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Treating Hydrocele with Concentrated Herbal Extracts

 

by Dr. Jyh-Sheng You

Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

 

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Abstract

A 45-year old male had bilateral swelling and enlargement of his scrotum with slight burning and drooping sensations. He also had pain at the area of KD 1, at the soles of his feet, and SJ 3, the back of his hands. The areas around the medial malleolus on both legs were found swollen. He was diagnosed by a medical doctor with hydrocele, and a testicular tumor was suspected. The TCM diagnosis was water shan. The cause of the disease was dampheat pouring downward to the lower jiao. The locations of the disease were at the liver, kidney and san jiao. The nature of the disease was deficiency at the root and excess at the branch. The treatment principles were discharge heat to drain dampness, clear liver heat to rectify Qi and unblock the collaterals, nourish Yin, and tonify kidney. The formula prescribed was Gentiana Combination (Long Dan Xie Gan Tang) 6g plus Aucklandia Root (Mu Xiang) 1.5g, Lindera (Wu Yao) 1.5g, Earthworm (Di Long) 1.5g and Rehmannia Six Formula (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan) 4.5g. These totaled up to one day’s dosage, which were taken in three 5g doses. After he took the formula for one week, all the symptoms were alleviated. So I continued to dispel dampness, remove turbidity, and nourish kidney Yin. After two years of follow-up, everything returned to normal.

 

Gentiana (Long Dan) - The emperor herb of Gentiana Combination

(Long Dan Xie Gan Tang)

 

Foreword

Hydrocele is a commonly seen condition of the male urogenital system. It is mainly caused by increased fluid accumulation inside the tunica vaginalis or by the abnormal closure of the processus vaginalis causing fluid accumulation inside the tunica vaginalis. In TCM, it belongs to the category of water shan, which is further classified as cold-damp or damp-heat. We see many complex cases with clinical complications; therefore a thorough pattern differentiation is necessary. There are very few modern TCM case studies published regarding this disease; and among them, cases treated with concentrated herbs is even less. We are presenting this case study in order to explain the distinguishing feature of TCM treatment according to pattern differentiation.

 

Case Study

[Patient Information]

 

[Chief Complaint]

Bilateral hydrocele for 4 days.

[History of Present Illness]

This 45-year old male patient found his scrotum swollen and enlarged bilaterally when he took shower the night of 10/20/2000. There was no pain, itchiness, or dampness upon palpation but he felt slight burning and drooping sensations. He could feel hard objects inside the testicles and they felt swollen when pressed. Two days prior to the onset, he had pain at the soles of his feet, in the area of KD 1, when he got out of the bed in the morning. It was alleviated after walking for one hour. Then he started to develop edema (no pitting when pressed) below both medial malleolus and on the back of his hands. So on 10/21 he came to the urology department of our hospital and had a blood test and ultrasound exam. No medication was prescribed, and his symptoms did not improve, so he came to our TCM department for treatment on 10/24.

 

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[Past History] for members only

[Personal History] for members only

[Four Diagnostic Methods of Chinese Medicine] for members only

[Family History] for members only

[Physical Examinations] for members only

[Lab Tests] for members only

[Overall Review] for members only

[Diagnosis] for members only

[Treatment Principle] for members only

[Concentrated Herbal Prescription] for members only

[Principles, Methods, Formulas, and Medicinals] for members only

[Follow Up] for members only

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