ABSTRACT
One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is olfactory dysfunction. Most of them resolve spontaneously at an early stage, but there are some cases that remain as sequelae, and there is no established drug treatment at present. This time, we report two cases of olfactory dysfunction after COVID-19 successfully treated with Kampo medicine centered on kososan. Case 1 was a 32-year-old woman. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 eight months ago, and olfactory dysfunction remained after that. She was yin pattern and slight deficiency pattern, and tenderness was found in the groin. We prescribed her tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto. After 8 weeks of administration, she felt warm and well, but her olfaction did not change. Depression due to olfactory dysfunction was also conspicuous, so we administered her kososan in combination. Since then, her olfaction has gradually improved. Case 2 was a 17-year-old man. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 four months ago, and olfactory dysfunction remained after that. He was yang pattern and medium or slight deficiency pattern, and with noticeable signs of qi stagnation. We administered him kososan, and his olfaction has gradually improved.
ABSTRACT
Postoperative maxillary cyst is a late complication that occurs after maxillary sinus radical surgery. The only curative treatment is surgery, and endoscopic fenestration is currently performed in most cases. However, in some cases, it is difficult to form a permanent fenestration. Here, we report a case of postoperative maxillary cyst which was reduced by administration of kumibinroto and could avoid surgery. The case was a 58-year-old man. He received bilateral maxillary sinus radical surgery 40 years ago. He had swelling of his left cheek for half a year and took an antibacterial drug at a nearby doctor, but he was referred to our department because there was no improvement. We diagnosed him with a postoperative maxillary cyst based on CT findings, but it was considered difficult to form a permanent fenestration due to the small contact area between the nasal cavity and the cyst. He refused to puncture from the oral cavity, so we planned endoscopic surgery and administered kumibinroto to him. After 6 weeks, the swelling of the left cheek disappeared. After 12 weeks, CT showed shrinkage of the cyst, and surgery could be avoided. No further cyst shrinkage was observed, and we reduced the dose of kumibinroto after 20 weeks. He is now being followed up.
ABSTRACT
In auditory processing disorder (APD), hearing difficulties occur in noisy or otherwise difficult environments, despite no hearing loss. Most APD patients have developmental disabilities, weak cognitive function, or psychological problems. Here, we report a case of a child who was thought to have developed APD due to mental stress and had a good course using shokenchuto. The case was a 12-year-old girl. She began to be bullied 2 years ago, and from that time she began to find it was difficult to hear the words in a noisy environment. She visited our department and was diagnosed with APD without any abnormalities in various hearing tests. We administered her shokenchuto. After 12 weeks, she felt almost no inconvenience in hearing. She also regained her usual energy and became to be able to shrug off bullying without worrying too much. Afterwards, her symptoms subsided. After 20 weeks, the medication was discontinued.
ABSTRACT
Laryngeal venous malformation has a risk of airway obstruction due to its enlargement or bleeding. It requires treatment such as sclerotherapy, laser treatment or surgery. However, adult-type laryngeal venous malformation occurs frequently in the upper part of the glottis, and causes almost no symptoms except when it occurs in the vocal cords. So some patients do not wish to undergo surgery. This time, we describe a case of an asymptomatic laryngeal venous malformation patient who did not wish to receive laser treatment, and was significantly improved by Kampo medicine. The patient was a 69-year-old man. He consulted us because of an accidental laryngeal mass on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during a medical examination, but he had no particular pharyngeal symptoms. A venous malformation was found in the upper part of the right glottis, and we recommended him laser treatment. But he did not wish it because he had no symptoms. We considered the condition of static blood (oketsu), and administered keishibukuryogan for 7 weeks, but there was no change. Since he had constipation, we administered daiokanzoto together with keishibukuryogan, and his bowel movement improved. Thirteen weeks after the beginning of the combined use, the venous malformation also remarkably reduced.
