Q: I'm going to be seeing a 19 y/o female with atonic constipation. For the past 6 months she's been getting colonics every 2 days because of her discomfort and inability to have a bowel movement.
According to her mom she has gone thru a number of tests, MRI, etc., with everything appearing normal, as far was western med is concerned. The colonics relieve the discomfort/bloatiness, so a blocked colon/LI does not seem likely.
I've only talked to her briefly, but she is fairly athletic, eats a pretty good diet, and is an active teenager. I did check her pulse and it's very deep and deficient, but with some tightness deep on the R. guan. Her tongue was swollen, dusky, with very thin coat.
Any ideas on kick-starting the "lazy bowels"?
A: Pattern and Formula for Constipation
1. Excess Heat: dry stool, hard stool, scanty urination, abdominal pain and distention, dry mouth, bad breath, yellow and dry tongue coating, deep-rapid pulse
Ma Zi Ren 10g
Bai Shao 5g
Zhi Shi 5g
Da Huang 10g
Hou Po 5g
Xing Ren 5g
2. Qi Stagnation: hard stool, belching, hypochondriac and abdominal distention, no appetite, greasy coating, wiry pulse
Bing Lang 9g
Chen Xiang 9g
Mu Xiang 9g
Wu Yao 9g
Da Huang 9g
Zhi Ke 9g
3. Qi Deficiency: hard to defecate, pale complexion, mental fatigue, shortness of breath, slightly pale tongue with thin coating, deficient-rapid pulse
Huang Qi 15g
Chen Pi 15g
4. Blood Deficiency: hard stool, pale complexion, dizziness, palpitation, thin coating, thready pulse
Ma Zi Ren 15g
Da Huang 15g
Tao Ren 5g
Dang Gui Wei 5g
Zhi Shi 5g
Bai Shao 5g
Sheng Ma 5g
Ren Shen 3g
Gan Cao 3g
Chen Pi 3g
Mu Xiang 2g
Bing Lang 2g
5. Yang Deficiency: hard to defecate, pale urination, cold limbs, abdominal pain get better with warmth, dislike of cold food, white coating, deep-slow pulse
Dang Gui 12g
Niu Xi 6g
Rou Cong Rong 7.5g
Ze Xie 4.5g
Sheng Ma 2.5g
Zhe Ke 3g
Note: Please use the herbal formula by differential diagnosis. If you can't diagnose clearly, please try the following formula
Dang Gui 6g
Chuan Xiong 6g
Bai Shao 6g
Shu Di 6g
Qiang Huo 6g
Fang Feng 6g
Da Huang 6g
Sheng Ma 6g
Hou Po 6g
Zhi Ke 6g
Xing Ren 6g
Tao Ren 6g
Hong Hua 1.5g
Acupuncture: For your case, please try the following treatment
Right side: Sedate SJ6 and KD6
Left side: Sedate LI1 and ST45, Tonify GB41, ST43