Overcome Infertility - Pelvic Inflammation Disease (PID) In Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

Pelvic Inflammation Disease (PID) is defined as a condition caused by inflammation or infection of the female uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as a result of scars and adhesion in the pelvic region, which in turn prevent the implantation of egg during natural pregnancy process. It affects over 1 million women in U.S. every month and most of them are in their teen and twenties and over 100,000 women become infertile in the US alone each year. In traditional Chinese medicine PID is classified as the infection of a woman reproductive system. While convention medicine focus in using antibiotics to destroy the invasion of bacteria, virus, fungi, etc, in the infection or inflammation area, traditional Chinese medicine treats the problem as some tiny changes in the women ecosystem that cause PID, resulting in itching in the genital area, abnormal vaginal discharge and power abdominal cramps and pain.

I. I. Causes and Diagnosis of (PID) in the traditional Chinese perspective
A. Causes
Traditional Chinese medicine views PID as a condition of genital itching and leukorrhea (it is a medical term that denotes a thick, whitish vaginal discharge) caused by dysfunction of liver, kidney and Spleen. It believes pelvic inflammation disease is caused by damp heat moving downward and accumulated in the pelvic region as a result of liver stagnation or/and Spleen yin deficiency or /and kidney deficiency, leading to blood and qi deficiency or/ and stagnation.Therefore treating PID is focused in diagnosis of vagina discharge.

B. Diagnosis and vagina discharges
1. Spleen deficiency with damp

Vagina discharge is colorless, odourless, sticky and vagina dryness, due to dampness accumulation as a result of Spleen yin deficiency that disrupts the kidney function in of fluid distribution, leading to dampness accumulation.

2. Spleen deficiency with damp heat
a) Diagnosis
If there are dampness, it generates heat as a result of high humidity.
b) Vagina discharge
Discharge is discolor with foul-smelling

3. Kidney yang deficiency
a) Diagnosis
Spleen yang deficiency is caused by the inability of kidney in regulating the fluid distribution, resulting in fluid moving down to the pelvic region.
b) Vagina discharge
Discharge is excessive white or pale yellow, sticky and no smelly vagina discharge

4. Kidney and liver yin deficiency
a) Diagnosis
Kidney and liver yin deficiency cause excessive yang in the liver, leading to not enough fluid to moister the liver that affects the normal function of liver in blood formation.
b) Vagina discharge

Discharge is thick, whitish vaginal discharge, stiff and sharp back pain and vaginal dryness.

5. Damp heat accumulated in kidney channels
a) Diagnosis
If the qi runing through the kidney channels is blocked due to kidney qi deficiency, it causes fluid retention in the channels, leading to excessive accumulation of dampness and heat arising that affect the reproductive organs, including the pelvic region.
b) Vagina discharge
Vagina discharge is red and white

II. Chinese herbal Treatments
A. Spleen deficiency with damp
(Strengthen Spleen yang, eliminate damp)
1. Bai zhu
Bai zhu is also known as white atractylodes rhizome, It is warm in nature and used to treat the spleen deficiency yang due to fluid accumulation.

2. Shan yao
Shan yao is also known as Chinese yam and neutral in nature, It has been used to tonify Spleen yin and qi and eliminate damp.

3. Ren sheng
Ren sheng is also known as radix ginseng. It is one of most popular herbs and used over thousand of years in treating qi deficincy and abnormal bleeding in the vagina due to infection and inflammation.

4. Cang zhu
Cang zhu is also known as rhizoma atractylodis, it has been used in TCM in treating of yeast infection and dries dampness and strengthening the stomach in food digestion.

5. Che qian zi
Che qian zi is also known as plantago seeds, it has a drain damp function through urination.

B. Spleen deficiency with damp heat
Treatment Strengthen Spleen yang, eliminate damp, clear heat
1. Shan yao
(See above)

2. Huang bai
Huang bai is also known as amur cork tree bark, it is bitter in nature and has been used to clear heat and dry dampness.

