The patient, a forty-four year old female, had suffered severe headaches
for more than ten years.
for more than ten years.
after she regained consciousness.
The CT scan and then the MRI detected no signs of obvious cerebral
hemorrhage.
When she was in her twenties, she fell and injured her brain again. After
regaining consciousness a day later, she started having severe headaches.
Since her family ran a pharmacy and her husband was a certified TCM
hemorrhage.
When she was in her twenties, she fell and injured her brain again. After
regaining consciousness a day later, she started having severe headaches.
Since her family ran a pharmacy and her husband was a certified TCM
practitioner, she tried various Western medications and TCM treatments,
but to little avail. Acupuncture and moxibustion could reduce her headaches only temporarily,pain relief stopped as soon as the needles left her skin.
Consultations and treatments at major hospitals by various departments
of neurology and neurosurgery could not alleviate her symptoms.
of neurology and neurosurgery could not alleviate her symptoms.
The use of addictive drugs, such as morphine, could moderate her pain for about half a day, but were abandoned for the unbearable side effects
(nausea and vomiting).
Half a year before she came to our hospital, she had given up on seeking
further medical treatments.
Half a year before she came to our hospital, she had given up on seeking
further medical treatments.
Instead, she had started having several injections of nefopam hydrochloride each day to temporarily combat the severity of her headaches.
When no more veins could be found to make injections,artificial blood
vessels were surgically grafted in.
Naturally, by this point, sleep-related problems and depression
accompanied her condition.She had attempted suicide many times. Her husband’s Chinese medicine clinic had to be closed because of her
condition.The effects of her pain were not isolated to her alone, but included her family also.
Sepsis finally sent the patient to the department of infectious disease of our hospital after overly frequent injections turned the artificially grafted blood
Naturally, by this point, sleep-related problems and depression
accompanied her condition.She had attempted suicide many times. Her husband’s Chinese medicine clinic had to be closed because of her
condition.The effects of her pain were not isolated to her alone, but included her family also.
Sepsis finally sent the patient to the department of infectious disease of our hospital after overly frequent injections turned the artificially grafted blood
vessels into a bacteria breeding ground.
However, after the infection was brought under control, fortunately, the
problem of her headaches remained unresolved.
Hence, her attending doctor consulted with the head of the pain
However, after the infection was brought under control, fortunately, the
problem of her headaches remained unresolved.
Hence, her attending doctor consulted with the head of the pain
management department,Dr. Chih-Shung Wong.
When I accompanied Dr. Wong for his consultation with this patient,
When I accompanied Dr. Wong for his consultation with this patient,
I saw a helpless woman, rendered speechless from so much pain,
seemingly seeking only release from her suffering. Who knows how many
other patients suffering from headaches are like her, feeling like they
would be better off dead than alive?
After the cranial CT scan confirmed no pathology, I treated her according
to the treatment principles of CMT.
other patients suffering from headaches are like her, feeling like they
would be better off dead than alive?
After the cranial CT scan confirmed no pathology, I treated her according
to the treatment principles of CMT.
At first there was only slight improvement.However, after four consecutive treatments, the headaches stopped recurring and left only low levels of heaviness.
This patient had never experienced such relief for more than ten years.
This patient had never experienced such relief for more than ten years.
After the completion of the treatment, she left the hospital satisfied and with no need for medications.
There was no recurrence of the pain reported in telephone follow-ups
There was no recurrence of the pain reported in telephone follow-ups
during the next three months, and the patient was considered cured.
Furthermore, her husband was said to be reopening his Chinese medicine
practice because the recurrent headaches had been cured, and the entire
family felt greatly relieved.
Juian Lin, MD
Department of Anesthesiology
Tri-Service General Hospital, Taiwan
family felt greatly relieved.
Juian Lin, MD
Department of Anesthesiology
Tri-Service General Hospital, Taiwan
