Help in L.A. area with 'scleroderma'

[Guest guest]

Greetings all,

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First, an updated bio, I think I did one earlier. I've posted a

couple of times

about dosages and such, but been more of a regular lurker:

 

Ken Bendat, graduated 5 Branches Institute in Santa Cruz in 1986,

Licensed

in California in 87 and Oregon in 91 - background in Biology (UC

Santa

Cruz). Interned in Hangzhou China in 92 one-on-one (with MD

translator) for

a few months at the Zhejiang hospital, studying mornings with

Gynecology

and Lung/Stomach herb doctors, and some infant tui-na and

acupuncture.

Practicing regularly since then, consistantly busy practice (2

patients/hr) in

Ashland Oregon, TCM-based using herbs - bulk and powdered herbs

(pills

less and less) - trying to grok Nigel Wiseman and learn a little

medical

Chinese(not much), and still have time for 2 little kids and playing

guitar (Old

Gibson playing country blues-they loved it in China, and Telecaster

lead

stuff).

 

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My step-mother in L.A. has a real problem, diagnosed finally as

'scleroderma'

after an extended visit in the hospital. She had excruciating leg

pain and feet

pain, extreme fatigue and nausea. It all seemed to start up soon

after having

an immunization for an upcoming trip to Africa. My father took her to

several

doctors and an extended hospital stay. Apparantly the lack of

information

more than anything led to the diagnosis.

 

Before the hospital stay she went to a local 'famous' Chinese

herbalist, who

prescribed, for over $200- an assortment of single herbs together in

a powder

for a week - she took it for 3 days, felt a lot worse, and they told

her to just

take more. I asked for the record, I got a one page fax that said:

" Findings: affects of a virus (probably vaccine) affecting the immune

system

causing pain " ...The herbs were single, equal amounts of :

Wu jia pi, Da qing ye or Ban lan geng?, Wei Ling Xian, Yan hu suo,

Yu jin,

Gu Sui Bu, Hu Zhang, Jin Yin Hua, Chi Shao, He Shou Wu, Xuan Shen, Xi

Xian Cao, Fang feng, Tu Fu ling, and E Zhu.

 

So - Wind Damp Herbs, herbs to relieve stagnation and move/break qi,

herbs

to tonify Yin, tonify Liver and Kidney Yang, clear Heat....seems

reasonable -

except that she's a very blood and qi deficient 62-year old women

with terrible

nausea....I don't know, I'm not there to really check it out. But

poor follow -

through ( " just take more " ) on that office's part lost her...

 

Another acupuncturist she went to since the hospital visit, and was

seeing

previously, only wants to do NAET and Multi-level 'whole-food

supplementaion' for her 'immunization-caused' problem. I believe the

causal

factors are deeper than that immunization.

 

She is in constant pain and at wits end, her legs seem to be swollen

to do

direct acupuncture. (along with the holes on the soles of her feet

that were

created to take samples at the hospital).

 

Anyway, sorry I'm writing this late at night and can't give a more

solid case

study, the main thing is that I need a good, solid recommendation

for a TCM

herbalist/acupuncturist in her area that has the expertise and

attention-span

to help her out. She lives in Westlake Village, which is north of LA,

near

Thousand Oaks, Woodland Hills, etc.

 

Contact me privately or on the site if you have a recommendation -

tcmguy

Thanks!