Case study 4: Infertility
This is an exerpt from the book, ????? (Infinite Nourishing Moxibustion), written by Dr Namsu Kim. The case is about treatment of infertility due to damp phlegm using direct moxibustion.
The patient was a 36 year-old female who had been married for seven years. She and her husband were not together during the weekdays due to their work locations, and they got together during the weekends. She was under the birth control during their four years’ marriage.
They made efforts towards pregancy for three years, but in vain. The patient complained of mild tenderness around the left side of the lower abdomen, and lower back pain. She was slightly obese. The patient presented with cold hands and feet (worse on the feet than the hands), and leucorrhea. She had regular and scanty menstruation, and there was no particular premenstrual symptoms. She had tight sensation in the chest, chronic fatigue, heaviness, and lethargy. The extremities tended toward swelling, which became worse during the period. The complexion was lacking in lust and looked slightly yellow. Her tongue had thin greasy coating, and it was swollen with teeth marks on the sides. Her tongue was deep slippery.
- Acupuncture prescription: basic acu protocol + SP6, SP9, BL32, BL20, BL18
- Moxibustion prescription: basic moxa protocol + ST26
The patient did not experience much difference during the first and second week, but she reported that she experienced improvement in chronic fatigue during the third week. The patient felt alseep during the treatments, and she said that she felt refreshed after the treatments. She reported improvement on the cold hands and feet during the fourth week. She became pregnant with success after three months.
Infertility arises out of imbalance in our body. Applying moxibustion improves the imbalance, and the patient became pregnant. This is one of the good examples of treatment of infertility using moxibustion.