Brain, nerves and stroke

Western The rehabilitation phase after a stroke: one-sided weakness, speech, balance or vision changes, and therapy that has slowed.

Classical 木 Wind-strike, 中風: wind and phlegm block the channels, then qi and blood no longer reach the limbs.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Acupuncture

Neuropathy and neurological conditions

Western Damage to the peripheral nerves, usually starting in the feet and hands as numbness, tingling, burning or weakness.

Classical 水 Read as Bi, channels that are blocked, layered over Wei, tissue that has lost its nourishment.

Often with Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Concussion and brain injury

Western A brain injury from a blow or jolt; symptoms can linger for months even when scans look normal.

Classical 水 Read as the sea of marrow shaken, with stagnant blood in the head and a spirit that cannot settle.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Sudden weakness of the facial nerve on one side, with a droop, poor eye closure and a smile that pulls to one side.

Classical 木 Read as wind lodging in the channels of the face at a moment when the body's defensive qi is thin.

Often with Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Moxibustion

Speech after stroke (aphasia and dysarthria)

Western Aphasia affects language itself; dysarthria affects the muscles that shape speech. Both often follow a stroke.

Classical 火 The tongue is the sprout of the Heart; wind and phlegm blocking the orifices keep speech from flowing.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Xing Nao Kai Qiao, Electro-acupuncture

Western A progressive brain condition affecting movement (tremor, stiffness, slowness, balance) and also sleep, mood and digestion.

Classical 木 Read as internal Liver wind, stirred when yin and blood can no longer anchor and nourish the sinews.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Memory loss and dementia

Western A decline in memory and thinking that affects daily life; Alzheimer's is the most common cause.

Classical 水 The brain is the sea of marrow; it thins as Kidney essence wanes, and phlegm can mist the orifices of the mind.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Herbal medicine

Vertigo and dizziness

Western A false sense of movement, most often from the inner ear, sometimes from the neck, blood pressure or the brain.

Classical 木 Read as yang or wind rising to the head, phlegm clouding it, or blood and essence too thin to nourish it.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Sound heard with no outside source, often linked with hearing loss, noise exposure, the jaw or the neck.

Classical 水 Read as too much rising to the ears, as fire or phlegm, or too little reaching them from the Kidney or Spleen.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western An urge to move the legs with crawling or aching sensations, worse at rest and at night, eased by moving.

Classical 木 Read as Liver blood too thin to nourish the sinews at night, with internal wind that keeps the legs moving.

Often with Master Tung's acupuncture, Acupuncture, Herbal medicine

Western Neuropathic pain: pain from an irritated or sensitized nerve, felt as burning, electric, tingling or numb.

Classical 木 Numbness as qi and blood not reaching the flesh; darting pain as wind; fixed burning pain as stasis in the collaterals.

Often with Electro-acupuncture, Active Release, Acupuncture