DESCRIPTION
Inflammation of
the spinal cord; most commonly due to viral
infection such as mononucleosis, mumps, or
herpes zoster, but may also be caused by
autoimmune attack triggered by these viral
infections. Viral
infections as measles, herpes (Varicella-zoster)
will
cause symptoms of severe pain in the
abdomen or chest, loss of motor, sensory,
and bladder functions below the level of the
attack, and fever. The condition is
sometimes seen in people with a history of
multiple sclerosis or syphilis.
There is a sudden onset
of weakness in the legs or paralysis.
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HERBS OF CHOICE
Herbs are often used in combinations
when combating an illness. Some of
the most frequently used herbs are
listed below.
Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae |
 Source:
The root of
Achyranthes bidentata Bl.,
family Amaranthaceae.
Indication: (a).
Promote blood
circulation to remove
blood stasis, dredge the
channels and oxytocic:
For dystocia, retention
of placenta, and blood
stasis syndrome with
amenia, dysmenorrhea,
postpartum lochiostasis,
abdominal pain,
headache, chest pain or
trauma. (b). Ease the
joint and strengthen
bones, and muscles: For
backache, pain and
difficulty in movement
of the knees, flaccidity
of extremities. (c).
Induce the vital energy
downward: For
hyperactivity of
liver-yang with
headache, flaming-up of
deficiency-fire with
aphthae, toothache,
hematemesis, epistaxis
and hemoptysis. (d).
Promote diuresis and
relieve stranguria: For
stranguria caused by
urinary stone,
stranguria of heat type
and edema.
Pharmacological Actions:
(a). Inhibiting the
progress of experimental
arthritis in animals,
and antiphlogistic and
antioncotic. (b). Its
decoction or infusion
induce contraction of
gravid or ungravid
uterus in experimental
animals. (c). Its
decoction exerts a
transient hypotensive
and diuretic effect.
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Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae |
 Source:
The root and rhizome of Salvia
miltiorrhiza Bunge, family Labiatae.
Indication: (a). Promote blood
circulation to remove blood stasis:
For cardiodynia, hypochodriac pain,
abdominal pain, stomachache,
dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea,
lochiorrhea and trauma with blood
stasis. Recently also used for
ischemic apoplexy, disseminated
intravascular coagulation, chronic
hepatitis, cirrhosis, etc. (B).
Clear away heat, relieve vexation,
nourish blood and tranquilize the
mind: For seasonal febrile diseases
involving yingfen and xuefen
manifested as high fever,
irritability, delirium and skin
eruptions; for insanity attributive
to blood stasis and heat; also for
reslessness, frightening and
insomnia due to heart-heat or
insufficiency of heart-blood. (c).
Cool the blood to relieve carbuncle:
For carbuncles and pharyngitis.
Pharmacological Actions: (a).
Its component tanshinone acts as a
broad-spectrum bactericide, and also
can dilate coronary artery and
increase coronary flow. (b). Action
on various blood clotting factors,
increasing the level of cAMP in
thrombocytes, inhibiting the
aggregation of platelets, improving
the rheological state of blood so as
to impede the formation of thrombus.
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Rhizoma Atractylodis |
 Source:
The rhizome of Atractylodes
lancea (Thunb.)DC. or A. chinensis
(DC.) Koidz., family Compositae.
Indication: (a). Deprive
dampness and activate the spleen:
For domonation of dampness and
dampness-retention syndrome
involving spleen-yang with fatigue,
sleepiness, feeling of fullness and
oppression in the chest and abdomen,
abodomonal distension and turbid,
thick and greasy fur; for domination
of dampness with watery diarrhea.
Also for downward attack of dampness
with leucorrhagia and stranguria
with turbid urine. (b). Expel wind
and eliminate dampness: For
arthralgia of dampness type with
swelling and pain of joints, for
those with prominent heat and those
with prominent cold. (c). Promote
sweating to expel cold from the body
surface: For affection of exogenous
wind-cold-dampness with chilliness,
fever, heaviness and pain of the
head and anhidrosis; also for
dampness-toxin attacking the
superficies, such as eczema and
pustulosis. (d). Remove nebula to
improve the visual acuity: For night
blindness, cataract, internal and
external oculopathy.