3. Long dan cao
Long dan cao is also known as bitter root or bitterwort, it is bitter and cold in nature and has been used in TCM in clearing damp heat and dry vagina discharge caused by painful-swollen genitals.

4. Xiang fu
Xiang fu is also known as nut grass rhizome and has been used to regulate and strengthen the qi movement and treat abnormal menstruation due to liver's abnormal function.

C. Kidney yang deficiency
(Strengthen kidney yin)
1. Zhi fu zi
Zhi fu zi is also known as radix aconiti lateralis preparata, it has been used to reinforce yang, and dispel wind, cold.

2. Du zhong
Du zhong is also known as ecommia barkwarm and has been used to promote and smooth the flow of qi and blood.

3. Shu di huang nourish kidney
Shu di huang is also known as Chinese fox glove,it is warm in nature and used to nourish blood and tonify kidney yang and essence.

4. Shan yao
(See Above)

5. Hai piao xiao astringe discharge
Hai piao xiao is cuttlefish bone, warm in nature and has been used in TCM in stopping uterine bleeding with vaginal discharge and enhancing the kidney yang.

D. Kidney and liver yin deficiency
(Strengthen kidney and liver yang, tonify yang blood and clear heat)
1. Shu di huang
(See above)
2. Shan yao
(see above)
3. Zhi mu
Zhi mu is also known as anemarrhena rhizomec and has been used to clear empty fire from kidney caused by high humidity and liver fire.

4. Fu ling drain fire through urination
Fu ling is also known as Indian bread or matsuhodo. The herb has been used to promote urinary secretion by draining fire through urination.

5. Ze xie is also known as water plantain
(Same function as fu ling)

E. Damp heat accumulated in liver channels
(Drain liver heat, clear damp, tonify yin blood)
1. Long dan cao :
(See above)
2. Chai hu
Chai hu is also known as Chinese thoroughwax or hare ear root, it is cool in nature and has been used to treat liver qi stagnation, clear liver heat.

3. Mu tong
Mu tong is also known as akebia caulis, it has been used to drain fire and dampness through urination.

4. Dang qui
Dang qui is also known as Chinese angelica root. It has been used over thousand year in China in treating women reproductive disorder by nourishing blood yin.

5. Qian shi
Qian shi is also known as euryale seed and used to treat damp heat, eliminate thick, whitish vaginal discharge.

III. Treatment with Acupuncture
Here is only some acupuncture points that have been used to treat
A. Spleen deficiency with damp
SP9 (yin ling), Sp6 (san yin jiao), CV12(zhong wan), ST8 (tou wei ) and SP3 (tai bai))

B. Spleen deficiency with damp heat
SP9 (yin ling), SP6(san yin jiao), UB20(pi shu), LI11 (qu chi) and GB34 (yang ling quan)

C. Kidney yang deficiency
UB23 (shen shu), GV4 (ming men), CV4 (guan yuan), CV6 (qi hai), KD3(tai xi), KD7 (fu liu) and UB52 (zhi shi)

D. Kidney and liver yin deficiency
PC8 (lao gong) , SP2 (da du), PC7 (da ling), SP3 (tai bai), GB38 (yang fu), LV2 (xing jian), LV3 (tai chong), LV4 (zhong feng), SP6 (san yin jiao) and SP10 (xue hai)

E. Damp heat accumulated in liver channels
LV14 (qi men), GB24 (ri yue), UB18 (gan shu), UB19 (dan shu), CV12 (zhong wan), SP3 (tai bai), SP6 (san yin jiao), SP9 (yin ling quan), LV2 (xing jian), LI11 (qu chi)

LV: Liver channel
GB: Gallbladder channel
UB: Bladder channel
CV: Conception vessel channel
SP: Spleen channels
LI: Large intestine channel
KD: kidney channel
GV: Governing vessel channel
TH: Triple heater channel
PC: Pericardium channel
ST: Stomach channel

I hope this information will help you understanding more of the causes of infertility in women and men, if you need more information, please visit http://fertility-infertility.blogspot.com/ For other health article, please visit http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com