MM is a 45-year-old housewife. She came to seek our help on 25 January 2013 regarding her recurrent menstrual pain and bleeding. In fact a week earlier she had been hospitalized for this problem. Listen to her story.
Since 14 years old, MM suffered menstrual pain with blood clot. In our Oriental culture, problem like this is not something that family members would talk about! Furthermore, pain during menses is considered part of being a woman! So the problem that MM had was just left as it was.
In the early 1990s she was told that she had ovarian cyst. She did nothing about it.
In July 1992, she underwent a laparoscopic surgery to remove two ovarian cysts, each 10 cm in size.
In 2006, MM suffered heavy bleeding and underwent another surgery. This time a 7 cm fibroid was removed. According to the doctor, her ovaries were clean.
During the period between 2006 and 2010, MM started on Ayurvedic treatment for her recurrent bleeding problem. At first she received treatment in Kuala Lumpur (costing RM 300 per day). Later she went to Kerala, India for the treatment. According to MM, the treatment in Kerala was cheaper – RM 3,000 for a six-week treatment (inclusive of flight cost).
In 2010, the pains and bleeding became more severe and she went to a university hospital in KL and underwent uterine arterial embolization (UAE). The procedure failed. She suffered severe pain and has to be knocked offby morphine. According to MM, My advice to anyone, never go for AEU!MM had a very high tolerance for pain and had never cried but UAE made her cry in pain!
MM tried acupuncture. This helped. Her problem came on and off. Her periods became regular.
In early January 2013, MM suffered severe bleeding and she was hospitalized.
CT scan done on 18 January 2013 indicated a large uterus. There is a large posterior wall uterine myoma measuring 6.6 x 8.4 x 8.9 cm with central hypodensity likely to represent necrosis. It causes anterior displacement of endometrial and bladder depression.
Bilateral ovarian cysts. Right ovarian cyst measures 3.2 x 3.7 cm and left ovarian cyst measures 2.8 x 5.2 cm. There is an suggestion of left hydrosalphinx.
The doctor suggested that MM undergo a total hysterectomy. It was at this point that MM drove to Penang and sought our help. MM said she suffered pain before and during her periods and this was usually followed by severe bloating of the stomach. Having understood her problem, my reaction on that day was, We shall try our best.
Eva (not real name) was 33 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery at a hospital in Hong Kong in June 2009.
After surgery, Eva received 6 cycles of chemotherapy – 3 cycles using FEC (5FU + epirubicin + cyclophosphamide) and 3 cycles of Taxol. This was done in Hong Kong. She received 30 radiation treatments in Macau. There was no further medication after this.
A follow-up mammogram in 2011 showed everything was clear.
In 2012 (i.e. some 3 years later) Eva started to have back pain. MRI in December 2012 showed some spots in her lumbar.
In January 2013, a PET / CT scan showed extensive bony metastasis. She was prescribed Tamoxifen and Xeloda and pain killers. After taking Xeloda she was not able to sit down or walk. She had to be hospitalized for a week and given painkiller injection. She was discharged and had to use the wheelchair.
At the end of February 2013, Eva decided to return to her home in Indonesia.
In late March 2013, she consulted an oncologist in Penang. She was told to undergo chemotherapy again using Carboplatin. She has to take an oral drug, Navelbine. She has to undergo six cycles of this treatment and each cycle would cost RM 7,000. In addition she needs a monthly injection of bisphosphonate for her bone. This would cost an addition RM 1,700 per month.
Can the treatment cure her? The oncologist said: Not sure!
Eva refused further medical treatment. Eva and her mother (who also has cancer) came to seek our help on 21 March 2013. She presented severe pain and was unable to sleep at night. Her movements were very restricted.
Her CA 15.3 results over the years showed an increase from 12.7 to 246.1
Date
CA 15.3
21 October 2011
12.7
29 August 2012
36.8
5 November 2012
80.1
23 January 2013
246.1
The following are the results of her PET/CT dated 16 January 2013.
There is no hypermetabolic lesion noted in the residual right breast.
There are multiple hypermetabolic lymph nodes seen over the right internal mammary region, right superior mediastinum, right supraclavicular fossa and lever V of right neck.
No hypermetabolic node found in bilateral axillary regions, left supraclavicular fossa or left neck.
The left breast shows normal FDG uptake.
Hypermetabolic nodule noted in the right pectoralis major at the level of 1st anterior rib.
There is physiologic uptake of brown fat in bilateral lower necks.
Physiological FDG uptake seen in the brain parenchyma.
Extensive bony metastasis
Multiple hypermetabolic deposits are present in:
bilateral pariental bones and left occipital bone,
Right sphenoid body
Clivus,
Left submandibular ramus,
Sternum,
Left scapula,
Right upper humerus,
Right 4th and 5th ribs,
Left 3rd and 10 ribs,
Bilateral iliac bone,
Left ischium,
Bilateral pubis,
Lesser trochanter of right femur,
Left femoral neck,
Extensive involvement of spinal column from cervical spines to sacrum.