Pharmacological Actions: (a).
Gastric perfusion of its decoction
lowers the level of blood sugar in
rabbits with alloxan diabetes, (b).
Gastric perfusion of its decoction
increases excretion of sodium and
potassium in rats without diuresis.
(c). Its volatile oil and other two
active components, eudesmol and
hinesol, inhibit the growth of
esophageal cancer cells in vitro.
(d). Clinically effective for the
treatment of night blindness and
keratomalacia resulting from lack of
Vitamin A.
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Radix Polygoni Multiflori |
 Source:
Root tuber of polygonum
multiflorum Thunb., family
Polygonaceae. That prepared by
drying is known as crude sample, and
that prepared by steaming with the
juice of black soya beans as
prepared sample.
Indication: (a). Invigorate the
liver and kin=dney, benefit essence
and blood: For insufficiency of
essence and blood manifested as
baldness, backache with weakness of
the knee joint, immovability of
extremitis, hemiplegia and
paraplegia; for blood-deficiency
syndrome manifested as sallow
complexion , palpitation, dizziness,
tinnitus, numbness of the
extremities, insomnia, dreaminess
sleepiness, somnambulism, epilepsy,
urticaria and dermatoxerasia; for
hypofunction of liver and kidney
with emission or leucorrhagia.
Recently, also used for
hypercholesterinemia and
atherosclerosis. (b). Relax the
bowels (crude herb): For
constipation of asthenia-syndrome.
(c). Clearaway tooxic material (curde
herb): For scrofula, carbuncle, etc.
In addition, the prepared herb is
used for chronic malaria with
deficiency of vital energy and
blood.
Pharmacological Actions: (a).
The prepared sample can promote
lymphocyte transformation. (b).
Reduceing serum cholesterol, and
relieving atherosclerosis. (c). The
crude sample is a purgative.
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Radix Angelicae Sinensis |
 Source:
Root of Angelicae
sinensis ( Oliv.) Diels,
family Umbelliferae.
Indication: (a). Enrich
blood: For blood-deficiency
syndrome. (b). Promote blood
circulation, regulate
menstruation and alleviate
pain: For blood-deficiency,
blood stasis or
blood-dryness manifested as
menoxenia, amenorrhea,
menorrhalgia; or as
headache, chest pain,
abdominal pain and
rheumatism, or as the early
stage of skin infection or
unhealed skin lesions,
urticaria, eczema, prurigo,
leukoderma, apoplexy,
prolapse of rectum,
bronchial asthma,
arrhythmia, cor pulmonale,
etc. (c). Moisturize dryness
and loose bowel: For
constipation attributive to
dryness of intestine and
blood deficiency.
Pharmacological Actions:
(a). Dilating coronary
artery, increasing coronary
flow and decreasing oxygen
consumption. (b). Relieving
myocardial ischemia induced
by pituitrin in animals.
(c). Ferulic acid, one of
its active components, can
lower the level of blood
lipids and counter the
development of atheroma.
(d). Promoting the
phagocytosis of mononuclear
macrophage. (e). Protecting
the liver from damage and
inncreasing biliary
secretion.
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Semen Coicis |
 Source:
The dried mature seed of
Coix lacryma-jobi L. var.
ma-yuen (Roman.) Stapf,
family Gramineae.
Indication: (a). Promote
diuresis and invigorate the
spleen: For
spleen-deficiency syndrome
with accumulation of
dampness manifested as
edema, beriberi, or
diarrhea; for stranguria of
dampness-heat type and of
stone origin; for dampness
febrile disease manifested
as fever, bodily heaviness,
oppressive sensation over
the chest and epigastrium,
anorxia, and smooth or
greasy tongue coating. (b).
Relieve dampness obstruction
and relax the muscles: For
arthralgia of wind-dampness
type and muscular rigidity,
(c). Clear away heat to
drain the pus: For lung
abscess, for appendicitis.
Pharmacological Actions:
(a). Its active component
coixenolide is a sedatice,
analgesic and antipyretic.
(b). Its oily component can
inhibit the contraction of
striated muscles. (c).
Inhibiting the Erlich
ascitic cancer in mice and
prolonging the life in
experimental animals.
