Patient 24: Update &Treatment 5

See Treatments 1 & 2 for this patient given in my blogs of 19 & 25 Feb

Even though this patient reported some very big improvements from the first two treatments, she said that the pain in her wrist and the trouble with her eyes had recurred after treatment 4, and decided that she wanted to discontinue treatment.  I felt that I had not been given enough time to help her, but understood why she made her decision.  I was therefore rather surprised when she phoned me again last week to say that she was delighted to report that her wrist was virtually pain-free, and that she would like another treatment to build on this improvement.  I was happy to offer this, as I was dissatisfied with treatment ending is this unsatisfactory way, as I always am if I feel that I have somehow not done my best.

I am listing below treatments 3 & 4, and finally today’s treatment:

 Treatment 3:   

1                    Co – St block  .

2                    AEPs of Wood

3                    Li 4 (transfer from Metal to Liver) I could have added GB 37, as I did in treatment 2, but after a few treatments the two sides of an element will feed each other.  In the first few treatments it is good to give each yin and yang official some attention so that neither feels deprived!

Treatment 4:  This was the treatment when the patient reported that the symptoms had recurred and she had decided to discontinue treatment.

1                    SI – Bl block again

2                    Li 14 (Gate of Hope)

3                    GB 41, Li 1 (spring seasonal treatment)

I was very glad that I had been able to fit in her seasonal treatment before she stopped treatment.

Treatment 5 (today):

1                    TH-GB block (TH 22, GB 1)

2                    GB 20

3                    Liv 4, Lu 9 (transfer from a strong Earth through Metal to Wood)  I chose this treatment because it involved inserting a carrier needle into Lu 9 at the wrist, and I felt this would encourage energy to flow over the wrist.

She looked very pink and glowing as she left, and was delighted with the treatment.  

This is one of those happy cases with a somewhat unexpected result.  I had

assumed up till now that treatment had not helped, and was delighted to find that it

had.  On looking back at her notes, I realised that the seasonal treatment had

obviously done the trick, but that Wood’s natural impatience to get out there and get

going had prevented her from persisting with treatment.  Her specialist had told her

that the pain was related to the pisiform bone, over and through which the SI

pathways passes, and this problem in the SI may well have had led to the need for

clearing a SI-Bl block several times.

She said that her eyes were still very runny, but perhaps the TH-GB block I needled

today will help them, too.  She will come back in the autumn for a follow-up

treatment, and she is happy to do that.

You could say that her Wood element could not “see the wood for the trees”.  For an element which is all to do with vision, it is surprising how often it cannot see what is right there in front of it.  

I felt very happy at the end of this treatment, for it is an outcome such as this which

makes my work worthwhile, and confirms for me the power and efficacy of very

simple treatments directed straight at an element.

Patient 29: Treatment 6 & 7 (Wood)

Patient:  Male, age 25

Element:  Wood

Number of prior treatments: Five  (see blogs of 15.5.11, 19.5.11,  27.5.11 &  23. 6. 11 for previous treatments) ,

Treatment 6

Observation of patient at the start of treatment 6:   

“I felt positive after the last treatment.”  I felt his eyes looked better and less clouded over.

Treatment given:

I decided to do some points on the Gall Bladder around the eye and head, to reinforce the good energy passing through the eye:

1                    GB 2 

2                    GB 14     

3                    SI – Bl block (again):  I noticed that there was a build-up of fluid on the corner of the eye, and he told me that he had had rather runny eyes all week.  It is unusual to need to re-do entry/exit blocks on several occasions close together, but I think the fact that I have found this block again confirms that there is some trouble with his eyes.  It’s always good to clear a block, because I feel that I am letting good energy flow where it is most needed, to the blocked meridian (this time the Bladder).

4                    GB 34, Li 5

At the end of treatment:  My relationship with the patient is getting warmer and easier each time we meet.

Proposals for next treatment:  Re-check SI – Bl block, just in case I have not cleared it. 

