Introduction:
Researching and writing these epilepsy pieces has been a novel adventure for me. I knew I needed to do it and I wanted to do it, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I’ve had many great teachers and one thing I’ve had to learn the hard way is to learn by doing. There was no way for me to figure out how to do this entire series ahead of time.
After the research, I had to dive in and start writing. I felt confident doing the research, but how to present what I had researched was more challenging. I knew I had to pay close attention and make changes along the way. If I were to do another series, on say diabetes, I’d present the information differently than what I have done in this epilepsy series. The pieces would look more like my last piece written on Prince. I’m sure I would always change things in the diabetes piece too. Constant improvement makes things more interesting. I admire products that are striving for genuine improvements in them.
On that note, I want to summarize the differences among these cases. This might not be needed, if the way I presented each of the cases were different. I’ve had plenty of time while writing these cases on how best to summarize things at the end.
The best way is to cover each of the symptoms in each of the cases, and to discuss how the symptom relates to each person -- Lauren, Henry, AJ, Jon and Prince. I have a fertile imagination and as I wrote these pieces I could feel and imagine what it was like for these people to have epilepsy. I could empathize with them, even though I have never had anything as serious as epilepsy. I’ve never met any of these people in person, only in my imagination.
While I had limited access to their medical histories, I did a lot of research – taking in as much information as possible to give an informed Chinese Medicine perspective. I think one of my primary motivations in writing these pieces is to illuminate the different symptoms that could trigger epilepsy. We are conditioned in this culture to take a “one-size fits all” approach to the same condition. In some instances, I had to formulate theories about the symptoms based on the information I could get my hands on – but the intention is to educate about Chinese Medicine – show some of the theory behind the treatments – and to most of all, bring a great awareness and knowledge about Chinese Medicine and its potential to help so many people. Basically, it’s time to bring Chinese Medicine in from out of the cold.
I’ve been blessed. I’ve been lucky enough to have learned Chinese Medicine from a number of masters. And I’ve be fortunate enough to have a life, no matter how spartan, that has allowed me to focus on mastering Chinese Medicine. I’ve not mastered Chinese Medicine, but no master ever thinks they’ve mastered it, as there is always more to learn. Plenty more to learn. Invariably, with all of my great teachers, they have a revered story about their great teachers. It’s what partially motivates them to pass things on.
Chinese Medicine is great. It’s not a cure-all and it doesn’t always work even being treated by a Chinese Medicine master. I can’t say that it would solve all these five cases. But I wouldn’t be surprised, if treated by a Chinese Medicine master that three or four of these suffering patients might have been significantly benefited.
In that light, it was worthwhile to continue pursuing my purpose to make Chinese Medicine mainstream, because anyone one of us could have been one of these 5 people. Wouldn’t we want the medicine that had a 3 or 4 out of 5 chance of helping us substantially?
As I watched Susan Axelrod on various videos about epilepsy, I’ve admired her tenacity to continue with her cause. To not give up and throw in the towel, when possible solutions might be around the corner. I need teachers like her to help me persist on working toward presenting Chinese Medicine in a clear and honest light, so others can use it to improve their life.
I’d like to thank my sister Carol, who not only edited these pieces, but more importantly talked to me many times -- offering valuable advice on how to present these cases. So others like her, not well schooled in Chinese Medicine, could understand it.
Along the way, I hope I haven’t lost my sense of humor. Because one thing that I loved most about most of my Chinese Medicine teachers is their sense of humor in the middle of human suffering. I guess it puts things in perspective and it is an effective coping mechanism. Also, I’ve found humor to be an incredibly persuasive tool -- as reflected in Seinfeld, Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle. Some of the most important things I’ve needed to remember about Chinese Medicine were taught to me humorously by one of my teachers.
About 13 years ago, I was seeing a patient at the student clinic where I went to Chinese Medicine school. I was discussing the patient with my teacher. I had a long laundry list of things the patient needed to do to change their lifestyle to improve their health. I was discussing the advice I was going to give the patient.
My teacher told me to think carefully about the list and to find the one piece of advice that I thought was the most important one to give to the patient. I was puzzled. He had that “cat that ate the canary look” again -- that always pissed me off at the time, but months later, I’d cherish as the lesson slowly sunk in.
I said, “Why?” He said, “You’ll be lucky if they do one (so pick one to tell them).” I was stunned. I didn’t get it. There were so many things the patient was doing wrong and shouldn’t I tell them all. Later on in my student training at that same school, one of my other teachers said pretty much the same thing when she said, “It’s easier to give advice than to take it.”
