famous TCM Experts with famous books, special discussion (2)

Insomnia treatment by moxibustion

《Moxibustion Rope (灸绳)》written by Zhou MeiSheng (周楣声)

Translation and illustration by Qi Sheng

Mr. Zhou Meisheng (1918-2007): His major achievements in acupuncture and moxibustion have been recognized by the State Council of China as a TCM expert with outstanding contributions, and he has been awarded the title of National Famous Old TCM by the Ministry of Health.

十一： Insomnia (with clinical cases) (P340)

Zusanli acupuncture point has been used to treat digestive diseases and has become a routine. For mental illness, it also has the same good effect. Especially for patients with gastrointestinal diseases and insomnia and headaches at the same time, Zusanli acupoint can be used for multiple purposes.

Case 1, Liu xx, male, adult. The patient had Insomnia for more than ten years, with stomach ache, poor appetite, and a gastric region full distension. The patient had to take a large dose of sleeping pills every night to make sleep. His pulses were thin, rapid. Pale complexion. After getting consent from the patient, using ginger moxibustion at Zusanli acupoint, The heat flows from the upper part of the left and the right thigh into the abdomen. Borborygmus and belching appear. Immediately, the whole abdomen is warm, and the head has a cool feeling. It lasts for about 15 minutes. Follow-up after 10 days, since treatment the patient slept peacefully without taking sleeping pills, his appetite increased, and his mood was stable. Recently, for 1-2 days, the patient felt sleep unstable, asking the same treatment before and felt the same feeling before. The patient came back to the clinic after one month, his insomnia got under control. The patient accidentally took a small dose of sleeping pill to help his sleep because of overthinking the question too much.

In cases of insomnia, tenderness can appear in the 5th thoracic vertebra and around its upper and lower nearest areas, and the sensation feeling is transmitted to the head when having moxibustion.

Case 2, Pu xx, male, adult. The patient has insomnia for half a month, cannot fall asleep for the whole night, feels tenderness on the 5th thoracic vertebra, and the left and right BL15 Xinshu acupoints. smoked moxibustion on the 5th thoracic vertebra, sensation feeling first going down and then upward to back part of brain, extension to the top of the head. Have a heat feeling on the hair region and feel hair standing. And also feel both hands warm (no obvious relation with moxibustion area and head). After 5 minutes of moxibustion the heat feeling starts to go to two arms, the heat feeling meets together between the lateral of both arms and hands, the patient at once feels sleepy until the sensation feels reduced after stop moxibustion. Follow-up the day after, the patient told he was able to fall asleep after treatment yesterday. The same method of treatment had continued another two times, the insomnia cured.

Schizophrenia treatment by moxibustion (with two cases)

《Moxibustion Rope (灸绳)》written by Zhou MeiSheng (周楣声)

Translation and illustration by Qi Sheng

六, Schizophrenia (P332)

The traditional Chinese theory thought the heart houses mind (shen) and the heart governs mind and spirit, mentally disorder is out of clear mind and has some sorts of symptoms. For the cases caused by emotional factors, using direct moxibustion and smoked indirect moxibustion, sensation feeling conducts and extends in front of the heart area, not to influence to the head. And also has onset of seizure, before onset and between peace period between onset, function of the heart had special change (see case 2), there had been probable sort of special connection between function of the heart and function of nerve. In daily life, anxiety is stuff in the front part of the heart and pleasure is soothing in the front part of the heart. That is also fact and proved through practice.

Case 1, Xu xx, male, year 18, because of emotional factors, the patient has Schizophrenia, depression. With the other people helping, direct moxibustion on GV20 Baihui, after burned 3 cones of moxa, the patient felt heat feeling into the heart, after burned 10 cones of moxa, and also plus BL15 Xinshu (the left and the right side) moxibustion, the patient told the heat feeling running into the heart. After burning 6-7 cones of moxa on BL15 Xinshu, the patient felt dizzy, sleepy and then stopped moxibustion, falling into deep sleep. After 6 days of quietness, speaking and action. Afterward all symptoms come back again. But because of uncooperating of the patient, the treatment will not continue on.

Case 2, Lu xx, female, year 24. The patient usually had a normal mental state, because of no harmony with her husband, and was forced to make a living. Depression induces sudden out of mind, talk nonsense, torn clothes, without eating and sleeping for four days. Had 6-7 the bigger onset every day and persisted to have the small onset. The patient had been kept quiet by several people and got his pulse, his heart rate irregular, the difference of his pulse shape was extremely large, sometimes deep thin like a string, sometimes large pulse. But when the onset temporarily stopped, it became stagnant and skipped a pulse. If there will be bigger onset, the first symptom is jumping from the muscles and tenderness of the whole body, then from previous thin small pulses become irregular flood, large, strengthen pulses. Treatment as smoked moxibustion on left PC8 Laogong, sensation feeling extends to front like flaky, from under armpits to the front chest, then the whole body has warm-heat sensation, but head has no sensation. After sensation reduced, then smoked moxibustion on the left KD1 YongQuan, sensation feeling conducts to front extension like flaky, warm sensation enter abdomen to make the whole body warm, sweating the front chest soothe and open, the head still feels no sensation, mental state become more peaceful. After continuing another 2 times of treatment, and with token Chinese Medicine to dive Yang to extinguish the wind, clear the mind and calm the mind and take rest. Follow up after one year, no recurrence happens.