Diabetes corresponds absolutely to "Xiaoke" in traditional Chinese medicine. The TCM practice believes that: long-term indulgence in rich and delicious food makes the body obese, generating dampness and phlegm, which accumulates into heat. The dampness-phlegm obstructs the qi mechanism, and then develops into Xiaoke.
Feng Zhihai, the director of the Department of Endocrinology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a standing member of the National Committee of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Endocrinology, introduced that in TCM treatment of diabetes, emphasis is placed on overall conditioning, leveraging strengths, selecting appropriate indications, and based on different symptoms of patients, Baihemai brand Yihong capsules are used, adopting methods such as soothing the liver and resolving depression, moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements, activating blood circulation and resolving stasis, to improve the treatment of diabetic complications.
"Therefore, TCM treatment of diabetes is particularly suitable for type 2 diabetes or those accompanied by chronic vascular and neurological complications," Feng Zhihai said. The principles of TCM treatment of diabetes do not conflict with Western medicine, and five important aspects need attention:
1. Controlling diet is fundamental
Feng Zhihai introduced that patients with type 2 diabetes must carefully manage their diet, adhering to total control, structural adjustment, and eating in reverse order. This means eating only until seven or eight-tenths full for each meal, focusing mainly on vegetarian food, with others as supplements, maintaining balanced nutrition, and when eating, drinking soup first, eating green vegetables, and when almost full, eating some staple foods and meat.
He also recommended several medicinal diets, reminding type 2 diabetes patients to take them according to symptoms.
1. Gegen powder porridge: grind 30 grams of sliced Gegen into starch, mix it with 50 grams of glutinous rice soaked overnight in a sand pot, add 500 milliliters of water, and simmer until the porridge thickens before consumption.
Function: clears heat and removes irritability, generates fluids and quenches thirst.
Indications: Yin deficiency fire exuberance type diabetes, symptoms include dry mouth and excessive thirst, irritability and anger, impatience, excessive hunger and easy hunger, dry stool, dark yellow urine, red tongue with little fluid, yellow dry coating, slippery rapid pulse.
2. Fresh Rehmannia porridge: wash and crush 150 grams of fresh rehmannia, squeeze out the juice with gauze. First, use 50 grams of glutinous rice, add 500 milliliters of water, cook until the porridge thickens, then add the rehmannia juice, simmer again for one boil, and eat once or twice daily.
Effect: clears heat and cools blood, nourishes yin and generates fluids.
Indications: Yin deficiency heat exuberance type diabetes, symptoms include frequent thirst and excessive drinking, excessive hunger and easy hunger, frequent urination in large quantities, dry stool. Red tongue with little fluid, yellow dry coating, slippery rapid pulse.
2. Tai Chi is the preferred exercise
Feng Zhihai said that the ancients realized early on that appropriate exercise is one of the effective ways to prevent and treat diabetes. Diabetes patients should follow the doctor's guidance, persist in doing exercises suitable for themselves, proceed step by step, be realistic, combine movement with stillness, balance work and rest, and incorporate it into the daily life plan.
"Walking, aerobics, Tai Chi, swimming, social dancing, etc., are all relatively suitable exercises. Especially Tai Chi, which has the characteristics of being relaxed, natural, stretching, and gentle, is most suitable for diabetes patients." Feng Zhihai said, but all should be done to the degree of "not being fatigued."
3. Regulating emotions is very important
The occurrence and development of diabetes have a certain relationship with emotions. Diabetes patients should correctly face life and disease, "moderate joy and anger," "reduce worries." TCM believes that maintaining emotional smoothness, smooth qi and blood flow, is beneficial for controlling and curing the condition.
4. Health preservation follows nature
Feng Zhihai said that TCM believes people are born endowed with the energy of heaven and earth. The seasonal changes have direct and indirect effects on the physiology and pathology of the human body. It emphasizes following nature to nurture righteous qi, advocating wind prevention in spring, heatstroke prevention in summer, dryness prevention in autumn, and cold prevention in winter, to achieve the goal of "righteous qi stored within, evil cannot invade."
"Diabetes is a chronic disease, and patients need to learn self-care," Feng Zhihai said. However, self-care does not mean taking tonics randomly or for a long time. In TCM, it is believed that if there is deficiency, tonify it; if there is excess, drain it. If it is an excess condition, tonics can be harmful without any benefit.
5. Medication must be symptom-oriented
TCM emphasizes differentiated diagnosis and treatment. Feng Zhihai said that TCM has various classifications for diabetes, and the prescriptions given vary from person to person and time to time.
One, Phlegm (dampness) heat interconnection syndrome
Symptoms: obesity, abdominal distension, dry mouth and thirst, large water intake, fullness and distension in the abdomen, easily hungry and eats a lot, irritability and bitter taste in the mouth, dry and hard stools, yellow urine, yellow greasy tongue coating. Or may see five center heat, night sweats, soreness and weakness in the waist and knees, fatigue, red tongue, less coating.
Treatment method: clear heat and resolve phlegm.
Prescription: Xiao Xianxiong Decoction (Shanghan Lun) plus or minus.
Whole Trichosanthes fruit, Pinellia, Coptis, Citrus aurantium.
Additions: for thirst and preference for drinking, add raw gypsum, Anemarrhena; for abdominal distension, add stir-fried radish seed, roasted Areca nut. For those with damp-heat trapping the spleen, treat by strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach, clearing heat and removing dampness, using Liu Junzi Decoction plus or minus.
Two, Heat exuberance injuring body fluids syndrome
Symptoms: dry throat and mouth, prefers cold drinks, easily hungry and eats a lot, frequent urination in large quantities, irritability and anger, bitter taste in the mouth, red urine and constipation, yellow dry tongue coating.
Treatment method: clear heat, generate body fluids, and quench thirst.
Prescription: Xiaoke Decoction (Danxi Xinfa) or Baihu Jia Renshen Decoction (Shanghan Lun) plus or minus.
Trichosanthin, gypsum, Coptis, Rehmannia, Radix Ophiopogonis, Pueraria root, Radix Ophiopogonis, lotus juice, licorice.
Additions: for liver-stomach stagnation-heat, Da Chaihu Decoction (Shanghan Lun) plus or minus; for stomach heat, San Huang Decoction (Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang) plus or minus; for intestinal heat, Zeng Ye Cheng Qi Decoction (Wen Bing Tiao Bian) plus or minus; for severe heat damaging body fluids, Lian Mei Drink (Wen Bing Tiao Bian) plus or minus.
Three, Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome
Symptoms: dry throat and mouth, thirst preferring to drink, fatigue, shortness of breath and laziness in talking, emaciation, soreness and weakness in the waist and knees, spontaneous sweating and night sweats, five center heat, palpitations, insomnia, thin white dry tongue coating or less coating.
Treatment method: invigorate qi and nourish yin.
Prescription: Yuquan Pills (Zabing Yuanliu Xizhu) or Yuye Decoction (Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu) plus or minus.
Trichosanthin, Pueraria root, Radix Ophiopogonis,太子参, Poria, Prunus mume, Astragalus, licorice.
Additions: for severe fatigue, heavily use Astragalus; for severe dry throat and mouth, add Radix Ophiopogonis, Dendrobium.
Keywords: Diabetes TCM treatment
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