Over the years, if I feel a symptom coming on, I will carefully reflect on the one thing I am doing that is setting off the symptom. I’ll then see if I can change that one thing whether at the moment it is -- less coffee, more sleep, better breathing, more/less exercise, whatever. But it’s usually just one thing that’s throwing me off balance.
In that light, I’ve had plenty of time writing these cases to think of the one piece of advice, I’d give each of these people to reduce their chance of getting epilepsy. Obviously this approach has its flaws, as one patient Henry has died. And Lauren has been seizure-free for many years -- although it’s the result of still being on strong anti-seizure meds, that I’m sure is taking their toll on her.
Symptoms:
This information is better presented in a spreadsheet that I am referring to as I write. However, this blog does not accommodate a spreadsheet format well. The symptoms are presented in the order that they appear in the blog.
Seizures.
All had a seizure except the degree of the seizure probably varied depending on the amount of wind that was causing the seizure.
Lauren. Yes. Due to Liver wind.
Henry. Yes. Due to Liver wind and due to flaring up of pent-up qi in the spleen and stomach obstructed by spleen and stomach phlegm/heat.
AJ. Yes. Due to Liver Wind. Mild seizure possibly as little as stiffness of the body.
Jon. Yes. Due to internal wind from flaring up of pent-up qi obstructed by systemic phlegm.
Prince. Yes. Due to Liver Wind from Liv qi constraint. Mild seizure possibly as little as stiffness of the body.
Congestion.
Lauren. Yes. Due to Liver wind carried phlegm up to throat and sinuses.
Henry. No. But Henry had other significant phlegm symptoms covered later.
AJ. No. Also, AJ didn’t have any other phlegm symptoms either.
Jon. No. But Jon had other significant phlegm symptoms covered later.
Prince. No. Also, Prince didn’t have any other phlegm symptoms either.
Unable to Sleep.
Lauren. Yes. Due to Wind and Heat disturbing the Heart.
Henry, AJ and Jon. No. But, they have some loss of consciousness, which is considered a more severe dysfunction of the heart and pericardium on the continuum of things.
Prince. No.
Looking Limp and Lifeless.
Lauren. Yes. Due to qi being spent after an episode.
Henry, AJ and Jon. No. But, they have some loss of consciousness, which is considered a more severe dysfunction than looking limp and lifeless.
Prince. No. A very mild seizure won’t exhaust his qi after an episode.
Eyes Rolling Back.
Lauren. Yes. Due to Liver wind specifically moving eyes upward.
Henry, AJ and Prince. No. As liver wind insufficient to trigger this symptom.
Jon. No.
Consciousness Impaired.
As a general term in order to compare and contrast various levels of loss of consciousness.
Lauren. No. Although she was limp and lifeless that wasn’t considered a true loss of consciousness as more an exhaustion of qi after an episode. This is an example of the difficulty of drawing clear lines between symptoms that more blend into each other. This is another example of why considering things on a continuum is so important to Chinese Medicine.
Henry. Yes. Severe loss of consciousness as a coma that led to death, due to pericardium phlegm/heat veiling the sensory orifices.
AJ. Yes. Mild loss of consciousness due to pericardium heat veiling the sensory orifices.
Jon. Yes. Mild loss of consciousness due to pericardium phlegm veiling the sensory orifices.
Prince. No.
Fever.
Lauren. No. Liver heat insufficient to trigger this symptom.
Henry and AJ. Yes. Due to Pericardium heat.
Jon and Prince. No.
Irritability and Restlessness.
Lauren, Jon and Prince. No.
Henry and AJ. Yes. Due to Pericardium heat.
Vomiting.
Lauren, AJ, and Prince. No.
Henry. Yes. Due to Spleen and Stomach phlegm heat.
Jon. No. But spitting up of mucus from phlegm rising up with wind into throat and mouth.
Diarrhea.
Lauren, AJ, Jon and Prince. No.
Henry. Yes. Due to spleen and stomach phlegm/heat.
Excessive mucus and excessive saliva.
Lauren. No. But congestion as having much less phlegm.
Henry. Yes. Due phlegm/heat in the spleen and stomach flares up into the lungs and mouth.
AJ and Prince. No.
Jon. No. But spitting up of mucus from phlegm rising up with wind into throat and mouth.
Delirious Speech.
Lauren, Jon and Prince. No.
Henry. No. Pericardium heat insufficient to trigger this symptom.
AJ. Yes. Due to Pericardium heat.
Mouth Deviated.
Lauren, Henry, AJ and Prince. No.
Jon. Yes. Due to wind and phlegm stuck in the channels going into the mouth.
