Parkinson’s Disease, Trigeminal neuralgia, Epilepsy, Depression

Parkinson’s Disease 帕金森, Trigeminal neuralgia三叉神经痛,
Epilepsy癫痫, Depression 忧郁症

Parkinson’s Disease 帕金森病

Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder that initially causes tremor in one hand, stiffness or slowing of movement.  It usually affects people older than 60 years old.  It left untreated it can last several years or may be lifelong. Patients with parkinsonism have a reduced life expectancy compared to matched controls. Early signs of Parkinson’s disease may be mild. Symptoms often begin on one side of the body and usually get worse on the same side.  Signs and symptoms may include tremors, trembling of hands, arms, legs, slowness of movement.  Most Parkinson’s cases have trembling. Lately we have a patient aged 65 who does not have any trembling but could not walk steadily. His voice is very soft, and he is not able to raise his voice.  He wife said that he can walk around the house, but when he goes out, he needs to use the wheelchair as he cannot not walk far.

 My uncle was a western doctor and was a very successful GP.  His clinic was always packed with patients waiting to see him. When I was young, if I fell sick, my father would bring me to see him. 

Unfortunately, when he was about 75 years old, he had very severe Parkinson’s. I did not see him for many years. One day I happened to meet him, I was shocked to see that his whole body was trembling. He was a western doctor himself and obviously he could not treat himself.

We have patients who came to see us, some had mild Parkinson while others had severe Parkinson’s:

Almost every Parkinson’s patient took western medicine. The following are some cases:

-- A woman aged 72 had severe Parkinson’s Disease. When she was accompanied by her daughter, we could see that both her legs were trembling, her hands were also trembling but were milder. She told us that she felt very tired in the afternoon as her legs trembled non-stop.  She took western medicine, but her condition did not seem to improve, so she wanted to try TCM. 

-- A man aged 78, had Parkinson’s, but his condition was mild, his hands trembled and sometimes his legs also trembled. Although he had Parkinson’s, he still could play golf. His friend recommended him to come to see us. He conditions had improved a lot after acupuncture and some TCM medication.

-- A man aged 63, had mild Parkinson’s.  His right hand trembled when he held his chopsticks.  He also took western medicine to control his Parkinson. At the same time, he wanted to seek TCM to help control his condition. He faithfully came for acupuncture treatment for nine years. He is a businessman, he travels a lot and whenever he is in Singapore, he would visit our clinic for acupuncture.   He found that if he skipped acupuncture treatment for several weeks, his hand tends to tremble more.  He said if he was  excited or watched horror show, his hand would tremble more. Over the nine years, he persisted in coming for acupuncture treatments.  The treatment was a success, and his right hand does not tremble anymore, but he still comes for maintenance. He is 72 years old now.

-- A man aged 75, had mild Parkinson’s.  Whenever he wanted to walk, his legs would not cooperate with him, and he would stagger a bit before starting to walk. He too came for acupuncture and medication. After a few years, he slowly recovered and could walk normally.

Through our clinical experience, those with milder condition can get well with TCM treatments, they can prevent further deteriorations. We would say Parkinson require long time treatment.

 

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Trigeminal neuralgia三叉神经痛

Trigeminal neuralgia mostly affects only one side of a person’s face. When it occurs, the pain can be very acute. Mostly Trigeminal neuralgia affects the elderly.

We had cases where patients said they wanted to knock their face into the wall when Trigeminal neuralgia occurred.

Trigeminal neuralgia三叉神经痛 symptoms are:

-- Episodes of severe, shooting or jabbing pain that may feel like an electric shock.

-- Spontaneous attacks of pain or attacks triggered by touching the face, chewing, speaking, or brushing teeth.

-- Attacks of pain lasting from a few seconds to several minutes.

 

Picture taken from health.harvard.edu

 

Causes of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia usually occurs spontaneously but is sometimes associated with facial trauma.

The condition may be caused by a blood vessel pressing against the trigeminal nerve, also known as vascular compression.

Patients suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia are keen to have acupuncture treatments as they find that after several treatments, their pain becomes milder, and the frequency is lessened. Many of them are not keen to take pain killers as painkillers have side effects if they are taken too often.

A man aged 68 visited our TCM clinic and complained that he suffered Trigeminal Neuralgia after a fall.

A female patient said she did not know why she had Trigeminal Neuralgia, although she complained of being highly stressed out. However, she found that acupuncture and TCM medicine eased her pain. Patients come to us for these reasons.

A man aged 69, said he has Trigeminal Neuralgia三叉神经痛 on his right face. Very often he would get sharp pains on his right face suddenly. This went on for three years. He said that he dared not open his mouth too wide. Often, sudden pain could be triggered when he brushed his teeth, washed his face, or was chewing his food. When the pain comes, he would close his eyes, hold his fists tight to bear with the pain. However, it usually lasted a few seconds to a few minutes. Sometimes, the attacks would occur several times a day.

It is advisable to take more soft food that is rich in protein such as:

milk with beaten eggs牛奶冲蛋花,

milk with Lotus root powder 牛奶冲藕粉;

Vatimin B1、B2、B12, cucumber, watermelon, papaya, apples and grapes.

More vegetables, fish, bean curd fruits and less meat.

 

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Epilepsy 癫痫

Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behaviour, sensations and sometimes loss of awareness.

The symptoms are temporary confusion, stiff muscles, uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs, loss of consciousness or awareness, a staring spell, Psychological symptoms such as fear, anxiety

Some people's seizures are brought on by certain situations. These situations or triggers can differ from person to person, but common triggers include tiredness and lack of sleep, stress, hot weather, and not taking medication.

The cause of Epilepsy can be due to a stroke, a brain tumour, a severe head injury, a lack of oxygen during birth, drug abuse, a brain infection.

