Case Study: Kidney Yang Collapse and Stomach Stroke
Patient: Erica, female
Date of first appointment: May 20, 2020
Patient complaints: Extreme weakness, unable to eat or drink, dizziness, cold stomach, acid reflux
TCM syndromes: deficiency of spleen and kidney yang
TCM treatment: warming the spleen and stomach, invigorating kidney yang.
Prescription: Wuzhuyu Decoction + Zhenwu Decoction + Buzhong Yiqi Decoction.
Note: When Dr. Wu first started to treat the patient, she was already unable to eat for six weeks. She even had trouble swallowing water. The patient was depending on IV and oxygen to maintain life. The world-class hospital in Thailand was not able to help her, so she asked Dr. Wu to have a remote consultation. Since she could not eat or drink, Dr. Wu prescribed a herbal mixture for external use (stick in the belly button and the Yongquan point (K1), combined with gentle moxibustion along GV and CV. After 24 hours, the patient can drink water and Chinese medicine. She was able to eat porridge, and was discharged from the hospital after two weeks.
The patient still had difficulty breathing when being discharged from the Thai International Hospital. Her breathing function was at level 3.
The patient continued to take Chinese medicine for 5 months (Zhenwu Decoction, Buzhong Yiqi Decoction, Wendan Decoction, and Xiao Yao San, etc.) to tonify the spleen and stomach, disperse stagnated liver qi for relieving qi stagnation, to remove phlegm and improve gallbladder functions. Along with acupuncture treatments, the patient’s breathing function has improved from level 3 to 7.
On 10/26/2020, the patient had skin rashes all over her body, the itching was unbearable. The Thailand dermatologist diagnosed that she had psoriasis and recommended oral prednisone. Because of the patient’s past negative experience with steroids, she was unwilling to use it again. Dr. Wu held a consultation with Dr. Zhang Ni. Their TCM diagnose is: cold and dampness blocking the middle burner, and stagnation of liver and qi. Dr. Zhang Ni prescribed a decoction to strengthen the spleen, dissolve dampness, and sooth the liver and regulate qi. The patient took the decoction for two weeks, both orally and as a washing liquid. The rash completely disappeared, and her breathing function also improved from level 7 to 9.