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| Main
types of myelitis: |
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Transverse Myelitis (TM) happens when
swelling causes the obstruction of blood
vessels and loss of the fatty tissue
around the nerves.
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Ascending Myelitis (AM) is marked by
progressive paralysis with gradual loss
of feeling.
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Disseminated Myelitis (DM) results from
more than one spinal cord injury.
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The most common type of
lesion is an acute transverse myelitis which
affects a complete cross section of the
spinal cord with resultant paralysis below
that level. Recovery is usually spontaneous
but in a number of cases there may be
residual disability.
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Transverse myelitis
(TM) has many different causes, often
triggered by a variety of viral and
bacterial infections (especially those
associated with a rash such as measles or
chickenpox). Once the infection subsides,
the inflammation in the cord begins. About a
third of patients experience a flu-like
illness with fever about the time they
develop symptoms of TM. Sometimes, there
appears to be a direct invasion of, and
injury to, the spinal cord by an infectious
agent (such as herpes zoster or the AIDS
virus).
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TM can also accompany a
variety of diseases that break down tissue
that surrounds and insulates the nerves (demyelinating
diseases), such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
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Some toxic substances,
such as carbon monoxide, lead, or arsenic,
can cause a type of myelitis characterized
by inflammation followed by hemorrhage or
bleeding that destroys the entire
circumference of the spinal cord. Other
types of myelitis can be caused by
poliovirus; herpes zoster; rabies, smallpox
or polio vaccination; or parasitic and
fungal infections.
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Many experts believe
that TM can occur without any apparent
cause, probably as the result of an
autoimmune process. This means that a
person's immune system attacks the spinal
cord, causing inflammation and tissue
damage.
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Regardless of the cause
of the myelitis, onset of symptoms is sudden
and rapid. Problems with movement and
sensation appear within one or two days
after inflammation begins. Symptoms include
soft (flaccid) paralysis of the legs, with
pain in the lower legs or back, followed by
loss of feeling and sphincter (muscles which
close an opening, as in the anus) control.
The earliest symptom may be a girdle-like
sensation around the trunk.
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The extent of damage
occuring will depend on how much of the
spinal cord is affected, but TM rarely
involves the arms. Severe spinal cord damage
also can lead to shock.
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SYNONYMS
N/A |
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SYMPTOMS
Symptoms may include pain, loss of
coordination, followed by gradual paralysis
(from the site of the myelitis down the
spinal cord), and other physical complaints
like bowel and bladder malfunctions.
Symptoms may appear gradually or there may
be no symptoms at all.
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Initial symptoms of transverse myelitis
usually include localized lower back pain,
sudden paresthesias (abnormal sensations
such as burning, tickling, pricking, or
tingling) in the legs, sensory loss, and
paraparesis (partial paralysis of the legs).
Paraparesis often progresses to paraplegia
(paralysis of the legs and lower part of the
trunk). Urinary bladder and bowel
dysfunction is common. Many patients also
report experiencing muscle spasms, a general
feeling of discomfort, headache, fever, and
loss of appetite. Depending on which segment
of the spinal cord is involved, some
patients may experience respiratory problems
as well.
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Diet treatment & Herbs
in Transverse Myelitis
Omega
three fatty acids help reduce inflammation from
any cause and very effective in dose of 5-7
grams daily in acute attacks.
Turmeric is very
effective in the treatment of spinal cord
inflammation use 1-2 grams daily in milk.
In allopathic medications steroids and IVIg
are both effective and there is a huge role of
antibiotics and antiviral.
If the organism is unknown then use a Tens
unit, hulda clark zapper or silver colloid.
Hydrogen peroxide is a alternative
experimentally used in the treatment.
Finally is old cases of untreated transverse
myelitis please consider stem cell transplant.
At cidpusa.org we have had great success with
doxycycline in the treatment of transverse
myelitis.
A patient was treated with
ganciclovir and cytomegalovirus (CMV)
hyperimmune globulin. He gradually improved and
recovered completely within 4 weeks. This case
suggests that ganciclovir and CMV hyperimmune
globulin appear to be effective for the
treatment of EBV-induced transverse myelitis in
immunocompromised patients following BMT.(Bone
Marrow Transplant).
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