PET / CT scan showed the cancer had spread to some 29 locations in her body as below
E-Therapy at CA Care
We really felt sorry for Eva seeing her in such severe pain. We decided that Eva should try the e-therapy right away and requested her to postpone her return home. She needed to stay in Penang for an additional 5 days. And here is her story.
In summary after 2 days on the e-therapy, Eva had less pain and was able to sit up and watch the television for 2 hours. This is something she could not do before. She had to lie down in bed most of the time. With the e-therapy she could sit, walk and move around without much difficulty. We told Eva to come back to Penang for the e-therapy again if her problems recurred.
MM is a 45-year-old housewife. She came to us for problems of backache and severe pain during her periods (her story in another article). As with all patients we read her meridian energy using the AcuGraph (below). Only 3 of the 12 meridians were normal (green), 5 meridians were split and 4 meridians were low.
From our experience, those with low or split bladder meridian (BL is blue, arrow) may have problems of frequent urination at night. (See our previous article: http://ejtcm.com/2011/03/25/low-or-split-bladder-meridian-may-result-in-frequent-urination/). In addition, she also had low KI (kidney) and SP (Spleen) meridian energy. The significance of this is explained below.
We asked MM if nocturia was also her problem. Her answer was YES – urination 3 to 4 times each night. It is indeed a nuisance having to waking up so often, besides depriving her of a good sound sleep. We suggested that MM take the herbal tea, A-Kid-6, for 2 weeks to try and resolve her problem.
We got to met MM again 2 months later and she told us her nocturia was resolved after taking the herbal tea. Listen to what she said below:
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM ) View of Bladder Function
TCM views the kidney and bladder as an interrelated pair that controls water in the body. The function of the bladder – i.e. storage and discharge of the urine, depends upon Kidney Qi. If Kidney Qi is sufficient the bladder will function normally and urination is well controlled.
If Kidney Qi is deficient the bladder becomes dysfunctional. Disharmony of the Bladder meridian can lead to problems such as difficult urination, incontinence (inability to control proper urination), painful eyes, runny nose, nose bleeding, nasal congestion, pain in the head, neck, back, groin and buttock.
According to Steven Clavey (in Fluid physiology and pathology in TCM) nocturia is due to exhausted kidney yang or spleen and kidney yang deficiency. However, in cases where the symptoms are less severe, nocturia can be due to Bladder qi deficiency.
Acknowledgement: We record our sincere thanks to Dr. Adrian Larsen, President of Miridia Technology Inc., USA, for his generosity in providing a unit of AcuGraph 3 for our research at CA Care.
Dr. Z has been using the e-Therapy machine for quite a while now. On 11 September 2012, I had a chance to meet up with her again and talked about her experience. Listen to what she said.
My “travel companion”: I never leave this (e-therapy machine) behind. It is always with me everywhere I go!
Headaches: I used the e-Therapy and within a day the headaches will be gone. I don’t have to take Panadol or Ponstan anymore. Previously pain killer drugs are always in my handbag, now I don’t carry any more medicine inside my handbag.
Hives gone: When I was in the US, my daughter had hives. I used (the program) “Hives” on her. Just once . . . . no more complaints of itchiness.
Sleep Better, No more Body Aches: In the past, I took Panadol every four hourly. And in a day finished a whole strip – still nothing happened. After Panadol did not work, I went for Ponstan . . . . (eventually) graduate to Arcoxia. I stopped the medication. Now, I have this(e-Therapy) no more drugs for me.
MT (S-127) is a 44-year old female from Batam, Indonesia. She was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in August 2005. MT underwent a mastectomy followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy and 30 radiation treatments. Then she took Tamoxifen for 5 years.
After 5 years, MT was told to stop Tamoxifen because she was already cured. But barely a year later, in April 2011, MT started to have pains in her tail bone and shoulder blade. CT scan in February 2012 indicated metastasis to her bones.
MT gave up further medical treatment and came to CA Care for help. Her health improved. Her pains disappeared. When she was well, she exerted herself causing the pains to recur. MT came back to see us again on 6 May 2012 and underwent the e-Therapy.
Acknowledgement:MT granted us her permission to use this video without having to mask her face.
Before the e-Therapy
Watch the first part of the video carefully. She walked with difficulty and with a limp. She had difficulty sitting down and had to support herself. She appeared to be in pain when moving due to the following problems.
She had pains on both thighs and around her hip.
Pain in the lumbar region.
Muscles cramps in both legs.
Her tail bone felt pains and “hot.”
Her muscles around her shoulder blades felt numb.
She had pulling pains in her head.
