it's less and less able to perform its functions of

transporting and transforming Fluids. It's a snowballing situation.

Students, you'll be seeing this herb a lot in treatments for

Dampness and Spleen weakness.

 

> Gui Zhi - Ramulus (Twigs of)Cinnamomi Cassiae - cinnamon twigs.

Classified as Warm, Acrid Herb That Releases the Exterior. This one

gets used a lot in cases of Wind Cold Invading the Exterior. We're

talking about cases like the migraines I used to suffer from or

other examples of Painful Obstruction Syndrome (arthritis/

rheumatism). It kicks Cold out and warms the Exterior (the head,

neck, arms, legs, skin, muscles, meridians, and bones. BUT this is

not its only uses. Among its other uses is " Warms and facilitates

the flow in the blood vessels: for dysmennorrhea with or without

abdominal masses. " (Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, Chinese Herbal

Medicine Materia Medica, Revised Ed., p. 29.) Someone really knows

TCM herbs in depth.

 

> Bai Zhu - Rhizoma (Rhizome of) Atractylodis Macrocephalae. Qi

Tonic herb. It strengthens the Spleen and the Stomach.

 

> Zhi Gan Cao - Gan Cao is Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis - licorice

root. I don't know what the " Zhi " is unless it refers to licorice

root that has been specially prepared. It's classified as a Qi Tonic

herb. It also strengthens the Spleen. But a small amount may get

included in a variety of formulas for a variety of things simply

because of its property of " smoothing out " (mitigating (p. 324) some

of the effects of other herbs. Since it enters all 12 channels

instead of just 2 or 3, a small amount sometimes gets added to

formulas for this reason. Students, because of that " smoothing "

effect and the channel effect, this probably is the most often used

herb in TCM.

 

> Zhi Mu - Rhizoma Anemarrhenae Asphodeloidis. Classified as an

Herb That Drains Fire. This one frequently gets used in cases of Yin

Deficiency with marked Heat. Especially when the Heat has turned to

Fire. It also has some moistening properties. Note that it has an

affinity for the Lung, Stomach, and Kidney channels.

 

> Tu Si Zi - Semen (Seeds of) Cuscutae Chinensis. Classified as a

Yang Tonic herb. Remember that whenever there is Kidney Yin

Deficiency, there is almost certain to be some Kidney Yang

Deficiency though to a lesser degree (and vice versa). This is why

Kidney Yin Tonic formulas will include at least one Kidney Yang

tonic herb (and vice versa). Tu Si Zi is it for this formula. Tu Si

Zi also has some Yin tonic properties and helps the Essence (Jing).

 

> Gan Jiang - Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis - dried ginger rhizome.

This one is classified as an Herb that Warms the Interior (Organs)

and Expels Cold. There's evidently mixed Cold and Heat in this case.

(Again, not an unusual situation.)