Notes for the following treatments:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Abbreviations used: CV/GV = Ren/Du, HP (Heart Protector) = Pericardium (P), Aggressive Energy (AE).
All points needled using tonification technique except for certain recognised protocols, such as AE drain.
Moxa cones applied before treatment except where contraindicated.
Number of cones and needle depth taken from JR Worsley's Point Reference Guide.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Patient 15: Treatment (Water)

Patient:  Male, age 52

Element:  Water

Number of years coming for treatment:  2 years

Last treatment given:  1 year ago


Problems today:  Recurrence of irritable bowel syndrome, and minor flaring of psoriasis in the scalp.  Less worried about his family troubles (one son was in trouble at school, but now appears to be settling down better).


Treatment given:

1                    Co – St block (Co 20 – St 1)
2                    Bl 38 (43)
3                    Bl 66, Ki 10 (winter seasonal)


At the end of treatment:  His darkish blue-black colour had lightened, his face looks rounder and less drawn. 

Time of next treatment:  We both felt that he had left it a bit too long since the last treatment.  Appointment therefore made for beginning of February, but will cancel if he feels very good in himself.

Proposals for next treatments:   Ki 16, AEPs or Ki 25



Note on Water:  I like to think that I can see two different kinds of Water colours, one a darkish-bluish-black, which I see as being more related to the dark, yin side of Water, therefore the Kidney, and a lightish, translucent kind of colour which seems to reflect all the colours, and which I relate to Bladder, the more mobile, less static, more yang of the two Water officials. 

Patient 14: Treatment (Earth)


Patient:  Male, age 65

Element:  Earth

Number of years coming for treatment:  15 years

Number of prior treatments: At least 4 a year


Problems today: Is concerned about how the troubles in the economy will affect his business, which is to do with renting out shop space.  Has recently moved, after a year or two deciding where to move to, but this seems to have gone well.  He is happier where he is now, and particularly happy because his wife is enjoying being nearer her family now.  No particular physical problems today.  "Just do the usual", he says.  Always talks a great deal, in a kind of an unending rush until he is treated, when he can suddenly fall silent as the Earth element has sufficient good energy to digest his thoughts and swallow.


Treatment given:

1                    St 25, Sp 15 (I see these as providing balance around the centre)
2                    Sp – Ht block discovered after the above (Sp 21 – Ht 1)
3                    St 41, Sp 2 (tonification points)


At the end of treatment:  Much less talking, better yellow colour, seemed more at ease 

Time of next treatment:  Appointment made for end-February to get him through the winter

Proposals for next treatments:   AEPs, CV 12 or GV 12

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Patient 13: Treatment (Fire) (Inner Fire)

Patient:  Female, age 40

Element:  Fire (Inner Fire)

Number of years coming for treatment:  2 months

Number of prior treatments: 4

Problems today: Is feeling so much better since starting treatment, and wants to keep her balance as she moves out of London to a new home and a new job.

Treatment given:

1                    AEPs (Bl 27, Bl 15)
2                    SI 7, Ht 5

At the end of treatment:  Smiled more. 

Time of next treatment:  Whenever she returns to London.

Proposals for next treatments:   GV 12, SI 14, SI 15, Windows of the Sky (SI 16, SI 17)

Patient 12: Treatment (Fire)(Outer Fire)

Patient:  Female, age 63

Element:  Fire (Outer Fire)

Number of years coming for treatment:  6

Number of prior treatments: Comes very infrequently now.  Last time 18 months ago.

Problems today: “I just feel out of kilter.”  She is not sleeping well.  Is worried about two of her three children who are finding it difficult finding a job after university.  Has bloated feeling in stomach, and, unusually for her, is constipated.


Treatment given:

1                    Co-St block, Co 20, St 1
2                    CV 12
3                    Th 4, HP 7


At the end of treatment:  She said she felt much better as soon as I had needled the block.  Pinker colour.  Looked less strained

Time of next treatment:  Whenever she feels she needs an appointment.

Proposals for next treatment:   AEPs?

Monday, November 22, 2010

Patient 11: Treatment (Metal)

Patient:  Male, age 50

Element:  Metal

Number of years coming for treatment: 10

Number of prior treatments: Comes two or three times a year

Problems today:  Has come for his autumn seasonal treatment.  It is slightly late for this, I think, but he does not think it is yet winter.  I always ask patients what season they think we are in, as there is a wide discrepancy in people’s judgement of this.   It is important to do a seasonal treatment in the season in which the patient thinks he/she is, as that reflects his/her relationship to the element concerned.