After the e-Therapy
Watch the second part of the video. After two to four sessions of the e-Therapy MT appeared a “different person” free from all pains. She was able to walk normally (not limping anymore). She could sit down normally.
Chris: Is there any difference in your sleep – before and after the e-Therapy?
MT: I slept better after the e-Therapy.
After the e-Therapy, were there more or less pains?
Less pain. The lumbar region had “loosened” up and there were no more pains. The whole body felt “lighter.” I felt better when walking.
You said you had pains in both thighs?
No more problems.
Are you sure?
No more problems!
You said your legs were numb?
No more.
Your tail bone felt hot?
Not anymore.
At the back, around your shoulder blades – they were tight and numb – what happen now?
No more. I fell “lighter” now.
The pulling pains in your head?
I did not feel that anymore.
After two sessions of the e-Therapy and you really feel better?
Yes. I felt much better. Before e-Therapy I had difficulty standing up. I had to push myself up with both my hands. Now, I am okay – no problem.
Do you have problem walking?
Not any more.
What other problems do you have now?
The muscles at the lower rib region feel a bit tight.
What does earthquake and backache (or slipped disc) have in common? Both are unpredictable. They strike at any time – at any unsuspecting moment. Let me share with you what happened in this second week of April.
On Monday morning, 9 April 2012, I was getting ready to go to our cancer centre. As usual I went to my computer to check if I have any emails waiting to be answered. The Google Chrome did not work! I looked at the wire connection and thought it could be due to some misconnection. I bent down to check. I turned a bit and twisted my back! I could feel the muscle “snapped.” Initially it did not feel that bad. I could still go downstairs to have my breakfast. Then I went upstairs into my study to try to “repair” my back. After all I expected to have a busy morning at the centre – formulating all those herbal teas that had to be replenished. But it was not to be. The problem became more serious. I thought I should just stay home. I sat on my reclining chair and did the e-Therapy, using my favourite program – Lumbago. It did not work! In fact, it gave me more pain. I felt tightness of my stomach muscle. I could not stand up straight after being in a sitting position. Then I found it hard to walk. Lying down or etting up was a torture. The amazing thing was – I did not feel any numbness in my feet.
So for the whole day, I stayed in bed – reading many books! Since I could not walk much, I had to take lunch and dinner in our bedroom! Wah, good to have a loving wife sitting together for (sorry, not candle light) dinner. Then it was back to bed again to rest by “fragile” back. I did more programs from the e-Therapy machine, such as Backache & Spasm.
Day 2: Tuesday 10 April 2012. I did not get any better! It seemed that the machine was “useless”. It was indeed a difficult day – painful to wake up, painful to sit up straight and painful to lie down. I had to use a walking stick to push myself up. But when I lie down on my back, I was just fine. But turning to the left or right was painful. Unfortunately, I did not video tape what I had suffered. But to give you an idea of I went through,just see the video of this Aceh lady– how she struggled to get up and walk. Yes, I was just like that, more or less.
Then I remembered that I had appointments with two patients on Wednesday (tomorrow). One was from India. It would be unfair if I could not meet this person who had to fly all the way from India. I managed to write an email to him asking if it was possible to defer his trip. I wrote the same to another patient in Kuala Lumpur. Good that both understood my situation and agreed.
I did not let up on using the e-Therapy but the problem did not seem to improve. I took a few doses of the Backache Wine over a period of time. These generally would help based on previous experiences. But the wine did not help either. What has gone wrong? With this same therapy, I managed to help others “like magic” but I could not do that for myself? Was this just a placebo effect that we the alternative practitioners are often being accused of? It is all in the mind! And my mind cannot work on me?
Day 3: Wednesday 11 April 2012. My condition improved slightly. There was less pain and less muscle tension. Actually when I was lying down I felt great. I was my normal self in that position. In fact I told my wife that if the person in India comes because he has already bought his plane ticket, then what we could do is – let him come and see me in my home. I can still talk – just cannot walk around too much. Fortunately we did not have to come to that.
In the late afternoon – the house trembled! I was in bed reading. I felt the bed shaking lightly at first and then it became more violent. The glass panels of our three-tier- from-floor-to-ceiling book shelf rattled vigorously. I thought it was going to topple down. The shaking lasted for quite a while and then stopped. That was the 8.7-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra.
Day 4: Thursday 12 April 2012. I felt much better. I was able to walk downstairs and have my meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner. It looked like I would be okay by tomorrow! I found out that the e-Therapy program: Muscle Spasm and Detox seemed to make me better.
Day 5: Friday 13 April 2012. This is our cancer care day. I was able to go up and down the stairs with a lot more confidence. I took a walk in the garden. And just be sure that I would be well rested for our afternoon consultation, I remained in bed all morning. Then at about 2.30 p.m. we went to see patients at our centre. About a dozen patients came for help that afternoon. The consultation session ended by 6.30 p.m. I came home to take a rest.
