famous TCM Experts with famous books, special discussion (1)
Depression Acupuncture Treatment (with Clinical cases)
___《Golden Needle King LeTing (金针王乐亭)》Written by University of BeiJing Traditional Chinese Medicine
___translation and illustrated by Qi Sheng
Wang LeTing (1895-1984) as a professor at the Beijing Second Medical College (now Capital Medical University), where he was recruited as a member of the Royal Library of England and received a Doctor of Medicine degree from the United Kingdom. He is the most famous expert of acupuncture and moxibustion in modern Chinese medicine. The book 《Golden Needle King Leting》 is a good summary of his academic thoughts and clinical experience.
Case 1, Wang xx, female, year 43. The date of the first visit to the clinic: March 25,1974.
Present history: patient usually overthinking, anxiety and easy to anger. Recently half a year, depressed mood, sudden speaking unsmooths, the root ridden, tongue become shorten and construction. Chest stuffy and suffocated, poor appetite, abdominal fullness and distension.
Cannot work for half a year, lassitude, spiritless, poor sleep, lots of dreams, urination and defecation normal, menstruation normal. Once diagnosed: neurosis. WM and TCM treatment had no effect. Sallow facial, slim body. Tongue coating thin white, slight dry, pulse: deep thin wiry.
Differentiation: Liver depressed and qi stagnation, Disharmony between Spleen and Stomach
Treatment principle: Soothe liver and resolve qi constraint, tonify spleen harmonise stomach
Acupuncture prescription: “old shi needles”: CV12 Zhongwan, CV6 Qihai, ST25 Tianshu, PC6 Neiguan, LV13 Zhangmen, ST36 Zusanli, CV23 Lianquan
Manipulation: reducing method.
Treatment process: After six treatments, speaking more fluently, abdominal distension getting better, still poor sleep with lots of dreams, sometimes nightmares make her wake up.
Acupoints treatment change to five zangshu (BL13 Feishu, BL15 Xinshu, BL18 Ganshu, BL20 Pishu, BL21 Weishu, BL23 Shenshu) plus BL17 Geshu, three times a week, continue two weeks. After treatment, the spirit is better, speaking more fluently, stiff tongue body and construction almost relieved. Two sets of the same acupoints had been alternatively, 3 times a week.
Follow-up on May 25, every night patients can sleep eight hours, chest tightness much better, have hungry feeling, abdominal distension relieved. After keeping the same treatment methods for the third month, then all symptoms are basically relieved and then stop treatment.
Follow-up after half a year, no recurrence.
Case 2, Han xx, female, year 40, the date of the first visit to the clinic: April 10, 1979.
Chest and hypochondriac distress and distension, last October patient quarrel with her colleague, after that felt chest stuffy and suffocated, take Soothe Liver Wan no working and getting worse, gastric region and both hypochondriac distensions, back sore and heaviness, hungry not want eating, not easy to falling asleep, cannot lie down, long time standing to terribly upset, tired and weakness, dizziness, constipation, normal urination. slight edema of lower limbs, obesity, tongue coating white greasy yellow centre part, tongue body crimson, pulse deep slippery.
Differentiation: Liver qi stagnation, wood depressed and soil stagnation.
Treatment principle: soothe liver tonify spleen, open chest and regulate qi
Acupuncture prescription: CV13 Shangwan, CV12 Zhongwan, CV10 Xiawan, CV6 Qihai, ST25 Tianshu, PC6 Neiguan, ST36 Zusanli, Treatment once every other day.
Manipulation: reducing method.
Treatment process: after three times treatment, chest stuff and distension still alleviated, chest and hypochondriac region distension, poor sleep,
Prescription 1, Five zangshu plus BL17 Geshu
Prescription 2, Old ten needles: CV13 Shangwan, CV12 Zhongwan, CV10 Xiawan, CV6 Qihai, ST25 Tianshu, PC6 Neiguan, ST36 Zusanli,
Two sets of acupoints alternative using, each group acupoints continue using twice, acupuncture treatment one month, chest and hypochondriac region distension relieved,
Sleep and appetite good, dizziness and upset when tired. Then before prescription plus GV20 Baihui, CV17 Tianzhong, GB20 Fengchi, continue treatment 6 times, all symptoms relieved.
