Multiple Sclerosis

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All,

 

I need some help with a new patient who has been diagnosed with MS.

Here are some details:

 

Patient is a female of 47 years of age who was diagnosed with

MS at the end of January of this year. Early symptoms included

visual blurring when turning the head to her left. No visual

disturbance by moving the eyes, only with head movement.

 

Around the same time, she developed a terrible headache around

the occipital region. So bad was the headache that she felt like

" pulling her hair out " . She also experience fatigue, morning tiredness

and tremors on both hands.

 

About the same time of the headache, she experience a strong dull pain

on her lower sacrum right above her coccyx. It felt like a bad bruise

but no heat sensation on this region.

 

She feels very cold at night which is alleviated by blankets. No night

sweats nor spontaneous sweating. She is very thirsty drinking nearly a

gallon of water a day!. Her periods are between 24-27 days cycle,

scanty to normal and last around 4 days. Slight PMS but not severe nor

any cramping.

 

Her tongue is pale with a crack in the middle which does

not reach the tongue's tip. There's some coating around the

crack which is a little off-white but not yellow.

Her pulse is week, irregular, slightly rapid and disappears

with pressure on the right hand and a little rapid.

 

One morning in January she woke up and felt weak. Her legs

felt heavy and her gait was clumsy. By the end of the day she

had lost her ability to walk. She went to the Hospital and with MRI,

Cat Scan, and spinal fluid test, was diagnosed with MS. MRI showed

white matter on her occipital and around the region of the sacrum.

She has been on a wheelchair ever since and feels her legs are very

heavy and has no ability to move them.

 

Her legs were very cold to touch and with some edema. Soon after

leaving the hospital she became unable to empty her bladder.

Medication did not help and currently she is on a catheter. She also

unable to tell when she has a BM. Doctors have prescribed Copaxon

which she injects.

 

Patient has a chronic hx of sinusitis which often become infected.

She has been using antihistamines for over ten years. She takes around

5 to 10 Sudafeds per day!

 

This is my first time treating MS. I have done some research on Blue

Poppy, ITM's site and other sites dealing with MS and TCM. By enlarge,

most literature seems to point to some form of febrile disease as a

possible etiology. The thought is that the fluids have been damaged by

heat and thus sinews become malnourished. Other possibilities point to

a Sp/st xu, as well as Kd/lvr xu. And yet other believe some form of

damp heat as a possible factor.

 

Here's my thinking and please, feel free to point to anything I may

not be seeing. Other than the slightly rapid pulse and the off white

tongue I do not see any serious heat on this lady; nor has she

complained of any sickness with fever. I do see some signs of spleen

xu by the fatigue and pale tongue. She does not have any viral

infections such as herpes although she did have chicken pox when

young. No vaginal discharge other than during ovulation.

 

I'm thinking that her excessive abuse of antihistamines is what has

injured her fluids, affected her stomach qi, yangming channel and the

cause of the high thirst. Naturally, there's some reason for the

chronic sinusitis. The patient stated that if there was a person who

has abused over the counter meds, it was her. In discussing this case

with my wife, she pointed out that recently there was a report on the

news about athletes abusing Sudafed for more energy. This may be a

factor with her.

 

As I recall on our last discussion on Benadryl, Bob Flaws pointed out

that this type of meds may scatter the Qi. I think this may be part of

the problem.

 

I'm confused, though, with the tongue being pale. Tell me, is there a

difference between a tongue that reflects yin xu to one where the pt's

fluids have been damaged by excessive use of exterior releasing meds?

Should the tongue share a red color since there's not enough

yin/fluids to keep heat cool? Or could there still be a pale tongue

since her paralysis is on the lower body and the heat not reached and

damage the upper sinews yet?

 

I have given the patient two acupuncture treatments both on the scalp

and on her legs. To her delight, she was able to move her toes and

raise her heel after the first treatment but only on the right leg.

I'm planning on using herbal rx, and supplements, but would like to

have a better picture before prescribing.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks,

 

Fernando