Polycystic Kidneys

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

I have reviced a patient with polycystic kidneys as the main

complaint. she was free of symptoms and she still is but the cysts in

here kidneys continue to grow so she came to treatment.

 

I'm looking for the differential diagnosis and treatment of

polycystic kidneys with chinese herbal medicine.

Does anyone have any experience in treating this disease?

 

Thank You,

Danny.L

[Guest guest]

, " dany_lv " <lvds@n...> wrote:

 

> I'm looking for the differential diagnosis and treatment of

> polycystic kidneys with chinese herbal medicine.

> Does anyone have any experience in treating this disease?

 

As you know, this is typically a genetic disease. So in my limited

queries, I am not aware of any " cures " . I have not been able to

find a diff dx anywhere in english. I looked one time because

one of my cousins inherited this disorder from the other side of

the family (the part that are not blood relatives, i.e. in-laws). for

asymptomatic diseases like this, it is stilla matter of contention

as to what to do. in this phase, TCM would have no way of

identifying the cysts or even knowing the anatomical kidney was

involved in any way. So some people reject the idea of treating

the cysts as if they are " masses " . In that case, one should make

a zang-fu dx and proceed as if that's all you knew. I have never

met a patient who doesn't have enough signs and sx to make at

least a single pattern or five phase dx.

 

Others feel we should integrate the modern knowledge directly

into our treatment. at the extreme end of this idea, some people

treat all masses as excess blood or phlegm stasis, using herbs

that have lab effects on masses. Others mix treating the pattern

and dispersing some masses. Personally, I don't think

anyone's opinion or experience settles this matter. Only

research will do that. I also suspect that those using

approaches all along this continuum will report some degree of

success. In an asymptomatic patient, I would probably ignore

the cysts. If there were symptoms, I would consider them

perhaps. I'm guessing a chronic illness like this may present

with blood stasis, in which case adding blood moving herbs that

dispese masses would be better indicated.

 

Have you looked at underside of the tongue or made an

inventory of all the possible signs of blood stasis described by

yan de xin?

 

[Guest guest]

Ning Nan Bing Zhong Yi Zhi Liao Ji Yan Jiu (Recent Research on the

Chinese Medical Treatment of Knotty, Difficult Diseases) published by

the Peoples Health & Hygiene Press in 1995 has a section on the

pattern discrimination of polycystic kidneys. I don't have time to

translate the whole thing now, but here's the patterns they list:

 

1. Heat brewing & dampness obstructing

2. Liver depression qi stagnation

3. Blood network vessel stasis & obstruction

4. Liver-kidney yin vacuity

5. Spleen-kidney qi vacuity

 

In the research they site, they list amelioration rates of 71.4-82.8%,

with no discussion of cure.

 

In Zhong Guo Zhong Yi Mi Fang Da Quan (A Great Collection of Chinese

National Chinese Medical Secret Formulas), Vol. 1, 1992, there're

three formulas for polycystic kidneys. One formula is for ascendant

liver yang hyperactivity with kidney yin vacuity and blood stasis, a

second is for spleen-kidney yang vacuity with qi stagnation and blood

stasis, and the third is for spleen-kidney yang vacuity with water

swelling.

 

This is just what I was able to lay my hands on immediately. I've seen

a number of articles on polycystic kidneys in CM journals, but have

never translated any.

 

Blue Poppy Press will be publishing a book on CM nephrology which will

include polycystic kidneys in 2003.

 

Bob