Fatigue syndrome cause suppressed infections

Chinese medicine relies on herbs, less on acupuncture

08/21/2013

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome often weaken the smallest actions so much that they only sleep for the rest of the day. Weaknesses often characterize the daily routines of those affected, and some also report a constant cold or fever feeling. Experts also talk about fibromyalgia syndrome when there is additional diffuse muscle, tendon, soft tissue, limb swelling, and generalized hypersensitivity to pain. Since both diseases can often not be detected by conventional medical examination methods, patients are often rejected with mental explanations. Chinese medicine, on the other hand, sees physical causes as causes in both fatigue syndromes.

A special feature of Chinese medicine is that it takes the symptom language of people seriously and interprets them in a special way. Fatigue or fibromyalgia syndrome also focuses on the patient's medical history. „One of the most important schools of the TCM tradition teaches that aberrations of the immunological control, which in our opinion underlie the two diseases, are usually the result of repeated, unsuccessful infections“, describes Dr. Christian Schmincke, TCM expert and head of the clinic at the Steigerwald. Thus, the history of the infection of patients with fatigue is often characterized by chronic, recurrent or unsuccessful respiratory infections, which can go back to childhood and adolescence. „In addition, it can often be stated that episodes of disease are also associated temporally with respiratory tract infections.“ With this knowledge and in combination with the Chinese methods of pulse and tongue diagnostics, individual treatment plans can be derived.

An important pillar is the Chinese drug therapy with individually compiled herbs. „A milestone in treatment is achieved when patients first develop infections with mucus production again. Not infrequently it comes in the further course to the healing of the disease“, counts Dr. Schmincke the treatment goals. In fibromyalgia patients, the Chinese formula often contains analgesic ingredients, such as Fructus Chaenomelis, the fruit of a Japanese wild quince. In chronic fatigue syndrome, the root of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl can again become an important component. This medicinal plant belonging to the brownwort family has the ability to treat a medical condition that Chinese medicine „toxic blood heat“ calls to neutralize and divert. In addition to the core building block of medicinal therapy, Chinese medicine also has other pillars: Chinese diet, acupuncture, QiGong and body therapy. „Whereby acupuncture usually plays a secondary role in the treatment of both diseases, since many patients do not tolerate acupuncture needles because of their hypersensitivity to pain.“ (Pm)

Photo credit: Klinik am Steigerwald_Chinese medicines4