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Urethritis is a urethral infection, while cystitis
is a urinary bladder infection. Both are urinary tract
infections. They have similar causes, so they are
discussed together. Clinical studies have observed that
in acute cases there is an urgency to urinate with a
severe burning sensation. Some cases may have bloody
urination. However, most acute cases can be cured,
although they may become protracted and recurrent when
the body's resistance is low. These infections are
caused by bacteria. Traditional Chinese Medicine
includes them in the category of "Lin (stranguria)
Syndrome", which is caused by damp-heat flowing downward
into the urinary bladder.
(a) Acute Urethritis and cystitis usually present
with fever, and generalised body aches and pains.
Patients have frequent and urgent urination
accompanied with severe burning sensations.
Urination is usually in the form of drops and
sometimes there is blood mixed with urine.
(b) Chronic infection may have frequent but slow
urination, the burning sensation may occur whenever
the body resistance is low, or over-worked or
stressed out.
Chinese Herbal Medicine is effective in treating this
disease. By using decoctions every day for some acute
cases, symptoms improve after 3-6 days. In some cases,
all symptoms and signs disappear after 8-12 days.
This ailment,
according to TCM, has different syndromes. The treatment for
these syndromes using herbal medicine and acupuncture is shown
below.
Syndrome (a)
Damp-heat
in the Urinary Bladder
(Usually seen in acute urethritis and cystitis, etc.). A
person with damp-heat
in the urinary bladder may have the urge to urinate
frequently. Urination would cause a burning sensation
and there may be cramps in the lower abdomen. Urine with
blood is possible, and the person may have fever or an
aversion to cold. They would have a yellow greasy tongue
coating, with a rapid pulse.
If the urine is with blood in acute case, the
following herbs may be used: Field thistle (xiao ji)
15g, lotus root node (ou jie) 9g, typha pollen (pu
huang) 9g, Dried rehmannia root (sheng di) 18g, mutong
(mu tong) 12g, licorice root (gan cao) 6g, bamboo leaf
(dan zu ye) 12g,talcum (hua shi) 9g, gardenia (shan zhi
zi) 6g, etc.
External used herbal medicine: (boiling 30
minutes before soaking the local parts)
If the patient has severe pain and redness, swelling
in urethra, the following herbs may be used externally
once or more than once a day if necessary: Dandelion
(Pu gong ying) 15g, Isatis leaf (da qing ye) 15g,
Gardenia (zhi zi) 15g, Lonicera (Jin yin hua) 15g, Wild
chrysanthemum flower (Wild ju hua) 15g
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion
(see the end of the
chapter)
A person with a deficiency of qi shows tiredness and low
energy. Urination may be slow. His tongue would be pale
and pulse would be weak.
To treat by Herbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Herbal medicine would help
boost qi and strengthen the function of spleen.
Prescription/Formula: Modified Decoction of
Invigorating Spleen Qi (modified bu zhong yi qi tang)
Astragalus (huang qi) 15g, Chinese yam (shan yao) 9g,
ovate atractylodes (bai zhu) 12g, licorice (gan cao) 3g,
cimicifuga (sheng ma) 3g, bupleurum (chai hu) 3g, jujube
(da zao) 6g, etc.
Simple prescription: Dandelion (pu gong ying)
30g, plantago (che qian cao) 30g, imperata (bai mao gen)
60g. Decoct for oral administration. Take one dose
daily. Indication: acute urinary tract infection.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion (a) Body Acupuncture Therapeutic principle: Acupuncture can smooth the
function of urinary bladder, clearing away heat-toxic
and dampness to stop pain.
Reducing methods should be
used for acute cases, reducing and reinforcing methods
can be used together for complicated cases. Moxibustion
may be used for deficiency types.
Prescription: U.B. 28 (pang guang shu), Ren 3
(zhong ji), Sp. 9 (yin ling quan), Liv. 4 (xing jian),
K.D. 3 (tai xi), etc. Modification:
Bloody urine, add Sp. 10 (xue hai), Sp. 6 (san yin jiao)
etc.
Deficiency type: moxi Du 20 (bai hui) etc.
Severe burning pain: LI 4 (he gu), S.J. 5 (wai guan)
etc.
(b) Ear Acupuncture
Prescription: urinary bladder, kidney, sympathetic,
etc.
Generally speaking, Qigong is good for healing
effect of this specific ailment, however
individual results may vary. It improves the
flow of the qi and the circulation of the blood,
so you'll experience more energy, but, you won't
see/ feel any immediate effects, as with many
exercises and therapies, it takes a few weeks or
even months of practice before you'll see any
significant improvements.
For the information of different types of Qigong
,just click a link above.
This information is for education purpose only.
We strongly advise you seek a licensed Qigong
master to learn the correct ways to conduct
these exercises before attempting them.
(b) Medicated diet
1. Dandelion(Pugongying) 30g, Plantain
Herb(Cheqiancao) 30g, Christina
Loosestrife(Jinqiancao) 30g, boil in water, one
dose each day, take it continuously for one
week.
2. Red Bean(Chixiaodou) 30g, Green Gram
Seed(Ludou) 30g, Ricepaperplant Pith(Tongcao)
10g, Wheat Seed(Xiaomai) 50g, boil the
Ricepaperplant Pith in 2000ml water first, take
the juice 1000ml and then add all seeds, keep
boiling to make gruel.
(c) Life style
1. Scratching should be avoided; during acute
onset, the affected part should not be bathed in
hot water.
2. Refrain from eating seafood, eggs, beef,
mutton, chicken and pungent food. Alcohol and
soft drinks should be avoided as well. Don't
take fat food.
3. Do necessary exercise.
4. Adjust the mood and keep in good condition.
5. Don't restrain from urinating.
6. Pay attention to personal hygiene. Keep the
genital organs clean.
Acknowledgments:
Healthphone.com greatly acknowledges the support
and dedication of our
Healing Centre Panel, without whom this
section would not be possible.
We also greatly acknowedge Ms. Najaf Munir,
MBBS, for her editorial support. Ms. Munir
simplified the highly technical medical
documents into easy-to-read documents, for the
enjoyment and education of our numerous
visitors.