Folio Bound VIEWS - Chinese Medicine

Case History 19.4

Constipation: Kidney-Yang Deficiency-Female, Age 61

A 61-year-old woman had been suffering from persistent constipation for many years. She had
only about two bowel movements a week but her stools were not dry. She often felt exhausted
after the bowel movement. Her other symptoms included great weariness and exhaustion, feeling
cold, a lack of will-power and spirit of initiative, backache, dizziness, and tinnitus. Her tongue
was Pale and Swollen and her pulse was Deep and Weak.

Diagnosis This patient suffered from Kidney-Yang deficiency, which was also the
cause of the constipation. The symptoms of Kidney-Yang deficiency are
backache, dizziness, tinnitus, a cold feeling, exhaustion and
Pale-Swollen tongue. Her lack of will-power and initiative was also due
to the deficiency of Kidney-Yang and its mental aspect, the Will-Power
(Zhi).

Treatment principle The treatment principle adopted was to tonify and warm Kidney-Yang
and moisten the Intestines. She was treated with both acupuncture and
herbs.

Acupuncture The main acupuncture points used (with reinforcing method) included:

ST-36 Zusanli, with moxa, to tonify Qi and Yang and move the stools.

Ren-4 Guanyuan and BL-23 Shenshu to tonify Kidney-Yang.

SP-15 Daheng to move the stools.

SP-6 Sanyinjiao and KI-3 Taixi to tonify the Kidneys and move the

stools.

Herbal treatment The herbal prescription used was a variation of Ji Chuan Jian Benefit the
River Decoction:

Dang Gui Radix Angelicae sinensis 9 g

Huai Niu Xi Radix Achyranthis bidentatae 6 g

Rou Cong Rong Herba Cistanchis 6 g

Ze Xie Rhizoma Alismatis orientalis 4.5 g

Zhi Ke Fructus Citri aurantii 3 g

Sheng Ma Rhizoma Cimicifugae 1.5 g

Shu Di Huang Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae praeparata 9 g

Huo Ma Ren Semen Cannabis sativae 6 g

Hu Tao Rou Semen Juglandis regiae 6 g

Zhi Gan Cao Radix Glycyrrhizae uralensis praeparata 3 g

Explanation The first six herbs constitute the original formula which tonifies