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IBS and physic inflammatory intestinal diseases:

Case 1 Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Mr C G, a 48 years old of engineer, has been suffering from recurrent abdominal distension, loose bowel or diarrhoea for more than 10 years. When he is under stress, busy at work or something happens in his family, he just feels abdominal distension, indigestion and loose bowel movement, even diarrhoeal. He is had Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy, X-ray and all of relevant blood tests without any positive results, so irritable bowel syndrome has been diagnosed. Except loose bowel, or diarrhoeal, he doesn’t have any mucus and blood in his stool.

So Dr Xie also believes he has IBS, not an inflammatory intestinal disease. He has diagnosed a spleen Qi deficiency with dampness engaging within with TCM. So regular acupuncture is given, plus moxibastion at the belly and herbal pills to reinforce the spleen and remove the excessive dampness. His bowel movements then changed from more than 10 times daily to 3-4 times daily in the first week; then he has had a normal bowel form in a couple of months, but still irritable, loose or diarrhoeal if he worries about something, or does too much. His bowel movement has become stable after he continues to receive his regular treatment of acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Dr Xie believes Irritable bowel syndrome, in general, should be a kind of clinical condition in both psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorder. So the patient with a typical irritable bowel syndrome should be invoked symptoms, or aggravated by an emotional disorder. But it has recently been inclining towards the fact that every one who can’t be diagnosed with an organic disease of the gastrointestinal system; he or she is told he has IBS which means a functional disease. As IBS belongs to a functional disease, and acupuncture and herbal medicine is the best suitable therapy to treat it, therefore it should also be able to be controlled well. 

Case 2 Chronic inflammatory bowel disease--Crohn’s disease:

Ms S B, a 51 year olds retired teacher was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease from a chronic severe diarrhoeal and abdominal cramp for ten years. Due to a history of Breast cancer 10 years ago, she can’t be used HRT, also was careful to be given steroid treatment, so she came to see Dr Xie for her Crohn’s disease.

Diarrhoea, 3-6 times daily with abdominal cramps, distension and indigestion; any cold, chilly food, or big meal can give her very bad diarrhoea and cramps; hot flashes, irritable, moody swings, insomnia' anger, or worry were also caused diarrhoea and cramp. Initially, Dr Xie gave her a regular acupuncture to calm down her immune system and strengthen spleen Qi; and prescribed a herbal formula to heal inflammation and expel the excessive dampness. She had been given a regular treatment for three months; she was gradually feeling better and kept in a stable condition. Then a regular acupuncture and patent herb were continued for a three years. She never had any symptoms of the Crohn’s disease again.

Menopause

Ms N J, a 42 years old secretary was found to have Breast Cancer a year ago and had an operation to remove the tumour. Due to routine chemotherapy and her period stopped. Since then, she started to feel hot flashes, nervous, restlessness and poor sleep; also some joint aching. She couldn’t take HRT because she had cancer which made her sensitive to Oestrogen and she visited Dr Xie for help. A regular acupuncture treatment to reregulate her immune system, hormonal system and general well-being; also herbal pills for hormonal balance and anti-cancer was given to her.

She has been keeping in a good condition for 5 years and was discharged from the observation of Oncologist two years ago.

Dr Xie says Chinese herbal pills: Zhibaidihuang Wan, Kunbao Wan, Gengniankang Wan and many kinds of herbal prescription are very successful in controlling menopause symptoms, and don’t disturb the Oestrogen level in your blood. They are proved by the clinical trails with thousands of cases in China and are used as a routine treatment for patients who manifest menopause symptom, but are unable to take HRT.

Herbal hormonal treatment should be taken for a couple of years at least to ease the menopause symptom; they definitely raise the quality of your life, make you feel well, full of energy and younger looking. If you would like, you can also safely keep taking the herbal pills for hormonal balance for a longer course.

Back Pain:

Ms E R who is 72 years old and a retired teacher, suddenly developed an acute back pain for a week. An x-ray showed a negative which was given by her GP, so an anti-inflammatory drug was suggested. She came to see Dr Xie for this back pain. There was some muscle tension on her back, from the low chest to the bottom, worse on the right side, some pressure pain found on a few spinal vertebrae; sensitivity on the central sciatic point at the right low bottom was checked by Dr Xie. So a muscle strain was diagnosed; possible existence of small spinal joints disorder. That external wind and dampness invaded into her joints and engaged in the muscles was explained by TCM.

Acupuncture was given immediately to her. She felt relaxated and less pain at once the needles were removed; she was required to circle and move her waist which helps all of the small joints of the skeleton to find a right position automatically. She couldn’t circle or move her waist before she is had the acupuncture due to muscle tensing, but she was able to do so because Acupuncture had made the muscle relaxated already. If her spinal joints return to a normal position, her back pain will disappear completely; if the disorder of spinal joint still exists, her back pain will return in the next a couple of days.

So Dr Xie always advises patients with back pain to circle and move their waist more often after they have had acupuncture, specially in the first a couple of days. An anti-inflammatory herbal granule was given to Ms E R.

After three treatments of acupuncture, she has been completely free pain on herb back. She is very happy to have this result so quickly.  

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