TREATMENT OF URETER STONE BY ACUPUNCTURE

He Puren, Qu Yanhua

(Department of Acupuncture, Beijmg Hospital of TCM, Beijing)

26 patients with ureter stone were clinically treated by acupuncture. 25 of them showed acute attack. The ureter stone was excreted by adjusting functional activities of qi (vital energy), reinforcing the spleen and kidney, and dredging of watery passage. Acupuncture was of excellent analgesia, relieving pain with one treatment in 16 cases, with two treatments in five cases and with more than three treatments in only one case (all the three treatments were given within a day). Only one patient, pain was relieved by 8 continual treatments. On admission, all patients showed evident symptoms except 2 cases. In 21 of 26 patients, the ureter stones were excreted by 1-60 treatments. Most of the 21 patients excreted stones by 5-20 treatments.

The ureter stone, or the so-called stranguria, was developed with the close relationship to metabolism of water. The development of urinary lithiasis was closely associated with livers, spleen and kidney.

1. Relations to kidney:

The deficiency in the kidney resulted in the waning of essence of life, the deficiency of Yang (vital function) of the kidney, decreased functional activity of qi (vial energy) and decreased warm Yang, then the urinary stone was liable to developed the deposition of some foreign substance in urine.

2. Relations to spleen:

The spleen failed to transport and convert, heat evil resulting from the long stagnated cold-dampness evil, and the heat evil stagnating in lower burner, or dampness and heat evil stagnating in lower burner. Urolithiasis was developed by stewing urine.

3. Relations to liver;

The stagnancy of Qi (vital energy) of the liver, the disturbance in upward and downward functional activities, they resulted in the disturbance in metabolic functions of Sanjiao in metabolism of water, and excretion of water with affecting function of kidney. Though their pathogenesis was of great difference, most of the 26 patients resulted from the deficiency in both the spleen and kidney, the disturbance of functional activity of Qi (vital enrgy) and the lower burner. Therefore, the functional activity of Qi (vital energy) was adjusted by mainly stimulating points in the liver meridian. As for combination of points, both Zhongfeng and Ligou were mainly selected. In the case of the deficiency in kidney, combining with Guanyuan in order to reinforce the genuine vitality, or combining with Sanyinjiao and Shuiquan in order to strengthen patient's resistance and dispel the invading pathogenic factors and to promote diuresis and remove stranguria. In the case of the deficiency in the spleen with endogenous dampness, combining with Sanyinjiao and Shuidao in order to invigorate the spleen and remove dampness, as well as to remove stanguria and relieve pain,

Dragon-Tiger fighting manipulation was used, that is, after inserting the needle, it was first rotated 9 times by thumb moving forwards, then 6 times by thumb moving backwards, such manipulation of the needling was alternatively repeated. Under getting the strongest feeling of acupuncture, without affecting genuine energy, excellent analgesia would be clinically obtained.

In treating patients with colic pain caused by ureter stone, it seems that acupuncture analgesia is much better than the dolandin and atropine injections, etc., by without side effect, Acupuncture not only relieves pain. but also increases the rate of excretion of ureter stone.