Spitting Up Mucus with Loud and Raspy Sounds.
Lauren. No. But congestion as much less phlegm.
Henry. No. But excess mucus and saliva, which has some similarities.
AJ and Prince. No.
Jon. Yes. Due to wind and phlegm moved upwards and got stuck in the channels going into the mouth.
Cold Fingers and Toes.
Lauren, Henry, AJ and Jon. No.
Prince. Yes. Due to Liver qi constraint.
Warm Trunk.
Lauren, Henry, AJ and Jon. No.
Prince. Yes. Due to Liver qi constraint.
Difficult Urination.
Lauren, Henry, AJ and Jon. No.
Prince. Yes. Due to Liver qi constraint.
Risk Factors and Triggers:
This section will cover the most likely triggers for setting off an epileptic seizure for each of the people covered in these epilepsy cases. This will be related to their risk factors.
One big difference between Western Medicine and Chinese Medicine is Western Medicine tries to manage all the possible risk factors for a patient with a disease -- like epilepsy. In contrast, Chinese Medicine will focus on just the risk factors applicable to the patient that is likely triggering the episode.
For example, if we understand a patient clearly enough at a deep level, we can know whether it is the excessive weight, the excessive coffee intake, the smoking, etc. that is the main culprit for setting off the disease.
In contrast, Western Medicine unrealistically expects the patient to live a “perfectly healthy” life, by not indulging in any of the “risk factors”, that has close to zero chance of ever being implemented by the patient. It appears Western Medicine needs to take this approach because it lacks the deep understanding of a person and which risk factor(s) is the trigger for this person at this point in time.
Lauren Axelrod.
In real-life, Lauren has been on strong anti-seizure Western Meds for the last 9 years. It hasn’t corrected the pathological processes creating the seizure or she wouldn’t needs these anti-seizure Meds. In contrast, Chinese Medicine would have corrected the pathological processes, so Lauren’s body would regain its healthy state creating a seizure-free life.
Last night before going to bed, I was reflecting on how long and arduous this epilepsy series has been for me to write. It’s taken about four months with no guarantee that it will get the attention it requires to put Chinese Medicine on the map. I don’t like to waste my time and I don’t want these four months to be for naught. I felt, like I bet a lot of Ph. D. candidates feel at the end of their dissertation -- just cross the finish line.
For whatever reasons, these feelings don’t usually last long for me. I instantly thought of checking out the Pill Book, which provides the side effects for different meds. I looked up the Western Med Lauren was on for the last 9 years, called Keppra. I read about the whole drug, but focused on the most common and less common side effects.
I wanted to cry the list was long. I don’t have the list in front of me, but it seemed like 20 of these symptoms -- like headaches, dizziness and anxiety. I imagined what it would be like to be Lauren on these drugs for 9 years. She might not have seizures, but I bet she has a bunch of these listed side effects, which makes her life no picnic. Her life was certainly more arduous than anything I’ve ever done, including this series of pieces.
I then checked out Bill Moyers, one of my all-time heroes. A great man and every Friday night, I check out his show online to see if any stories interest me. No matter how depressing the pieces can be about how things have gotten so bad. I can’t stop to admire his courage and fortitude too not give up doing what he does.
I didn’t know much about Obama’s Surgeon General he recently selected. I knew she helped the poor in the South after Katrina. I knew she overcame many obstacles herself. But here on Bill Moyers show was this three-minute piece on her. I felt like crying, because it felt like Mother Teresa was appointed Surgeon General. Nice choice, Barack. There was hope after all.
I went to bed thinking of Lauren and her life on these strong Western Meds. I realized that if she was blessed to hook-up with a great Chinese Medicine doctor that maybe she could get weaned off of these Western Meds and still be seizure-free. I thought she’d have to go to a great doctor, because it was a tough case. I thought how few great Chinese Medicine doctors there are.
The game is rigged to create mediocre ones at best, which I’ve written about in other blog posts.
But maybe, just maybe, Lauren could get better and start to live a life that she was meant to live. And maybe the Axelrods and Obama could help my cause to ultimately create an educational system, so great Chinese Medicine doctors are the norm rather than the exception. They could work side-by-side with Western Medicine doctors, like the new Surgeon General in waiting to helping humanity. It was a pleasant dream, before going to bed.
Henry Lapim.
In real-life Henry died from an epileptic episode. However, if he lived after being in a coma, here is some advice for potentially reducing the chance of Henry having another life-threatening epileptic episode.
