Case Histories - Headaches
A 45-year-old woman had been suffering from severe headaches since
the age of 16. These occurred with regularity at mid-cycle and were
of a throbbing character. They occurred over the eyes and were accompanied
by dizziness, blurred vision and nausea. She tried HRT for 18 months
but this only made the headaches worse. She also suffered from back-ache,
tinnitus and night-sweating. Her periods came regularly every 26
days and lasted about 4-5 days; they were not painful and the blood
was not particularly dark. Her urination was frequent and the urine
pale and she suffered from cold feet. Her pulse was very Weak on
both Rear positions and her tongue was Pale and Swollen.
Diagnosis
This is a clear example of headache from Liver-Yang rising: the
throbbing character of the headache, the dizziness, blurred vision,
nausea and location of the headache, all clearly indicate this pattern.
In this case Liver-Yang rising originates from a Kidney deficiency:
although it may seem strange, it was in this case a Kidney-Yang
deficiency. This can happen because, as was pointed out several
times, the Yin and Yang aspects of the Kidneys are not separate
but an indivisible whole; thus when they are deficient, especially
in women over 40, nearly always both Yin and Yang are deficient,
albeit in different degrees. That it is Kidney-Yang deficiency is
clear from the Pale colour of the tongue, the frequent urination
and the chilliness.
Treatment
The treatment principle adopted was to tonify the Kidneys and subdue
Liver Yang. She was treated with acupuncture and patent remedies.
With acupuncture I selected points from the following:-
LU-7 Lieque (on the right) and KI-6
(on the left) to open and regulate the Directing Vessel. I did this
because of the occurrence of the headaches at mid cycle with regularity.-
Ren-4 Guanyuan to nourish the Kidneys
and strengthen the Directing Vessel.-
T.B.-5 Waiguan to subdue Liver-Yang
and treat the headaches.-
ST-36 Zusanli, SP-6
Sanyinjiao and KI-3 Taixi to tonify
the Liver and Kidneys. -
LIV-3 Taichong to subdue Liver-Yang.-
G.B.-20 Fengchi to subdue Liver-Yang.
As a patent remedy, I prescribed the Three Treasures' (or East West
Treasures) Bend Bamboo which nourishes
the Liver and Kidneys and subdues Liver-Yang.
After four treatments, the headaches were reduced in intensity and
did not occur at mid-cycle any longer. When menstrual headaches
lose their relation with the periods, I usually interpret this as
a good sign: it means that the menstrual function is regulated and
the residual headaches, although still occurring because the basic
pattern is still there (in this case Liver-Yang rising), no longer
occur in conjunction with the period. After another 30 treatments
(at 2-week intervals), her headaches all but disappeared. |
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