Case 3, Jin xx, female, year 50. The date of the first visit to the clinic: Sept. 14, 1963.
Palpitation and insomnia for half a year. From March, 1963, patient felt anxiety, worked too tired to induce palpitation, shortness of breath, insomnia, memory reducing, once taken TCM medicine not working, recently still dizziness and head distension, food taking reducing, dry stool, normal urination, face colour dull dark, slim body shape. Tongue body pal with tip red, speak sound lower, pulse deep slow.
Differentiation: Overthinking and anxiety, Heart and Spleen damages
Treatment principle: Nourish qi and blood, Tonify heart and calm shen
Acupuncture prescription:
1, HT7 Shenmen, PC6 Neiguan, CV12 Zhongwan, CV6 Qihai, LV13 Zhangmen, ST36 Zusanli, SP6 Sanyinjiao
2, Five zangshu plus BL17 Geshu
Two sets of acupoints alternative using, every three times per week.
Manipulation: Tonify methods
Treatment process: after twelve times acupuncture treatment, insomnia, palpitation, short of breath alleviated, and continue treatment for another month, all symptoms relieved.
Case 4, Li xx, female, year 32. The first date to visit the clinic: Nov. 7,1967.
Insomnia with more dreams three years, with dizziness, headache, palpitation, shortness of breath, easy forgetfulness, worse after tiredness, hand and feet often cold, normal appetite, normal urination and defecation. Dull complexion, slim shape, tongue coating thin white, pulse deep thin.
Differentiation: Heart and Spleen deficiency, Yang qi deficiency
Treatment principle: Nourish Heart and Spleen, Warm Yang and calm shen
Acupuncture prescription
1, HT7 Shenmen, PC6 Neiguan, GV20 Baihui, GV24 Shentin, CV12 Zhongwan, CV6 Qihai, ST36 Zusanli, SP6 Sanyinjiao, CV4 Guanyan
2, Five zangshu plus BL17 Geshu, GB20 Fengchi
Two sets of acupoints alternative treatment once every other day.
Manipulation: Tonify methods
Treatment process: after six times acupuncture treatment, all symptoms getting better, then continue six times treatment, all symptoms keep improving. Then continue four times acupuncture, all symptoms alleviated and stop treatment. Follow-up another two months, all things good.
Case 5, Liu xx, female, year 30,
Patient felt neck tightness, throat block for several months. Both hands contractures that cannot be stretched, emotional stress increases finger contractures, taken WM unaffected. Normal sleeping and diet, normal urination and defecation. Tongue coating thin white, pulse thin wiry.
Differentiation: Liver depressed and qi stagnation, tendons lose nourishment.
Treatment principle: soothe the liver and relieve depression, nourishing and moisturise the tendons
Acupuncture prescription: CV22 Tiantu, CV17 Shanzhong, PC6 Neiguan, LI4 Hegu, LV3 Taichong,
Manipulation: Reducing methods
Treatment process: after five times acupuncture treatment, chest distension, neck tightness, throat block already alleviates, the fingers still felt tight, and also plus SJ3 Zhongzhu, continue treatment five times, all symptoms relieved and cured.
Note: Chinese Medicine called depression, because of uneasy mood, qi depressed stagnation, main manifestation: Depressed mood, restlessness, hypochondriac pain,
Or easily angry, delighted and crying, and throat hardness blocked (plum qi), insomnia etc. Various symptoms. Depression means stagnation and being blocked up. Depression induces other sick syndromes.
