Complementary therapy with Chinese aromatic herbs to promote awakening in a comatose patient: A case report.

RATIONALE: Traumatic brain injury frequently leads to prolonged coma, posing significant medical management challenges. Complementary therapies, including traditional Chinese herbal medicine, have been investigated as potential interventions in comatose patients. Chinese aromatic herbs, such as Borneolum (Bingpian), Moschus (Shexiang), and Acori tatarinowii rhizoma (Shichangpu), have long been believed to be "resuscitation with aromatics" based on traditional Chinese medicines theory. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 16-year-old male was admitted to the intensive rehabilitation unit for further treatment due to prolonged coma and frequent seizures following traumatic brain injury. DIAGNOSES: Western medicine diagnosed the patient as coma, diffuse axonal injury, and epilepsy. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the syndrome differentiation indicates a Yin-closed disease. INTERVENTIONS: According to the patient's condition, we use the Chinese aromatic herbs as a complementary therapy. OUTCOMES: Following a month-long administration, the patient's consciousness and electroencephalogram (EEG) background progressively improved. A 6-month follow-up demonstrated full arousal, though with ambulatory EEG revealing mild to moderate abnormality in the background. LESSONS: The addition of Chinese aromatic herbs appears to have a beneficial effect on the patient's consciousness and EEG background. This could be attributed to the herbs' inherent pharmacological properties, as well as their potential to enhance the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to other drugs. This makes them a promising option for complementary therapy.

Clinical remission of moderate generalized myasthenia gravis through exclusive use of Buzhong Yiqi decoction: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune neuromuscular disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers an alternative approach to standard pharmacological and surgical interventions, which are often associated with adverse side effects. This case report details the clinical remission of a 50-year-old male with moderate generalized MG following exclusive treatment with a modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction (BYD), a TCM formula, without the use of immunosuppressive agents. CASE SUMMARY: The patient presented with diplopia, bilateral ptosis, weakness in chewing, limb weakness, and other symptoms indicative of spleen and stomach qi deficiency. Modified BYD was prescribed, focusing on strengthening the spleen, nourishing qi and blood, and enhancing immune response. The treatment included ingredients such as Radix Astragali, Angelica sinensis, Atractylodes macrocephala, and others, aiming to restore balance and improve the patient's condition. After two weeks of TCM treatment, the patient showed significant improvement in symptoms of myasthenia. By the second month, all clinical symptoms had disappeared. The patient continued to receive the TCM regimen until the thirtieth month of treatment. At the time of writing this report, the patient has no clinical symptoms and has experienced no relapse. Notably, no obvious adverse effects were reported throughout the treatment. CONCLUSION: The success of this case suggests that TCM may serve as an independent treatment option for moderate MG, offering a steroid-free alternative, which would be particularly valuable for patients who are intolerant of or refuse steroid therapy, potentially with significant clinical implications. However it needs a randomized clinical trial comparing TCM to conventional Western medicine treatment to validate it.

A case report of integrating Chinese and Western medicine: A new era in the treatment of stiff person syndrome.

RATIONALE: At present, there are limitations to the treatment of stiff person syndrome (SPS). Current treatments are still ineffective or financially burdensome for some patients, so it is imperative to explore more appropriate treatments for patients. This is a case report of a SPS with a more significant effect of combined Chinese and Western medicine, which may provide new treatment ideas for other patients. PATIENT CONCERNS: This patient presented with episodes of stiffness and pain in the lower back and lower extremities. His electromyography shows continued activation of normal motor units in the paraspinal and abdominal muscles. However, relevant laboratory tests including glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody and Amphiphysin antibody were negative. After a period of treatment including clonazepam, baclofen, prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulin, this patient experiences a shortened maintenance period of medication, accompanied by symptoms such as emotional anxiety and cognitive decline, which severely affects his life. DIAGNOSES: This patient was diagnosed with SPS. INTERVENTIONS: In May 2022 the patient decided to combine Chinese medicine for simultaneous treatment. OUTCOMES: During the period of simultaneous treatment with Chinese and Western medicine, the patient experienced remission of clinical symptoms, reduction of concomitant symptoms and improved quality of life. CONCLUSION: A combination of Western and Chinese medicine was effective in relieving this patient pain and stiffness and reducing the patient anxiety. Combined Chinese and Western medicine treatment may be able to bring better results to more patients with stiff person syndrome.

Dihuang Yinzi, a Classical Chinese Herbal Prescription, for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A 12-Year Follow-up Case Report.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatment and death within 2 to 5 years after symptom onset. Here, we reported a case of ALS patient using modified Dihuang Yinzi (DHYZ), a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, who has survived 12 years with significant improvement in bulbar paralysis.A 41-year-old Chinese Han nationality woman was admitted to the hospital with complaints of weakened bilateral grip, slurred speech, stumbling, and muscle twitching for 3 years. The electromyography showed neurogenic injury in bilateral upper limbs and tongue. She was diagnosed with ALS according to the revised El escorial criteria. The patient was orally administrated with Riluzole 100 mg daily for 10 months and then stopped. Subsequently, she resorted to TCM. Based on the TCM theory, the patient was diagnosed with Yinfei syndrome because of kidney deficiency. DHYZ was chosen because it has the function of replenishing kidney essence to treat Yinfei syndrome. Up to now, she has been using modified DHYZ continuously for 12 years. The patient survived with ALS and did not require permanent continuous ventilator. In addition, the symptoms of choking on liquids are improved, and the utility of 30 mL water swallow test was improved with grade 2. The symptoms of muscle fibrillations of limbs are also reduced. However, muscle strength worsened slowly. The repeated electromyography showed motor conduction amplitude reducing gradually and velocity not changing more when compared with the initial electromyography.Our findings suggested that DHYZ can be potentially used in ALS patients because of its multi-targeted neuroprotection and general safety, although ALS does not have a cure. In addition, we identified the area that is worthy of further study and DHYZ as a promising candidate for further clinical application and ALS trials. Rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed in the future.

[Eighteen years activity in prevention of blindness in the district of Shunyi, Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the urban tertiary hospital and medical research unit cooperate with rural basic medical unit in creating the model zone in prevention of blindness. METHODS: Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and Shunyi District Bureau of Public Health exerted their advantages to persist and popularize the program for prevention of blindness. A collaborative program in prevention of blindness was conducted by PUMCH and Shunyi District Bureau of Public Health. The targeted subjects were the population in Shunyi District of Beijing. An epidemiological survey of eye diseases was performed in 1984. A program for prevention of blindness was established and conducted afterward. RESULTS: The status of blindness in Shunyi District was unveiled by the eye epidemiological survey of eye diseases in 1984. Three-level primary eye care network and referring and treatment system for cataract blindness was established since 1987. The survey showed that the priority in prevent of blindness is surgical treatment of cataract in the area. The evaluation of the program in prevention and treatment for blindness in 1996 showed that the prevalence of blindness was decreased even it is increasing in both the total population and aged people. CONCLUSION: The cooperation in urban tertiary hospital, medical research unit and basic health care unit, and combination in research and medical practice in prevention of blindness can promote development in the prevention of blindness and possible reverse the tendency of blindness increase.