9. Right-Hand Tremor

9. Right-Hand Tremor

Dong Xuejin: My mother is over 70 years old and has tremors in her right hand. Hospital tests like thyroid function and CT scans are basically normal, and it doesn't seem to be Parkinson's disease either. Can TCM help regulate this?

Answer: A systematic examination is needed. First, rule out arteriosclerosis by checking blood pressure and lipid levels. A brain CT scan can rule out cerebral infarction. Small lacunar infarcts in the left basal ganglia or semi-oval center can cause tremors on the right side.

March 17, 2014

1. Good Condition

Question: A two-year-old child has a cold and runny nose. What medicine should be given?

Answer: Such children often have chronic rhinitis combined with chronic pharyngitis. They catch colds easily and recover slowly, so it's important to treat chronic pharyngitis or chronic rhinitis regularly. This can both prevent colds and make the child healthier.

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2. Li

Question: Male, 55 years old, often experiences generalized bloating and joint soreness when the weather is gloomy, and coughing worsens in cold weather. What methods can relieve or cure this?

Answer: Such patients may have bone or joint diseases, with weakened immunity and frequent colds. Cold and joint diseases reinforce each other, so prompt treatment is crucial. It's recommended to visit a specialist clinic; otherwise, the condition will only get worse.

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3. Li Yanni

Question: Male, 22 years old, experiences pain in both lower limbs after standing for long periods. X-ray shows no obvious abnormalities in the lumbar spine or both knees. Outpatient tests for "rheumatism" all come back normal. Yet his legs still hurt. What could be causing the leg pain?

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Answer: Based on the described symptoms and relevant examinations, a diagnosis of reactive arthralgia or polymyalgia rheumatica can be made. If left untreated, it may progress to rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid-like arthritis, or osteoarthritis.

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4. Guo Xu

Question: My grandmother is 69 years old. Since the end of last year, she has had intermittent gum bleeding and petechiae on both lower limbs. On February 10 this year, she went to the General Hospital of the PLA for examination and was diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenic purpura. After half a month of hospitalization and stabilization of her condition, she was discharged. However, two weeks later, her platelet count dropped again, accompanied by intermittent bleeding from her gums and nasal cavity, as well as purpura appearing on her chest. What should be done now?

Answer: This is idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disease with an immune tendency. Hormone therapy is effective, and cyclosporine as well as all immunosuppressive agents have varying degrees of efficacy, but their effects are only short-term. For long-term cure, traditional Chinese medicine is relatively better.

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5. Qiu Qiu

Question: Female, 31 years old. Recently, her memory has declined, and she often dreams. A few days ago, she reported a burning sensation in her stomach and esophagus, along with pain at the left temple. Yesterday, she also mentioned lower abdominal pain in the evening and numbness in her feet at night. Could you please analyze her condition and advise on what tests should be performed?

Answer: First, we should address your menstrual cycle and gynecological conditions, as these are the main causes of systemic dysfunction in women of childbearing age.

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6. Climbing Snail

Question: Male, 24 years old. He has visited your clinic twice and been diagnosed with depression. He was prescribed medication for half a month and took it for one week. Perhaps he hasn’t been resting well lately, resulting in headaches. How should he be treated now?

Answer: If it’s a cold, we must treat the cold first. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine: “When a new illness coexists with a chronic illness, treat the new illness first, then the chronic one.” If the cold isn’t cured, there’s no chance for the depression to improve.

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7. Yang Min

Question: A five-year-old girl has recently been coughing in the morning, producing yellow sputum, and has a bit of bad breath. Could it be “internal heat”? How should it be regulated?

Answer: It can be considered “internal heat,” but the more formal term is upper respiratory infection. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that children are inherently yang, so if they develop an external pathogen, it’s usually wind-heat. The common people’s term “internal heat” is actually quite accurate.

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8. Ting

Question: Folklore says that drinking water boiled with lotus root leaves and hawthorn can reduce blood viscosity. Is this true? Can chicken stewed with Tianqi Ginseng activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis? If these effects really exist, can elderly patients with hypertension and vascular blockage take them?

Answer: Lotus seed hearts, dried lotus leaves, and hawthorn all have lipid-lowering effects, but their impact isn’t as obvious as you describe. Regular consumption is needed to see results, and their lipid-lowering effect is much weaker and slower than that of Western statins. Tianqi Ginseng also has lipid-lowering effects and is even better at activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

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9. I Love My Child

Question: I’d like to ask: What is the best treatment for infertility caused by anti-sperm antibodies? I once saw a doctor who prescribed famciclovir dispersible tablets and cefaclor dispersible tablets, but after taking them for three or four days, I developed a headache. I continued taking half of the medication, but stopped when the headache became severe. Should I continue taking these drugs? Will they harm my health?

