Hepatitis B Treatment with Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
European Scientific Journal February 2018 edition Vol.14
Hepatitis B Treatment with Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
Jihe Zhu 0
0 Faculty of Medical Sciences, University Goce Delcev, Shtip, Republic of Macedonia Blagica Arsovska, BSc Faculty of Medical Sciences, University Goce Delcev, Shtip, Republic of Macedonia Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics , Skopje , Republic of Macedonia Kristina Kozovska , BSc Faculty of Medical Sciences, University Goce Delcev , Shtip , Republic of Macedonia
Hepatitis B is liver inflammation caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV infection causes an acute illness that may end up in curing the patient or becoming a chronic illness that progresses to serious liver damage. The treated patient is a 33 year old woman, diagnosed with multiple conditions, but the main treatment was made to correct the hepatitis B infection and the secondary complications - ascites, liver cirrhosis, thrombocytosis, splenomegaly and hepatic vein thrombosis (Budd-Chiari Syndrome). The patient was also diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism. Beside the prescribed medications and hormone therapy, the patient was treated with acupuncture and herbal treatment. In the herbal treatment were used two funguses in capsules - Cordyceps sinensis 1.5g per day and Ganoderma lucidum 3g per day. In the acupuncture treatment were used the points located on the meridians of Spleen, Liver, Stomach, Dumai and Renmai. The patient has made 10 acupuncture treatments, once weekly in a period of three months, combined with herbal treatment. After the treatment the patient felt better, the accompanied symptoms were gone and the blood test results were significantly improved. The patient is in good health condition now, however the herbal treatment will continue for prevention and future follow-up will be done in this case.
Introduction
Hepatitis B is liver inflammation caused by the hepatitis B virus
(HBV). HBV infection causes an acute illness that may end up in curing the
patient or becoming a chronic illness that progresses to serious liver damage.
[WHO, 2009] In about 2-6% of the adults the infection can become chronic
and lead to liver cancer. The hepatitis B can be transferred through semen,
blood and other body fluids or through a shared needle or puncture in the skin.
The infection cannot be spread through water, food, coughing, sneezing or
kissing. Symptoms that may be present are: fatigue, fever, joint pain, vomiting,
nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and etc. Patients with fulminant
hepatitis have symptoms like: ascites, insomnia, hepatic encephalopathy,
coagulopathy and etc. Acute symptoms appear 2-3 month after the exposure
to the HBV and may last up to 6 months. The chronic symptoms may appear
in episodes with persistent fatigue, abdominal pain and pain in the joints.
When examining a patient with hepatitis B virus the following findings may
be present: splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, ascites, gynecomastia, abdominal
collateral veins and etc. The Western medicine as a treatment option suggests
the antiviral medications for chronic hepatitis and for the acute hepatitis
there’s no specific treatment [Davis K, 201
7] [Pyrsopoulos TN, 2017
]
Acupuncture and herbal treatment as part of the Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) are used to treat liver diseases for a very long time. In the
TCM are used thousands of variety of herbs in the treatment of liver diseases.
[Highleyman L, 2010] The actions of the anti-hepatitis herbs can be divided
in two categories: hepatoprotective and antiviral. The purpose of the herbs in
the treatment is to improve the immune system, boost the liver function,
alleviate the inflammation, relieve the symptoms, relieve anxiety, arrest
hepatic fibrosis, inhibit fibrinogenesis, stimulate and release bile production,
improve lipid metabolism, reduce the virus activity and improve the quality of
the patient’s lives. [Zhang L et al, 2010] [Dharmananda S, 1997] In TCM,
acute hepatitis B is seen as toxic heat syndrome and when the disease develops
it starts to manifest symptoms of liver Qi stagnation and accumulated
dampness. When the disease becomes chronic, the Yin becomes deficient, the
Qi is weakened and blood stasis is present. [Dharmananda S, 1997] Treating
a chronic hepatitis B infection is a long term process, but with finding and
knowing the pattern of the disorder and choosing the right herbal formulas the
healing is possible. [Grotte LB, 2017]
Case Report
The treated patient is a 33 year old woman, diagnosed with multiple
conditions, but the main treatment was made to correct the hepatitis B
infection and the secondary complications – ascites, liver cirrhosis,
thrombocytosis, splenomegaly and hepatic vein thrombosis (Budd-Chiari
Syndrome). The patient was also diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism. The
symptoms that were present are: dry mouth, insomnia, decreased appetite,
increased body temperature in the evening, body itching and irregular period (...truncated)