Question about Yin Care

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

As a new practitioner, I'm exploring many of the

treatment options available that we may not have been

exposed to in the classroom.

 

One of those is Yin Care.

 

I have a patient who as a " lesion " at the vaginal

opening. She reports it is dry, flat but has

localized burning and itching. The lesion has

been biopsied and she reports " everything was negative " .

 

She had poison ivy in that area, is recovering from

shingles on the buttocks and low back. She has a

medical dx of fibromyalgia and pernicious anemia.

I did not see her active shingles do know what

the lesions looked like.

 

I don't have her chart with me to remember all of

the details of tongue, pulse and pattern.

 

I did some reading on Yin Care and wondered if

it might work for her in spite of the lack of

obvious damp-heat.

 

Thanks for your patience and guidance.

Jean Dombroski, L.Ac.

[Guest guest]

In my experience, treating skin conditions require you to see the

lesion. I would not recommend any herbal formula for a person without

actually seeing the lesion to determine how much damp, heat, dryness,

etc there is. As for yin care, without a diagnosis of damp-heat it

would not be useful to use it. If there is dryness, then it could even

be contraindicated.

 

-Steve

 

On Apr 8, 2007, at 7:44 AM, Jean wrote:

 

> Dear Group,

> As a new practitioner, I'm exploring many of the

> treatment options available that we may not have been

> exposed to in the classroom.

>

> One of those is Yin Care.

>

> I have a patient who as a " lesion " at the vaginal

> opening. She reports it is dry, flat but has

> localized burning and itching. The lesion has

> been biopsied and she reports " everything was negative " .

>

> She had poison ivy in that area, is recovering from

> shingles on the buttocks and low back. She has a

> medical dx of fibromyalgia and pernicious anemia.

> I did not see her active shingles do know what

> the lesions looked like.

>

> I don't have her chart with me to remember all of

> the details of tongue, pulse and pattern.

>

> I did some reading on Yin Care and wondered if

> it might work for her in spite of the lack of

> obvious damp-heat.

>

> Thanks for your patience and guidance.

> Jean Dombroski, L.Ac.

>

>

Stephen Bonzak, L.Ac., Dipl. C.H.

sbonzak

773-470-6994

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Steve,

Thank you for your reply.

Obviously, I will not be inspecting this

particular lesion, however your point is taken.

 

In reading indications for Yin Care, it seemed to

cover a broad scope of uses. In light of her

" burning and itching " , I wondered if this might

provide relief.

 

Thank you again, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Jean

 

 

> In my experience, treating skin conditions require you to see the

> lesion. I would not recommend any herbal formula for a person

without

> actually seeing the lesion to determine how much damp, heat, dryness,

> etc there is. As for yin care, without a diagnosis of damp-heat it

> would not be useful to use it. If there is dryness, then it could

even

> be contraindicated.

>

> -Steve

[Guest guest]

Jean,

 

Certainly your call, but I wouldn't necessarily rule out looking at

this lesion. Yes, it's in a sensitive spot, but if she wants your help

with it, she needs to show it to you. Certainly, there are patient

management issues at play here. I would first think about whether

you're comfortable looking at this area of her body, before asking her

about it. You may also be able to drape her in such a way that very

little is exposed--or she could pull aside her underware without

taking it off completely. I've found limiting exposure only to the

patch of flesh that is absolutely necessary sort of abstracts things

and can make the experience more comfortable for both patient and

practioner.

 

--Sarah

 

 

Sarah E. Rivkin, MS, LAc, Dipl. OM

www.slopeacupuncture.com

[Guest guest]

Thank you Sarah, for the additional point to ponder.

You are correct in first asking if it is absolutely

necessary to visualize for the overall treatment plan.

 

I appreciate the addition to the thought process.

 

Jean

[Guest guest]

Jean,

 

In addition to the points already made, I think you can easily create a much

more targeted and efficient external herb application yourself based on the

appropriate raw herbs. That area of the body is very easy to treat with a

water decoction using a standard Sitz bath (available at drug stores). You

can probably do so with an external formula of about 6-7 herbs, so if you

don't already carry raw herbs on-hand, it's not that cumbersome to order.

 

I looked at Yin Care at one time (received a sample at a symposium) and

personally, the fact that it contains methyl/propyl parabens (commonly used

preservatives), disodium laureth sulfosuccinate and " fragrance " were enough

to rule it out for my clinical use.

 

I'm much more comfortable writing a raw formula where I know what's in it

and can customize it to the patient's presentation. I chose to use the

pre-powdered raw herbs for this purpose which eases preparation. Also, it

doesn't take that many raw herbs to stock for various external apps - I keep

about 50 or so on hand (as I use granules for internal herb formulas). I use

this assortment to treat sports injuries, bi syndromes, bleeding/painful

hemorrhoids, herpes lesions, eczema, etc.

 

I do agree with the others. If you're not willing to look at it, perhaps you

should refer out to someone who is. After all, " Looking " is one of our

primary pillars in reaching a diagnosis. If you feel funny about it, so will

the patient. If you approach it from a clinical, matter-of-fact perspective,

so will the patient.

 

Best of luck,

 

Joy

 

________

Joy Keller, LAc, Dipl.OM

Board Certified in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine

Ramona Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Clinic

Phone: (760) 654-1040 Fax: (760) 654-4019

www.RamonaAcupuncture.com