A patient came to my office complaining of extreme pain in his abdomen and along the left underside of his ribcage (which, is known as the ‘hypochondriac region’; ‘hypochondrium’ in Greek, means the ‘abdomen’), as well. He reported a loss of appetite and tiredness and was very much close to the point of exhaustion. The patient otherwise felt hale and healthy. He was in his early 60s and for a man his age he slept a lot, ate well, and got plenty of exercise.
His pulse was a little slippery on the left side and soft; on the right side, it was quite weak and also soft. His tongue appeared a bit pale and showed some redness on the tip and sides and was slightly swollen.
The one thing I can think of that may have caused his complaint was the fact that he oftentimes ate out. He may be always ordering foods that are considered healthy at the eating establishments he frequented but still the fact that he did not cook his own food implied that that he did not really know what he was eating on a regular basis. Most of these restaurants cook their foods with lots of oils, spices, and sugar that may not be really good for the body. People who frequent such restaurants can eventually suffer from a condition known as ‘Spleen imbalance’, which can result in Dampness, a blockage of Qi, or even both. Because of what I could sense in my patient’s pulse and the nature of his demeanor, I assumed he was suffering from a small amount of Qi stagnation and Dampness. I suggested a stagnation of Qi which meant his Liver was affected. This suggestion was due to the pain that was only felt in his hypochondriac region and not in any other part of his body. In Chinese medicine, Liver is the organ responsible for the flow of Qi in the body.
The patient just required three treatment sessions, although, I believed that with proper diet, his symptoms probably could have been prevented altogether. I advised that at least, he should start inquiring about the ingredients of the foods her orders at the restaurants he frequented or better yet, start cooking his own food at home. He went with the latter.
I needled a few points on his lower legs besides treating him with acupuncture on his wrists and abdominal region. Then, I prescribed a prescription of a formula known as Hsiang Sha Yang Wei Tang taken for four days, each time he came for a follow up treatment over the next three weeks. Hsiang Sha Yang Wei Tang is widely known in Chinese medicine as an appetite booster, but can be specifically used to treat appetite loss due to some Dampness accumulation combined with a deficiency of Spleen Qi.
After these three treatment sessions, the patient felt much better and as of the writing of this article has not come back complaining of the same illness.
Ivelisse DeJongh is a Miami acupuncturist and the medical director at DeJongh Acupuncture Clinic.
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