Recently, I saw a patient who had come to see me about three years ago for help with Severe Sinusitis, cough and Asthma. Since that time , she was recovered well. Now, some of problems were reoccurring these days, so she came to see me again . I gave her acupuncture treatment and some herbal medicine . I expected her to recover well soon this time.

Her history three years ago was on and off sinus infection, cough and asthma for a year. Asthma made it hard for her to breathe. The doctor had given her antibiotics, cough medicine, and an inhaler for the asthma. She was not able to sleep because of the severity of the symptoms. A CT scan revealed that the sinus cavities were filled with mucus. The Medical Doctor recommended a surgery to alleviate the sinus congestion, but she felt that the surgery won’t really resolve her problems. She searched on internet and chose to come to see me.

Here was her case three year ago.

She felt hungry, but had no appetite because of the loss of the sense of smell and taste caused by the sinus congestion. She craved sweets, especially chocolate. Thirst and urination and bowel movements were normal. There were no pains or aches. Perspiration was normal. She sometimes felt a bit feverish, and some hot flashes due to menopause. Her hands and feet had a sensation of warmth (although her feet felt cold to the touch). She had her last period three years ago.

This patient had been on antibiotics and other medication on and off for quite some time. This had weakened her internal organs. She felt warm, but this sensation of warmth was not a sign of energetic fullness. This was due to chronic infection, “congested heat” and “deficiency heat,” as those are known in Chinese medicine. She was pale and had weak muscle tone. In the view of Chinese medicine, her spleen was weak and her blood was obviously deficient. Long-term use of an inhaler for asthma depletes the lungs and makes them cold. That is why she had nasal congestion and post-nasal drip. The asthma also indicates depletion of the kidneys, since those are responsible for proper breathing according to Chinese medicine. The kidney deficiency was easy to diagnose.

I gave her two herbal formulas combined, dang gui si ni tang and ling gan jiang wei xin xia ren tang. Besides those two formulas, I also added herbs to tonify the kidneys, clear infection and deficiency heat, and open the nasal passages. The two main formulas originate from Chinese classics, Shang Han Lun (傷寒論) and Jin Gui Yao Lue (金匱要略).

During treatment, the patient reported sneezing and blowing out a lot of green and yellowish mucus. The mucus had such color because it had remained in the sinuses for so long. After two acupuncture treatments and some herbal medication, most of the discomfort and symptoms of disharmony had disappeared. I then gave her some herbal powder to maintain and consolidate the result.

After four months, she came back with a sinus infection again. That time the symptoms were very minor. She told me that she had gone to see her medical doctor to have CT scan and had found out that the mucus in sinus cavities had been cleared up. She was happy with the result. I gave her acupuncture treatment and some herbal powder . I have not seen her until this recent visit.

Chinese medicine is effective and inexpensive. It can prevent further complications and prevent future problems. Please note that this herbal treatment is customized to benefit the individual mentioned. It is not recommended for general use or self-medication.

Written By Sophia Tang