ABSTRACT
Ryokeijutsukanto is an herbal medicinal product that is often used for dizziness when standing up, that is, orthostatic dysregulation. This time, we encountered 2 patients with orthostatic dysregulation successfully treated with ryokeijutsukanto, and objectively evaluated the therapeutic effect of ryokeijutsukanto by using Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Vertigo Symptom Scale-short form (VSS-sf) Japanese version and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) Japanese version. Case 1 is a 17-year-old woman. Dizziness when standing up appeared from 2 month ago. Before treatment, VAS scored 71/100, VSS-sf scored 7 points, and DHI scored 42 points. After 4 weeks of administration of Ryokeijutsukanto, VAS improved to 22/100, VSS-sf improved to 6 points, and DHI improved to 26 points. Case 2 is a 38-year-old woman. Dizziness when standing up appeared from 3 month ago. Before treatment, VAS scored 48/100, VSS-sf scored 18 points, and DHI scored 32 points. After 4 weeks of administration of Ryokeijutsukanto, VAS improved to 9/100, VSS-sf improved to 3 points, and DHI improved to 20 points. In both cases, all the evaluation scales showed sharp improvement after 4 weeks, indicating that ryokeijutsukanto was certainly effective.
ABSTRACT
Tonsillectomy is an operation generally carried out in otolaryngology. Postoperatively, the pain is very strong and it is often difficult to eat for several days. This time, we experienced a case after tonsillectomy in which rikkosan was effective for pain management. The patient was a 23-year-old woman. With a diagnosis of habitual tonsillitis, we performed her tonsillectomy. Postoperative pain was strong, however, it was difficult to use both non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and acetaminophen due to the history of drug eruption. Pain was alleviated immediately after taking rikkosan Subsequently we managed pain by using rikkosan as needed. Following a good postoperative course, she was discharged 6 days after surgery.
ABSTRACT
We have reported cases of idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss treated with Japanese Kampo medicine in the past, but they all exhibited deficiency pattern. This time, we experienced cases of idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss, which exhibited medium pattern and excess pattern. Case 1 is a 57-year-old man. He had a chief complaint of ringing and hearing loss in his right ear from 3 days ago and was diagnosed with right idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss Grade3b. He exhibited medium pattern with liver qi depression and blood stasis, and was administered shosaikoto and keishibukuryogan. He was cured after 2 weeks. Case 2 is a 48-year-old man. He had a chief complaint of hearing loss in his right ear and dizziness from 2 days ago and was diagnosed with right idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss Grade4a. He exhibited excess pattern with liver qi depression and blood stasis, and was administered daisaikoto and tokakujokito for 1 week. After that, we switched tokakujokito to keishibukuryogan and continued treatment, but there remained a slight difference in hearing around the treble part, and it stopped at a remarkable recovery.
ABSTRACT
In cases of pulsatile tinnitus, the presence of organic disease should be suspected, and many of them can be treated once the cause is identified. However, there are idiopathic cases in which the cause cannot be identified, and there is no established treatment for them. Here, we report 2 cases in which Kampo medicine was effective for idiopathic pulsatile tinnitus. Case 1 was a 50-year-old man. He had been stressed for half a year due to the change of job title in his workplace, and he had left pulsatile tinnitus a month ago. We administered saikokaryukotsuboreito, and his tinnitus disappeared in a week. Case 2 was a 30-year-old woman. She gave birth 4 months ago, and after giving birth, she had less sleep and was tired and stressed. She started to notice right pulsatile tinnitus and dizziness from a month ago. We administered nyoshinsan, and her tinnitus and dizziness disappeared in 2 months. In both cases, they were aware of hot flashed on their face as a symptom of qi counterflow, and Kampo treatment improved the symptom together with pulsatile tinnitus. It is possible that blood flow in the head increased with qi counterflow, causing relative stenosis of the blood vessels in the head, leading to turbulence in the lumen of the blood vessels, and hearing pulsatile tinnitus.
