OSTEOPOROSIS

Clinical Manifestations
  • Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by a decrease in the density of bone, decreasing its strength and resulting in fragile bones. Osteoporosis literally leads to abnormally porous bone that is compressible, like a sponge. This disorder of the skeleton weakens the bone and results in frequent fractures (breaks) in the bones. Osteopenia, by definition, is a condition of bone that is slightly less dense than normal bone but not to the degree of bone in osteoporosis.

    Normal bone is composed of protein, collagen, and calcium, all of which give bone its strength. Bones that are affected by osteoporosis can break (fracture) with relatively minor injury that normally would not cause a bone to fracture. The fracture can be either in the form of cracking (as in a hip fracture) or collapsing (as in a compression fracture of the vertebrae of the spine). The spine, hips, ribs, and wrists are common areas of bone fractures from osteoporosis although osteoporosis-related fractures can occur in almost any skeletal bone.

Treatment Principle
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Sallow complexion
  • Fatigue
  • Anorexia
  • Four limbs feel tired and heavy
  • Abdominal and epigastric distention after eating
  • Maybe acid regurgitation or vomiting
  • Loose stools
  • Shortness of breath
  • T: Pale and flabby - may have teethmarks
  • C: White
  • P: Even, forceless and deficient
Treatment Principle
  • Strengthen the Spleen
  • Benefit Qi
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Lower and upper back soreness and limpness
  • Fatigue
  • Lassitude
  • Weakness
  • Malar flush
  • Cold lower half of the body
  • Dizziness
  • Tinnitus
  • Nocturia
  • Decreased sexual desire
  • Poor appetite
  • Loose stools
  • T: Thick and red
  • C: Scanty
  • P: Surging or Soggy or Thready and wiry or Deep, thready and floating
Treatment Principle
  • Strengthen the Spleen
  • Tonify Qi
  • Supplement Yin and Yang
  • Clear Deficiency Heat
  • Strengthen the low back and bones
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Body cold
  • Limbs icy
  • Complexion white and shiny
  • Low back, knees and abdomen feel cold and painful
  • Lower abdomen feels cold and painful
  • Fatigue
  • Lassitude
  • Lack of strength
  • Poor appetite
  • Loose stools containing undigested food
  • “Cock-crow” diarrhea (occurs at about 5 am)
  • Edema of face and limbs
  • Dysuria
  • Severe:
    Abdominal ascites
  • T: Pale, moist and swollen
  • C: Thin and white or White and greasy
  • P: Deep, thready, weak and maybe slow
Treatment Principle
  • Warm and Reinforce the Spleen and Kidneys
  • Tonify Qi
  • Tonify Yang
  • Strengthen the low back and bones
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Osteoporosis
  • Light-headedness
  • Vertigo
  • Tinnitus
  • Soreness and weakness in low back and legs
  • Spontaneous and nocturnal emissions
  • Night sweats
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Thirst with a desire to drink
  • Dizziness
  • Forgetfulness
  • Deafness
  • Rhinitis
  • Dribbling of urine
  • Malar flush
  • Five Sole Heat
  • Insomnia
  • Hair loss
  • Loss of teeth
  • Infertility
  • Amenorrhea
  • Uterine bleeding
  • Spontaneous perspiration
  • Spermatorrhea
  • Poor vision
  • T: Red and shiny
  • C: Little or None
  • P: Thready and rapid
Treatment Principle
  • Nourish Yin
  • Tonify the Kidneys
  • Supplement Jing
  • Benefit Marrow
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Lower and upper back pain
  • Knee and lower leg pain and weakness
  • Tinnitus
  • Dizziness
  • Insomnia
  • A pale facial complexion
  • Malar flush in the afternoon
  • T: Red
  • C: Little or None
  • P:Thready, wiry and rapid
Treatment Principle
  • Tonify the Kidneys
  • Nourish the Liver
  • Strengthen the low back and knees
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Osteoporosis
  • Lumbago: low back feels cold, weak and aching
  • Feeling chilled
  • Aversion to Cold
  • Cold limbs
  • General debility
  • Pale face
  • Urinary frequency with abundant, clear urine or
  • Oliguria with edema
  • Maybe nocturia
  • Lassitude
  • Withdrawn, subdued behavior
  • Knees feel cold and aching
  • Dizziness
  • Tinnitus
  • Impotence
  • Spermatorrhea
  • Premature ejaculation
  • Low libido
  • Female infertility ("uterus cold and infertile")
  • Maybe anorexia
  • Maybe loose stools
  • Maybe chronic diarrhea or "cock crow" diarrhea
  • T: Pale and swollen
  • C: Thin and white
  • P: Deep and thready - maybe slow
Treatment Principle
  • Warm and Reinforce Kidney Yang
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Edema of whole body particularly at and below the waist
  • Pitting edema
  • Low back pain, aching and heaviness
  • Abdominal distention with full sensations
  • Oliguria
  • Cold limbs
  • Face gray and congested or pale
  • Feeling nervous and cold with mental weariness
  • In severe cases:
    Ascites
    Edema of scrotum
  • T: Pale and swollen
  • C: Thin, white or Thick, white and sticky
  • P: Deep and thready
  • With Water Flooding the Lungs:
    Cough with copious, thin watery phlegm
    Asthma with phlegmy sound (wheezing)
    Dyspnea
    Facial edema
    Edema of limbs
    Dysuria
    T: Pale and swollen
    C: White and moist or White and greasy
    P: Superficial and tight
Treatment Principle
  • Warm Kidneys
  • Promote diuresis
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Osteoporosis
  • Emaciation
  • Weakness
  • Spermatorrhea
  • Blurred vision
  • Aching and weak low back and knees
  • Daybreak diarrhea
  • Weight loss
  • Dizziness
  • Nocturnal emissions
  • T: Pink or Pale
  • C: White or None
  • P: Thready and frail or Deep, slow and weak
Treatment Principle
  • Nourish and replenish Yin
  • Tonify Jing
  • Augment Qi
  • Tonify and strengthen Yang
  • Nourish the Blood
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • Dizziness
  • Tinnitus
  • Low back and knees weak and aching
  • In adults:
    Hair loss
    Graying or whitening of the hair
    Weak sexual function
    Atrophy and weakness of the feet with difficulty walking
    Poor memory
    Senility (premature or mature)
    Brittle bones
    Gradual deterioration of the hearing
  • In children:
    Retardation in mental and/or physical development
    Failure to thrive
    Late or incomplete closing of the fontanel
    Poor bone development
    Brittle bones
Treatment Principle
  • Reinforce the Kidneys
  • Benefit Jing
Herb Formulas
Points
Clinical Manifestations
  • This syndrome may accompany any of the others but is not usually the causative factor
  • Enduring bodily pain which may be fixed in location and/ or severe in intensity
  • A dark, sooty facial complexion
  • Age spots
  • Varicosities
  • Cherry hemangiomas
  • Spider naevi
  • Purple lips and nails
  • T: Purple with possible static macules or spots
  • C: White
  • P: Wiry and choppy
Treatment Principle
  • Invigorate the Blood
  • Unblock the channels
  • Stop pain
Herb Formulas
Points