Acupuncture Case Study: Peripheral Neuropathy
by Jen Dubicki L. AcA 72-year-old male presented in the clinic with peripheral neuropathy affected both legs and feet, arms and hands were not affected. The patient described the feeling in his legs as heavy and numb. The neuropathy started approximately 26 years ago and progressively got worse through the years. The patient was pre diabetic with diabetes setting on only in the last 3 years of neuropathy. The patient sought out traditional western medical treatments for neuropathy through various pharmaceuticals with no improvement before coming to the clinic to seek treatment through acupuncture and herbal treatments.
Treatments started for 6 weeks with bi-weekly acupuncture treatments as well as two Chinese herbal formulas taken twice daily. After the four weeks the patient reported having an increased feeling in his feet and legs and much less fatigue in his legs overall. The patient also reported much more energy overall, better sleep, better quality digestion and knee pain he had also reported had also dramatically improved. Over the course of the following two weeks the patient reported no longer dragging his feet and having a “normal step” and feeling and overall tingling sensation in his legs. Tingling is often normal with improvement in nerve conditions, when treated with acupuncture.
After the initial six weeks the patient started coming once a week for another 12 weeks and continued to see remarkable improvement. The patient reported an 80% improvement in the neuropathy and said he “takes walking for granted now.” Acupuncture points and herbs are determined by your medical history, your tongue diagnose (your tongue is a map to your body in Chinese medicine) and pulse diagnosis, Chinese pulse diagnosis provides insights to deficiencies, stagnation, excess, inflammation, etc. in the organs in the body. The patient now does bi- monthly acupuncture appointments for continued improvement as well as immune support and overall wellness.