Apart from this, he is trying to work his way forward in his job, and is worried financially.  


Treatment given:

1                    Co-St block, Co 20, St 1
2                    Bl 37 (42) (of special relevance for the Metal element since it is at the level of the AEP of the Lung)
3                    Co 1, Lu 8 (Autumn seasonal treatment)


At the end of treatment:  His colour looked less muddy white, and had changed to a clearer colour.  He seemed much easier in himself, and said that he felt good “as I always do after treatment”.  More animated.

Time of next treatment:  I told him he should not leave it as long as he had this time (this had been 6 months), so he will ring for treatment in March/April. 

Proposals for next treatment:   Windows of the Sky (Co 16, Lu 3), Lu 1?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Patient 10: Treatment (Fire)(Outer Fire)`


Patient:  Female, age 35

Element:  Fire (Outer Fire)

Number of years coming for treatment: 14

Number of prior treatments: Comes every 2 months or so for treatment

Original problems:  These are so far in the past, and have changed so much over the years, that treatment is now mostly directed at keeping her in balance.  She has made many life-changing moves over the past three years, such as accepting promotion in her job, moving to a small house of her own and daring to confront her mother.  What she most needs now is support whilst undergoing these changes.

Change since start of treatment:  Over the years I have seen her develop much more self-confidence, particularly in relation to a very stressed relationship with her mother.

Problems today:  Has had various complicated family problems to deal with, which did not overwhelm her, as they may have done in the past, but have wobbled her.
 
Treatment given:

1                    Windows of the Sky (TH 16, HP 2)
2                    HP 7, TH 4
3                    TH 3, HP 9 (tonification points, Wood to Fire)

At the end of treatment:  Her colour had changed to a better pink, she seemed more relaxed, and talked more quietly.

Time of next treatment:  She knows exactly when she needs a treatment, and will phone for the next one, probably in the New Year.

Proposals for next treatment:   AEPs?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Patient 9: Treatment (Wood)

Patient:  Female, age 29

Element:  Wood

Number of years coming for treatment:  2

Number of prior treatments: 9, last treatment in spring

Original problems:  Lack of focus in her work, problems with periods, often misses out a month or two.

Change since start of treatment:  Work is going very smoothly now, and she really enjoys it.  Periods still a problem.  She hasn’t had a period since June. 

Problems today:  Just wants her “autumn seasonal treatment”, she tells me.  She and her partner are thinking of trying for a family soon, and the problem with her periods worries her.  Feeling rather stiff in knees and ankles, and a sore neck for the past two days.  I thought carefully about whether I would find a CV/GV (Ren Mai/Du Mai) block, which is a likely cause for interrupted menstruation.
 
Treatment given:

1                    I could not feel any block on the pulses, therefore needled: AEPs (back shu) of Wood
2                    GB 20 (she liked the feel of this point, because it helped relax her tight neck muscles)
3                    CV (Ren Mai) 5:  She had a slightly colder Lower Jiao and very cold hands, and this is one of the alarm points of the Three Heater.  I think this will bring energy to the Lower Heater, and help towards re-activating her periods.
4                    GB 34, Li 4:  GB 34 is at the knee, and will undoubtedly help her stiff knees by giving energy to the Gall Bladder pathway.  Li 4 transfer energy from GB to Li, and is also an ankle point, to help the stiffness in her ankles.

At the end of treatment:  She said she felt a little less stiff, and I thought her colour was healthier.   

Time of next treatment:  She wanted to know whether she should come more frequently in the New Year to help conception.  I will see her in January, and then assess how often I need to see her.  If her periods are still so irregular, I will do the  CV/GV (Ren Mai/Du Mai) block.  It never hurts to do a block, even if we are not sure if one is there.  We should never rely only on our pulse-taking sensitivity if there is some reason why a block could be indicated, as here.

Proposals for next treatment:   CV/GV block, watch for other blocks.  Will be coming back from another long trip abroad, and this may affect her general health. 

Friday, November 5, 2010

Patient 8: Treatment (Water)

Patient:  Female, age 39

Element:  Water

Number of years coming for treatment: 1

Number of prior treatments: 10, last treatment 6 weeks ago

Original problems:  Very bloated stomach, bad period pains, lack of direction in life, uneasy relationship with extended family.  Parents both with new partners, and she now has to deal with a complex relationship to different step-brethren.  No partner of her own at the moment.  