Answer: Prescribing these medications is appropriate, because anti-sperm antibodies can affect both men and women, though the exact cause is not yet fully understood. Female patients with positive anti-sperm antibody tests often have pre-existing reproductive system inflammations such as endometritis, vaginitis, or salpingitis; male patients are often associated with urinary tract inflammation. Therefore, such patients need appropriate anti-inflammatory treatment.

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10. Like a Breeze

Question: If medication doesn’t work for neuralgic headache, can nerve block surgery be performed?

Answer: Don’t resort to such surgery lightly. Neuralgic headaches are generally curable. Through syndrome differentiation and individualized treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine, even prolonged cases can be successfully treated with patience and persistence—perseverance leads to victory.

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11. zhaojunping

Question: An ECG suggests left anterior fascicular block and left axis deviation, while other findings are normal. The doctor says there’s nothing serious, but I still feel a strong heartbeat when sleeping on my left side. Can I add some calming herbs to my liver-treating medication?

Answer: Yes, you can. Blood-circulating and blood-stasis-clearing herbs such as Panax notoginseng, leeches, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Agarwood, peach kernels, and safflower can be added to liver-treating medicines, which will greatly enhance the therapeutic effect. Conduction block is often an early manifestation of organic heart disease, though some cases are functional; if symptoms appear, treatment is necessary.

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12. Micro-words, Great Meaning—Zhao Ganlu

Question: My mother is 62 years old and has had hypertension for many years. Recently, she has poor sleep, tinnitus, and general weakness. How should she be treated? Which is more effective, Western medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Answer: For patients like this, Traditional Chinese Medicine’s syndrome-differentiated treatment is more effective! In addition to hypertension, your mother also has arteriosclerosis. While Western medicine is reliable in lowering blood pressure, its effectiveness in treating autonomic nervous system dysfunction caused by the underlying disease is limited. Traditional Chinese Medicine, however, has unique advantages in this regard.

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13. Storyteller

Question: A 45-year-old patient with hemiplegia for two and a half years has been undergoing rehabilitation exercises. The foot inversion is severe, muscle tone is high, the wrist cannot be raised, but the arm can move—mainly the severe foot inversion. On November 29, 2011, a brain infarction was found in the internal capsule, with sensory disturbances and numbness in the right limb. What should be done?

Answer: Hemiplegia caused by cerebral infarction is harder to treat and takes longer, but it is still treatable; hemiplegia caused by sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage, on the other hand, is easier to treat and shows faster improvement. Compared with Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine is superior in treating such conditions. When necessary, TCM physiotherapy, acupuncture, and functional exercises can achieve good results.

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14. Cute Pig

Question: My baby is one year old and has been coughing occasionally these days. During breathing, there’s a wheezing sound, as if something is stuck. Is this serious?

Answer: You should seek medical attention promptly. This is cough variant asthma caused by chronic pharyngitis combined with tonsillitis, and Traditional Chinese Medicine is quite effective. Please go to a specialist outpatient clinic immediately.

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15. Just Scolding

Question: My baby is just 15 days old and has been constantly discharging yellow, viscous mucus from one eye, making it difficult to open. The lower eyelid is also red. I’ve wiped it several times with a warm towel, but I’m worried about infection. How should this be treated?

Answer: Newborn conjunctivitis is quite likely. Use effective eye drops, such as antibiotic eye drops containing hydrocortisone. If necessary, visit an ophthalmology clinic.

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16. Yu Dan

Question: Female, 17 years old. She has had acne on her face for nearly four years—starting on the forehead, then spreading to the chin, and later to the back. The discharge is white and oily. How should it be treated?

Answer: This is adolescent acne, also known as youth acne, indicating a relative deficiency in estrogen secretion and a relatively higher level of androgen secretion. Acne is part of the adolescent syndrome, reflecting the fact that the girl’s endocrine system has just begun to function and is not yet balanced.

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17. Mom Rong

Question: Boy, 8 years old. Since January this year, he has had a runny nose without having a cold. What could be the reason, and how should it be treated?

Answer: This is chronic rhinitis, which often has an allergic tendency. The runny nose is a catarrhal symptom of the nasal mucosa. It is recommended to try Fangfeng Tongsheng Wan.

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18. One Person’s Reflections on Life

Question: My sister is 30 years old. She is slightly overweight and otherwise healthy, but recently she has experienced numbness in her hands and feet at night. Could you help me understand why this happens?

