A patient came to see me who recently had surgery for chronic fissures. She came to my office in desperation. Each bowel movement took at least an hour, with very little results–and each bowel experience led to 16 hours of excruciating pain. She described her rectal pain as “WORSE than giving birth.” Since she had given birth to five children, I had no need to question her analysis of the situation.
Ironically, she was late for her visit to me because she was seeking follow-up ‘advice’ from her surgeon. The ‘advice’ he gave probably won’t surprise you, but it might make you a little angry, like it did me. The poor woman came to his office in tears. She was absolutely horrified at the thought of having another bowel movement. What response did she get from her surgeon?
“The pain you are feeling is ‘NORMAL,’ and it will probably last for about 3 months. Drink more water.”
The patient responded in a panic with tears rolling down her face: “Three months???!!! Are you kidding me??!! You told me that I would be fine in a few days…” and then she broke down.
What did the doctor ask next? “Would you like me to write you a prescription for Xanex?” She got up and walked out.
Needless to say, this patient was in sad shape when she arrived at my office. Not only did her doctor have a horrible bedside manner, she was miserable because she had been purposely avoiding having a bowel movement for the last 3 days. Who could blame her, right?
She only had ONE question for me. “Can you help?” And, of course, my answer was “YES!”
The good news from this case study is threefold:
#1: Acupuncture was able to calm her emotions–including irritability, anxiety, fear, and anger.
#2: An AcuGraph analysis showed that there were underlying issues that needed to be addressed before I could jump into treating common TCM points for rectal problems.
#3: Just three hours after treatment, the patient sent me this message:
“Oh WOW! I just had a BM and it HARDLY hurt compared to the last week. I’m so happy! It’s back to the level before surgery, which is bearable for now. I do think I can heal. YAY! I’ve felt so much better since you treated me. I just had to tell you. Thank you soooooo much!”
I’d like to extend this discussion into one more blog.
- In a few days, I’ll send you the graph analysis with an explanation of how I treated this patient.
- After that I’d like to have a discussion on the differences between hemorrhoids, fissures, and fistulas–with suggestions on how to decide when to treat and when to refer out.
I know this is an uncomfortable subject to talk about, but I’ll guarantee you this: It’s much more uncomfortable for the patient than it is for the practitioner!
Talk to you soon!
Giving Birth to a Bowel Movement–Part 1
As always, I graphed the patient before deciding how to treat.
The first two graphs I always review before deciding treatment are the Baseline Graph and the Yin/Yang Graph. Let’s take a look.
Baseline Graph
Notice that the Small Intestine, the Triple Energizer and the Large Intestine channels are all out of balance. Typically, when I see all three of these out, I like to think tendinomuscular because often the yang channels relate to tendinomuscular problems. Also, because the pathway of each of these channels crosses directly through the shoulder.
Yin/Yang Graph
Obviously, there was some shoulder tension because of everything she was going through, but I knew from her story that she was experiencing considerable stagnation in her intestines. In fact, let’s analyze this graph in relation to the Triple Energizer–or the upper, middle and lower jiao.
- Upper Jiao: The trauma from this surgery left the patient emotionally zapped. Notice how the Pericardium is low and the heart and lungs are ‘borderline’ low.
- Middle Jiao: The small intestine organ is physically located in the middle jiao.
- Lower Jiao: The large intestine organ is physically located in the lower jiao and, of course, the large intestine runs into the anus–where the surgical procedure took place.
For this patient, I knew it was important to get energy moving through all three jiao (aka Triple Energizer) to have the most effective treatment.
TREATMENT
Balance the Graph:
I used my favorite Triple Energizer treatment first.
- TE 6 and GB 41: to eliminate clumping (*I choose TE 6 because she had clumping in the channel based on palpation. If she only had qi stagnation, I would have used TE 5)
- Ren 17: to focus on the upper jiao
- ST 25: to focus on the middle jiao
- Ren 7: to focus on the lower jiao
This portion of the treatment was my own ‘advanced strategy’ as a root treatment to balance the graph. I didn’t need to use the tonification or sedation points because I was treating an overall problem in the Triple Energizer. All imbalances were covered with this treatment.
Symptom Relief:
This is where I incorporated my TCM training as a branch treatment to help with symptom relief.
- GV 20: Classic point for hemorrhoids; mirror opposite of the anus
- Si Shen Cong: Extra points on the top of the head which surround Du 20–to bring extra healing energy to the anus (*I learned this in a seminar along the way)
- BL 57: Classic point for hemorrhoids
- SP 6 and ST 36: To strengthen the Spleen and Stomach to help keep the bowels moving
- ST 37: Lower He Sea of the Large Intestine channel to help keep the bowels moving
- Ear points: Anus, Heart, Shen Men
- Massage of the abdomen: Clockwise to help move obstructions in the bowels
This patient experienced amazing results from treatment. I couldn’t guarantee how long it would take to experience relief from her anal fissure surgery, but I do know she came into my office in horrible pain and an emotional wreck. When she left, she wasn’t experiencing pain or extreme emotions.
The message she sent me two hours after treatment confirmed the results of her treatment.
I called my patient five days after treatment to see how she was doing. She confirmed that her acupuncture treatment was still working great. She came back into my office 9 days after treatment–and this is what her graph looked like!
You have heard me say it before, and I’ll say it again: I love my job! I especially love having so many great resources to help me become the best in my field. For this patient, I was able to use my TCM education, AcuGraph, Auriculo 360 and Points PC.
Having a great education is one element of becoming a great acupuncturists–but truly loving your patients AND having the right tools at your fingertips can help you achieve a level of excellence in your clinic that you never imagined.
Have a fantastic week!
If you want to learn more about Graph Analysis, check them here.
Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.
kimberly@miridiatech.com
Hi Kimberley,
Do you have suggestions for hypothyroidism and acupuncture?
thanks
peter
Hello Peter,
My first response is ALWAYS to balance the graph. Once the graph is balanced, the body handles 80% of physical ailments on its own. Once the graph is balance you may want to consider using our Auriculo 3D program. We have a hypothyroidism protocol which includes points such as shen men, thyroid gland, point zero, master oscillation, brain, endocrine and thyrotropin. I’ve listed the points here, but if you look up this protocol in the Auriculo 3D program you will find detailed information on each point and a single ear map with all of the points that I have suggested.
I hope this helps.
Best regards~
Kimberly
My son is surrering from Epidermo Orctis can suggest a therepy
Hello Goutam,
I don’t have a suggested treatment protocol for your son. But, as I always suggest, the first approach to any treatment is to balance the graph. Depending on which imbalances are found on the graph, I might also consider opening the Ren and the Du Channels with LU 7/Ki 6 and SI 3/BL 62. I would also consider finding points that are blocked on the Liver channel. Look at Liver 2. This point may be reactive because it clears heat from the channel.
Best regards~
Kimberly