Rising Lotus Wellness Center {The Standard in Acupuncture} Jason Laird, L.Ac.

Information

Patient Forms

Arthritis

(Bi Syndrome)

Typical Symptoms

Joint pain due to blockage, stiffness especially in the morning
Joint dysfunction
Swelling of the joint
Hot sensation in the joint
Red color around the joint

Catagories of Arthritis

Western perspective

Rheumatic - Big joints (elbow, shoulder, hip or knee), no deformity (affects both sides equally)
Rheumatoid - Affects small joints, autoimmune, last stage there�s deformity (affects both sides equally)
Osteo - Degeneration of the discs (does not have to be symmetrical)
Gout - Hot Bi, build up of uric acid

TCM perspective

According to etiology - Wind, Damp, Cold or Heat
According to symptoms - Wandering, Fixed, Painful or Hot
According to constitution - Stubborn Bi, Tends to be the rheumatoid type, due to Liver & Kidney Yin deficiency with retention of exterior pathogen

Etiology and Mechanism

Invasion of external pathogen - Wind, Cold, Damp or Heat
Poor body constitution - Liver & Kidney deficiency, Blood vessel or channel weakness

Basic Points for Arthritis - 2 groups

Points for etiology

Wind - BL 12, 13; SJ 17; Li 4; Lu 7; GB 31, 20; Du 16; Si 12; Ba feng/Ba Xie
Damp - SP 6, 9; ST 28, 40; Ren 3, 9; BL 22, 28; SJ 3, 5
Cold - Li 4; Lu 7; GB 20; BL 12, 13 w/moxa; Moxa at local joints
Heat - Li 4, 11; SJ 5; Du 14; BL 40; ST 44

Points for location

Shoulder - Li 15, Si 9, Jian Qian
Elbow - Li 11, SJ 10, Si 8
Wrist - Li 5, Si 5, SJ 4
Hip - GB 30, GB 29, ST 31
Knee - GB 34, ST 35, BL 40
Ankle - GB 40, BL 60, ST 41

Diff. and TX

Arthritis due to Wind or Wind Bi - Wandering Bi

Symptoms

Acute onset, slight fever/chills, slight sweating
History of catching cold, aversion to wind, stiff neck
Moving pain from one joint to another, pain mostly on upper extremities
Normal tongue, superficial & soft pulse

Treatment Principle

Expel wind, harmonize Nutritive Qi & Defensive Qi, promote Qi & Blood circulation, alleviate Pain
External Treatment - massage, shiatsu, tuina & patches are good to use

Arthritis due to Damp or Damp Bi - Fixed Bi

Symptoms

Acute onset, general ache, muscular pain with heaviness
Foggy head, nausea, vomit
Dull pain around joints which is fixed, usually on lower extremities
Swelling around joint with stiffness or puffy, sometimes numbness
Tongue body is normal or pale but always swollen with teeth marks
Soft & slippery pulse

Treatment Principle

Remove Damp, promote Qi & Blood circulation, alleviate pain

Arthritis due to Cold or Cold Bi - Painful Bi

Symptoms

Acute onset, Cold pain around joints, very painful, alleviated with warmth
History of catching cold, cold extremities, aversion to cold, slight chills/fever
Sometimes, stiff joints or spasms
Normal tongue body, thin white coat, superficial/tight or deep/slow pulse but still strong

Treatment Principle

Warm needle or moxa, eliminate cold, promote Qi & Blood circulation, alleviate pain

Arthritis due to Heat or Heat Bi - Hot Bi

Symptoms

Swelling of local joints, hot sensation, red color around joints
Burning pain alleviated by cold
Fever or high fever, sore throat, slight aversion to cold, desire cold drinks
Red or deep red tongue with yellow or greasy yellow coat, wiry, slippery & fast pulse

Treatment Principle

Eliminate heat, promote Qi & Blood circulation, alleviate pain

Arthritis due to Liver & Kidney Yin deficiency or Stubborn (fixed) Bi

Symptoms

Chronic onset, dull pain around small joints with stiffness
Swelling, could be red and hot, deformity
Night sweats, 5-palm heat, low grade fever, fatigue, thirsty
Cold extremities, edema of lower extremities, incontinence
Dizziness, tinnitus, vertigo
Tongue body thin and small, red, could be pale-swollen with teeth marks, yellow coat, peeled coat; dry or wet greasy white or yellow.
Pulse is thin, weak & deep, could be slow or fast

Treatment Principle

Strengthen Liver & Kidney, Tonify joints and ligaments, Promote Qi & Blood circulation, remove pathogens, alleviate pain