Nowadays, immune diseases are developing rapidly and there are more than 130 kinds of immune rheumatic diseases, such as immune rheumatism (ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, gout, dry syndrome, dermatomyositis, vasculitis, purpura, postpartum rheumatism); immune tumors (lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, fibroadenoma, multiple myeloma, thyroid adenoma), immune skin diseases (eczema, urticaria, psoriasis, vitiligo ) and autoimmune diseases (autoimmune hepatitis, nephritis, subacute thyroiditis, colitis). Among them, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and systemic lupus erythematosus are also known as the “undead cancer”, and the treatment of these diseases with hormones, immunosuppressants and other western drugs can also bring patients with digestive tract The treatment of these diseases with hormones, immunosuppressants and other western drugs can also bring patients serious side effects such as peptic ulcers, osteoporosis, hypertension and hematopoietic dysfunction.
So is there no cure for immune system disorders? How to reduce the toxic side effects of Western medicine? How can we detect this terrible disease early in our daily life? With questions, we came to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Chinese Medicine Clinic and asked Professor Wen Chengping, a famous expert in immune system diseases.
Etiology: the wrong immune system will lead to the development of the body
In recent years, due to more serious environmental pollution, the incidence of immune rheumatism is increasing year by year, such as water, food, home, clothing, etc., if contaminated, may induce disease. The causes of rheumatic diseases are diverse and also related to genetics, patient’s endocrine, immune system disorders and chemical drug induction.
According to Prof. Wen Chengping, “More than 90 percent of human diseases are related to immune system disorders, and autoimmune diseases are a puzzling puzzle, as the immune system becomes disordered when it is sick and becomes the body’s worst enemy. If it attacks the joints, it causes rheumatoid arthritis; if it attacks the intestines, it causes Crohn’s disease or ulcerative enteritis; if it attacks the myelin sheath, it causes multiple sclerosis; when it attacks the lymphatic system in our blood, it causes lymphoma or lymphocytic leukemia; when it attacks the connective tissue of our body, it causes lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. “
Professor Wen told us that the human immune system is the body’s most important defense system against pathogenic bacteria invasion. If, under the influence of certain factors (such as genetics, infection), the immune system becomes sick and misfiring, it is impossible to distinguish whether it is friend or foe, which is like a country in civil unrest, where one’s own people fight one’s own people, resulting in damage to one’s own tissues and organs, leading to disease. But as long as timely detection, the early symptoms of the lighter can be treated with Chinese medicine, the middle and late stage of the disease using a combination of Chinese and Western medicine treatment, even if there are already complications, even in the hemodialysis patients should not be disappointed, 70%-80% of patients can still be effectively controlled.
Treatment: “Benefit Kidney, Tongdu, Detoxification and Dampness Removal Method” benefits ankylosing patients
According to Chinese medicine, immune rheumatism is mostly caused by congenital endowment deficiencies, acquired dysregulation, combined with the presence of external and internal toxins, which flow into the meridians and joints or internal transmission of Qi and blood from the internal organs. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of immune rheumatism, the typical symptoms are lower back and hip pain, often severe in the evening, the pain improves after activity, gradually lumbosacral activity is limited, the arch of the lumbar vertebrae is lost when bending forward, serious patients develop upward to the thoracic spine, endangering the cervical spine, so that the entire spine is ankylosing. At the same time, patients often have recurrent episodes of acute iridocyclitis, and systemic symptoms may include low-grade fever, wasting, fatigue, low appetite and developmental disorders.
”Special care should be taken when you have this disease. The disease is very ‘insidious’ at first and is normal by conventional rheumatic index tests. Clinically, in addition to checking human leukocyte antigens, clinical symptoms and radiological examinations need to be combined.” Professor Wen repeatedly reminded that patients with ankylosing spondylitis need at least 2 years of treatment before their condition can be stabilized, but many patients, after a period of treatment, feel that the symptoms of discomfort in various aspects of their bodies have disappeared, they think the disease has been cured, and do not go to the hospital for examination. But often after one or two years, when they come to see the doctor again, they are already hunchbacked. In fact, the surface symptoms have disappeared, but the internal inflammation of the body still exists, so it is important to go to the hospital regularly for various examinations to prevent complications.
