Many Westerners think that Chinese medicine is great
for chronic, degenerative diseases for which modern Western medicine
has no effective treatment but that when it comes to traumatology, Chinese
medicine does not have much to offer. While it is true that certain
traumatological and emergency conditions are best treated, at least
initially, by Western medical services, Chinese medicine is itself a
"full service" medicine, and Chinese medicine does have things it can
offer Westerners even in the way of trauma and especially, post-trauma
care. For instance, using a combination of internally administered and
externally applied Chinese medicinals and other external treatments,
such as acupuncture, massage, passive and active motion, and electro-magnetic
therapies, doctors in the People"s Republic of China routinely help
fractured bones knit in 2/3 the length of time required by standard
Western medical care.1
Clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine (II)
published by the Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine
Press is a Chinese-English clinical manual on what is referred to in
Chinese medicine as wai ke or external medicine.2
In Chinese medicine, the category of external medicine covers what in
Western medicine would be called dermatology, orthopedics, and traumatology
as well as a number of acute, often times surgical conditions, such
as acute appendicitis. Among the types of fractures in this book, there
are fracture of the clavicle, the neck of the humerus, the humeral shaft,
supracondylar fracture of the humerus, fracture of the elbow, the radius,
the ulna, the distal end of the radius, the scaphoid bone, the metacarpal-phalangeal
bones, compression fracture of thoracolumbar vertebral bodies, fracture
of the pelvis, neck of the femur, femoral shaft, patella, tibia, fibula,
malleolus, and fracture of the foot bones. In every chapter on fractures
in this clinical manual, Chinese medicinal prescriptions are given whose
ingredients are differentially based on A) the stage of healing (whether
early, middle, or late) and B) the specific bone broken or body part
affected.
In general, Chinese medicinals during the early stage
are most often selected for their ability to quicken the blood and dispel
stasis, move the qi and stop pain, possibly assisted by clearing heat
and dispersing swelling. During the middle stage, Chinese medicinals
are commonly chosen which supplement the kidneys and strengthen the
bones, quicken the blood and dispel stasis, while during the late stage,
choice of medicinals is usually based on supplementing and boosting
the qi and blood, soothing the sinews and quickening the network vessels.
These treatment principles are mostly derived from the Chinese medical
statements of fact that, 1) "The kidneys rule the bones," and 2) "If
there is pain, there is no free flow." In addition to these basic principles
of managing the three stages of bone healing, Chinese medicinal formulas
for fractures typically include different medicinals depending on the
site of the break. For instance, Fructus Chaenomelis Lagenariae (Mu
Gua) and Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (Niu Xi) are commonly
added to formulas for the treatment of fractures in the lower extremities,
while medicinals such as Radix Ligustici Wallichii (Chuan Xiong)
and Ramulus Mori Albi (Sang Zhi) are often used to guide the
effects of other medicinals to the upper extremities.
Below is an abstract of a relatively recent Chinese
study comparing Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of fractured
ribs. Its title is, "The Administration of Chinese Medicinals in the
Treatment of 32 Cases of Fractured Ribs." It was written by Feng Ji-chen,
and it appeared in Zhe Jiang Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Zhejiang Journal of
Chinese Medicine), #5, 1993 on page 207. It only uses a two-stage
division of early and late stages of healing.
This study compares the treatment of two groups of patients
with fractured ribs. One group, labeled the treatment group, received
Chinese medicinals. The other group did not. This group was called the
comparison group. The group receiving Chinese medicinals was administered
two separate formulas, one during the early stage of injury characterized
by pain and soreness and another during the late or healing stage.
Early stage (pain & soreness)
Fu Yuan Huo Xue Tang Jia Jian (Return
to the Origin & Quicken the Blood Decoction with Additions &
Subtractions): Radix Bupleuri (Chai Hu), 10-15g, Fructus Meliae
Toosendan (Chuan Lian Zi), 10-15g, Lumbricus (Di Long),
10-15g, Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Dang Gui), 12g, Radix Et Rhizoma
Rhei (Da Huang), 5-10g, Flos Carthami Tinctorii (Hong Hua),
9-12g, Semen Pruni Persicae (Tao Ren), 9-12g, Radix Trichosanthis
Kirlowii (Tian Hua Fen), 9-12g, Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae
(Qin Jiao), 20g, uncooked Radix Astragali Membranacei (Huang
Qi), 15-30g, Radix Pseudoginseng (San Qi, swallowed as a
powder), 3g, Herba Asari Cum Radice (Xi Xin), 1-2g, and Radix
Glycyrrhizae (Gan Cao), 4-6g. Dosage was adjusted based on constitution,
age, degree of pain, and the course of illness. One ji of the
above medicinals was taken daily until the chest pain ceased completely.
Late stage (healing stage)
Jie Gu Er Hao Fang (Bone
Knitting Formula #2 with Additions): Radix Dipsaci (Xu Duan),
15g, Rhizoma Drynariae (Gu Sui Bu), 15g, Pyritum (Zi Ran Tong),
15-30g, Radix Rubrus Paeoniae Lactiflorae (Chi Shao), 15-30g,
and Rhizoma Curcumae (Jiang Huang), 9-12g. The doses within this
prescription were adjusted based upon the patient"s constitution and
the integrity of the transportative and transformative functions of
the middle warmer. One ji of the above medicinals was administered
daily until the ends of the fracture had completely healed.
In the comparison group, the overall pain and soreness
disappeared within 21 days. The pain and soreness with cough and expectoration
disappeared within 36 days. And the bone break was healed within 45
days. In the group treated with the above Chinese medicinals, the overall
pain and soreness disappeared within seven days. The pain and soreness
with cough and expectoration disappeared within 20 days. And the bone
break was healed within 30 days. Thus the broken ribs treated with Chinese
medicine healed in 2/3 the time that it took in the Western medicine
group. Based on this and copious similar Chinese research, Westerners
who have suffered a fracture which has been reduced and fixed (i.e.,
casted) might want to consider seeing their local professional practitioner
of Chinese medicine.
References