Pain
Pain
1. The Purpose of Acute Pain Treatment
Acute Pain Treatment is a medicine to cure sharp pains on bodies. And in oriental medicine, it treats not only the pain itself but also the original reason causing the pain.
2. What is a reason for Acute Pain in Oriental Medicine?
In oriental medicine, there are diverse reasons for acute pains, which are divided into two big categories as external reasons by changes of natures and internal reasons by getting stress or emotional changes.
3. Duration of Diagnosis and Treatment
1) Method of Diagnosis
(1) Check basic conditions such as obesity level, height, weight and etc.
(2) By using DITI (Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging), take pictures of the entire body and confirm areas with pains, coldness, fever and strained areas pressed by a cervical or lumbar disc. And also check blood circulation level of the painful area and the person’s body type.
(3) Take X-rays of the full body for pelvis analysis. By taking pictures of jaw joints, cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, pelvis and certain areas with pains, analyze the entire body shape and condition.
(4) By using a constitutional-type-checking questionnaire and program and also confirming appearance, personality and biological test, diagnose a patient’s constitutional type in Sasang constitutional medicine.
(5) Take pictures of the front, the side and the back of one’s body to check problematic areas. (Confirm the change of body after treatment)
(6) With all those analyzed data, administering Taegeuk Acupunture, Ssam Acupuncture, Priental Physical Therapy, Chuna Manual Therapy, Herbal Acupuncture Therapy, Bee-venom Therapy, Maesun Therapy, High-Frequency Therapy, Ultrasound Therapy, Jaw Joint Correction and etc. (The first treatment demands twelve times, and then, there will be additional treatments as one additional session for 6-time-base. In the beginning, having two to three times’ treatment per week, and afterwards when symptoms are relieved, a treatment is made in every four to seven days. The entire treatment spends 1 month to 1.5 months.)
(7) After the twelve-time-treatment, take pictures of the changed body shape. (In case of severe pains, 6 to 24 additional treatments are demanded.)
(8) After the twelve-time-treatment, one can feel that over 70 to 90% of pains caused from a neck disc, a waist disc, scapulalgia and arthralgia are improved.
(9) After the twelve-time-treatment, with relief of pains, one can feel changes on turtle neck, dowager’s hump, straight neck, scoliosis, kyphosis, O-shaped and X-Shaped legs. In case of having long-term diseases, two to three month additional treatments are required.
2) Duration of Treatment
Duration of treatment varies for each person, but for light symptoms, 1 to 3 treatments are enough. It takes 7 days to 2 months with 3 to 12 sessions. In severe cases, the overall treatment takes 2 to 3 months. In the beginning of treatment with severe symptoms, it is necessary to come to clinic three times a week and after getting improved, 1 or 2 times per week will be enough.
4. Acute Pain Symptoms of Each Sasnag Constitution Types
1) Soeumin (The Lesser Yin Person)
This typed person has acute pains due to irregular blood circulations caused from lack of Yang vigor. Therefore, it is necessary to warm one’s body and supplement Yang vigor to make smooth circulations of vigor and blood. Foods like garlic, red pepper, ginger and pepper with hot spice can control acute pains of the type.
2) Soyangin (The Lesser Yang Person)
The type tends to have acute pains due to high vigor going upward or because of weak kidneys. It is recommendable to eliminate fever, to supplement kidney or to go down one’s dropsy.
3) Taeeumin (The Greater Yin Person)
The type is humid and has irregular circulation, so a lot of congestion and fever, causing acute pains. It is recommended to have foods that can help circulation of vigor to control acute pains. Doing physical exercise or taking a shower will also control acute pains through sweating.
4) Taeyangin (The Greater Yang Person)
The type doesn’t care for minor pains when concentrating on its own work. But once feeling acute pains, this typed person expresses a strong reaction. When having vigor to upper body, one feels unstable and has more severe acute pains. Therefore, soothing one’s mind all the time is necessary.
5. Related Pains
1) Related Pains
Pains on internal organs are showing on other parts. For example, when a heart pain and pains from a left arm and shoulders are met and delivered to the brain, the brain recognizes the heart pain as a pain caused from the left arm and shoulders.
Heart – Inner side of left arm, left palm, left little finger
Lung – Inner side of right shoulder blade
Pancreas – Pains between right back and waist
Congestion – Back of right shoulder
Kidney – Back of waist
Gastric Ulcer & Duodenal Ulcer – Left side of Back spine
Alimentary Canal – Front of left shoulder, around collarbone
Appendix – Pains round navel
Urolithiasis – Pains around the groin
6. Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease which can be happened on the entire body, so any part of a body can show its symptoms. Joints are swollen as a square pyramid with pains, and hands are too weak to hold even a light stuff, so one can easily drop what’s in his hand. And the symptoms do not remain in one place but moved from place to place.
