spasmodic dysphonia-pneumonia/neurological disorders

[Guest guest]

Patient: female, age 49 - health otherwise is very good.

Western dx: spasmodic dyphonia x 6yrs. (Western considers this a rare

neurologic disease, similar to Parkinson's). Severity changes. Notices no

connection with anything specific with severity, except stress affects to

some degree. It's much worse in past week.

Pain-very light, almost none.. Pressure doesn't affect it. Gets raspy if

talks too much. Speaks to me in a whisper. If tries normal voice, it

cracks. Before the last week, talking improved the voice.

 

Nightsweats - x a couple years. Not every night.

Sleep - 1/2 hr to go to sleep. Wakes after 4 hours-hard to go back d/t

worrying. If sleeps wrong (posture), ackiness in sterum.

Energy-moderate

Cold hands & Feet

Eyes-no problem.

Dizzy - if gets up too quick. Not much of a problem currently.

Headaches-Recently with stress. Occipital. Frontal.

Nasal-clear discharge.Occasional. Not currently.

Nocturia- 2 x's

BM-daily, no constipation or diarrhea.

Digestion - no problems.

Menses-Heavy 3 days, Thick. Irregular in last year (less than 30 days).

Starts & stops. Some clots. Color Red. No PMS signs.

 

Medical Hx: Pneumonia- 8 years ago, same time father died. Bronchitis many

years ago. otherwise, unremarkable.

 

Pulse: 60bpm, lung-deep, weak Spleen-Wiry Kidney-wriy, deep

Heart-deep, weak Liver-superficial, rolling Kidney-deep,

rolling, thin.

(I've been lying on fingers on pulses for a precious few years and don't

have the differentiation you request - unless I am searching for something

in particular.) Tomorrow, I see this patient for the 3rd time.

tongue-pink, thin white coat, round, moist, sl. movement, sl. swollen, short

 

My diagnosis: Lung, Spleen, Kid Qi & yang insufficiency. Liver Qi stag and

Yang Rising with Kidney Yin insufficiency.

 

My treatment: Acup - Du15, B10, Du 18 & 1.5 cun bilaterlly to that.

Du20, k6,lu7, sp4, P6, B18-,B47-, 49-

Ear: Larnyx, Throat, Lung1,Sympathic, Kid

Herb: NeuroPlus (Lotus)

 

 

I see the yin decline in the nightsweats only. Where do you look for latent

heat? Is there a key to it? How about latent cold? I'm lost. I haven't

done so well with these chronic neurological patients. I have another - an

ALS person thinking about it. Please help.

 

And thank you.

Humbly,

Ruth

 

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[Guest guest]

, " Ruth Elder, R.Ac. "

> I see the yin decline in the nightsweats only. Where do you look

for latent heat? Is there a key to it? How about latent cold? I'm

lost. I haven't done so well with these chronic neurological

patients. I have another - an ALS person thinking about it. Please

help.

 

 

Ruth:

 

Latent heat, by definition, does not show any overt signs or

symptoms; but you may be able to see evidence of it in the pulses.

Chronic neurological problems are very difficult to treat because

the physical damage to the nerves takes so long to repair---if at

all possible. The first order of business is to stop the

degeneration from going any further.

 

Your sensitivity and concentration need to be good because you'll be

looking at a kind of Sandy texture or teeth-like texture (did you

read my posting in my forum?) on the pulse in the Left Middle (GB)

pulse position especially around the sensory level (the line between

the qi and blood depths). And, since the tongue is involved, examine

the senory level of the spleen too. This pulse quality could be a

secondary feature with other things going on in the pulse in other

parts of these positions. The quality you are looking for is a small

feature of the whole position because these problems are highly

localized in the nerve tissue (not systemically) and descrbe a slow,

chronically degenerative condition.

 

The " signatures " or fairly unique features in the pulses that can

define these neurological disorders are difficult to find for less

experienced practitioners, but may be found if pointed out. In

Parkinson's you're primarily looking for a Sandy quality texture in

the sensory range of the GB and SJ positions. In MS there is

primarily a classical feathery dry quality to the blood depth of the

liver position (Left Middle) that tends to feel like the teeth on

the thread of a screw. The size of these threads indicates the

severity and development of MS. It is usually seen as a suface

texture, and can extend up to the GB range. Myelin sheath is

composed of protein and fat---very yin. So this is a case of

localized heat slowly depleting the yin.

 

ALS can include a similar quality as Parkinson's in the sensory

range of the GB, but is also found in the pulse position associated

with the body part(s) in decline. For example, the LI if the arms;

or the diaphram position if breathing is declining.

 

If you're not able to immediately see these specific qualities in

the positions discussed, use the positions as a target or guide to

look for any irrgularity in the pulse quality there.

 

And because these pulse qualities are associated with localized heat

or dryness, I've found the use of blood, yin, and jing building

herbs very helpful. My general formula is a modification and

expansion of Dang Gui Yin Zi. And, If you remember the Dong Han

acupuncture protocol for chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia from the

seminar, that is also very helpful for the underlying chronically

depleted aspect of these conditions. You should treat them more than

1x a week at the beginning, until they are more stable.

 

 

Jim Ramholz