Acupuncture and Herbs for Emotional Trauma

Well-Being

Chief Complaint: A 38 year old male has been experiencing physical and emotional pain after trauma he experienced on 9/11/2002.

Medical History: Everything he eats tends to upset his stomach with gas, bloating and belching. He suffers from alternating constipation to loose stool and the urine is frequent and slight yellow. He has difficulty on inhaling. He refuses to take herbs for fear they will upset his stomach or interact with his medications. He prefers to take digestive crackers when his stomach is upset.

Questioning exam: He shattered one kneecap on the left and torn ligaments on the right leg. He is experiencing pain that is dull and achy around both kneecaps. The pain on a scale from one to ten (with ten being the worst) is about an eight. He currently has been experiencing sweating with palpitations, feelings of nervousness, and will often feel thirsty. He experiences shaking, always feels cold with an aversion to cold and often feels faint with no energy. He tends to reach for anything he can get his hands on to eat, most often sugar and/or carbohydrates. In general he feels dizziness, fatigue, weakness, frontal headaches, with an inability to concentrate.

Pulse exam: The pulse is 60 bmp, weak, deep and slow with very faint kidney pulses.

Tongue exam: Tongue is dry and quivering with slight yellow coat and a large damp white patch in the lower jiao portion of his tongue. The tip is red and the liver gallbladder is raised like a horseshoe. The tongue body is puffy and pale in comparison to the tip.

OM Diagnosis: Local Qi and Blood Stagnation with Liver Qi depression and Spleen Qi Vacuity with underlying Kidney Yin and Yang Deficiency.

Most patients, whether male or female, young or old, suffer from digestive complaints. Because the spleen and stomach are the root of Qi and blood, and because the spleen and stomach govern the upbearing and downbearing of the entire body’s Qi mechanism, if the spleen and stomach are in disharmony, this can affect any of the other viscera and bowels and, therefore, any other function in the body. For this reason, it’s almost always appropriate to begin a patient? treatment by correcting any digestive complaints or irregularities.

Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang can be seen as frequent cloudy urination, five center heat sensation, thirsty, cold feeling, aversion to cold, weak lower back and knees, impotence, amenorrhea, night sweat, spontaneous sweat, dry/dull complexion. In TCM, the concept of the `kidney’, as the home of the Ancestral Qi or our inherent constitution, is the root of yin and yang for the entire body.

Treatment Principle: Sooth depressed Liver Qi to relieve emotional depression. Tonify and nourish the liver and kidney.

Point Prescription: Liver Qi Stagnation:

Depression, fullness of abdomen, pain and a tight feeling in the chest, irregular menstruation. Reddish tongue with whitish fur, tight and thready pulse.

Acupuncture treatment

Points: G B 24, Liv 14, BL19, GB 34, St 36, St 41, Ren 4, Ren 17

Deficiency of liver and kidney: Shortness of breath, bad dreams, depression, indigestion, fatigue, overweight, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, tongue with white fur, thready and weak pulse.

Acupuncture Treatment

Points: Pc 6, H t 7, Sp 6, UB 20, UB 23, Lv 3, St 10, Sp 4.

Herbal Formula: Liver Qi Stagnation:

Formula: Chai Hu Shu Gan San

Deficiency of liver and kidney:

Formula: Yi Guan Jian

Lifestyle Prescription: Stress Relief:

Journaling can be a wonderful release as well as reflection on the events and moments in our lives. I have found it to be great therapy and can lend itself to great expression without reservation. I suggested the patient start writing in a journal. This took him 4 weeks to buy and another three weeks to finally write in it.

Exercise: Regular exercise helps your body lower blood sugars, promotes weight loss, reduces stress and enhances overall fitness.

Meditation and visualization techniques are very helpful in order to see the big picture, work on reducing stress levels and calming the mind.

Results: The results have been generally good after 6 treatments.

2nd Visit

Patient was amazed by the acupuncture treatment and described the feeling as if Energy was coursing through his veins. This session, he was complaining of more mental fatigue from dealing with his families troubles. He had an upset stomach 3 out of 5 days with constipation and gas and bloating. His energy was reported as being very low this past week. A recommendation was given by me to have his blood sugar levels check by his doctor.

Synopsis: 6th Visit

Pain in the knees was only 2 days this past week. Patient felt more energy. He was coughing up more phlegm, that was white and sticky and feeling sluggish. Patient liked the tea and has taken it for 3 weeks now. He reported that it gave him more energy.

Clinic Name: Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.

clinic addresses: ProAcuMed Inc.

251 Fifth Avenue 3rd floor

New York, NY 10011

ProAcuMed Wellness Center

19 East 65 Street/Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10021

clinic phone number: 917-843-3623

email address: ProAcuMed@aol.com

Website: http://www.peacefulmind.com

Last modified: September 8, 2009  Tags: , ,  В·  Posted in: Well-Being