For the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, Professor Wen mainly uses the special Chinese medicine treatment of “benefitting the kidneys and clearing the dampness”. Professor Wen explained that the kidney is to improve the innate lack of endowment, kidney deficiency of the physique; through the Governor is to open the Governor’s vein to regulate the whole body Yang meridian of the meridian Qi; detoxification to dispel dampness is the cause of the disease, the whole treatment of the symptoms of the cause and improve the physique at the same time.
For patients who are taking medication and have the desire to have children, Professor Wen also has a method that allows patients to have a healthy baby. That is to stop the western medicine first and then use Chinese medicine for 6 months to free up 10 months of pregnancy and birth time under the premise of stable disease, which can also give birth to a healthy baby. Clinically, there are many successful cases among the patients treated by Professor Wen.
For patients who are already pregnant, they can also be controlled with herbs as well, and the baby will not be harmed in any way. There was a patient who had not long been pregnant when her ankylosing spondylitis flared up and her back became unbearably sore. She was worried that taking Western medicine would be bad for the fetus, so she found a Chinese medicine doctor, but usually doctors don’t dare to use medicine casually at this time for fear of moving the fetus. But what about no treatment? Sooner or later, the pain would affect the mother and the fetus. She came to Prof. Wen, who helped her according to the theory of “there is a reason not to perish” in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, and gave her a prescription based on benefiting the kidneys and calming the fetus, and encouraging her to do some relaxing and gentle physical exercises, and changed the prescription after two weeks. The condition was basically controlled in a month or so and did not recur during the subsequent pregnancy. She later gave birth to a big, healthy baby.
Toxicity reduction: Different TCM treatment plans for different stages
Western medicine treats rheumatic diseases mainly with four major categories of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs, hormones and biological agents. Although they have certain efficacy, long-term or high doses are prone to toxic side effects such as infections, peptic ulcers, osteoporosis or femoral necrosis, hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. More distressingly, patients can develop centripetal obesity such as full moon face and buffalo back, which is a mental torture especially for female patients.
”If Western medical treatment is coupled with Chinese medicine to support the righteousness, it can play a significant role in reducing toxicity and increasing effectiveness.” Professor Wen believes that for certain diseases that require hormone therapy, if the corresponding TCM treatment plan is used at different stages, it will help to improve the efficacy, as well as reduce the amount of hormones and reduce the toxic side effects of hormones. The research on the countermeasures of Chinese medicine treatment at different stages of hormone use, a major scientific research project of the national public welfare industry led by Prof. Wen, just passed the acceptance of the expert group of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine last year, found that through a multi-center evidence-based study of 120 patients with lupus nephritis in Chinese and Western medicine, the treatment was based on the Chinese medicine principle of “nourishing Yin, detoxifying toxins and eliminating blood stasis”. The results of the study were unanimously affirmed and praised by the expert group.
There was an unmarried girl from Jiangxi who had SLE and lupus nephritis. When she first arrived, she took 60 mg of hormones (12 tablets), and her body was swollen, her face was full of sores, her skin was flushed, her hair was thinning and her spirit was depressed. Professor Wen adopted a phased treatment plan in TCM for her, starting from clearing heat and cooling blood, then nourishing Yin and detoxifying blood, and finally transporting the spleen and benefiting the kidneys, which led to a stable remission of the disease, and the hormone was gradually withdrawn and reduced. The parents were replaced by a handsome guy, and the girl happily introduced that this was her boyfriend whom she had just met and who treated her very well. Lupus erythematosus is a worldwide persistent disease, but it has been proved that the combined treatment of Chinese and Western medicine will bring welcome miracles.
Prof. Wen also discovered after years of clinical experience that the organic combination of Chinese herbs can reduce the toxic side effects of western drugs and reduce their own toxic side effects. For example, in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, Western medicine routinely uses slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs such as methotrexate and salbutamol, which are often taken by patients with long-term gastrointestinal discomfort and impaired liver and kidney function, but the drugs cannot be stopped, leaving patients in a difficult situation and losing sight of one another. Professor Wen uses Si Jun Zi Tang and Dou Wu Zai Sheng Tang in combination with Dian Shan Long and Climbing Tiger to help reduce joint swelling and pain, as well as to protect digestion and liver and kidney functions. For joint pain, Chuan Wu and Cao Wu are used more often, but if the combination is not careful, many patients will have adverse reactions such as stomach pain and fire, so it is necessary to add peony, Zhi Mu and licorice to avoid side effects.