Treatment 7 (one week later)

Observation of patient at the start of treatment 7:  
He walked into the practice room much less heavily, and seemed generally happier.  His eyes had not been so runny until the last 24 hours.

Treatment given:

1                    SI-Bl block again, SI 19 – Bl 1 

2                    GB 3 - strengthening around the eye again

3                    GV 12 Body Pillar:  I felt he could benefit from this point, which I see as straightening the back.  He sits rather slumped over.

4                    Bl 42 Spiritual Soul Gate – to strengthen his spirit.  The point is at the level of the AEP of the GB, and therefore I see this as having a direct relationship with the Wood element.

5                    GB 39, a centre of energy, according to my point book, Liv 3

At the end of treatment:  He closed his eyes after the treatment, and looked as if he could fall asleep.  He was pleased to be offered the chance of just lying quietly on the couch for a further 10 minutes.    

Proposals for next treatment:    GB 25 or Bl 39

Patient 29: Treatment 4 & 5 (Wood)

Patient:  Male, age 25

Element:  Wood

Number of prior treatments: Three  (see blogs of 15.5.11, 19.5.11 &  27.5.11 for Treatments 1, 2 & 3)

Treatment 4

Observation of patient at the start of treatment 4:   

He appeared extremely depressed and despairing as he had just come from a visit to the specialist which had left him feeling hopeless as there was no further treatment they could offer him.  He has to continue reducing the level of his steroid medication because of the likelihood of harmful side-effects.  Reduction in the steroid dosage in the past had led to a further deterioration of his sight, and he is extremely frightened that this will happen again.

Diagnosis:  Husband/Wife imbalance, made just by looking at the patient, and then confirmed from the pulses.  This is basically the Heart giving up, in this case quite an understandable reaction to his visit to the consultant.

Treatment given:

1                    Clearance of Husband/Wife imbalance (Bl 67, Ki 7, Ki 3, Liv 4, SI 4, Ht 7)

The H/W had cleared after needling Bl 67, Ki 7 according to the pulses, but I still completed all the points.  I find it often clears once the threatened disconnection between Metal and Water has been removed by re-establishing the flow from the right-hand pulses through from Metal to the left-hand pulses on to Water, and therefore to the Heart.  The patient looked much less desperate after the H/W had cleared.

2                    Liv 14 (Gate of Hope – for obvious reasons for its spirit)

3                    Liv 4 (transfer from Metal to Wood), GB 37 (transfer through from Liv to GB to help both sides of Wood)

You will notice that I needled Liv 4 twice, and some people have queried if this is alright to do.  In reply, I always tell them an anecdote from when I was a student.  We were treating a patient with a H/W imbalance, whose element was Fire (SI – Inner Fire), and needled the usual sequence as described above.  JR Worsley was supervising the treatment and said, “Now do the source points of the CF (i.e., SI 4, Ht 7).”  I asked him, “But isn’t that repeating the same treatment?”, to which he replied, “You are using the points for two quite different reasons, the first time to clear the H/W imbalance, the second to strengthen the CF (guardian element), and put it back in control at the end of treatment.”

This was when I realised for the first time how our intention dictates the effect of a point.  If somebody is using a point to have an effect at a physical level, then that is what its effect is limited to.  If another practitioner uses the same point, but with the intention of helping the spirit in some way, then the point will have an effect at this deeper level.

At the end of treatment:  The patient went away with a lighter step, and again looked much more relaxed as he left.

Proposals for next treatment:  Re-check H/W, just in case I have not cleared it.  Add something to strengthen his spirit, such as CV 14.

Treatment 5 (one week later)

    

Observation of patient at the start of treatment 5:  
I was relieved to see that he no longer had the look of desperation that he had had the week before.  In his own words, “I did feel much better straightaway last week.  As I walked out of the practice room I had a light feeling in my chest here (he put his hand over CV 14, the level of the Heart as he said this).  I felt much happier all week.”  He said he was not experiencing the usual fear that the reduction in his medication usually caused, and the sight in his eye had not so far been affected.

