Those suffering from Heat Painful Obstruction Syndrome should obviously not eat too much of
the hot or warm-energy foods such as game, lamb, beef, alcohol, garlic, ginger and spices.
Irrespective of the type of Painful Obstruction Syndrome, patients should also avoid eating sour
foods which upset the Liver and increase pain. Examples of sour foods are yoghurt, vinegar,
oranges, grapefruit, gooseberries, pickles and rhubarb.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be used to prevent re-occurrence of Painful Obstruction Syndrome once it has
been successfully cured. The main guiding rule is to tonify Blood according to the principle that
"in order to extinguish Wind one must nourish Blood". In old people it may also be necessary to
nourish Yin. If a patient has been treated for Bone Painful Obstruction Syndrome, it is also
necessary to use points that tonify Qi and resolve Phlegm (as the bone deformities seen in Bone
Painful Obstruction Syndrome are a manifestation of Phlegm).
Apart from these general principles, one can add certain points to prevent Painful Obstruction
Syndrome according to its location. The points are treated with 5 direct moxa cones in
summertime. They are:
- Upper limbs: L.I.-11 Quchi.
- Lower limbs: ST-36 Zusanli.
- Upper back: BL-43 Gaohuangshu.
- Lower back: BL-23 Shenshu.
Lower backache and sciatica can be discussed together as they share similar aetiology, pathology
and treatment. Of all the musculo-skeletal complaints, backache is the most common. The
statistics regarding back pain are staggering. It is estimated that at least 50% of people in
Western industralized countries will suffer from back pain at some time of their life. In the UK,
approximately one million patients consult their GP for back pain each year.1(472) Several
million working days are lost each year because of back pain. Chinese medicine, and in