Change since start of treatment:  Much more at ease with her family, able to develop better relationships outside the family, too.  Physical symptoms have all improved, and she no longer mentions them.

Problems today:  Nothing in particular.  She just likes to have regular treatments to maintain her balance.  She had been pleased to note how she seems to be detaching herself more from her family, rather than anxiously keeping in touch with all of them, as she did in the past.  She thinks she is ready for a new relationship now, but doesn’t feel in a particular hurry about it.

Treatment given:

1                    Ki 27 Store House:  I see this as a point which reaches down into the store of reserves housed in the Water element.  This patient needs to maintain this store so as not to drain herself.
2                    Bl 58 Fly and Scatter, followed by Ki 4.  I think she is still what could be described as somewhat “scatty”, with a tendency to lose her focus.  That’s why I chose Bl 58.  Ki 4 is the junction (luo) point, drawing Bladder energy to the Kidney to complete the treatment.

At the end of treatment:  She looked at peace and quieter.  I feel happy about her.

Time of next treatment:  Appointment made for early January to give her her winter seasonal treatment (if possible in horary time).

Proposals for next treatment:  Bl 66, Ki 10 (Water points on the Water element – winter treatment).

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Patient 7: Treatment (Metal)

Patient: Male, age 35

Element:  Metal

Number of years coming for treatment: 4

Number of prior treatments: Comes for treatment about 5-6 times a year.

Main problem today:   Nothing in particular.  Just coming for his autumn seasonal treatment.

Treatment given:

1    Bl 37 (42) Soul Door:  this point is at the level of the AEP (back shu) point of the Lung, and I see this as giving it a special relationship to Metal. 
2    Co 1, Lu 8:  Metal element points within Metal, autumn seasonal treatment (the best treatment of the year for Metal patients). This point would be even better at Metal's horary time in the early morning as well as in autumn, but for practical reasons that is not possible.

At the end of treatment:  His eyes looked brighter, and his colour looked better.

Time of next treatment:  Whenever he feels that he needs it.  Like many Metal people, he is very aware of the level of his own energy, and when in balance will know exactly when a treatment is needed.

Proposals for next treatment:  AEPs (back shu) of Metal, Lu 10 (according to JR “the most spiritual point in the body”), or Windows of the Sky.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Patient 6: Treatment (Wood)

Patient: Female, age 49

Element:  Wood 

Number of years coming for treatment: 5

Number of prior treatments: Comes very infrequently now, and always waits a little too long.  This may be for financial reasons, although she knows I offer her a good reduced rate for her treatments.

Main problem today:   Had bad asthmatic attack a few weeks ago, still finding breathing difficult.  Antibiotics had not helped very much.  Still very worried about her weight, as she is very overweight.  Ankles very swollen, even though she is on diuretics to help. 

Treatment given:  No moxa on any points because of high BP
Co 20, St 1 (Co-Lu block)
Liv 14 Gate of Hope
Liv 4 (transfer from Metal), GB 37 (transfer into Gall Bladder from Liver)  

At the end of treatment:  Breathing cleared immediately after block treated.  She said she could breathe more easily.  Colour had changed, a better green.

Time of next treatment:  If breathing becomes difficult again, will phone for an appointment within a month.  I emphasized the need for a spring treatment, which she forgot this year.

Proposals for next treatment:  Watch for other blocks, particularly Liv-Lu,  AEPs (back shu) of Wood.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Patient 5: Treatment (Earth)

Patient: Female, age 50

Element:  Earth 

Number of years coming for treatment: 10

Number of prior treatments: Comes three or four times a year

Main problem today:   Nothing really.  Just wants a top-up and to feel good for an acting job she will be doing in a few weeks.  She is a bit worried about her weight, which is still more than it should be, although it is staying steady at the moment.  Would like to lose a few pounds, but can’t seem to shift weight, even though eats carefully.  Looked well.  Very strong sweet, rather sickly smell.

Treatment given:
1                     CV 12 (no moxa as has slightly too high BP)
2                     Sp 20 (I love the name of this point, Encircling Glory, and I always feel it is like enfolding a patient in Spleen’s arms)
3                     St 40, Sp 4

At the end of treatment:  As usual, better yellow colour, smell slightly less improved.  She looked happy as she left.
 
