Floating-Empty rather than Slippery. These two findings are due to the
fact that there is also Spleen-Qi deficiency leading to Phlegm. This is
also confirmed by the expectoration of profuse sputum when she has
bronchitis and her being overweight.Treatment principle The treatment principle adopted was to nourish Lung-Yin, clear Lung
Empty-Heat, tonify Spleen-Qi and resolve Phlegm. This patient was
treated only with acupuncture.
Acupuncture The main points (all with reinforcing method except those to resolve
Phlegm) were selected from the following:
Ren-12 Zhongwan, ST-36 Zusanli and SP-6 Sanyinjiao to tonify the
Spleen and resolve Phlegm. Ren-12 also tonifies the Lungs.LU-9 Taiyuan to nourish Lung-Yin.BL-13 Feishu, BL-43 Gaohuangshu and Du-12 Shenzhu to strengthen
the Lungs. BL-43 is particularly indicated to nourish Lung-Yin in
chronic conditions.LU-10 Yuji, with even method, to clear Lung Empty-Heat and stop
bleeding from the lungs.ST-40 Fenglong, with even method, to resolve Phlegm.The bleeding from the lungs stopped after 6 treatments but she was
treated for over 2 years to strengthen the Lungs and Spleen on a
long-term basis.Blood in the Stools
The darker the blood, the higher the site of bleeding in the alimentary canal. Thus, very dark
blood in the stools may indicate bleeding from the stomach, while fresh-red blood denotes
bleeding from the intestines. The most common conditions to cause blood in the stools are peptic
ulcer, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and carcinoma of the bowel. Any patient over 40 who
regularly presents with blood in the stools should undergo a thorough Western diagnosis to
exclude the possibility of carcinoma of the bowel. Of course, one must also exclude the most
obvious cause of bleeding, i.e. haemorrhoids.
From the Chinese point of view, the colour of the blood is interpreted in terms of the underlying
pattern rather than the site of bleeding. Thus, fresh-red blood or fresh but slightly dark blood
indicates that the bleeding is caused by Blood-Heat. Fresh-red and very profuse blood indicates
Qi deficiency, while very dark blood indicates stasis of Blood.
The patterns discussed are: