Welcome to the first Acu in practice of 2019! Ladybug and I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you are starting of the New Year happy and refreshed and ready to be your best. Ladybug is especially celebratory as Dec. 31 marked the 1 year anniversary of her survival through multiple mast cell tumors! Ladybug’s guardian brought her for an Integrative consult immediately after receiving the diagnosis and has kept her on track throughout the entire journey. We used acupuncture, herbs and food therapy to build Ladybug’s strength prior to beginning radiation and then along with the radiation, chemotherapy and surgery provided through her oncologist.
Ladybug’s guardian felt that a combination of Western oncology and Traditional Chinese medicine would give her the best chance at a happy life. The mainstays of Ladybug’s TCM treatments have been to Tonify the Spleen, Nourish Blood and Move Blood, and to Clear Blood Heat when present. During the different phases of treatment we modified herbs, supplements and food therapy based on what her body needed most to stay in balance. Patients who are diagnosed with mast cell tumors (MCT) are prone to Blood Stagnation and Blood Heat due to an underlying cause. In Ladybug’s case, her primary cause based on history and other clinical signs was an underlying, long standing Spleen Qi Deficiency which predisposed her to Damp accumulation, Blood Deficiency and Blood Stagnation, and Heat secondary to Stagnation. In addition, we knew that the radiation and chemotherapy would likely worsen these patterns at the same time that they helped to eradicate the cancer. Thus, we used Integrative Medicine to do our best to prevent side effects and keep her as balanced as possible.
One year later, Ladybug and her owner are both thrilled with the outcome. She is MCT free at this time and has more energy than even before her initial diagnosis! One of our greatest victories was that she had no side effects, internal or external, to the radiation treatments which was remarkable according to her oncologist.
Ladybug’s core* acupuncture points:
GV 20, BL 17, BL20, BL23, LIV 13, SP 6, ST 36, SP 10.
*adjusted and added to as needed, based on patient signs.
When experiencing GI disturbance following chemo:
PC 6, CV 12
Core* herbal formulas:
Blood’s Palace by Kan Herb
Spleen Support by Kan Herb
Power Mushrooms by Health Concerns
*adjusted and added too as needed, based on patient signs.
This post was created by Nell Ostermeier, DVM, CVA and is intended for informational use, not to replace medical advice.
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