Stroke and neurology

腦Brain, nerves and stroke

• Stroke recovery

  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

  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

  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

• Bell's palsy

  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

  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

• Parkinson's disease

  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

  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

  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

• Tinnitus

  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

• Restless legs

  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

• Nerve pain

  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