Features: good at blending inheritance and innovation
In clinical treatment, Professor Wen is very good at integrating inheritance and innovation, combining classical Chinese medical theory with modern science and technology, and he believes that Chinese medicine should make use of advanced science and technology. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, the earliest extant monograph on Chinese medicine, was well integrated with knowledge of astronomy, geography and arithmetic, which represented the state of the art of science and technology at the time. The development of TCM today requires TCM students to make good use of modern knowledge in all aspects of physics, chemistry, and biology.
For this reason, Professor Wen requires his master’s and doctoral students in immunology to have a solid grasp not only of the principles, methods, prescriptions and medicines of TCM, but also of the etiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of various immunological diseases, and to be able to keep abreast of international research developments. For example, studies have shown that the immune inflammatory response to ankylosis and wind-like disease is related to disorders of intestinal flora, and Professor Wen’s TCM prescriptions pay great attention to the regulation of this aspect.
For example, the “look” in Chinese medicine is a simple look with the eyes, but sometimes it can be wrong, because some people wear makeup, sun tanning, and foreigners’ skin color problems, etc. If you use advanced instruments, you will not be confused by the appearance, such as X-ray, ultrasound or CT, etc. This can also be understood as an extension of the look diagnosis. Therefore, Prof. Wen often asks his students to ask “questions”, not only the “Ten Questions” of Chinese medicine, but also the characteristics of the disease itself and the main questions.
In addition to the consultation, Professor Wen always uses modern physical and chemical tests to help determine the efficacy and safety of the treatment, so that the treatment plan can be adjusted in time to ensure that the drugs do not damage the liver and kidney functions, and to keep track of the development of the disease and ensure the stability of the disease control.
Reminder: go to regular hospitals to find regular experts
Professor Wen has long been famous for creating miracles in the treatment of rheumatoid diseases by combining Chinese and Western medicine time and again. Patients come from all over the world, from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Beijing, Henan, Hunan and so on, to foreigners from Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States and so on.
Professor Wen often encounters patients who are in a hurry to seek treatment, and there was a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who sent a “secret formula” for rheumatoid arthritis from Henan, and the effect was particularly The effect is particularly obvious, and the joints do not hurt anymore. After three months of eating, the face swelled up, the mouth and eyes were dry, and the teeth fell out piece by piece …… terrible side effects of the drug all appeared. A checkup revealed that the hematopoietic function was affected, white blood cells dropped, glutathione and glutamic oxalacetic transaminase increased, and even kidney function was affected, making the condition more serious than before. At this time, a patient with “special drugs” to Professor Wen consulting, Professor Wen took a look at the bottle of drugs not only no drug ingredients, not to mention any drug approval, and the drug are beaten into powder, packed in capsules inside, can not identify the ingredients, after taking the human body is very harmful, and then use other drugs often do not work, resulting in more difficult to treat.
In addition to the “ancestral secret recipe”, Professor Wen said there are people often brought from New Malaysia and Thailand “imported drugs”, but also the vast majority do not have any import registration approvals. He again reminded everyone, whether domestic or imported drugs, to check the approval number and logo on the packaging, but also to log on to the website of the State Drug Administration, to check, to identify the real. It is not terrible to be sick, it is not terrible to take medicine, the most terrible thing is to eat unidentified drugs.
Health care: patients must not take supplements indiscriminately
Nowadays, people’s living standard is getting better and better, they advocate health care, but they know nothing about health care, they don’t go to the regular hospital to find a professional doctor when they are sick, but like to look for supplements everywhere. This is a completely wrong concept, and improper use of tonic is “poison”.
The treatment of immune system diseases and dietary supplements should vary from person to person and from disease to disease. Many patients ask Prof. Wen, “If I have the same disease, is this tonic good for her, or should I take it? Not necessarily. Because your constitution is different, and the evidence manifested by the same disease is also different. “Especially for immune system diseases, you should never use the tonic easily,” Professor Wen said, “75% of patients with immune diseases can not take the cream, it will lead to more and more severe disease.” The reason is that the immune system is disordered and cannot distinguish between friend and foe, in which case the abuse of supplements and blindly improving immune function will only backfire. Professor Wen said by analogy that patients with rheumatic immune system diseases taking supplements are like sending arms to both rebels and government troops in the country of civil strife, and this civil war can only get more and more intense and longer.
