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Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine ia a multi-part article written for those that would like to have a better understanding of the concepts behind Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We will cover basic terminology, briefly describe the differences from Western medicine, describe how TCM treats illness and give examples in the form of case histories to help improve your understanding of TCM. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case 4
Low Back Pain*The following is an example of one case and its treatment by TCM. It is given here as a example of the way that TCM sees a condition as it presents in each individual, and to provide a guide as to how treatment is then fitted to the case at hand. *The case study is an illustration of how TCM treatment helped one individual, individual results may vary. Presentation A 29 yr old male, presented with pain in the lower back. Examination The patient had a history of recurrent back pain for the last 2 years. He complained of a sensation of coldness and a heavy aching pain in the low back. The pain was worse in cold damp weather and improved with warmth.
Occasionally the pain would radiate to the low abdomen. There was a slight reduction in appetite and no thirst. Bowel movements were slightly less frequent than in past. Urination was normal. Sleep was normal. The Tongue and pulse both indicated the presence of Damp. Diagnosis Damp and cold stagnating in the back meridians. Signs and Symptoms Analysis
Pain is an indication of obstruction of Qi and Blood flow in the meridians. The feeling of coldness and the pain better for heat indicate the presence of Cold. The heavy aching feeling is common in Damp conditions. The aggravation in cold damp weather is further indication of Cold and Damp being the cause of the obstruction of Qi and Blood. The Tongue and Pulse confirmed the presence of Damp. Treatment The treatment principle was to remove Cold and Damp from the Jing Luo (meridians). Acupuncture alone was used. Two points on the low back were chosen that would have local effect to remove stagnation and also a general effect to eliminate Cold and Damp, one point was chosen to strengthen the Qi flow through the back meridians and one point to stimulate the spleens ability to transform and eliminate Damp. Results The patient was treated every second day and after two treatments the pain was much better but there was still a feeling of stiffness and cold. After two weeks the back was back to normal as were the appetite and bowel actions. The has been no recurrence of back pain since. |