Time of next treatment:  Will phone for an appointment again in January.

Proposals for next treatment:  Perhaps AEPs (back shu points), St 9 (Window of the ky) might also be good as a way of helping her see forward into the New Year.


Friday, October 15, 2010

Patient 4: Treatment 2 (Metal)

Patient: Male, age 43

Element:  Metal   

Number of years coming for treatment: 8

Time of last treatment: 3 days ago

Main problem today: (See Patient 4, Treatment 1, for details).  Right eye now slightly more open, can feel right cheek a little more.  Mouth did not look so distorted, but speech still difficult.  Slightly healthier look altogether, I felt.  Less desperate   

Treatment given:
1                     SI/Bl E/E block found again, SI 19, Bl 1 needled.
Decided not to do a CV point for the spirit as suggested at end of last treatment because his spirit looked stronger.
2                     Bl 38 (43) with 7 moxas
3                     Co 18 (to help energy rising towards cheek), and because it is a Window of the Sky (and might therefore help open his drooping
4                     Co 11, Lu 9 with 3 moxas (tonification points – from mother (Earth) to child (Metal).

At the end of treatment:  Slightly better look to face.  Could smile a little without distorting the face as much as before.  Last time he had needed to lubricate his right eye every few minutes, because its dryness irritated him.  I noticed that no longer asked me to bring him his eye drops as he had before.  This probably means that clearing the E/E blocks has allowed greater natural lubrication of the eyes. 

Time of next treatment:  In one week  

Proposal for next treatment:   AEPs of Co and Lu (back shu points), or GV 12 (to shoulder the weight of what he is going through), Lu 10 (which I always remember JR saying was the most spiritual point on the body).




  

Patient 4: Treatment 1 (Metal)

Patient: Male, age 43

Element:  Metal   

Number of years coming for treatment: 9

Number of prior treatments: Nothing for the past 3 years

Main problem today:  Emergency treatment needed.  Had had surgery to correct a problem in the right inner ear which had been very traumatic.  Had a very bad reaction to the anaesthetic, an infection developed, the whole right side of the face had become numb and without feeling.  He could not move it, so that his face pulled to the left whenever he opened his mouth.  His right eye could not close or blink, his left eye blinked constantly to try and clear the feeling in the right eye.  His speech had become very difficult, as his mouth was distorted as he spoke.  He was told that he appeared to have developed something like Bell’s Palsy.  No further Western medical treatment proposed.  Was told “it should clear with time”.

Treatment given:
1                     AE drain, a little on Heart.
2                     Severe entry/exit block between SI and Bl:  the pulses on SI and Ht were very hard and strong and those on Bl and Ki very weak, SI 19, Bl 1 needled.
3                     Also block between Co and St:  Co 20, St 1 needled.
4                     Co 4, Lu 9 with 3 moxas to finish with.

At the end of treatment:  Not much change noted.

Time of next treatment:  3 days later

Proposals for next treatment:  Watch out for the same entry/exit blocks, Bl 38 (43) to make up for blood loss during surgery, something on CV, such as CV 14, as his spirit is understandably very low.


Saturday, October 9, 2010

Patient 3: Treatment 1 (Wood)

Patient: Female, age 62

Element: Wood

Number of years coming for treatment: 14

Number of prior treatments: At least 4 each year

Main problem today: Can’t focus on one thing at a time. Needs to get her flat cleared and cleaned for a visitor, but finds herself instead putting up a picture on the wall. Worried about whether she will be able to continue her freelance work. Hair loss a continued problem.

Time of last treatment: 5 months ago

Treatment given:

1 Bl 38 (43) I have always remembered that JR Worsley said that this point brings energy to every cell in the body (and therefore, I believe, will help hair growth). I used 7 moxas for this treatment, but this is a point which can be used over several treatments with more moxas each time to revitalise the blood if this is needed. It is therefore excellent for patients undergoing chemo- or radiotherapy. For these patients I increase the number of moxa cones as follows: 7 in first treatment, then 14 the next treatment, then 21, 28, 35, 42 and I finish on 49. You can then re-start again from 7. This is a rare case in five element acupuncture of using the same point treatment after treatment. Treatment can be given as frequently as every 3-4 days if a patient is in the middle of chemo- or radiotherapy.

2 GV 12 Body Pillar: She looked as though her emotional backbone was crumbling, and I think this will help her stand emotionally more upright.

