FCIM Clinic

Success Stories

Acute Liver Chi Stagnation

The patient is a 64 year old female being treated for the past month for severe, debilitating back pain and pulmonary fibrosis. During the course of treatment she experienced a release of emotions relating to a trauma that she experienced as a child. Effects of this release were both physical and emotional, a reflection of the somatic and nonsomatic aspects of the principle of the Three Treasures, with fits of hysterical sobbing, nausea, and with the addition this past week of constant diarrhea and excruciating intestinal cramping her chief complaint for this visit. During an advance review of the case, dr. isali ben-jacob, Supervising Physician, determined the best approach to be an emphasis on her emotional clinical condition. The intent was to calm her shen with the use of Homotoxicological internal medicine preceeding any further, complementary treatment. The medicines to be administered were Ignatia Homaccord, Nuero-Injeel, and Tonico. Ignatia Homaccord is a nuerodermal impregnation phase remedy for the treatment of globus hystericus, or heart blood deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is also used as a nerve tonic and is indicated for pulmonary conditions such as asthma and emphysema. Neuro-Injeel is a phase remedy of the impregnation phase attending to psychosomatic disorders by promoting the linkage between the mental terrain and the body with stimulation of the immune system by specific remedies within the composition. This parallels the Traditional Chinese Medicine intention to support the Zheng Chi and guide its reflection in a particular manner. It is indicated for disturbances of depression where Nor-epinephrine levels are imbalanced. Tonico, a composition intended to respond to conditions of constitutional deficiency, provides tonifying support for all regulatory reactions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine this formula may be viewed to support the inter-relationship between the Liver and Spleen organ systems, and their internal pathways, which ultimately lead to the brain. The intake led Kate Canfield, Primary Intern, to affirm a diagnosis of shen disturbance with underlying Spleen and Lung disharmony. The plan of treatment was to calm Shen, support the Protective Chi, open the Lung system, resolve the phlegm, and relieve pain using Lung 1, ST 40, and ion pumping cords on the confluent points (SI3+, UB 62-). dr. ben-jacob administered the homotoxicological remedies from Heel preceding the acupuncture with the intention that they should attenuate the plan of treatment during the office visit. The acupuncture was applied and the patient made comfortable. Within three minutes, she fearfully stated &she felt as though she were having an allergic reaction to something and she felt her throat closing. Ms. Canfield immediately found the Supervising Physician and explained the situation. On his way to the treatment room dr. ben-jacob processed a rapid academic assessment surrounding a series of questions: whether any of the Remedies, individually or commonly, be causative of an affect on the throat? Whether the patient may be taking any other medicines, which, in combination with what had been given, may be causative of the closure of the throat? Whether the patient may be experiencing anaphylactic shock? With a negative answer to the first three questions and a mental list of remedies on hand that would be responsive to an anaphylactic clinical expression, dr. ben-jacob entered the treatment room with a figurative blank page and only the basic requisite for any physician, of maintaining the perspective of an unprejudiced observer. The treatment team assessed the patient for physical signs and symptoms that would identify a pathology. dr. ben-jacob felt the pulses and began talking to her with the intention of keeping her present and focused. They noted the patient was reflecting a shortened breath and apparent restriction to the upper chest area. She had extreme pallor and grayish complexion, a thready pulse with a rate in the low sixties, a consistent acceptable temperature of her extremities, no excessive straining of respiration apparent in the chest region, and no perspiration. The visual gaze was distant and unfocused. The issue of a shock condition loomed and appeared to be rapidly coursing toward that conclusion. Through a series of questions requiring the patients response we affirmed her state of consciousness, and the avoidance of shock. She recognized her surroundings and was able to express what she was physically experiencing as a tightening in her throat and a sense of panic. As Anaphylactic Shock is a histamine reaction with an inflammatory manifestation, the issue for differentiation is whether there is an inflammatory condition or merely a spasm of the tissue. We noted no clinical signs or symptoms associated in a material way with Anaphylactic Shock, nor any other exogenously motivated reaction and concluded that this was an extreme case of Liver Chi Stagnation with a plum pit expression. The Liver is the master regulator of the volume of chi and blood and is responsible for the free flow of Chi. The Liver manifests through the tendons and opens to the eyes. Its internal path courses upward from its pertaining organ through the diaphram, spreading throughout the intracostal region. It continues to ascend along the posterior aspect of the throat, through the nasopharynx to the eye, and converges at the vertex of the head. It enters the brain then descends to the face to encircle the lips. The mental aspect of this patients condition, globus hystericus, had disturbed the flow of Chi along the pertaining organs pathway causing a phlegmic accumulation in the throat that required an immediate clearing of the stasis for resolution. The clinical presentation by this patient affirms the conclusion of a Liver Chi Stagnation with a plum pit sensation expressed as a sense of constriction. Her other clinical signs and symptoms include abdominal and epigastric distention, stuffiness in the chest, and mental depression. Our response was to soothe Liver Chi and moisten the throat with needles at Liver 3 and LI 18. We also maintained a verbal link to the patient to help her relax, and sustain a mindful presence. It soon became apparent that the patient had calmed and the risk of shock had abated. Two interns stayed with her for the balance of the treatment applying light tuina and acupressure to the scalp, source points on the wrists, and P6 for the nausea she was continuing to experience. In addition, we were there to wipe the tears from her face as she alternately cried and laughed with us. Such manifestations indicate the globus hystericus causative of her acute and extreme Liver Chi Stagnation as a plum pit manifestation. Had there not been a timely response by Ms. Canfield, the situation would have resulted in a clinical case of shock and a 911 call. At the end of the treatment, the patient declared all of her physical symptoms had been completely relieved and she was also feeling much better emotionally. Her condition had been so severe that she was unable to drive herself to the clinic; however, she was seen driving the car when she left. This case illuminates an unusual presentation of Liver Chi Stagnation as globus hystericus, and the efficacy of acupuncture as a response to an acute emergency condition as a complement to the integrative medical approach with the Homotoxicology compositions from Heel. As a post script, during a followup office visit, she indicated that she was much more emotionally stable for several days following the integrated treatment.