Chinese Medical Diabetes

Diabetes & Heart Dysrhythmia: A Case History

abstracted & translated by
Bob Flaws, Dipl. Ac. & C.H., Lic. Ac., FNAAOM, FRCHM

Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, diabetes, heart arrhythmia, heart dysrhythmia, heart palpitations

The following case history comes from Zhu Chen Zi Jing Yan Ji (A Collection of Zhu Chen-zi’s Case Histories) anthologized by Dong Zhen-hua et al. and published by the Peoples’ Health & Hygiene Press in Beijing in 2000. The patient was a 62 year old male retired worker who was initially seen by Dr. Zhu on May 10, 1993. Three years prior, the man had developed heart fluster or heart palpitations and dysrhythmia. Electrocardiogram at his local hospital showed atrial fibrillation. The man was treated at that hospital and his condition was judged normalized. However, the man still had frequent heart palpitations and shortness of breath and his heart beat irregularly after taxation fatigue. The patient reported that in Nov. 1992, he commonly felt lack of strength, a dry mouth, and a desire to drink and his urination had become frequent and profuse. Blood and urine glucose were found to be elevated at that time and the patient was diagnosed with diabetes. He was given 25mg orally of glyburide three times per day and his symptoms of polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria improved. However, he still had pronounced lack of strength and his fasting blood glucose (FBG) fluctuated around 11.1mmol/L. Therefore, he came to see Dr. Zhu.

At the time of examination, besides lack of strength, there was lassitude of the spirit, no ambition to do any work, heart fluster, vexatious heat, occasional dysrhythmia, low back soreness, knee limpness, bilateral lower extremity soreness, heaviness, pain, and fear of chill, a dry mouth but no polydipsia, blurred vision, and frequent night-time urination. Fasting blood glucose was 13.9mmol/L and urine glucose was 150mg/dL. The patient’s tongue was pale red, and his pulse was fine and bowstring. Based on these findings, Dr. Zhu categorized this patient’s patterns as qi and yin dual vacuity with heart blood insufficiency and liver-kidney depletion and detriment. Therefore, the treatment principles were to boost the qi and nourish yin, strengthen the heart and restore the pulse, enrich and supplement the liver and kidneys. The formula Dr. Zhu used was Jiang Tang Sheng Mai Fang Jia Jian (Lower Sugar & Restore the Pulse Formula with Additions & Subtractions). It was comprised of: uncooked Radix Astragali Membrancei (Huang Qi), 30g, uncooked Radix Rehmanniae (Sheng Di) and cooked Radix Rehmanniae (Shu Di), 15g each, Radix Glehniae Littoralis (Sha Shen), 15g, Tuber Ophiopogonis Japonici (Mai Men Dong), 10g, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis (Wu Wei Zi), 10g, Radix Trichosanthis Kirlowii (Tian Hua Fen), 20g, uncooked Fructus Crataegi (Shan Zha), 15g, Fructus Lycii Chinensis (Gou Qi Zi), 10g, Ramulus Loranthi Seu Visci (Sang Ji Sheng), 20g, Caulis Milletiae Seu Spatholobi (Ji Xue Teng), 30g, Radix Clematidis Chinensis (Wei Ling Xian), 15g, and Radix Et Rhizoma Notopterygii (Qiang Huo) and Radix Angelicae Pubescentis (Du Huo), 10g each.

The patient’s second examination occurred on May 31 after having taken 20 packets of the above formula. The patient said that he had more strength than before and that his lower extremity pain had disappeared. However, he still had a dry mouth, vexatious heat, and heart fluster. His FBG was now 10.6mmol/L and he had a slight amount of urine glucose. His tongue was pale and dark, while his pulse was deep and bowstring. Therefore, Dr. Zhu deleted Gou Qi Zi, Wei Ling Xian, Qiang Huo, and Du Huo from the preceding formula and added 10 grams of Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis (Huang Qin), five grams of Rhizoma Coptidis Chinensis (Huang Lian), 30 grams of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Dan Shen), and 15 grams each of Radix Puerariae (Ge Gen), Radix Dipsaci (Xu Duan), Rhizoma Cibotii Barometsis (Gou Ji), and Rhizoma Homalomenae (Qian Nian Jian). The patient was instructed to take these medicinals for one month.

The man’s third examination with Dr. Zhu occurred on Jul. 5. At this time, the patient said that his lower extremities had strength and that the vexatious heat and heart fluster were cured. He still had blurred vision and his fasting blood glucose was now 9.4mmol/L. Therefore, Dr. Zhu added 10 grams of Fructus Tribuli Terrestris (Bai Ji Li) to his formula and told the man to continue taking these medicinals. The fourth and final visit occurred on Sept. 20 after the patient had taken the current iteration of the formula for two months. At this time, all his symptoms were cured, his FBG was 7.5mmol/L, and his urine glucose was negative. Therefore, Dr. Zhu had the original formula made into water pills, and the patient was told to take 10 grams of these pills three times per day to consolidate the treatment effects.

For more information on the Chinese medical treatment of diabetes and its complications, see Bob Flaws, Lynn Kuchinski & Robert Casañas’s The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus with Chinese Medicine available from Blue Poppy Press in mid July, 2002.