Treatment given:

1                    Re-checked for H/W on pulses – no H/W as my observation of him had already confirmed for me.

2                    GV 14 (Great Hammer)  - Important to strengthen the GV line, the backbone of a person both physically and spiritually, and particularly its importance in maintaining good energy flowing to the head, and thus helping the eyes through strengthening the Gall Bladder pathway.

3                    GB 20 Wind Pond – For much the same reason as GV 14.

4                    Liv 6 (described as a Centre of Energy)

5                    GB 42

At the end of treatment:  I noticed that the patient’s feet and legs had a better colour, and were markedly less cold than when he first came.  His skin looks healthier all round.  Again he left quite jauntily, walking briskly, and very happy to return next week, as though he himself is beginning to realise that the treatment is helping him.

Proposals for next treatment:  Continue to strengthen his spirit, possibly with CV 14 or an Outer Bladder point, like Bl 37 or Bl 39 (42 or 44).

Patient 29: Treatment 3 (Wood)

Patient:  Male, age 25

Element:  Wood

Number of prior treatments: Two  (see blogs of 15.5.11 & 19.5.11 for Treatments 1 & 2)

Feedback after treatment 2:  He felt that treatment was making him “feel better”, and was happy to continue coming.  The relationship between us is definitely warmer.

Treatment given:

1                    AEPs of Wood (Bl 18, 19)

2                    GB 37 Bright and Clear, VIII 5 Insect Ditch.  I chose these not because they are junction points but because I felt that to see things brightly and clearly was exactly what he needed.  They are also command points, and I wanted to stay at the command point level to complete the treatment.

At the end of treatment:  I noticed during treatment that he closed his eyes quite a lot, as if they were tired, which they must inevitably be if he is straining to see all the time.  I suggested that he should take time during the day to rest his eyes by closing them, placing his palms over them, so that no light is allowed in, resting his hands on a surface like a table to make sure that his arms don’t get tired, and sitting like that quietly for up to 10 minutes.  This is a way of helping the eyes which I learnt from the Bates method, and is extremely restful for tired, strained eyes.  I also suggested that it was important that he gave himself time during the day to sit quietly in this way, rather than trying to cover up at work how much his sight has deteriorated.  Again, the more we allow our body to heal itself, the better this is.   

He looked much more relaxed as he left, with a better colour and brighter eyes.

Time of next treatment:  In one week.    

Proposals for next treatment:  Liv 14, Gate of Hope, or Bl 38 (43). These are points I suggested last week for this treatment, but I decided instead to use the AEPs.  It is interesting why we decide on a point or points rather than others.  There is no particular reason why AEPs were a better selection today rather than Liv 14 or Bl 43, just that I preferred them.  A lot of our point selection is done because we like the thought of a particular point.  Unless there are clear indications for a specific treatment, such as H/W or entry/exit blocks, it is usually difficult to pin down exactly why we choose one point over another.  As I have often said, the choice of individual points, and the order we do them in, is nowhere near as important as ensuring that the points are on the right element!

Patient 29: Treatment 2 (Wood) (see blog of 15.5.11 for Treatment 1)

Patient:  Male, age 25

Element:  Wood

Number of prior treatments: One

Feedback after treatment 1:  His partner remarked that he “looked better”.  He himself said that he had noticed he felt generally lighter and a bit more optimistic.  I thought his face looked less flushed, and his eyes looked clearer.

  

Treatment given:

1                    SI – Bl block (SI 19 – Bl 1)

2                    Co – St block (Co 20, St 1)

I was already on the look-out for these two blocks, since it was likely that there must have been some severe blocking of energy around the eye to cause the nerve damage.

3                    CV 14  For his spirit – to relieve some of the oppression he feels.

4                    GB 41, Li 1  His spring seasonal treatment.  The best of the year for a Wood patient (even better if we could do it in the middle of the night in Wood’s horary time!)

