March 12, 2005.

Cui Changqing , female, 35 years old, a resident in our local city, Huaihua. The joints of all fingers become stiff, lasting dozens of minutes everyday, especially when getting up every morning. This condition was felt for three months. The fingers do not have pains, cold or hot sense or distending sense. The forehead has distending pains and needling sense. The patient prefers warm drinking water. Good appetite, unrest sleep, dreaminess. The patient feels distention at the middle and lower abdomen half an hour after meal. The bowel movement is normal. All other joints of the body do not feel pains and stiffness. The patient does not have sweating. The spirit is good. She feels aversion to cold in winter. The laboratory check revealed ASO(-) and RF(+) which denotes rheumatoid arthritis and not rheumatic arthritis according to western medicine. The pulse is thready and feeble, especially the kidney pulse is feeble obviously. The tongue coating is thin and white, the tongue is moist.

The diagnosis:

Rheumatoid arthritis (western medicine)

Numbness pattern of wind cold damp type (Chinese medicine)

Treatment strategy:

Eliminating wind cold and damp, quickening blood circulation and opening channels, strengthening spleen.

codonopsis root 15g ovate atractylodes rhizome 15g scrophularia root 12g dandelion 15g wild chrysanthemum flower 15g tangerine peel 6g poria 10g tangkuei root 12g ligusticum root 12g turmeric 12g notopterygium 12g puberscent flavescent 12g mulberry twig 10g platycodon 12g chaenomales fruit 15g millettia root and stem 15g  cuscuta seed 10g lycium berry 10g

Three dosages, to be decocted twice, taking 200 milliliters in the morning and another 200 milliliters in the afternoon.

                                                                                                                                         Dr. Zhu Ming

March 14, 2005.

The patient felt that the pains of fingers are worsening. The arms are of heaviness and pains. There is coughing at night. There is much phlegm which is white. The throat is dry and itching. The tongue is moist. The tongue coating is thin and white. Good food-intake. Continue with the former formula.

                                                                                                                                           Dr. Ming

March 22, 2005.

Currently, the patient has no symptoms of common cold. No coughing, no throat pains and phlegm. Normal food intake and sleep. The tongue coating is thin and white, the tongue is moist. The pulse is thready and feeble. Feeling slight lack of blood. Slight insomnia.

chaenomales fruit 12g mulberry twig 12g notopterygium 10g puberscent flavescent 10g turmeric 12g  cinnamon twig 12g millettia root and stem 10g siegesbeckia 10g ground pine 10g tangkuei root 10g ligusticum root 12g schizonepeta root 10g

Taking this dosage for three days.

                                                                                                                                               Dr. Ming

March 25, 2005.

Currently there is slight throat pains. The appetite and sleep are roughly normal. The stiffness of the fingers are relived 50%.There are aching pains at the four extremities.

chaenomales fruit 12g mulberry twig 12g notopterygium 10g puberscent flavescent 10g turmeric 12g cinnamon twig 12g schizonepeta root 10g platycodon 15g millettia root and stem 10g  siegesbeckia 10g ground pine 10g tangkuei root 10g ligusticum root 12g

Taking the above formula for 4 days.

                                                                                                                                                  Dr. Ming

March 29, 2005

The stiffness and aching pains of the fingers are improved. Yet there is still aching pain of muscles of the legs and arms. The appetite is normal. The spirit is fine. The sleep is not so good. There is no palpitations. There is no constipation. The urine is normal.

chaenomales fruit 10g mulberry twig 10g notopterygium 10g puberscent flavescent 10g turmeric 10g cinnamon twig 10g millettia root and stem 10g  siegesbeckia 10g ground pine 10g tangkuei root 10g ligusticum root 12g earth worm  10g kadsura pepper stem  8g star jasmine stem 8g

Taking two dosages for this formula.

                                                                                                                                                    Dr. Ming

March 31, 2005.

The aching pains of the muscles of the arms and legs are relieved slightly. The stiffness of the fingers is relieved 30%. The appetite and sleep are normal. The bowel movement is normal. The urine is not yellowish.

puberscent flavescent 10g notopterygium 10g mulberry twig 10g chaenomales fruit 10g turmeric 10g cinnamon twig 10g millettia root and stem 10g siegesbeckia 10g siegesbeckia 10g tangkuei root 10g ligusticum root 10g earth worm  10g kadsura pepper stem  8g star jasmine stem 8g

Taking the above formula for 5 dosages.

                                                                                                                                                       Dr. Ming

April 4, 2005

The aching pains of the muscles of the arms and legs are continuing to be relived. The stiffness of the fingers disappears. There is a carbuncle appears on the hip which is red, swollen and pains. The appetite and sleep are normal.

moutan bark 12g wild chrysanthemum flower 15g puberscent flavescent 10g notopterygium 10g mulberry twig 10g chaenomales fruit 10g turmeric 10g cinnamon twig 10g millettia root and stem 10g siegesbeckia 10g ground pine 10g tangkuei root 10g ligusticum root 10g earth worm  10g silk worm 10g kadsura pepper stem  10g star jasmine stem 10g

Take this formula for five dosages. The treatment strategy is eliminating dampness, opening channels, quickening blood circulation.

                                                                                                                                                       Dr. Ming

April 14, 2005,

The bowel movement is normal. The urine is not yellowish. The heaviness of the body disappears. The joints of the body have no pains. There is slight finger stiffness when awakening up in sleep at night. During daytime, there is no finger stiffness. The carbuncle on the hip is disappearing. Today put two pieces of centipede and four grams of scorpion inside the new formula to strengthen the result of opening channels.

moutan bark 12g wild chrysanthemum flower 15g puberscent flavescent 10g notopterygium 10g mulberry twig 10g chaenomales fruit 10g turmeric 10g cinnamon twig 10g millettia root and stem 10g siegesbeckia 10g siegesbeckia 10g tangkuei root 10g ligusticum root 10g earth worm  10g silk worm 10g kadsura pepper stem  10g star jasmine stem 10g centipede 2 pieces  scorpion 4g

Taking four dosages.

                                                                                                                                                       Dr. Ming

April 17, 2005.

All the symptoms disappear. There is no stiffness and pains as to fingers. The sleep and appetite is very normal. Continue to take 5 dosages.

                                                                                                                                                        Dr. Ming

April 28, 2005.

The patient have no any discomfort and symptoms these days. The laboratory check today is RF(-) and ASO(-) which denotes the rheumatoid arthirtis is negative now. So after 46 days herbal treatment, the symptoms of the patient recovers steadily. Now the laboratory check indicates the disease is completely cured. Also all the symptoms have disappeared for ten days.