ABSTRACT
We experienced two cases of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) improved with Kampo medicines that include uzu (i.e. uzu-zai).The pain from PHN was improved via the administration of an uzu-zai in these 2 cases, worsened by its discontinuation, and improved again by its re-introduction.Case 1 : A 76-year-old male suffering from PHN of the right L 2-3 area was administered uzukeishito and obtained pain reduction. After 12 months, his prescription was changed from uzukeishito to keishikaryoju-tsubuto. Then, after only 2 days his pain worsened again. Uzukeishito treatment was re-instated, and he again obtained pain reduction. Case 2 : An 82-year-old male suffering from PHN of the right C 4-5 area was given uzuto and obtained pain relief. After 3 months his prescription was changed from uzuto to keishikajutsubuto. Then, after only1week his pain worsened again. Uzuto was then re-introduced, and pain reduction was achieved again. These two cases led to two suggestions. First, that the uzu-zais were very effective against the PHN pain. Second, that this effect of an uzu-zai against PHN pain might be a symptomatic rather than a radical treatment.These two cases highlight the fact that the use of an uzu-zai was instrumental in reducing PHN-associated pain, but further studies will be needed to determine a dosage protocol, including when and at what pace uzu-zais might be reduced/discontinued.
ABSTRACT
A 51-year-old male with cyclic neutropenia, on whom we previously reported, was admitted to our hospital with severe abdominal pain and diarrhea four years and seven months after his last hospitalization. Since then, he has received Kampo treatment at our hospital every three weeks, with good clinical results. This time, he was at first treated with Kampo daikenchuto combined with bushikobeito, which had been effective during his last hospitalization, although this time the remedy had no effect. From the viewpoint of Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine, it was considered that the patient had severe cold syndrome. He was given uzukeishito three times a day (at 10.00, 15.00 and 20.00 hours). The dose of uzu in uzukeishito was gradually increased. Daiuzusen, in which the dose of uzu (an aconite) was 1g or 2g, was also administered five times a day due to the patient's very severe abdominal pain. On the fourth day of uzukeishito administration, the patient felt very hot and still had severe abdominal pain, although this pain was different from the previous pain, thirty minutes after daiuzusen (with 2g dose of uzu) was administered. This reaction can better be explained as <i>mengen</i> rather than uzu poisoning. Very soon he had a good appetite, his abdominal pain was reduced and the cycle of neutropenia was normalized. The case suggests that in cases of very severe cold syndrome, frequent and high-dose administration of aconite component medicine can be effective.
ABSTRACT
A 51-year-old male with cyclic neutropenia, on whom we previously reported, was admitted to our hospital with severe abdominal pain and diarrhea four years and seven months after his last hospitalization. Since then, he has received Kampo treatment at our hospital every three weeks, with good clinical results. This time, he was at first treated with Kampo daikenchuto combined with bushikobeito, which had been effective during his last hospitalization, although this time the remedy had no effect. From the viewpoint of Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine, it was considered that the patient had severe cold syndrome. He was given uzukeishito three times a day (at 10.00, 15.00 and 20.00 hours). The dose of uzu in uzukeishito was gradually increased. Daiuzusen, in which the dose of uzu (an aconite) was 1g or 2g, was also administered five times a day due to the patient's very severe abdominal pain. On the fourth day of uzukeishito administration, the patient felt very hot and still had severe abdominal pain, although this pain was different from the previous pain, thirty minutes after daiuzusen (with 2g dose of uzu) was administered. This reaction can better be explained as <I>mengen</I> rather than uzu poisoning. Very soon he had a good appetite, his abdominal pain was reduced and the cycle of neutropenia was normalized. The case suggests that in cases of very severe cold syndrome, frequent and high-dose administration of aconite component medicine can be effective.
ABSTRACT
We report two cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) successfully treated with Kampo formulae including Uzu (aconiti tuber). The 1st case was a 33-year-old male. Since the age of 20, he had stiffness and pain in his back. At 26 years of age, he was diagnosed with AS by a nearby orthopedist. When he consulted our department in 1997, X-ray examination revealed a Bamboo spine appearance. Because coldness exacerbated the pain, we prescribed Uzu-to. Together with a decrease in inflammatory reaction, his pain and quality of life were improved. The 2nd case was a 24-year-old male. He had left hip joint pain since the age of 14, and at 16 was diagnosed with AS and treated with NSAIDs. Methotrexate (MTX) had also been prescribed from the age of 23, since the pain of other joints and back was gradually progressive with consistently positive inflammation. He did not, however, improve on MTX, and visited our department in 2002. His HLA-B27 was positive, while iliosacral arthritis was also noted. Uzukeishi-to was then prescribed, resulting in decreased pain, alleviation of restricted motion, and an improved inflammation reaction. This suggests that Kampo formulae which include Uzu may be useful in the treatment of AS.
ABSTRACT
We encountered a patient with chronic pain due to reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) that was relieved by Uzu-keishi-to (Wu tou gui zhi tang) therapy. A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with RSD in 1995. Intractable pain of the extremities and trunk persisted despite several therapies such as spinal cord stimulation, local anesthetic blocks, and a variety of conventional medications. The patient was admitted to our hospital in June 2000, and was diagnosed as having stage II RSD. Thermography demonstrated that the left side of the back and the hand were lower in temperature than the corresponding areas of the right side. “Perfusion” images of three-phase bone scintigraphy showed a lower flow in the lower left extremity. Uzu-keishi-to was administered in addition to the Western medicines. After administration of Uzu-keishi-to, the pain was relieved and the value of the face scale decreased from 20 to 11. Moreover, after 16 weeks of Uzu-keishi-to therapy, the decreased blood flow on the left side of the body detected by thermography and three-phase bone scintigraphy increased to a level equal to that of the right side. Uzu-keishi-to is effective not only in reducing the intractable pain of RSD but also in preventing the development of “dystrophy.” Further evaluation of Uzu-keishi-to therapy for patients with RSD is warranted.