7. Tennis Elbow
If repeated light damages are made when stretching brachium, one can have this tennis elbow, and with arthritis and gout, symptoms become more severe. In terms of a tennis player, one can get this, when striking a ball with a “back hand” with a forwarded shoulder. It shows symptoms that one cannot hold a cup or a hammer.
8. Golfer’s Elbow
If repeated light damages are made on brachium, one can get golfer’s elbow, and with arthritis and gout, symptoms become more severe. It can cause when throwing a baseball or rugby ball, or striking a golf ball. It shows symptoms that one cannot hold a cup or a hammer.
9. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
It’s a disease happened when the median nerve is pressed while passing through carpal tunnel of wrist joints. Tenosynovitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Pregnancy, Amyloid Symptom or any other symptoms caused from pressing carpal tunnel can cause this syndrome. When using computers, if one places his wrists on the edge of a keyboard, and repeated pressure is applied, one may get this carpal tunnel syndrome.
10. Plantar Fascitis
Acute pains on the bottom of calcaneus are representative symptoms of this disease. It can easily come when having Rheumatoid Arthritis or Gout. Having obesity, walking with bare feet, walking for a long period with slippers and excessive aerobics can cause plantar fasciitis. In terms of its symptoms, one feels the greatest pain when putting a step first, and if the person walks or stands continuously, symptoms are getting more severe.
11. Degenerative Spine
If one carries heavy stuffs, works out excessively, has a wrong posture for a long term, and does exercises giving pressures on the waist, his spine will have overstrain. And our body tends to protect this overstrained waist by growing its bones, which eventually leads to degenerative spine. The grown bone shows same symptoms with a waist disc, pressing nerves down to legs and makes one fell pains on waist and legs and have paralysis.
12. Gout
By having a lot of protein, uric acid in blood is increased and accumulated around joints, causing severe arthritis. It can also affect kidney, heart and cardiac problems. In terms of rapid gout, it usually happens on inner side of the big toe, and ankles, heels, knees, elbow and fingers also can have it.
13. Frozen Shoulder, Scapulalgia
It can be caused due to degenerative change and aging process of shoulder joints. In terms of severe changes of joints followed by excessive use or aging of shoulders, it is hard to be recovered, but can be improved by treating shoulders with patience and gradual relief of muscles and ligament.
14. Vertigo
If a brain lacks of vigor, it causes dizziness, and vigor in the upper body is lacked, eyes can be clouded. Vertigo is regarded as a start of palsy.
15. Headache
There are many cases caused by congestion, and if the headache is severe, one may have angers a lot. To treat headache, one needs to throw away, have diarrhea, or open blocked 12 spots on the body suitable for acupuncture.
16. Migraine
Migraine is a disease with a headache for only one side. If a right head has pains, it is caused by congestion and fever. And if a left head has pains, it is by palsy and ischemia. If migraine lasts longer, eyes can be dizzy and one can get constipation. Therefore, he needs to bleed and have diarrhea.
17. Knee Pains and Obesity
Knee pain and obesity are closely connected. When weighing a lot, that heavy weight affects knee joints directly. So if one is obese and has knee pains, he needs to lose weight first. If knees are continuously stimulated by obesity, inflammation can be caused on the areas. This is caused by fever turning into inflammation. In terms of Rheumatoid arthritis, clarifying one’s blood needs to be paralleled with treatment for the knee pain itself.
18. Internal Pains
1) Abdominal Pain
From simple pains on abdominal muscles to acute pains by abnormality of internal organs, there are diverse kinds of abdominal pains such as indigestion, stomachache, diarrhea, constipation and menstrual pain to inflammation and ulcer of internal organs, variation of organs and cancer. Also levels of the diseases are numerous.
2) Stomach and Intestines
Pains of stomach and intestines show symptoms of getting strained or having sour stomach, causing pains over navel and under breastbone. It has diverse cases such as gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric perforation and stomach cancer.
3) Duodenal Ulcer
It brings pains to similar areas with pains for stomach and intestines, and basically shows a sour stomach squeezed stomach. It has numerous symptoms like uodenitis, duodenal ulcer and duodenal perforation.
4) Appendicitis
Appendicitis is an acute pain to the entire abdomen or to right underbelly. When pressing right abdomen and taking hands off from it, pains seem more severe.
5) The Large Intestine
Diseases on the large intestine may happen when having problems with bowl movement or a case on the large intestine or on the rectum. It also has many relations with getting stressed or strained, so brings irregular constipation or diarrhea. Taking fresh food with enough fiber ire recommended.
6) Urethra, Bladder
Calculus or inflammation on urethra and bladder can also cause severe pains on abdomen.
7) In case of women
Problems on womb, ovary and menstruation can show acute pains at any time. All kinds of inflammation, coldness of abdomen, lack of vigor, strained or stressed body can all affect womb and ovary, bringing various pains.