Here are the cases of Epilepsy in our clinic:

A mother came with her daughter who was only  aged 13.  The mother said her daughter recently had episodes of seizures. She was worried that if the seizures happened too frequent it might affect her brain. So, on a friend’s recommendation they came.  The first she came, she was all normal, then she asked to go to the toilet, she mother accompanied her.  On her way back, she suddenly felt giddy lack of strength while the mother was holding her.  Quickly, the mother asked for help, saying that likely she was going to have a seizure. With the help from our staff, she was guided to a bed where she immediately had uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs. She was unconscious for a moment. The mother was shaking her body trying to wake her up.  Our physician immediately pressed her 人中穴，soon woke up but did not what just happen. After that we did acupuncture for her.  She had several sessions of acupuncture and also took some TCM medicine, and everything went on well. Her mother told us that the seizure happened less frequent and was happy that the acupuncture sessions were helpful. 

We told her daughter not to be too stressful. She had just finished her PSLE examination. It could be the PSLE examination causes some stress on her.  We told the mother, whenever she has seizure, no need to shake her body, just press on the 人中穴.

        Picture taken fromxuewei.iiyun.com

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is also effective in treating epilepsy.  Through TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment, we use medicine and acupuncture to balance of “yin and yang”.   TCM treatment is to clear heat and detoxify, cool blood and activate blood, expel wind and remove dampness, replenish qi and nourish “yin”, enhance the body's immunity, and gradually bring the  patient's body to a healthy stage.

Traditional Chinese medicines for epilepsy are天麻,琥珀,羚羊角,麝香,柴胡,桂枝,石菖蒲,青阳参,白僵蚕,钩藤,羊痫草,珍珠母,铁胆粉,龙戟草,甘草等. These traditional Chinese medicines can strengthen the body and dispel pathogens, soothe the nerves, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, dispel dampness and dissolve phlegm. They have good curative effects. These herbs can fundamentally regulate function of body organs, alleviate epilepsy. The TCM herbs can effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier to reach its core tissue, thereby inhibiting the abnormal discharge of brain tissue cells, repairing damaged brain nerve cells, and thus controlling epilepsy.

Chinese medicine treatment of epilepsy is a long-term slow healing process, and patients need to persevere and have patience. They should also abstain from spicy and cooling stuff, must have enough sleep, go to bed early and get up early, exercise more, and avoid stressful situations.

中医治疗癫痫也是比较有效果的, 通过中医的辩证论治,能够协调机体的阴阳, 达到阴阳平衡。中医治疗以清热解毒、凉血活血、祛风除湿、益气养阴、增强机体的免疫力,使病人的身体逐渐康复。

我们中药来治疗癫痫病，多采用天麻,琥珀,羚羊角,麝香,柴胡,桂枝,石菖蒲,白僵蚕,钩藤,羊痫草,珍珠母,铁胆粉,龙戟草,甘草等草药来治疗。 这些中药可以祛湿化痰, 活血化瘀, 安神镇静, 扶正祛邪 , 疗效是比较好的。利用这些药材提高脏腑的功能, 缓解改善癫痫病。通过辩证论治使药物可以有效地透过血脑的屏障, 到达其核心组织, 进而抑制住脑组织细胞的异常放电, 修复受损的脑神经细胞, 从而控制癫痫的发作。

中医治疗癫痫病是一个长期慢慢调理的过程,患者需要坚持, 不要放弃。平时也要注意饮食习惯,  不要熬夜,  早睡早起,避免吃一些辛辣寒凉的食物, 多运动锻炼, 提高自身的抵抗力和免疫力。通过中医治疗，可以起到很好控制癫痫的发作，缓解改善癫痫病。

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Depression 忧郁症

Most of us feel sad, lonely, or depressed at times. It's a normal reaction to life's struggles, or injured self-esteem. But when these feelings become overwhelming, cause physical symptoms, and last for long periods of time, they can keep you from leading a normal, active life.

Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:
Feeling sad or having a depressed mood；
Pessimism worthlessness and hopelessness；
Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions；
Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or sleeping too much；
Restlessness, Crankiness or irritability；
Loss of energy or increased fatigue；
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed；
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much；
Overeating, or appetite loss；
Aches, pains, headaches, or cramps that won't go away；
Digestive problems that don't get better, even with treatment；
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings；
Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts。

We have a number of patients suffering from depression. There are cases where they also had health problem.  Some of them lose their self-esteem. Some of them did not raise their head to look at us. They feel sad and depressed.  Some of them did not even want to come to see us, sort of given up in life. Some of them will cry in front of us. Some parents told us that their child wanted to commit suicide.

However, depression should not be ignored. They can be treated. For those who have illnesses must first address their health issues. When their sickness is resolved, their depression will soon disappear.

One of my patients who is a university student had eczema for 6 years.  Since then, he always wore long sleeves and long pants to cover his dried skin.  He did not play footballs he once enjoyed.  He had no girlfriend. He also said that he wanted to commit suicide. Although he had very bad skin condition, he managed to pass all his exams in the university.  When his eczema was very bad, he skipped one semester. However, he still managed to graduate.  After his graduation, he could not find jobs for two years as his eczema was on his whole body. The most obvious part was his fingers, they are broken and oozing with fluid.  When he turned up for interviews, potential employer looked at his fingers, immediately rejected him. He was so depressed that when he came to see us, he always berried his face on our table.  He only raised his head when he had to answer a question.  Eventually, he found a job in a cooking school.

He came to our clinic and was treated for his eczema and his depression.  After 6 months, he eczema recovered, and his depression also disappeared.  TCM adopt acupuncture and medication to treat Depression. They are effective!