3 GB 40 and Li 3 (source points on Wood)

At the end of treatment: As she left, she said: “I do feel much better” in a surprised voice.

Time of next treatment: I told her to phone me for a treatment in winter. She always needs to be told exactly when to come, leaving the decision to me.

Proposal for next treatment: GB 20 Wind Pond: I have found my Wood patients love this point. I think it must help them turn their heads with more flexibility and “see” better, giving them some of the vision to look forward that they crave.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Patient 2: Treatment 1 (Fire - Inner Fire)

Patient: Female, age 27

Element: Fire (Inner Fire) (Small Intestine)

Number of years coming for treatment: 4

Number of prior treatments: 36

Original main complaint: Lack of direction in life, need to sort out a complex relationship.

Time of last treatment: 3 months ago

What has changed since last treatment: Much surer about where her work is going, looking forward to new challenges in her job rather than being apprehensive about them, happy to have completely cut off from previous boyfriend.

Treatment given:
1 SI 19/Bl 1 (entry/exit block found between SI and Bl – pulses of SI and Ht very strong, those of Bl and Ki very weak). This block is very common on Inner Fire, for obvious reasons. The sorting official can become overloaded, causing energy to dam up at SI 19, and weakening the vision we all need which is provided by the first point on the Bladder, Eyes Bright. Re-opening the passage way between the two officials by needling these points has a remarkable effect on Inner Fire’s capacity to sort out the troubles of the world.
2 SI 4, Ht 5: Source point of SI, plus the lovely point, Ht 5, Penetrating Inside, which I see as taking good SI energy deep down inside to the Heart.

At the end of treatment: Colour changed after block was cleared, she said her head felt clearer.

Time of next treatment: She will phone me if she feels she needs another treatment before Christmas.

Proposal for next treatment: Windows of the sky on SI (SI 16, Heavenly Widow. or SI 17, Heavenly Appearance). I like to think of SI 17 as being a little bit stronger than SI 16, as I feel it must gather up some of the energy from SI 16 as the official moves up from the side of the neck to the jaw. I therefore start by doing SI 16, and then later on in treatment move to SI 17.

Patient 1: Treatment 1 (Fire - Inner Fire?)

Treatment 30 Sept 2010

Patient: Female, aged 42 (to be called Patient 1)

Element: Fire (Outer Fire) (initial diagnosis only – to be confirmed or changed as treatment progresses)

Number of prior treatments: None. This was the first treatment by me after she was passed on to me by another practitioner, who had been treating her for 15 treatments with no success.

Main complaint: Panic attacks, depression, painful shoulder and hips, bad sleep.
A history of under-achievement, usually apparently self-induced: failing exams by not working in last year, even though she sailed through the first two years at university, giving up on being a tennis player just as she was about to make the county team as a teenager. The really deep-lying problems lay, as they always do, in early childhood, because her mother had alcohol-problems and her father disappeared. She has never married and is in an on-off relationship with a married man.

Treatment given:
The physical examination was done during the initial Traditional Diagnosis (TD) the week before: BP (normal), Centre Pulse (in the centre), Akabane tests (any that were out were corrected).
1 Checked for Possession: Not found
2 Aggressive Energy (AE) drain: AE found on HP (P) and H. Drain took 1 hour.
3 Checked for Husband-Wife (H/W) imbalance (which I had thought might be there, because of the great imbalance between left and right pulses and her desperation): Not found
4 Source points of Fire (Outer Fire): TH 4, HP (P) 7 (tonification without moxibustion)

At the end of treatment:
She looked calmer, and less agitated after treatment. But only time and more treatment will tell if she is Fire, and, if so, which side of Fire, Inner (SI and H) or Outer, TH and HP).

Things to look out for next time:
1 Re-check for the possible presence of H/W imbalance, which can appear once the AE drain has helped the patient’s mask to drop.
2 Check for the appearance of any Entry/Exit blocks (to be checked at each treatment, as they can appear at any point, a good sign that good energy is trying to push its way through the meridian system, and causing a slight overload at some point).

Suggestions for next treatment:
1 CV (RM) 8 (no needling, but 3 moxa cones on salt) – a balancing,
reinforcing point for the spirit on CV.
2 Source or tonification points (i.e., from Wood (mother) - Fire (child),
TH 3, HP 9 with 3 moxa cones, or transfer from another element to Fire, depending on pulse picture found.