ABSTRACT
Sleep disorders may be involved in unexplained dizziness. This time, we report 2 cases of dizziness with sleep disorders improved with keishikaryukotsuboreito. Case 1 is a 67-year-old woman. She had had vertigo attacks for 4 years, was very anxious about the attacks, had trouble falling asleep, and was aware of dizziness even between the attacks. After 4 weeks of administration of keishikaryukotsuboreito, her anxiety disappeared and she was able to sleep soundly. After 10 weeks, the lightheadedness disappeared and the medication was terminated at 17 weeks. Case 2 is a 38-year-old woman. She was exhausted because she had a personnel change in her workplace 3 months ago and she was concerned about many things. From 2 months ago, she had trouble falling asleep at night. After 2 weeks of administration of keishikaryukotsuboreito, she was able to sleep soundly. The dizziness disappeared after 6 weeks, and the medication was terminated at 10 weeks.
ABSTRACT
The cause of dizziness is often phlegm-rheum, and most of them are treated with drugs, which eliminate excessive fluids. However, in recent years, the causes of dizziness have become diversified and complicated, and in some cases it is difficult to treat with general-purpose agents. This time, we present a case of chronic refractory dizziness successfully treated with goshakusan. The patient was a 70-year-old woman. She had wobbled while walking for 2 years, and consulted nearby doctors. No particular abnormality was pointed out, and oral treatment was performed, but there was no improvement. In our department, ryokeijutsukanto, hangebyakujutsutenmato, goreisan, hochuekkito, kamishoyosan, chotosan, and shinbuto were prescribed by the doctor at the first visit. However, there was no improvement, and the author took over the charge. We diagnosed her with orthostatic dysregulation and prescribed tofisopam, but her dizziness did not improve. We conducted oriental medical examination, and diagnosed that phlegm-rheum associated with food accumulation was the main pathological condition, and that qi stagnation and blood stasis were combined. After 16 weeks of administration of goshakusan, her dizziness improved.
ABSTRACT
We experienced 2 patients with clinical diagnosis of subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis who were successfully treated with shosaikoto. Case 1 is a 37-year-old woman. Left neck swelling and pain appeared from 12 days before, and temperature went up thereafter. Antibiotics were administered at another hospital, but she did not improve. There were multiple swollen lymph nodes of the left neck, and blood test showed decreased white blood cells and increased LDH. So we clinically diagnosed her as subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis. After administration of shosaikoto, fever resolved, and cervical swelling also markedly improved on the third day. On day 10, both symptom and findings disappeared. Case 2 is a 12-year-old man. Left neck swelling and pain appeared and temperature went up from 8 days before. An antibiotic was administered at another hospital, but he did not improve. There were multiple swollen lymph nodes of the left neck, and blood test showed decreased white blood cells and increased LDH. So we clinically diagnosed him as subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis, and administered shosaikoto. Then fever resolved on the third day, and cervical swelling diminished and tenderness disappeared on day 10. On day 18, both symptom and findings disappeared.
ABSTRACT
Pruritus of external auditory canal is often treated with blood-enriching formulation and heat-clearing formula. Here, we report a case of intractable pruritus of external auditory canal successfully treated with tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto, which did not improve with blood-enriching formulation or heat-clearing formula. Our patient was a 52-year-old woman. She had itching in her left ear from the age of 45, and was treated by 5 otolaryngologists, but her symptom did not improve. I treated her with tokiinshi, shofusan, yokukansankachimpihange, unseiin, jumihaidokuto and keishibukuryogankayokuinin, but they had no effect. After reconsideration of sho, she was diagnosed as interior cold pattern, and she had tenderness in groin area. So I treated her with tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto, and her itching disappeared. We should consider interior cold pattern as one of the differential diagnoses of pruritus of external auditory canal.
ABSTRACT
We administered Japanese Kampo medicine for seven patients with Grade 3 or more idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss who could not be administered enough amounts of steroids for some reasons. They all exhibited deficiency patterns, and which were all dual deficiency patterns of qi and yin. All patients were administered hochuekkito and hachimijiogan. Six patients were cured, and one patient was recovered.