| Author |
Message |
    
T.Z.
| | Posted on Monday, November 03, 2003 - 10:59: | |
HI I came across your site and ordered your book. I will look forward to reading it.
I am an acupuncturist in the USA (Pennsylvania), and would like to ask your help with a patient.
This is a 55 YO female patient with TMJ since '88. She had a craniotomy with no relief in the pain. she had numerous root canals and subsequently lost all those teeth. She has also had acupuncture before, with no help. I began acupuncture now for 3 weeks. There has been some improvment, but she seems to go back to the initial pain level of 9.
the pain starts in Du 26 area traverses across the upper lip to ST 7 and Si 19. At times it goes up to the temple, and down to the neck which has not done so since I started treatments.
Her tongue is dry with a crack in the middle and little to no coating. Her pulse is very weak in the cun position, strong in the middle postition at the mid and superficial areas and deep and weak in the Chi region.
I have tried numerous point combinations including ear acupuncture. She seems to feel that the ear acupucnture helps. My only concern is that there is very little progress, and I would like to see if there is anything I am missing with respect to point combinations or treatments.
I use distal points as well as local points.
Any help woudl be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely
T.Z Lac Cac
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Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Monday, November 03, 2003 - 11:03: | |
It seems to me that you're doing right basically but your needling technique might not be adequate. It is difficult for me to judge without watching you operate. Such cases as TMJ need a straight forward treatment because it is basically a local problem. Tongue and pulse, or other systemic diagnostic means may indicate the patient's general health but not necessarily provide a workable approach for this specific problem.
I would recommend using Li-4 distally combined with St-7 through to St-6 (long needle with strong stimulation. Also Gb-2 with very deep needling until the Qi radiates deep inside the ear. next use Du-15, 1.5-2 cun deep (I hope you have an experience doing that) with a somewhat downward direction. leave the needles 45 min. in place. As a supplement tonify K. and St. Yin.
Hope this helps.
If you have further questions or anything, I'll be obliged if you post them through the forum.
Kind regards.
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Gillbar
| | Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 19:14: | |
hello,
i have been touring your site, and enjoyed it very much. thank you! I especially enjoyed your take on Self-treatment.
i suffer from stress in the left TMJ, it tends to get locked and crack-noise making. i wondered if there's a Tzubo point or points you recommend on for self pressing, in order to deal with it directly.
If you're accustomed to answer such questions over the web, i will very much appreciate your response.
All the best,
Gillbar
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Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 19:20: | |
Hello Gill. You may try the points suggested above for T.Z. I would also suggest that you use the Chopsticks Acupuncture technique for this problem, if you wish to be able to treat yourself. It is second best to acupuncture and may well relieve your suffering.
Take the link here to read more about it:
http://www.trafford.com/robots/02-1326.html
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TZ
Username: Ted
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 15, 2004 - 15:34: | |
Well The above patient has been coming to me for over 17 tretments. There was a decline in her pain level before Christmas. She stopped treatments due to financial obligations over the holidays. Her pain level has gone up after the holidays, and I have since seen her again for aprox 9 treatments, unfortunatly I can not bring the pain down anymore. I have tried many different needleling procedures in hopes to aleviate her pain. Is this common, is this a patient I will not be able to help? I am starting to second guess my ability to help. Or is this a patient that I must say... with your history, acupuncture has taken you as far as it will go.
She keeps an open mind, but tells me that there is no change in her pain level.
Thanks
TZ |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Thursday, July 15, 2004 - 19:26: | |
Hi Ted. There are cases that even very good acupuncture can't help, and this is a fact. Yet, cases that you are unable to relieve today may respond to your technique in several years from now, after you have gained more experience. This is valid for me as much as for you. All of this, doesn't mean trhat you have exhausted all the possible options. Have you tried electro-acupuncture, for instance ? TMJ pain responds very good to electro-acupuncture. If you haven't so far, do that and I hope we'll hear some good news. Cheers, Shmuel. |
TZ
Username: Ted
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 16, 2004 - 14:05: | |
Well I tried electroacupuncture a while back and the patient said it did not help her, unfortunatly it seemed to her that it made her worse for a while after that.
TZ |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Friday, July 16, 2004 - 20:05: | |
This too, Ted, has many various ways of application. You may attach the wires to various points in the prescription and you may choose various sets of electrical stimulations in terms of frequency, intensity and more. Sometimes a specific frequency may not work properly for a given condition while another frequency can make quite a difference. The same principle applies to a chosen set of points that you attach to the wires.
If the case is not such that correlates with excessive heat pathogen and aversion to heat stimulation, moxa on the needle (warming moxibustion) may be of great value. You only need some experience in placing the moxa wool wrapped around the needle handle.
Experimentation and initiative based on true reading of the energetical condition involved may eventually mark the breakthrough. When this happens... wow, what a feeling it gives  |
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TMJ treatment