This last week I had the fortune to check in on a patient, whom I hadn't seen for a month and half, and learn about his experiences with how Chinese herbal medicine had helped him. This patient had a very severe form of herpes simplex in his mouth and nose, where by the lesions were constantly bubbling up 24 hours a day! His dermatologist told him he had "won the lottery" in regards to developing such a rare form of the disease. His western treatment involved the use of a strong anti-viral drug called Acyclovir, which seemed to help the condition from breaking out too severely, although he still would have the constant bubbling and occasional daily ulcerations leading to bleeding. Obviously this patient was in a lot of discomfort and agony.

I had put this patient on a Chinese herbal formula for about 3 months time and while he was on it he noticed a lot of relief. The biggest realization of the relief he attained happended when he stopped taking the herbs. Basically while he was on them he noticed that the bubbling effect was lessened and that he rarely ever had sores that would ulcerate and bleed. He also noticed that his sleep was deeper and that his intense night sweats had dissapeared. His bowel movements had become normal and lacked the strong and offensive smell they once had before herbal treatment. His quality of life had greatly improved. When he stopped taking the herbs he noticed that most of his symptoms remained stable, except that the herpes lesions started to ulcerate again and bubble more vigorously.

This is what prompted him to come back for another round of herbs. The goal in chinese medicine is to not have people on herbs for the rest of their lives, but rather get them to the place where their own body remembers what normal is again and then stay there on its own. When the body is brought back to balance and is stable then the herbs can be taken away. It is my thinking that this patient was just not on the herbs long enough for his body to stay balanced, but the break from the herbs allowed him to gain a deeper faith in the treatment.

Trevor