《Danxi Xingfa six stagnation》said: “if the qi and blood of human beings harmonise, diseases do not come, once qi constraint, all disease and syndromes happened, so all sickness of human bodies come from stagnation ”. If human emotional imbalance, it makes qi mechanisms disharmony, then qi disorders induced blood disorders, qi and blood disorders, and lots of manifestations. Ancient age “six stagnations”, means qi stagnation, blood stagnation, phlegm stagnation, dampness stagnation, heat stagnation and food stagnation etc. The first sickness of all diseases is qi disorder, qi stagnation, then blood, heat, phlegm, dampness, food stagnation.
Wang LeTing TCM doctor treated the disease using experience “Old ten needles”, “Old shi needles”.
Case1, Liver depressed and qi stagnation, disharmony between spleen and stomach.
Treatment liver soothes and alleviates depression, nourishes spleen and harmonious stomach. Prescription using “Old shi needles” plus CV23 Lianquan by reducing manipulation. Because the patient is speaking not fluently, slurred speech with stiff tongue, plus CV23 LianQuan is good for tongue body, and both manifestation and root. Acupuncture treatment six times, speaking become fluent, stiff tongue getting better and the rest symptoms moderate, keep using five zangshu points plus BL17 Geshu, total treated two courses of treatment, all symptoms alleviated.
Case 2, because liver qi unsmooths, wood depressed and soil stagnation.
Treatment as soothe liver tonify spleen, open chest regulates qi.
Prescription using “old ten needles”, after three times of acupuncture treatment, symptoms improved, and added five zangshu plus BL17 Geshu, after one course of treatment, all symptoms alleviated. Only felt tired, upset, so the previous prescription plus GV20 Baihui, CV17 Shanzhong, GB20 Fengchi clear head and eye, open chest regulated qi. Continue six times treatment, all symptoms alleviated.
Case 3, Overthinking and tired, Heart and Spleen deficiency.
Treatment is to tonify qi and blood, nourish heart and calm shen. Prescription using “old shi needles” plus five zangshu plus BL17 Geshu, HT7 Shenmen, Sp6 Sanyinjiao for nourishing heart and calm down shen. After two courses of treatment, all symptoms were relieved.
Case 4, because of heart and spleen deficiency, Yang qi deficiency, treatment for tonify heart heart and spleen, warm yang calms down shen, still using “old ten needles” prescription, five zangshu points plus BL17 Geshu, add using HT7 Shenmen, SP6 Sanyinjiao, to nourish heart and calm down shen, GV20 Baihui, GV24 Shentin, GB20 Fengchi to nourish brain wake Shen, moxa CV4 Guanyuan to warm kidney and helping yang. After one course of acupuncture treatment, all symptom reducing, continue another four times treatment to stop, after half a year to follow-up to get cured.
Case 5, neck tight and throat seem blocked and finger contractures make fingers unable to stretch etc main manifestation, the symptoms liver depressed and qi stagnation, qi magnesium disorder, tendons loss nourish. Treatment soothes the liver and relieves stagnation, regulates qi, nourish and moisten tendons. Prescription CV22 Tiantu, CV17 Shanzhong, PC6 Neiguan, LI4 Hegu, LV3 Taichong. From prescription, LI4 Hegu, LV3 Taichong open four gates, CV17 Shanzhong, PC6 Neiguan open chest soothe qi, CV22 Tiantu regulate qi and reverse qi down, symptoms alleviated after five times acupunctures, because of the fingers often tight feeling, plus above acupuncture plus SJ3 Zhongzhu, to make active Luo meridian and soothe tendons, all symptoms relieved.
These 5 cases of depression of this group, except the 5th case, the 1st-4th cases are “old ten needles”, “old shi needles”, or five zangshu plus BL17 Geshu for main prescription, single using or alternative using, or before and after continuing, focus on regulation for whole body function, regulation liver and spleen as centre, enough to illustrate Wang LeTing doctor who has lots of experience and he was able to take above experienced prescription much flexible and unique.