Gallstones are a common condition in modern medicine. I've been in the industry for over 40 years and have worked with countless patients with gallstones, and I'm almost familiar with this type of condition.
However, every time I face a new patient, I am always in awe, because I know that behind this small stone, there is the ardent hope of countless families. Today, I will share with you my three "battles" with gallstones.
The first "battle": soothing the liver and relieving gallbladder, supplemented by stone elimination.
In the early years, when I was just starting to practice medicine, a female patient came. She is young, but due to the high pressure of work, she often feels pain and discomfort in her right flank. After arriving at the hospital, he was diagnosed with gallstones. Her gallstones are relatively small, 7mm, but because they are not in the right place, the pain is more obvious. She lives in a ward in the Department of Internal Medicine of Western Medicine, but she is reluctant to switch to surgery.
Later, the head of the department came to me and said, "Can you think of a way to help her expel the stones with Chinese medicine?"
When the patient saw me, there was a light in her eyes, as if she was expecting me to nod her head, and I agreed as she thought. At that time, I thought to myself, I must find a way to cure her. This scene has also become an unforgettable scene for me since I started medicine, and it has been spurring me on until now.
Later, I carefully observed the veins of his tongue, which was red and yellow, and the number of veins was strong. I concluded that this was caused by the stagnation of liver qi and the unfavorable drainage. Then the treatment should be based on soothing the liver and relieving gallbladder, clearing away heat and dampness.
So I flipped through the ancient books, and it was recorded in the "Medical Guidelines" that Chai Hu Shugan San "cured anger and hurt the liver, left flank pain, and blood garden in the upper ......". Therefore, I chose Bupleurum Shugansan plus or minus, aiming to loosen the liver and regulate qi, and relieve pain. At the same time, it is supplemented with desmodium, sea sands and other diuretic stone products.
After one week of treatment, she no longer had flank pain, and the ultrasound showed that the stones had disappeared. Since her liver was stagnant for a long time, I asked her to go back and continue to take medicine to cure the root cause of the disease. Since then, I have started an "indissoluble bond" with gallstones.
The second "battle": strengthening the spleen and stomach, mainly fossils.
Another patient, Lao Chen, was in his fifties and a relative of my colleague at the time. Due to his long-term irregular diet and overeating, his spleen and stomach function were impaired. Frequent right upper quadrant pain, nausea and vomiting. I came to the hospital for examination and was diagnosed with gallstones. However, he found the surgery more scary and was reluctant to undergo surgery. So, my colleagues found me.
I saw that his tongue was pale and his pulse was thin. It should be caused by spleen deficiency, poor flow of qi and blood, and accumulation of moisture. The treatment should be based on strengthening the spleen and stomach, dissipating dampness and dissolving phlegm. Therefore, I chose Liujunzi Tang to add or subtract, aiming to dry dampness, dissolve phlegm, invigorate qi and strengthen the spleen. After several courses of treatment, Lao Chen's symptoms improved significantly. When I came to the hospital for a follow-up, the ultrasound showed that the stone was gone.
The third "battle": replenish the kidney fossils, taking into account qi and blood.
This is a young girl, less than 30 years old, who has never been pregnant since she got married, and came to the hospital for examination, and the results were found to be gallstones. This is really a house leak that happened to rain overnight. She wanted to get rid of gallstones as soon as possible, otherwise it would affect her preparation for pregnancy. If she had a gallstone attack during pregnancy and did not dare to take medicine, she would not be able to bear the pain.
I saw that her tongue was pale and her pulse was weak. In addition to vague pain in the right upper abdomen, she also had symptoms such as soreness in the waist and knees, dizziness and tinnitus. On the whole, it should be caused by kidney deficiency and blood stasis. Then the treatment should be based on the idea of tonifying kidney fossils, invigorating blood and removing blood stasis.
Therefore, I choose Liuwei Dihuang Pill to add or subtract, aiming to nourish kidney yin, strengthen muscles and bones. At the same time, it is supplemented with peach kernels, safflower and other products that invigorate blood and dispel blood stasis. After a few months, her symptoms were significantly relieved, and the ultrasound showed that the stones were significantly smaller and not blocked. More than half a year later, she came the good news that she was more than two months pregnant. In addition to being happy, I am also very pleased. Perhaps, this is the value of a healer.
In my opinion, gallstones are mostly related to the liver, spleen, kidneys and other internal organs, and most patients can obtain satisfactory treatment results by regulating the function of the internal organs and differentiating the syndrome with medication.
Finally, I would like to tell you a little more about surgical treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine do not exist either/or, nor are they so-called "rivals".
Many people who have gallstones will choose to have surgery. However, with surgery to remove the gallbladder, there is still a risk of recurrence. Because even if the gallbladder is gone, stones may grow in the biliary tract.
Therefore, those patients who have undergone surgery can also take a few pairs of Chinese medicine to help dredge the biliary tract, clean up impurities, avoid the growth of new stones, and then consolidate the results of the operation.
In my opinion, as long as it can help the patient to alleviate the pain, either way, it is a good way.