Answer: For a 30-year-old obese woman, numbness in the hands and feet may be due to the following factors: ① Peripheral neuropathy

Compilation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Consultation Q&A

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19. Zhi Kangli: 25 years old. When she was in high school, she often caught colds and frequently took medication and received intravenous infusions, making her body quite weak. Now she still catches colds often, almost every month with low-grade fever, and after each course of medication, her body feels sore to the touch and she even faints for several days before recovering. Previous doctors said her symptoms were drug allergies. How should someone in my situation recover?

Answer: You still suffer from habitual colds, which often indicate weakened immune function. There may be chronic inflammatory foci in the throat and nasal passages. It is recommended to undergo routine examinations of the throat and nasal passages. In addition, thymopentin injections are advised to prevent colds.

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20. Xu Junlin: 58 years old, male. He likes drinking and smoking and has a history of schistosomiasis. Every year, he experiences facial edema. Is this edema? Hospital tests show normal liver and kidney function. Could it be caused by schistosomiasis?

Answer: Liver and kidney function should be checked, especially routine urinalysis. If occult blood and protein are detected, it indicates organic lesions. Schistosomiasis is known to affect the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system.

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21. Xu Junlin: Pregnant for six months, recently experiencing poor sleep. A urine test showed glucose ++, which may indicate gestational diabetes. The doctor recommends taking medication to lower blood sugar first. However, pregnant women are hesitant to take medication indiscriminately. Professor, how should this condition be treated?

Answer: Gestational diabetes is a special type of diabetes that requires treatment; otherwise, it will affect fetal growth and development. It is recommended to measure fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels. If diagnosed with diabetes, treatment should be based on blood sugar levels, typically involving insulin injections. In principle, pregnant women should avoid oral hypoglycemic drugs as much as possible.

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Famous Chinese expert in integrated Chinese and Western medicine, Pei Xue’s health Weibo March 19, 2014

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1. Once Owned: My mother underwent mammography and color Doppler ultrasound, and the doctor diagnosed breast hyperplasia. Medication didn’t help. Last year, the pain eased, but this year it has returned, and the left side of her neck has also started to hurt. A recent color Doppler ultrasound showed that the breasts have already atrophied and can no longer undergo hyperplasia. Breast pain is neuralgia, and the recent neck pain is also related to nerves. Besides color Doppler ultrasound, what other examinations are needed now?

Answer: No further examinations are necessary. Breast hyperplasia itself is a chronic inflammation, and chronic inflammation leads to atrophy during the process of hyperplasia. At this stage, it’s easy to damage nearby nerve endings. Traditional Chinese medicine is quite effective in treating this condition.

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2. New Vision: I wake up around 3:30–4:30 every night, feeling nauseous in my dreams and experiencing bloating after waking. What disease could this be, and how should it be treated?

Answer: It’s likely that your gastrointestinal tract has organic lesions, most probably superficial gastritis. The symptoms occurring around 3:30–4:30 at night suggest an attack of biliary and pancreatic inflammation, so further examination of the bile duct and pancreas is also needed.

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3. Wang Xianren: Male, 33 years old. He suffers from hypertension. After taking medication, his systolic pressure is 140 mmHg and diastolic pressure is 100 mmHg. In the morning, he takes one tablet each of enalapril and metoprolol; in the evening, one 2.5 mg tablet of metoprolol and one tablet of amlodipine besylate, plus two aspirin tablets. Why does his diastolic pressure always remain high? Is this combination reasonable?

Answer: Your diastolic pressure is still not ideal. It is recommended to take traditional Chinese medicine in addition to metoprolol and amlodipine besylate. Traditional Chinese medicine must be administered according to syndrome differentiation.

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4. Yan Ning: I once sprained my ankle, causing bruising and purple discoloration that has persisted for many years. Hospital examinations showed no bone damage. Professor Pei, do you have any good methods for treatment?

Answer: This is a soft tissue contusion of the ankle. The reason why it keeps getting injured in the same area is that your walking posture is incorrect. You should walk more slowly and be extra careful on uneven surfaces to prevent re-injury.

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5. Release: Female, 34 years old. Over the past two years, she has been losing hair, with many hairs falling out every day, and numerous white hairs growing in their place. What medication can alleviate this? Since 2008, she has had spots on her face and tried many spot-removing medications, but none have worked—on the contrary, the spots have become more numerous. What traditional Chinese medicine should she take for these conditions?

Answer: It’s likely that you have endocrine disorders. If your periods are delayed, your menstrual flow is light, and your estrogen levels are low, it indicates relatively insufficient ovarian function. Such patients often have a history of multiple abortions or emergency contraception.