A substantial part of Henry’s epileptic seizure originated from pre-existing spleen and stomach phlegm and heat. The spleen and stomach phlegm might have been created by an improper eating lifestyle that a competent Chinese Medicine practitioner would be able to identify and educate the parents in subsequent follow-up sessions.
AJ Barber.
AJ has febrile seizures that are set off by heat. Therefore, AJ needs to be aware of anything might make him accumulate heat in the body. This can be excessive spicy food, excessive physical activity generating heat, or long days playing outside in the heat.
I was checking Tiki Barber’s Wikipedia entry for other information, when I ran across this sentence, “When his mother heard him (Tiki) screaming strenuously shortly after being born, she named him Attiim Kiambu, or “Fiery-Tempered King”.”
I laughed because I hate being told what to do (and not what to do, for that matter), which makes me so highly personable. But I wasn’t named “Fiery-Tempered King” by my Mom – although perhaps she would have . . . if given a do-over.
So let’s assume AJ is as strong-willed as his Dad Tiki. I’d say good luck with that --telling a physically active kid to slow down or he’d get a seizure. I think a more realistic approach would be for TIki to take his son AJ in to see a competent Chinese Medicine practitioner every couple of months, or so, to eliminate any excessive heat that might be building up in AJ’s body. This way, the excessive heat could be dissipated before it reaches a critical mass (i.e. a febrile seizure).
Jon Elliott.
Jon is obese and his excessive weight is the main trigger for an epileptic attack. The formula used had a main focus to getting rid of the seizures and any impaired consciousness. In order to do that, enough phlegm had to be eliminated to make sure the seizures and loss of consciousness don’t occur.
The patient would be still obese after the treatment. And that means they still will have a lot of phlegm that is just waiting to build up again into critical mass that leads to seizures again. Therefore, Chinese Medicine treatments will probably need to continue to reduce the phlegm build up. Also, the Chinese Medicine practitioner would need to educate the Jon on the specifics of his lifestyle that were helping to create the phlegm in the first place which might not be apparent to Jon.
Prince.
In real-life, Prince no longer had epileptic attacks after he was young. Possibly because his abusive father moved out of the house allowing Prince the ability to somewhat relax. This made liver qi naturally flow again, eliminating the trigger to setting off the wind creating the seizures. Prince never had a relapse of his epileptic seizures, so whatever changed inside of him to correct the pathology seems to be working.
As far as Prince living up to his potential of creating more great music. I would have Prince recall all about the total environment in his life, when he wrote and created his masterpiece songs. I would trace how later in life he may have lost those precious environmental pieces that could diminish his God-given talent. I would explain how each of these misstep later in life was possibly hampering his musical ability.
For example, I wrote a blog piece on Eminem’s life, as shown in the movie 8 Mile. I loved Eminem’s early music before he lost his musical way too. Recently I read somewhere, how Eminem was addicted to drugs, legal or otherwise. He said that until he got off the drugs, he was unable to create much worthwhile music.
I’m not suggesting that Prince is on drugs, like Eminem or the late Michael Jackson. But maybe something like that got in his way of creating great music. Maybe its as simple as carrying a unresolved grudge with musicians you once loved playing with and now detest. That appears to have been partially responsible for the demise of the Allman Brothers ability to create new and great music. That’s why there are dinner theaters and summerfests – I guess.
Wrap Up
Chinese Medicine is based on nature. Each year has the cycle of the seasons -- spring, summer, fall and winter. The end of one year is the start of another year -- winter ends and spring begins. The sun goes down and then comes up again. So the end of this final piece would tie together to the beginning of this series of pieces, but slightly different as each day we should be just a little different.
In the Epilepsy Introduction piece, my sister Carol asked me to add a Wrap Up section, instead of abruptly stopping. That same advice holds true here.
As I reflect back on all of these pieces and my attempt to highlight one disease, epilepsy, to show the infinite depth and practical usefulness of Chinese Medicine my heart went out to all those suffering with epilepsy, as I wrote the details of these piece.
However, in the back of my mind, I knew epilepsy was a discussion point – something tangible to create a forum in which to bring Chinese Medicine to the forefront. For me, these pieces are a starting point. A way to begin a discussion about the countless diseases and conditions affecting people – and new ways (OK, really old ways) for treating people. For me, it’s my life’s work to bring Chinese Medicine into the discussion about how to treat people with viable choices – and hopefully, eliminate the suffering of so many – like Lauren Axelrod. And on that note, I’ll take the advice of my sister Carol, as presented in the Epilepsy Introduction, and Wrap Up this entire series of epilepsy pieces with the immortal words of Porky Pig, “Well, that’s all folks.”
