Dysentery

Type 1: Dysentery due to damp-heat pathogen
Symptoms:
Increased bowel movements, Diarrhea with mucus and blood in sticky and foul smelling stools, abdominal distending pain, tenesmus, buring sensation in the anus, slight aversion to cold during the attack, then fever, restlessness, thirst, yellow and greasy tongue coating, smooth and rapid pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Removing heat and dampness, and regulating qi and blood. Select points mainly from the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming and Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. Needling with reducing method.
Prescription:
Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point (Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point), Tianshu (ST25) Front-Mu Point of the Large Intestine (Tianshu (ST25) Front-Mu Point of the Large Intestine), Shangjuxu (ST37) The Lower He-Sea Point of the Large Intestine (Shangjuxu (ST37) The Lower He-Sea Point of the Large Intestine).
Modification according to symptoms:
For excessive heat in damp-heat dysentery, Quchi (LI11) He-Sea Point (Quchi (LI11) He-Sea Point), and Neiting (ST44) Ying-Spring Point (Neiting (ST44) Ying-Spring Point) are added.
Type 2: Fulminant dysentery
Symptoms:
Sudden and violent onset, dysentery with purplish-red blood in stools which is extremely fetid, severe abdominal pain, tenesmus, high fever, thirst, restlessness, red tongue with yellow, and greasy coating, small and rapid pulse. In severe case, convulsions and coma may occur.
Principle of treatment:
Removing heat and toxic material, and regulating qi and blood. Select points mainly from the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming and Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. Needling with reducing method.
Prescription:
Hegu (LI4), Tianshu (ST25), Shangjuxu (ST37), Dazhui (GV14) (DU14), Shixuan (EX-UE11).
Type 3: Fasting dysentery
Symptoms:
The syndrome often occurs in patients with damp-heat dysentery. Nausea, vomiting, or anorexia or vomiting due to food intake distress in the chest and epigastrium, diarrhea with mucus and blood in sticky stool, high fever, lassitude, red tongue with yellow, and greasy coating, and a soft floating and rapid pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Removing heat and dampness, and regulating qi and blood. Select points mainly from the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming and Stomach Meridian of Foot-yangming. Needling with reducing method.
Prescription:
Hegu (LI4), Tianshu (ST25), Shangjuxu (ST37).
Type 4: Dysentery due to cold-dampness
Symptoms:
Diarrhea, predominantly white in stool, or exclusively white mucus in watery stool, abdominal distension and pain with a cold sensation, tenesmus, chills, greasy taste in the mouth, absence of thirst white, and greasy tongue coating, soft and slow pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Expellimng cold and dampness, regulating qi and blood. Select points mainly from the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming and Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. Needling with reducing method.
Prescription:
Hegu (LI4), Tianshu (ST25), Shangjuxu (ST37).
Type 5: Recurrent dysentery
Symptoms:
Repeated attack of dysentery with long process of disease. During the attack, stool with blood and purulence, occasional aversion to cold and fever, tenesmus, but are less severe than those of acute cases. The case of deficiency of Yang is marked by pale complexion, loose stool with white mucus, epigastric distension and fullness, poor appetite, pale tongue with whitish coating, a soft floating and slow pulse. The case of deficiency of Yin is marked by stool with blood, low fever in the afternoon, restlessness, dry mouth, crimson tongue without coating, thready and rapid pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Romoving heat and dampness, regulating qi and blood. Select points mainly from the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming and Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. Needling with reducing method.
Prescription:
Hegu (LI4), Tianshu (ST25), Shangjuxu (ST37).
Modification according to symptoms:
For deficiency of yang, Pishu (BL20) (Pishu (BL20)), Shenshu (BL23) (Shenshu (BL23)) should be added to warm and replenish the spleen and kidney; for deficiency of yin, Zhaohai (KI6) The Eihgt Confluent Point (Zhaohai (KI6) The Eihgt Confluent Point), Xuehai (SP10) (Xuehai (SP10)) shoud be added, nourishing yin and supplementing blood.
Cautions and precautions:
Acupuncture is remarkably effective in treating acute bacillary dysentery and amebic dysentery. It can not only control the symptoms immediately, but also can kill the pathogen. Toxic dysentery is a severe disease. Complex therapy should be applied.

Key Words: dysentery, acupuncture