Acupuncture Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
Chief-complaint: tremor
Western-diagnosis: Parkinson’s Disease
Medical-history: 75 year old male has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 8 years ago.
Symptoms: This patient is a 75 year old male with tremors in both hands and generalized weakness and fatigue throughout his whole body. This started 8 years ago, with severe and sudden weakness in muscles so that he was unable to walk. Hand tremor started 5 years ago. Patient is unable to walk further than five minutes without feeling weak and short of breath. Hands tremor constantly and he is unable to write.
Body temp: cold with cold hands and feet
Lungs/Heart: shortness of breath with little activity. no palpitations.
Digestion: No appetite, little thirst. Prefers warm drinks. Bowel movements 1 time per day. Formed soft.
Slight dizziness; difficulty keeping equilibrium.
Sleep: Good. Sleeps 12-14 hours a day. Very fatigued.
EENT: no phlegm, tinnitus almost constantly.
Urination: frequent, once an hour, 3-4 at night.
Energy Level: very low “2 out of 10”
Emotions: sad, discouraged, angry.
Pulse:
Right side
cun: deep, weak
guan: frail, forceless
chi: deep, weak, almost absent
Left side:
cun: deep, thready
guan: thready
chi: absent
Tongue: Color: pale, slight purple, slight red tip
Body: “flabby”, scallops
Coat: Thick, white in the back, otherwise, thin, white.
CM-diagnosis: Kid Yin/Yang Xu with Liver Blood Xu leading to Liver Wind
Treatment-principle: Extinguish Liver Wind, Nourish Liver Blood and Kidney Yin, Tonify Kidney qi and yang
Point-prescription: Lower jiao zone on scalp (3 needles near Du 20)(stimulate vigorously throughout treatment), St-36, Lv-8, LI-4, Lv-3, Kid-3, Kid-6, Sp-6, Ht-7
Herb-prescription: This patient was unwilling to take herbs, but I wanted to try Bu Yang Wang Wu Tang with him.
Lifestyle-prescription: Rest with short walks.
Results: While needles were in, patients tremor stopped. After needles were removed, patient still had no tremor and was able to write, something he had not been able to do in several months. He wrote smoothly, without tremor disrupting his handwriting. Patient’s relief lasted 5 days, then he felt he needed another treatment. The next treatment, he did not have the same effect, he felt he was more fatigued, “wiped out”. Patient received a third treatment, that again, improved his tremor and his energy. Patient never returned for additional treatments after this.
Synopsis: Patient presented with severe fatigue, muscle weakness and tremor in hands. Patient had a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and had exhausted all Western medical avenues. Patient received scalp needling for the low jiao (a technique I learned from Hong Jin of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine), as well as points to support his TCM diagnosis of Kid Yin/Yang Xu, Lv Blood Xu generating Lv Wind. Patient’s tremor improved tremendously with this point combination, but outcome is uncertain because patient only received 3 treatments, then did not return.
Last modified: August 27, 2010 
Posted in: Neurological
