[Case Study] Severe hot flashes with cold extremities, skin sores, etc.
When Ms. M first received acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, her main complaints were primarily:
・Hot flashes and sweating, especially in summer
・Pain when moving the inside of her right shoulder blade
・Headaches, 3 or 4 times a month
That was what she said.
First, the pain on the inside of the shoulder blade had been continuing for about a year, ever since she started exercising at the gym. She said that even after going to other clinics, it did not improve. In response to this, the pain was significantly reduced after one acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, and after two or three treatments, the pain was almost completely gone.
The severe issue was the hot flashes. The headaches were also related to her overall constitution, including the hot flashes. This could not be resolved in just a few sessions.
Ms. M has had four gynecological surgeries (laparotomy) in the past. Because of that, her female hormones and autonomic nervous system balance were not in a very good state, which seemed to be the reason for the intense hot flashes and sweating. In Oriental medicine terms, this is "Yin deficiency." Her head would get hot and sweat would pour down like a waterfall, but her feet and abdomen were as cold as ice.
Her feet and abdomen were stubbornly cold; no matter how much she warmed them, they would not easily warm up. However, her head was unbearably hot. Because she felt the heat more strongly than the cold, she was not very aware that she was cold.
For the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, I first thoroughly warmed her cold feet and abdomen. I used every means available, including moxibustion, hot packs, and light therapy (Koukento). For overall adjustment, I performed treatment on acupoints that are effective for Yin deficiency, starting with Sanyinjiao. For her overly hot head, I performed acupuncture and moxibustion while using ice packs.
Regarding Yin deficiency, I perform treatments to replenish Yin energy, but just as there is a limit to the amount one can eat at once, there is a limit to the amount of energy one can receive in a single treatment. The more severe the condition, the longer it takes.
Ms. M steadily continued treatment once a week. During the first summer, she was still sweating, but the amount of sweat decreased year by year, and by the summer three years later, she was able to feel that the sweating had decreased significantly.
When Ms. M first came in, even though more than two years had passed since her last surgery (the fourth one), the surgical scar (about 1 cm wide and over 10 cm long) was red and raised like a keloid. Because Ms. M has a keloid-prone constitution, the scar was difficult to heal.
As I continued the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, the swelling and redness gradually subsided, the width became thinner, and now it has reached a point where it is barely noticeable unless you look closely.
The scar on the skin surface is visible, but since the surgery also involved cutting various things inside her abdomen, there are also scars inside her abdomen. The fact that the scar on the skin surface has faded makes me think that the scars inside her abdomen have also improved.
Such scars obstruct the flow of Qi. Removing them improves the flow of Qi and is very helpful for improving one's constitution.
Ms. M, who suffered from severe hot flashes and cold extremities, also had various other symptoms. One of them was skin sores and itching. At first, the area around the first and second joints of her left middle finger was red, sore, and had intense itching. This was a symptom that had been going on for quite a long time, and it took time to heal.
Once her left middle finger healed, it then appeared on the instep of her right foot. I treated this area diligently as well, and it improved, but then it would appear in another place...
Also, bumpy itching appeared in various places. I continued to treat that as well, and gradually those kinds of itching and sores stopped appearing.
When Ms. M is bitten by a mosquito, it becomes a large swelling about 5 cm in diameter. When I apply moxibustion to it, it subsides smoothly. Every time she was bitten by a mosquito, I applied moxibustion. Now, even if she is bitten, it does not swell up that much. I believe this constitution has also been improved.
Ms. M also has headaches, but they are related to her hot flashes. The heat energy from the hot flashes tends to get trapped in the upper part of the body, that is, from the neck up and on the surface of the skin. Ms. M's head was also in a state of being very trapped with heat. Furthermore, the muscles in her neck were weak and under strain.
By continuing full-body acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, as well as treatment on her neck and head, the frequency and intensity of her headaches gradually decreased.
Ms. M also does facial acupuncture. The face is also part of the head. It is not only for beauty, but it also leads to improved circulation in the head, and there are acupoints for the eyes, nose, autonomic nervous system, etc.
A major factor in the improvement of Ms. M's various symptoms is "continuity." Ms. M was receiving treatment at a pace of once a week. The longer the symptoms have been present, the longer it takes to improve. It also takes time to change the constitution one was born with. It was Ms. M's perseverance in continuing that likely led to the improvement of her constitution.
●Aoyama Acupuncture Clinic Note Top