Case Study: Holistic Neurology for Intention Tremors

A grandfather was brought in by his concerned and loving family. He has suffered intention tremors for the past 10 years. There was no injury, stroke, or any known trauma that brought it on prior. The tremors are constant but mild when he is at rest. When he focuses on a specific activity, like touching his nose, the tremors will worsen significantly. The condition is primarily in both his hands but also affects his head, throat, lips and feet.

The patient also had digestive issues and his pulse indicated a certain level of stress. He also has chronic knee pain that would alternate sides in severity. But his overall physique was very tense and he was closed off and nervous at the first session.

The patient also suffered homesickness which lead to claustrophobia. The treatment for his emotional state was also factored in as well.

The patient is from out of town and when he is home he is regularly outdoors and active and at home he is supported by loving family. So the patient has general well-being and takes care of himself well.

Treatment for Tremors and Addressing Internal Issues

Neurological acupuncture was applied at the initial exam and treatment session. With ten years of suffering tremors, his body was able to become completely still and without tremors within 5 minutes. His hands which were the main point of the illness was able to rest still on the table. At that point I was able to take his pulse for a better evaluation.

In Eastern Medicine, it is said the patient has 3 yin condition of Taiyin, Shaoyin, and Jueyin. This condition affects the nervous system which leads to persistent physical condition, however, it is derived from an internal state of nutritional and qi imbalances and deficiencies. It is vital to address his internal condition in order to have any notable or lasting results.

The patient was also given herbal medicine to address his digestive issues and regulate bowel movements. He was also given a second formula that supports the regulation of his body’s Qi.  Nourishing the body as a whole can help correct both qi and blood imbalanced distribution, and thus, regulate his nervous system and alleviate his tremors.

After a Month of Treatment

Neurological cases almost always take longer treatment plans. However, the patient was in town visiting family and had plans to return home after a month. He intended to come back after several months so the patient and family was made aware that interruptions would hinder progress, but we would do our best to alleviate his condition in the meantime and he could receive more prolonged support via herbal medicine.

With each session, the patient would be able be without tremors in a shorter period of time. It became normal for his tremors to be alleviated within 3 minutes. The results would last initially for several hours then increase with each session to last longer than a day.

The patient was given herbal medicine as well to support the acupuncture in correcting his digestive function. There was also attention given to supporting his emotional health as it is important while treating his tremors. As the patient travels back home, he is provided herbal medicine to continue with to maintain the improvement of his condition.

The results shows that despite this having been a decades long issue, there is still potential for recovery and improvement in most conditions and in the patient’s quality of life.

Holistic care for Neurological Conditions

 Neurological Acupuncture is highly effective and is an important supporting medical modality for difficult neurological cases- to alleviate symptoms, provide stress management, improve quality of life, and get to the root of what is causing and driving the condition. In usually works supportively and seamlessly with any other care the patient is receiving. In holistic Eastern medicine, there is consideration of the system as whole, including seeing the effects of emotional health, diet, and environment to one’s physical health.