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6. Social Youth: A relative has stomach cancer and has been receiving traditional Chinese medicine treatment at your clinic. Initially, due to severe pain, the patient was hospitalized and received treatment, and after a week of taking herbal decoctions and granules, the pain eased. However, the doctor now says it’s signet-ring cell carcinoma and chemotherapy is required, which is very worrying. Should chemotherapy really be done? And during chemotherapy, can herbal decoctions and granules still be taken?

Answer: Simple chemotherapy for stomach cancer generally has poor efficacy, so surgery should be considered the first choice. Traditional Chinese medicine can be used in conjunction with chemotherapy.

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7. Ting: A four-month-old baby is being mixed-fed and has been coughing for a week. The cough is particularly noticeable upon waking, and occurs two or three times at night, with phlegm. Two days before the cough, the baby had a low-grade fever. A Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor diagnosed lung heat with wind, and auscultation of the lungs revealed no tracheitis, but the herbal medicine hasn’t helped. What should be done?

Answer: Upper respiratory infections are common in infants. If there’s chronic rhinitis or chronic pharyngitis, such infections can persist continuously. Systematic examination and systematic treatment are needed to achieve lasting relief.

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8. Xue Xi: My mother was diagnosed with cholecystitis and gallstones during the Spring Festival. After receiving intravenous fluids at home, her legs developed edema, which eased after rest at night but worsened with activity. What’s going on? What examinations are needed?

Answer: Intravenous fluid administration should not be too rapid; the optimal rate is about 40 drops per minute. Unless it’s an emergency, the volume of fluid administered should not be excessive, otherwise it will increase the burden on the heart, leading to varying degrees of heart failure. Lower limb edema is a manifestation of heart failure.

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9. Zheng Xuwen: I have pain in my left knee, especially when squatting. The doctor says there’s some bone hyperplasia and prescribes blood-circulating capsules. After a week of taking them, the pain improved, but the medication caused stomach and back pain. What medication has fewer side effects?

Answer: Unilateral knee pain is mostly traumatic arthritis, and if it becomes chronic, it turns into osteoarthritis. Not all cases involve bone spurs; most patients improve after treatment aimed at promoting blood circulation, dispelling wind and dampness, and reducing swelling and pain. Dahuohuoluo Dan, Duhuo Jisheng Wan, and Huoluoxiaoling Dan are all good choices.

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10. Bu Guidong: I am 32 years old and was diagnosed with gout two years ago. To this day, there are tophi in my finger joints. Professor Pei, do you have any good suggestions?

Answer: First, animal foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products should be avoided for a period of time. Drink more water, exercise more, and lose weight. Western medicines such as colchicine, allopurinol, and probenecid have immediate effects, but they can harm the liver and kidneys, and their effects are short-lived, so they shouldn’t be taken for long. The best option is to consult an experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to prepare custom herbal pills.

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11. Mangrove Forest: Male, 50 years old. He has had lower back pain and dizziness for over six months. Whenever he sees water flowing from the faucet or hears the sound of running water, he experiences urinary incontinence. How should Traditional Chinese Medicine treat this?

Answer: Lower back pain and dizziness, combined with the patient’s age, first point to arteriosclerosis. Seventy percent of arteriosclerosis cases are accompanied by hypertension, while thirty percent are not, but both can cause widespread autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Aquaphobia is a manifestation of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, so the focus of treatment should be on arteriosclerosis. Once arteriosclerosis is cured, aquaphobia will gradually ease.

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12. Climbing Snail: Male, 24 years old. You diagnosed him with depression and prescribed medication for half a month, which he took for one week. Recently, his sleep has been poor—he can’t fall asleep at night and wakes up very early in the morning, feeling anxious and irritable. He also doesn’t want to do housework or farm work. How should he be treated?

Answer: The fact that you’re able to raise such a well-organized question on Weibo shows that your condition has improved—at least among those with mild depression. Please let go of your mental burdens and continue taking medication. The advantage of traditional Chinese medicine is that it works gradually, with long-term effects in mind.

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13. Ren Wanli: My father was diagnosed with cor pulmonale in 2011 (along with hypertension, liver cysts, and chronic gastritis). Every March and October, he has to be hospitalized for treatment. A few days ago, he was hospitalized again, and the doctor diagnosed him with emphysema. Is there a best treatment plan?

Answer: Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and cor pulmonale—also known as COPD—are conditions where patients are most vulnerable to colds. Once a cold strikes, the lungs become infected, triggering a full-blown COPD flare-up. If such patients also have hypertension, the condition becomes even more complicated, worsening symptoms and leading to a less favorable prognosis. Therefore, it’s crucial to take this seriously and receive inpatient treatment at a major hospital.

March 20, 2014