There was a patient with psoriasis whose rash had disappeared after treatment, but when she saw that people were eating creams in winter, she also went to eat some tonic, which led to an aggravation of her condition. Professor Wen said that this is because the patient’s immune system is already too active causing the disease, if you abuse the tonic and blindly improve the already hyperactive immune function, it will make the condition repeated or even aggravated.
”Harmonization of yin and yang”, “to calm the period”, all kinds of supplements should be harmonized nutritional balance as the ultimate goal. Professor Wen advocates that for immune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, etc., most of them are due to yin deficiency and internal heat, so if you really want to supplement, you should mainly take clear and flat supplements, such as taking some dendrobium, American ginseng, mountain ginseng, etc.; in fact, eating rice kernel and adzuki beans often is the best supplement.
Psychology: Optimism is more important than treatment
With the development of society and changes in the spectrum of modern diseases, not only biological factors but also social and psychological factors lead to diseases, so the study of neuro-endocrine-immune regulatory mechanisms has a great role in the occurrence and development of diseases. Nowadays, Europe and the United States advocate the use of natural therapies to treat immune system diseases, much like our Chinese medicine, which Professor Wen calls “calm therapy”.
The human neuro-endocrine-immune system interacts with each other. When a person is ill, he or she will naturally have many worries in his or her mind, but if you let the worries put you in so much distress that you do not think about eating or drinking, you cannot sleep at night, or you even appear to be in a desperate mood, then this desperate mood can sometimes be more devastating than the disease itself. Therefore, patients should treat the disease correctly.
First of all, to have the confidence to overcome the disease. It is important to see that many people have already struggled with this disease, many have been cured, and doctors already have experience in treating this disease. Look on the bright side, play to your strengths and build confidence that you will win.
Second, be good at venting. When you “can’t think” and “no way out”, find the opportunity to talk to friends, relatives, and doctors about their difficulties.
Finally, you should actively cooperate with your doctor in the implementation of the “treatment plan”. In terms of concept, we should change “I want to treat” to “I want to treat”.
For patients with postpartum rheumatism, rheumatic polymyalgia, autoimmune thyroiditis or thyroid cancer, it is especially important to maintain a calm heart and a positive attitude to recover from the disease.
Warning: Prevention of such diseases also requires early detection
Professor Wen reminds us that although the vast majority of immune system diseases can be managed, early detection and early treatment are necessary to prevent and treat complications. When unexplained fever, body wasting, joint pain, rash, dry mouth and eyes, hair loss and recurrent mouth ulcers appear, people should be alert and seek medical attention in time.
In daily life, Professor Wen gives the following suggestions.
First of all, you should stick to your daily activities. Exercise therapy is very helpful to the recovery and prognosis of rheumatism patients. It can maintain the flexibility of the spine, maintain the motor function of the limbs and prevent muscle atrophy, etc. Therefore, patients can often do exercises such as deep breathing, chest expansion exercises, knee flexion, hip flexion, waist bending, head turning, jogging and taijiquan. For example, playing badminton, swimming is very beneficial to the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, but exercise should be measured, appropriate sweating for the degree; expensive in a gradual and persistent.
Next, pay attention to a reasonable diet. Nutrition should pay attention to balanced, three meals should be regular. All patients suffering from rheumatism, should avoid eating cold food, such as cold drinks, cold dishes in summer; eat less seafood, crabs, or chili peppers and other “hair”. Gout patients should eat less soy products, offal, seafood and wine and other high purine foods, and eat more vegetables, fruits and other alkaline foods. Patients with spondyloarthropathy can eat more wild eels, loach, with a certain kidney, blood, warmth and efficacy.
Furthermore, pay attention to psychological conditioning. Long-term rheumatism pain affects the patient’s mental mood, often hair fatigue, depression, fear and anxiety and other symptoms, in fact, in addition to drugs, some also need to be combined with psychological implication to solve. For example, improper treatment of postpartum rheumatism is easy to get depression, so Professor Wen in the application of Chinese medicine, often require patients to combine daily exercise, diet and psychological care, so that the comprehensive treatment effect is greatly improved.