At the end of treatment:   For the first time I felt he was beginning to relate more easily to me, and I learnt more about his plans for the future, as if he dared think forward a little more.

Time of next treatment:  In one week.    

Proposals for next treatment:  Liv 14, Gate of Hope, or Bl 38 (43) which, as I heard JR Worsley saying once, “goes to every cell in the body” (being at the level of the AEP of the HP, it is related to the body’s blood supply and distribution).  It is a marvellous point for absolutely everybody because of this, since the quality of our blood supply underlies all our efforts to restore balance.

Patient 29: Treatment (Wood)

Patient:  Male, age 48

Element:  Wood

Number of years coming for treatment:  New patient – treatment 1

Number of prior treatments: None

Reason for treatment:  Losing sight in right eye as a result of optical neuritis for the past 4 years.  Only possible Western medical treatment is high doses of steroids, which are temporarily slightly effective in holding back the nerve damage, but are becomingly increasingly less effective.  Because of the dangerous side-effects he has to keep on reducing the dose, and has to wait for a time before re-starting.  Has been told that the condition is irreversible, and is very worried because the left eye is now starting to be affected.  The steroid use has led to a great increase in weight which he cannot lose despite strenuous efforts.

  

Treatment given:

1                    No AE.  I always find it interesting that there can be no AE, as here, when there is every reason to think that the officials might be under stress, and a lot of AE in patients who come with very mild symptoms.  There is no way of telling whether AE is there just from the pulses or from the severity of imbalance.  Pulses can appear to be very erratic and yet there is no AE.

2                    CV/GV (Ren Mai/Du Mai) block:  CV 1, CV 24, GV1, GV 28.  To be expected, particularly after the attack on the whole body/spirit caused by the high doses of steroids.  His pulses were completely empty.  Normally I would wait a few treatments to see if treatment on the patient’s element will bring up the energy, but in this acute case, with almost daily deterioration, I decided not to wait.  There was an immediate change after CV 1, his colour changed, he looked less desperate, and had a generally slightly healthier look, a difficult but subtle change to observe.

3                    GB 40, Liv 3

4                    TH 22, GB 1 (TH-GB block) – very likely to be there because of the build-up of stress around the eyes.

5                    Liv 14 – Lu 1 (Li-Lu block)

6                    Ki 24 (Spirit Burial Ground).  I felt that the great stress placed by his condition upon his spirit required this.

7                    Repeat of GB 40, Liv 3 (left side only) to complete the treatment at the command point level.

This represents a heavier first treatment than I would normally give, but it was warranted by the severity of the condition and the patient's state of mind.

At the end of treatment:   Much improved colour.  Where he had been a very flushed red, often an imbalance in Wood people, as a result of the weakness of Wood (the mother) affecting the child (Fire), he now had a markedly less flushed colour, with a slightly muddy green showing itself more clearly.  The smell had changed to a slightly healthier smell.  Altogether, he looked very different from how he had been before treatment.  He held himself more upright, walked with more confidence, and looked more optimistic.

Time of next treatment:  In 5 days.   He will have to come for frequent treatments, at no longer than weekly intervals for at least 6-8 treatments, probably longer. 

Proposals for next treatment:   Watch for other Entry/Exit blocks, particularly around the eyes (Co-St, and/or SI-Bl).  Something for his spirit, such as CV 8, finishing with spring seasonal treatment (GB 41, Liv 1).  It is a little late for the full effect of the onset of spring in the Wood element in nature to feed his Wood element, but there is still enough of that fresh Wood energy out there to draw upon.  A seasonal treatment is always the best treatment of the year, so I am squeezing it in to help him.

Patient 24: Treatment 2

See the first treatment for this patient given in the blog of 19 Feb

My notes to patient’s second treatment:

Her element:  I can at the moment see no other element than Wood, because of the emotion, the colour and the voice.  In view of the changes that have occurred as a result of treatment 1, I feel increasingly confident that I am probably treating the right element, but need a few more treatments for this to be confirmed.