8) Kidney, Liver, Spleen, Pancreas
Acute pains of kidney, liver, spleen and pancreas can also cause pains on abdomen. Various symptoms like indigestion, various inflammations, cirrhosis of the liver, fatty liver, liver cancer, splenitis, pancreatitis, nephritis and kidney problems can cause pains on abdomen.
19. Pains and Mental State
The Divided Mind
The divided mind is caused by interaction between unconsciousness and consciousness. The basic cause of physical pain depends on one’s mind. There are physical hindrances brought or controlled by brain due to psychogenic hindrance, such as flushing, feeling nausea, sweat hard, back pain, hay fever, allergic rhinitis and eczema.
20. TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome)
When the brain commands a certain body part to reduce its blood flow, there comes an oxygen deficiency in that certain part, and this shows various symptoms including acute pains.
21. Pains of Cancer, Intractable Pains
In order to prevent pains of a cancer, it is crucial to find out a reason of the cancer. And also living a life to match with Sasang constitution type is important. Therefore, one needs to keep all recommendations of correct foods, right posture and right mindset toward the disease.
22. Right Posture prevents Pains
Improper postures give bad effects from the head to the feet, causing various diseases. And to have a proper posture, walking in a proper way is also important. In case of having fallen arch or tiptoe, pelvis, spine and hip joints are affected enormously. Therefore, by correcting one’s walking, conditions of pelvis, spine and hip joints can be treated.
23. Treatment Methods for Acute Pains in Oriental Medicine
1) Acupuncture
In case of acute pains are not recovered well, it has to be treated by a method to control five viscera and six entrails by understanding 12 spots on the body suitable for acupuncture and reasons of a patient’s disease.
2) Moxa Cautery
It is a treatment method by using moxa. In case a patient’s body is weak and cold and so acupuncture can steal his vigor a lot, treating by moxa cautery to circulate warm vigor of a body is effective. Same with acupuncture, it brings good result to supplement a body’s vigor and affect joints, stomach and intestines. But in the case it is not wrongly conducted, moxa marks can remain on the body.
3) Cupping Therapy
Cupping therapy is a method to take blood out of skin. In case of having twisted ankle or bruised skin, it is effective to take blood out of skin by cupping therapy. It can also be used for pains caused by bad circulation of blood.
4) Herb Therapy
It’s a way to control pains by using herb for curing fundamental reasons. And it is crucial to analyze an exact reason causing acute pains by using biological pathology of oriental medicine. In terms of Sasang constitutional medicine, it can control pains by distinguishing constitution types first and by using big and small functions of stomach and rise and down of vigor and blood.
24. What is a Body Straightening Therapy?
1) Herbal Acupuncture Therapy
After extracting herb by various methods, it uses both herb and acupuncture therapy, which is used on spots on the body suitable for acupuncture. For treating acute pains, it is a method to bring quicker result than herb therapy and also can be used with various herbs.
2) Bee-Venom Therapy
It is a therapy to use bee’s venom and has stronger functions for soothing labor pains and immunity than any other therapy. It is also used for many incurable diseases, but can be more painful than other therapies while conducting it. And for the lesser yang person or for patients with great anger, this therapy can cause great pain, although it is so effective.
3) Chuna Therapy
Chuna therapy is a method to analyze conditions of spine and to treat it accurately. By using straightening one’s body balance, it can control acute pains, and in the case of having problems on spine, straightening the spine is the first key to treat the pains.
4) Bone Straightening Therapy (Golta Therapy)
It is a spine straightening therapy by correcting modified spine, pelvis, bone and ligament through strong stimulus. It is not only used for acute pains but also for internal diseases, confirmed diseases, geriatric diseases, cancers and incurable diseases.
5) Maeseon Therapy
It has an effect which is same with conducting acupuncture continuously by using areas of acute pains and spots on the body suitable for acupuncture. It strengthens weak muscles and helps to have a right body shape. It is an effective method both for pain control and body correction.
6) Chimdo Therapy
By using chimdo, it controls pains of confirmed diseases. It is regarded as an effective therapy for treating strong adhesion or tension of muscles, ligaments, sinews and others.
7) Oriental Physiotherapy, Warm Heat Therapy and Shock Therapy
By using spots on the body suitable for acupuncture, it controls pains and relief strained muscles on painful areas. Warm heat therapy makes muscles around irregularly-circulated or cold part of a body be soft and have smooth circulation. Shock therapy improves a body circulation by breaking down mass made by irregular circulation.
Specialized in Sasang Constitution Medicine (Diet), Wooree Korean Medical Clinic
Specialized in Body Correction (Disc), Wooreedul Korean Medical Clinic
Dr. Su-Beom Kim Ph. D. in Korean Medicine
Representative Director, Wooreedul Korean Medical Clinic
Chairman, The Institute of Korean Pain Medicine (IKPM)
