Brief Summary: July 22, 2006. Mrs. N from Saudi Arabia, suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, was hospitalized in our hospital. She could not move her fingers or feet after getting up. Just after 20-day herbal treatment, all her symptoms have disappeared. 

Record of Hospitalization 

Name: Mrs. N                              Sex: female

Age: 29                                       Marital status: married

Profession: housewife                    Nationality: Saudi Arabia

Date of hospitalization: June 22, 2006 

Chief complaints: 

Wandering pains of the joints throughout the whole body. Stiffness and swollen of wrist, knee and ankle joints. The condition aggravated progressively.  

History of present illness: 

The patient complains that there were wandering pains throughout the whole body three years ago. Swelling and stiffness of wrist and knee as well as ankle joints. No headache and no dizziness. No aversion to coldness and no hot fever. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and under the treatment at the local hospital in her country. But the condition was not improved, she even got muscular pains and spasm of the muscle. On march of 2006, she was diagnosed with SLE. Due to the medicine, the patient got central obesity with moon-shaped face, and buffalo hump shaped back. Her condition aggravated progressively and she was admitted to our red cross hospital on July 22, 2006. Since she got the disease, the bowel movement and urination are normal, but she gained over weight.  

She has no infectious disease history of tuberculosis, hepatitis and typhoid. No history of blood transfusion and no allergy to any medicine. No addiction of smoking and drinking.

She lives in a humid environment and has regular diet. No addiction of smoking and drinking. There is no similar case in her family. Her parents are both healthy.

Physical Examination:

Normal growth of her body and over nutrition. Clear consciousness and cooperative. No yellow stain of the skin sclera. No edema of the superficial lymph nodes. Normal growth of his head and five sense organs. Symmetrical size of the pupillae. Sensitive to the light reflection. No hyperemia in the throat. No edema of the tonsil and thyroid gland. The lips not turning blue. The abdomen is flat and soft. No pressing pains and no rebound tenderness. The peristaltic sounds normal. Swelling pains of the lower limbs and the thumb joint.  

Diagnosis of Western Medicine: rheumatoid arthritis

                             SLE 

Diagnosis of Chinese Medicine: Impediment (wind-cold-damp impediment) 

The treatment strategy: Dispel wind, quicken the network vessels, eliminate cold, remove damp, boost qi and fortify spleen, tonify the liver and kidney.

The patient is treated by herbal tea combined with acupuncture and massage.  

July 24, 2006 

Calmness of sleep. No discomfort after taking herbal tea.  

July 25, 2006 

Relieve of the joint pains. The pulse is deep and fine. Whitish and thin tongue coating. Slightly reddish tongue body.  

July 27, 2006 

Diarrhea. Four times of the bowel movement and the stool is sloppy. Slight abdominal pains. No aversion to coldness. No fever. Nausea and vomiting. The pulse is fine and rapid. Whitish and thin tongue coating.  

codonopsis root 15g， poria 15g， magnolia bark 7g， gordon euryale seed 15g， etc. 

July 29, 2006 

Further relieve of the joint pains. Deep and fine pulse. The tongue coating is thin and whitish. The treatment strategy is mainly to dispel wind and quicken the network vessels.  

ledebouriella 10g， cooked rehmannia root 20g， tangkuei 10g， white peony root 15g， etc. 

August 2, 2006

Obvious improvement of the joint pains. No muscular spasm. Swelling and distention of the anklebone. The abdomen is flat and soft. Good sleep. The bowel movement and urination are normal.  

August 5, 2006 

The joint pains of the whole body disappear basically. No muscular spasm.  Slightly pains of the right wrist. Slight swelling of the anklebone. Good spirit and appetite. The bowel movement and urination are normal. Whitish and thin tongue coating. The pulse is deep and fine.  

atractylodes root 8g， cooked rehmannia root 20g， notopterygium root 10g， tangkuei 10g， etc. 

August 8, 2006 

No pains all over the body. No muscular spasm. Swelling and distention of the anklebone. Good spirit and appetite. The bowel movement and urination are normal. Whitish and thin tongue coating. The pulse is deep and fine.  

August 10, 2006 

The patient tells us that all the problems disappeared basically. Good spirit and appetite. The bowel movement and urination are normal. Whitish and thin tongue coating. The pulse is deep and fine. She will left hospital this morning, and keep on with the herbal tea for one month’s treatment.

Based upon our very successful help to many rheumatism patients, rheumatism is now one of the significant focuses of our hospital.