damp. The irritability derives from Heat and putting on weight was due
to Dampness. The red "pimples" on the tongue indicate Dampness.Treatment principle The principle adopted was to clear Heat and resolve Dampness from the
Middle Burner.
Acupuncture The acupuncture points chosen were simply aimed at tonifying the
Spleen on the one hand (Ren-12 Zhongwan, ST-36 Zusanli and BL-20
Pishu, reinforced) and at resolving Damp-Heat on the other hand (SP-9
Yinlingquan, SP-6 Sanyinjiao and L.I.-11 Quchi, reduced).
Herbal treatment The use of three courses of Lian Po Yin Coptis-Magnolia Decoction
without any variations and four acupuncture treatments produced a
complete recovery.
Case History 12.8
Tiredness: Damp-Heat-Female, Age 42
A 42-year-old woman complained of chronic fatigue for the previous 4 years. The symptoms had
appeared after contracting influenza 4 years earlier; she still felt tired, her muscles ached and she
had a feeling of heaviness. On interrogation, it emerged that she felt thirsty, irritable and had a
feeling of heat in the evening. Her pulse was Rapid (92), slightly Slippery but Fine. Her tongue
was Red, peeled in patches and with a thick coating elsewhere (Plate 12.4(350)).
Diagnosis These manifestations clearly point to retention of Damp-Heat mostly in
the muscles, evidenced by the feeling of heaviness and ache. The pulse
and tongue are also consistent with Damp-Heat. The Heat part of
Damp-Heat obviously caused also a deficiency of Yin manifesting with
thirst, irritability and feeling of heat. Her tongue clearly shows the two
conditions of Damp-Heat with a sticky coating and Yin deficiency
through a lack of coating in places.
Treatment principle The treatment principle adopted was to resolve Damp-Heat primarily
and nourish Yin secondarily.
Acupuncture The acupuncture treatment was aimed at resolving Damp-Heat and
tonifying the Spleen. The points used were:
ST-36 Zusanli, SP-6 Sanyinjiao, Ren-12 Zhongwan and BL-20 Pishu
(reinforced) to tonify the Spleen and nourish Stomach-Yin.SP-9 Yinlingquan and L.I.-11 Quchi (even method) to resolve
Damp-Heat.Herbal treatment The herbal decoction Lian Po Yin Coptis-Magnolia Decoction was used
with excellent results.