Recent Practitioner Member Case Study Submissions

Case studies are provided by our practitioner members and are open to comments by colleagues and the general public. They serve as useful tools to describe various treatment methods as well as to illustrate the process of healing involved with complementary and alternative medicine modalities such as acupuncture and herbal medicine.

If you are a practitioner and would like to submit case studies, please join us as a practitioner member.

dcasinelli's picture

Case Study - Lupus (05/21/12)

~Contributing Member:  dcasinelli

Female, caucasian
38 yrs old.

Main Complaint: infertility
Secondary Complaint: Lupus Erythemotosus
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001471/

Signs and Symptoms:

Shen: dull pale but lively
Pulse: Earth excess, Fire Deficient, Wood Excess and Deficient, Metal slippery, Water Deficient.
Tongue: very thin, patchy moderate white coat, red tip, severely scalloped/ratty

Fire: tongue, occasional palpitations, pulse, midnight insomnia, one recent nightmare, fatigue
Earth: loose stools with dairy, poor energy, intermittent swollen glands, pulse, bi syndrome, fatigue
Metal: history of upper respiratory tract infections, occasional slippery Metal pulse
Water: miscarriages, infertility, hair falls out, history nephritis, ear blocks
Wood: rash with gluten, wakeful: 1-4 am, 12-3 am., occasional stiff neck, pulse.

Bowels; small hard dry “goat stools” except with dairy.
Sleep: Wakeful 12-3/1-4.
h/c: extremities sl. cold
Other; left sided/vertex headaches, GB channel, switches sides; occ. vertigo, mild menstrual symptoms, swollen joints usually on the yangming, also hangnails/on Metal.  Patient is very short, barely 5 feet tall. Average weight.
Ear: marked discoloration at the cardiac orfice.
Abdomen: pain at left GB24, LU1-2, CV17, rt ST 27, 28. Pressing CV2 induces acid reflux. CV8 is damp, lower abd. is tense.
Medications/food; lupus meds, lactaid, betatine hydrochloride, limits gluten,dairy, sugars. Apple cider vinegar bath for rashes.

Headaches, fatigue and insomnia (as opposed to bi syndrome) are the most significant symptoms. The patient has had three miscarriages and one abortion.  The abortion and one of the miscarriages occurred before treatment began. She tends to exhibit a rash after conception.
Feng Mei's picture

Case Study - Neck Pain Case Study (06/02/11)

~Contributing Member:  Feng Mei

Case 1
05/24/2011
Female, 62 years old.
Chief Complaints: Left side headache and neck pain on this morning.
Bp: 125/60, Hr: 68/min.
Today's energy level: 6-7/10.
Pain level: 9/10.
Tongue & coating: red, center cracked, thin, slightly yellow coating, T. M.
Pulse: Left: floating weak, Right: wiry thready.
Diagnosis: Headache & neck pain.
Differentiation of diagnosis: Yin deficiency
ICD-9-CM Code: 784 & 723.1
Acupuncture Points: Sp6, Kd3, 6, Gb 20, 39, Du 14,16. Sj17 (left), Ashi points.
Treatment progress: After 15 minutes acupuncture the patients pain was gone.

 
pahner's picture

Case Study - Urinary Retention after fall/injury (04/05/11)

~Contributing Member:  pahner

 

80 year old male patient presented with Urinary Retention after falling on his knees. Several years before, he had a similar fall and the same issue presented (urinary retention). He was an avid boater and had a very active social life and was basically weakened and disabled by the event.

I also worked with a 80ish year old female who presented with Urinary Retention after a fall in which she fractured her sacrum. Her diagnosis / treatment was same and again the retention rapidly resolved itself.
Feng Mei's picture

Case Study - Neck Pain (03/17/11)

~Contributing Member:  Feng Mei

TCM Case Study of Neck Pain

02/04/2011

First times treatment

Patient female, 78 years old.
Height: 5'4.5", Weight: 158 lbs, Pulse:66/min, Blood Pressure:160/90

Chief complaint: neck pain on left side for 4 months.

Physical exam. and text: neck pain can not turn, special feel pain on left side.

Past medical history: arthritis neck, Hypertension.

Family medical history: Hypertension.

Present medical history:
Heart: High blood pressure, sleep:7-8 hours/daily.

Kidney: ear ringing.

History of pregnancy: 0

Pulse:
Left pulse: weak wiry. Right pulse: thready weak wiry.
Tongue: red, center cracked, teeth mark, slightly white coating.

Diagnosis neck pain

ICD.9.CM codes: 723.1
ninafaye's picture

Case Study - Inherited Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy (03/26/10)

~Contributing Member:  ninafaye

10 year old boy with failing vision.  Best Disease is a rare congenital disorder of the maculae that causes visual deterioration.  It classically presents in childhood and evolves through 6 stages over many years with increasing deterioration in visual acuity.  Usual onset is from 3-15 years with macular atrophy occurring after age 40.  There is no treatment or cure for Best Disease.  Child presented with headaches and vision reduced to 20/100 in the Right eye and 20/80 in the Left eye.
Chad Dupuis's picture

Case Study - Anxiety (02/15/10)

~Contributing Member:  Chad Dupuis

Male patient, 29 years old.  Experiencing night sweats, occasional palpitations and significant anxiety for 4 years.  Life has been stressful recently but nothing out of the ordinary.  Diet is reasonable and patient started limiting caffeine and sugar 6 months ago with noticeable effect.