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[ Arthritis ]
Arthritis means inflammation of a joint. An inflamed joint is usually red,
swollen, warm, sore and tender. The severity of the inflammation will vary
from mild to very severe. The pain may be temporary or virtually continuous.
According
to
Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, the symptoms of arthritis are soreness,
numbness and heaviness of muscles, bones and joints, patients feel
difficulty when bending and stretching joints, even arthrocele with burning
sensation, which are caused by exopathogens [wind, coldness, heat and
dampness] invading the body and reducing the circulation of Qi and
blood flow.
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Cold type
arthritis
This type is characterized by sharp, stabbing pain in a fixed location
and coldness in the joints. It can also be described as severe
pain in joints of limbs with fixed spot, the pain lessened with heat and
aggravated with cold, joints unable to bend and stretch, without red
color but normal temperature on the painful spot, thin and whitish fur,
tense and wiry pulse.
Treatment: Expelling pathogenic cold from-channels and removing wind and
dampness.
Avoid: cold foods, raw foods, cold weather
elements.
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2. |
Wind type
arthritis
This type of arthritis is characterized by pain that shifts locations,
comes and goes suddenly, and sometimes causes dizziness. It
can also be described as 'wandering'
soreness of limbs and joints, feeling difficult when bending and
stretching, and sometimes aversion to wind, fever, thin and whitish fur,
floating pulse.
Treatment: Dispelling wind, dredging channels and removing dampness.
Avoid: meats,
shellfish, sugar, alcohol, smoking, and all stimulants.
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3. |
Damp type
arthritis
This is characterized by heavy feeling extremities, stiffness, swelling,
dull aching pain that lingers and sluggishness. Most obese people tend
to be damp. It can also be described as soreness
and heaviness of joints at certain spot, heaviness of hands and feet,
difficulty in moving, numbness of muscles, swelling joints, whitish and
greasy fur, soft-floating and moderate pulse.
Treatment:
removing dampness and obstruction in the collaterals, expelling wind and
clearing away coldness.
Avoid cold foods, raw foods and dairy products.
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Heat type
arthritis
This is characterized by red, swollen, painful, hot joints, general
disability, and usually acute onset. It can also be described as having painful
joints, local swelling with burning sensation, untouchable pain
aggravated with heat and lessened with cold, one or several joints
involved, accompanied with fever, aversion to wind, sweating, vexation,
thirst with desire for cold drinks, yellowish and dry fur, slippery and
rapid pulse.
Treatment:
Clearing away heat, expelling wind and dampness, and removing
obstruction in the collaterals.
Avoid spicy foods, alcohol,
smoking, all types of stress, green onions. |
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[ Rheumatism ]
Rheumatism is a general term which includes not only problems with the
joints, but any problem affecting the muscles or soft tissues of the body.
Some of the areas associated with rheumatism include: fibrositis, bursitis,
tendinitis, muscle strain, sprains, lumbago, sciatica, "whiplash" injury and
disc disease. Some types of arthritis and rheumatism can be prevented and
effective treatment is available for all forms of these diseases.
[ Rheumatoid Arthritis ]
There are some types of arthritis, which affect young adults. The most
common type is rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis affects 1% of the
population and is three times more common in women than in men. It usually
first occurs between the ages of 25 and 50. With rheumatoid arthritis,
people are aware of fatigue and weakness, stiffness and aching in and around
the joints together with a general feeling of being unwell. Many young
adults with arthritis continue leading normal lives. This is made easier if
they understand their condition and learn the management techniques that
reduce pain and fatigue and increase mobility. Common Symptoms:
1. Swelling in one
or more joints.
2. Early morning stiffness for more that a few minutes.
3. Recurring pain or tenderness in a
joint, or inability to move it normally.
4. Obvious redness soreness or warmth in a
joint. Unexplained weight loss, fever or weakness combined with joint pain.
[ Sciatia
]
The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body. It arises from the sacral
plexus on either side, passing through the pelvis and down the back of the
thigh. Sciatica is a pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve. There are
two kinds of sciatica, sciatic neuralgia and sciatic neuritis. Sciatic Neuritis is when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed from
metabolic, toxic or infectious disease. Sciatic Neuralgia is what most people experience, either from the
buttocks down the leg to the foot or just the buttocks and thigh. In severe
cases, the pain may be accompanied by numbness or weakness in the affected
area.
The most common cause of sciatica neuralgia is misalignment of the
lumbar spine or a prolapsed intervertebral disk (this is commonly known as a
herniated disk). A herniated disk is a painful disorder of the spine in
which an intervertebral disk ruptures and part of its pulpy core protrudes.
About 95% of herniated disks occur in the low back.
[ Hypertropic arthritis ]
In this
disease process there is generally no inflammation and no spreading or
migratory type of joint involvement. Rather than a loss of calcium, there is
a calcium build-up. An example of this is the so-called Heberden's nodes - a
swelling and build-up of calcium about the base of the terminal phalanges of
both hands. In osteoarthritis, there are calcific spurs and there is
deformity of the joints, but never ankylosis and rarely if ever, the ulnar
deviation of the fingers such as is found in atrophic arthritis.
[ Gout ]
Gout is a metabolic disorder which results in raised
blood levels of uric acid and the formation of crystals of uric acid salts
in the joints. Uric acid is a natural element which results from the normal
break down of food and the building up of body tissues. The clinical
presentation of gout includes frequent attacks of arthritis, joint
deformities, kidney damage and urinary stones.
From a TCM viewpoint, the clinical features of gout, such
as frequent attacks of swelling, redness, heat and pain in the joints, and
improper movement of limbs, place gout in the category of "bi-syndrome." The
ancient TCM classic Suwen (The Book of Plain Questions)
states that "bi-syndrome is due to a combined attack of wind, cold and
dampness evils." Attacks on the meridians in the superficial areas of the
body such as the feet and hands by wind, cold and dampness evils lead to
stagnation of vital energy (qi) and blood circulation. It is an obstructive
disorder.
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[ Treatment ]
External treatment
1.
not available
Internal treatment
Long-lasting
arthritis will also result in deficiency of Qi and blood as well as
insufficiency of the function of liver and kidney, the following formulas
may be used to eliminate the
pathogenic factor and to support healthy energy, which is a method of combining
reinforcement and elimination. That is, simultaneously using methods of
expelling wind, coldness or heat and removing dampness together with methods of
invigorating Qi and blood and nourishing the liver and kidney.
1. Heat type rheumatism -
Du huo qi shen pian or
Kang gu zeng
zheng pian
2. Joint pain caused by heat, dampness or cold -
Joint
pain relieving tablets
3. Hypertropic arthritis or hyperosteogeny -
Kang gu zeng
zheng pian
4. For neck and shoulder aches, see this
link.
5. For Gout, please see this
link.
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