The Traditional Asian Treatment of Chronic Bronchitis

Respiratory

Chief Complaint: Chronic non-productive cough for 40 years

Western Diagnosis: chronic bronchitis

Medical History: 48 years old white female visits the office and complains that she has had constant dry cough for 40 years. The cough is more severe at night and early morning. In addition of cough, she has low back pain, frequent urination, dry mouth, cold hand and feet, especially in the winter. She is also easyly to catch cold. No accident can be recalled. During the past 40 years, she took varieties of antibiotics, steroids and many over-the-counter medications. But nothing worked for her. As a try, she turns to acupuncture for help.

Out side hospital physical examination and X-ray are non-remarkable.

The patient had long history of smoking which was terminated 5 years earlier.

Questioning exam: By the history (40 years), she has a deficiency syndrome. May be some times mixed with excess syndrome when she catches a cold.

She also has low back pain, frequent urination and cold hands and feet. Her long history of cough consumes lung Yin which in turn reduces the kidney Yin and Qi, that causes low back pain and frequent urination. Cold hands and feet indicates that the kidney Yang is start to be involved.

Pulse exam: Thready and fast

Tongue exam: Proper: red, crack in the center
Coating: thin and white

OM Diagnosis: 1. Lung and Kidney Yin deficiency
2. Kidney Qi deficiency

Treatment Principle: Improve Lung and Kidney Yin, and promote Kidney Qi with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Point Prescription:
RN 17: Convergent pt. for Qi,
LU 9: promote the mother for lung Yin defficiency
LI 4: promote qi
BL 23: tonify the kidney, also treat back pain
SP 6: tonify kidney, liver, and spleen
Herbal moxa on RN 8

Herbal Formula: Bai He Gu Jing Tang and Zuo Gui Yin

Lifestyle Prescription: Avoid exposing to hazard air

Results: After 3 sessions of acupuncture treatment and 7 days dosage of herbal treatment, the patient stopped the coughing. One month later, after exposing to smoking (she has many smoking friends who some times are around her), her cough recurred. But not as severe as before. Additional treatment make her recovered. Now, half a year past, her condition is stable and she is on patent herbal medicine.

Synopsis: Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used for chronic bronchitis which is some times frustrated for many western medicine doctors. In treating the chronic cough with acupuncture and herbal medicine, the important thing is to differentiate the syndrome: excess, or deficiency, heat or cold. The mentioned patient might have an excess at beginning but when she visited the office, she has developed deficiency syndrome. She has Yin deficiency. Since Yin deficiency may damage Qi and Yang, she shows frequent urination and cold hands and feet. During this pt. treatment, the most impressive treatment is moxa on RN 8. Theoretically, Moxa should not be used in Yin deficiency, but this patient patient shows some qi and yang deficiency. Moxa on RN 8 can invigorate kidney qi and promote kidney Yang, which in turn will generate Yin. That is why after several moxa treatment, the patient stopped coughing significantly.

Courtesy of:
Wanying Hou MD (China) L.Ac. , Dipl.Ac. (NCCA)
MD Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine
90 Painters Mill Rd., Suite 110
Owings Mills, MD 21117
410-581-1777
wanyinghou@msn.com

Last modified: September 6, 2009  Tags: , ,  В·  Posted in: Respiratory