Changes since treatment 1:

Changes the patient herself noticed:

Had dry eyes when going into the cold for the first two days after treatment, then runny eyes started again.  She was amazed at the change.  Her right wrist “felt as light as a feather” for the day after the treatment.  A little less pain.

Changes I noticed:

Eyelids no longer red-rimmed.  Better colour on her face.  Brighter look generally.

Treatment given:   

1                    Re-checked the Akabanes, this time on both hands and feet.  Corrected the following imbalances:  SI and Ht, both still with excess energy on the right, imbalance corrected on Ht, but still a little there on SI.  Ki, excess energy on the right, imbalance corrected.

2                    SI-Bl block again (SI 19, Bl 1).  Immediate change of colour

3                    Bl 38 (43)

4                    Li 4, GB 37 (transfer from Lu to Li, and then from Li to GB)

Time of next treatment (third):  Next week

Proposals for next treatment:

Check whether any other entry/exit blocks have occurred.  AEPs or CV (RM) 8? 

Patient 24: Treatment (?Wood)

Patient:           Female, age 45

Element:         ?Wood

Number of years coming for treatment:  New patient:  first treatment

Number of prior treatments:  N/A

Initial problems today:   Very painful osteoarthritis in the right wrist, centred around the pisiform bone.  Been to numerous specialists.  Recently surgery has been suggested, which she is refusing.  Runny eyes, particularly when goes out into the cold, to the extent that the tears pour down her cheeks.  Very embarrassing socially.  Eyes very red-rimmed.   Buzzing in ears.  Toes on both feet are cold, and she often cannot feel any sensation in them. The greatest trauma in her life is her relationship with one son who refuses to see her any more.

Treatment given:   

1                    AE drain, slight AE on HP and Ht.

2                    SI – Bl block, Si 19 – Bl 1.  Redness around eyes immediately improved.  Her colour changed, and her skin became pinker. 

3                    GB 40, Liv 3

4                    Test for Akabane imbalance (because of the very marked symptom on one wrist only):  very great discrepancy between the left and right side on SI (20/4 passes), Ht (15/6), TH 12/5) and HP (14/7).  This indicated that there was excess energy on the right side in all four officials, with severe depletion on the left. This may go some way to explain the pain around the pisiform bone.  I needled the junction points of all four officials on the left side to draw the energy across to the left, and also needled the source points on the left on those officials where there still remained an imbalance.  Still some discrepancy remained after this treatment, so will re-check again next time.  I concentrated so hard on doing this correction, that I forgot to check the Akabanes on the 6 foot meridians, so will have to do that next time!  (For how to carry out this very important Akabane test, see my Handbook which describes the procedure in detail).

5                    GB 40, Liv 3 again to complete the treatment on the Wood element

At the end of treatment:    Colour changed to a healthier colour after the block was cleared.  She looked much happier, and walked out of the room with a little more firmness in her step. All pulses had improved, particularly after the SI/Bl block was cleared.

Time of next treatment:  Next week

Proposals for next treatment:   Re-check all Akabanes.  Check whether SI – Bl

block is still there, as her runny eyes have been with her for years, and blocks may

take time to clear. Then Bl 38 (43), followed by source points or transfer into Wood.

Since there is rarely more energy in Water (mother) than Wood (child), it is unusual

to be able to use tonification points.  Instead, we often use a transfer of energy from

Grandmother to Grandchild, Liv 4, which takes from Metal to Water. The treatment

can be completed by then needling GB 37, the junction point, to draw energy from Liv

to GB.  It is good to do this in the initial stages of treatment, but GB 37 can be

omitted once treatment is under way, since yin and yang will share energy

between them.  At the start of treatment it is good to address both yin and yang

officials, to “give each of them a bit of love”, as JR told us.

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. 

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.

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.