Day 6: Saturday 14 April 2012. Great day! I could manage to sit up in front of my computer and write the first draft of this story! Yesterday’s consultation session with patients did not cause any adverse effects. But I was aware that I was still fragile. I felt my back was still “soft” – perhaps could break any time! No, I have no more pains when waking up or lying down. There were no pains when I stood up. I could walk about without a walking stick. I could now bathe by myself but I could not bend down to wipe and dry my legs! Yes, I did recover. But not fully yet!
At the end, I realised that the e-Therapy did not let me down! Perhaps I was expecting too much too soon. Okay, let me go back to my bed and rest. I should not be sitting down in front of the computer for too long!
In the evening we brought our visiting relatives for dinner in town.
Comments
I am aware that there is no cure for low back pain. It will recur and recur. I just have to be careful and try to avoid any situation that can cause it to come back. Indeed it is hard to anticipate. It can strike at any odd moment at any place. I just have to learn to live with it.
This was not the first time I suffered from such problems. It happened many times before. The first two times landed me in hospital. That was in the “good (or bad?) old days” when I believed modern medicine could solve all the world’s problem. I have written about this earlier (see My Own Personal Experience With Lower Back Pain) With a problem like this, the obvious reaction is to rush to the hospital. No, I did not do that now. I just wanted to relax and allow my body to heal. It is not an emergency!
This week’s episode is just unfortunate but it was one of the worst that I have ever suffered since the past many years. Nevertheless, I thought I could handle it myself. My earlier experiences with the orthopedic taught me that I need not rush to the hospital for this kind of problem. I just need to take care of myself. I would “reserve” going to the hospital for some other more serious problem!
While in bed, I took time to read many books. I read Mitch Albom’s – Have a Little Faith and Randy Pausch’s The Last lecture. Professor Pausch had pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery and chemo. Then he ended up with 10 spots in his liver and was told he had a few months to live. Read this if you have time. I also read Life Before Life – documentation about young children telling about their past lives. Then I read some chapters of Michio Kaku’s, Parallel World, Bruce Lipton’s, The Biology of Belief and Jerome Groopman’s, How Doctors Think. So, it was a time well spent in bed.
Those of you who have this e-Therapy machine – can you read at the same time you do the program? No, you have to hold the hand-set! About a month ago, I made a bit of modification and instead of using the hand set we could also use a stick-on electrode (used for ECG, etc.). So, this time I have the opportunity to try out this hands-free treatment on myself for the first time. So with my hands free, I can do other things. Real cool!
Let me conclude by quoting some of what Dr. Jerome Groopman wrote in his book, How doctors think.
How doctors think about a problem like chronic low back pain is heavily influenced by the speciality that they are trained in – who you see is what you get.
Each of the various muscles, tendons, bones, joints and ligaments in the lower back contains sensory nerves that can transmit messages of pain through the spinal cord to the brain. There are also organs in the abdomen and pelvis that, when they become inflamed or diseased, can signal pain in the back. Given all of these structures, the source of the chronic low back pain is often a mystery. Doctors can be hard-pressed to identify why a patient is uncomfortable.
Each approach to diagnosis and treatment is essentially a “franchise,” and that too many franchises are battling for control.
The technology has also developed rapidly. New sorts of screws, rods, and cages, as well as other devices, can be inserted into the spine. These instruments are aggressively marketed and generate high profit margins for both the manufacturer and the hospitals that use them.
Research showed that 85 percent of patients who suffer from low back pain cannot be given a precise diagnosis; the pain is usually vaguely ascribed to “strain” or “sprain” in the lumber region. It turns out that the diagnosis is not critical, because the outcomes tend to be similar anyway. With acute low back pain, 90 percent improve within two to seven weeks without specific therapy. Even with an acute ruptured disc … 80 percent feel significantly better within six weeks without surgery. Over time the disc retracts, so it no longer presses on the nerves and the inflammation subsides.
Wow! Lower back pain heals by itself but it takes about two to seven weeks to do so. So, I am not doing badly - being able to be on my feet after a few days!
CR is a 73-year-old female from Indonesia. She is our breast cancer patient and has been taking our herbs for many months now. In late March 2012, she and her family returned to Penang for a routine check-up. Everything is alright. However, she has a long-standing problem. About three years ago, she underwent a surgery for hip and shoulder joint replacement. After this surgery she had the following problems:
Her left leg felt heavy when walking
There were pricking (electric) shock when the tips of her left leg fingers were touched or her left sole stepped on something.
There was numb feeling in her lower left leg.
The surgeon was unable to help her with the above problems – that’s the way it is! Otherwise, CR could undergo another surgery to correct the problem!
About a month ago, CR had stiff neck.
We suggested that CR undergo the e-Therapy since she had about four days in Penang. It is with great satisfaction to note that the e-Therapy helped her very much.
