How can Chinese Medicine help with memory loss?
Case Study 70 year-old male
As some of you may know, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over a year ago. I was in Turkiye visiting my parents last month, and I spent about 10 days with them. He had a fall the month before and broke his right 3rd finger, his cast was removed while I was there, his right hand was pretty swollen with limited range of motion, over the last year he gained 15 kilos due to the lack of movement and also rapid hunger due to his disease and also the medication he was taking.
He had a concussion 15 years ago prior to the dementia diagnosis, and later an MRI found some bleeding in the brain could be related to the accident. Over the last few years he had prostate issues, and he has always had low blood pressure that could cause him to faint at times. He has had a stressful life overall until his retirement.
I brought my needles, cups, moxa, and some herbs with me to Turkiye. I treated my dad with acupuncture almost every day. During the 10 days, we went to many doctors’ appointments with an orthopedic doctor for his hand, and two different neurologists, one of which was an Alzheimer's specialist. I was pleasantly surprised that many of the doctors I met there were very interested in Chinese Medicine and they were curious about how Chinese Medicine works and the treatment modalities.
Observing my dad’s movements and the things that he forgets, I was not sure if he only had Alzheimer’s but also vascular dementia. His movements were very slow compared to the eight months ago I saw him last time. When we talked to his doctors, I was told that he has a mix of dementia with Alzheimer’s and vascular, and due to his slow movements, the doctors wanted him to start Parkinson's medications as well. We were warned that he could exhibit some aggressive behaviors while the dosage of the Parkinson's medication is increased.
Even though I had brought some Chinese formulas that could have been good for him, considering his western medications and how sensitive the dosages are I decided not to give him any Chinese Herbal Medicine except Lion Mane’s tincture by Host Defense.
He did not have any reflexes according to Kiiko Matsumoto Style acupuncture, his lower abdomen was soft, his extremities and body temperature were normal, and his tongue had stomach cracks and was slightly dry. His pulses were deep and moderate, with some disharmony between cun and chi positions which I interpreted as kidney & heart disharmony. Overall he could remember us and some events but he had difficulty wearing his clothes properly, eating his food, or going to the bathroom without making a mess. He seemed to exhibit more aggressive behaviors in the morning but they were very short-lived. When he was excited or nervous he had a tendency to forget words or lose his train of thought.
He seemed to enjoy acupuncture and get very relaxed after each treatment and exhibited less confusion. I used kidney 3 (the source paint of the kidney channel) and heart 7 (the source paint of the heart channel ) somedays adding ren 4 and ren 6 and stomach 36. When he had irritability I added liver 3, his liver 2 reflex was absent which is why I chose liver 3. I did moxa on gallbladder 39 (the influential point of marrow) and added Si Shen Cong which he especially requested.
After his casts were removed I also added some points to promote more blood flow to his right hand and decrease swelling, such as R spleen 6, spleen 9, and pericardium 6 (points that can be used to promote blood flow and also regulate blood pressure and a part of concussion treatment according to Kiiko Matsumoto Style) and right large intestine 4.
There could be many reasons for forgetfulness and memory loss; tumors, blood clots, or infections in the brain, some thyroid, kidney, or liver disorders, drinking too much alcohol, head injury, such as a concussion from a fall or accident, medication side effects, depression, lack of sleep and stress, or more severe brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Based on the causes, signs, and symptoms and Chinese Medicine assessments, CM has a lot to offer. In my dad’s case, I wanted to help him improve his movements and to comfort him. By the end of 10 days of being with him, treating him daily, and discussing his case with his Western doctors, I left Turkiye much more at ease than before I arrived. I also would like to emphasize the importance of the caregiver’s role and their well-being. If the main caregiver is a family member, it is very important that the caregiver is able to take some time off and not exhaust themselves too much. My mom had all responsibility up until we arrived. She was refusing to get help and was thinking that she could handle everything on her own. With lots of conversations with us and my dad’s doctors, and also after having an episode of heart pain which caused her to spend a night in the hospital and an angiography (thankfully the cardiologist did not see any problems with her heart and the vessels, they simply told my mom to reduce the stress in her life), she realized that she did not want to wait until my dad was bedridden to hire a caregiver.
If you have any questions about the case study or Kiiko Matsumoto style please contact us at info@felekacupuncture.com.
