11 Patterns Of Classification For ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

11 Patterns Of Classification For ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

from Traditional Chinese Medicine

Written by Dr. Zhu Ming

Dear friends,

This is Dr. Zhu Ming, the President of Zhongfang Red Cross International Hospital (i.e., Zhongfang County TCM Hospital), Zhongfang County, Haihua City, Hunan Province, China, also the director of TCM expert team for ALS.

Talking with hundreds of  ALS patients who came here for hospitalization, most of them taking Rilutek tablet or getting stem cell treatment, almost nobody told us these two ways are helpful. After close check, observation and treatment for hundreds of ALS patients from all over the world for 8 years, our ALS expert team finally presents a systematic classification for ALS. It is 11 typical patterns from the viewpoints of cold, heat, yin (fluid) and yang (fire). These 11 patterns cover almost 80% to 90% commonly encountered ALS cases; also we make corresponding 11 herbal formulas which are clinically effective for these 11 patterns.

The recovering processes for quite a few early or middle stage ALS patients are like this if hospitalized in our hospital, treated by Chinese herbal tea, acupuncture and massage.

A. First stage, “up and down” stage, meaning that all the symptoms could be better and worse. 

B. Second stage, “slowly recovering” stage, meaning that all the symptoms recover slowly but steadily.

C. Third stage, “fast recovering” stage, meaning that all the symptoms disappear and the disease is about to be cured.

Since case to case is different, in a common condition, these three stages take three to six months.

Since ALS is one of the most difficult health problems in this world, so our classification seems to be complex for you. Therefore, please read carefully, and check which pattern you or your friend belong to, and email us. Or something in this article is not understandable, please let us know.

The 11 patterns are as follows:

Pattern 1. Yin Deficiency of Liver and Kidneys

Pathogenic Mechanism: Deficiency of Yin Fluids of the Liver and Kidneys；Loss of Nourishment of the Tendons and Vessels.

Major Symptoms: Slow development, weak four limbs seen slowly, muscle jumpings of the general body, muscular atrophy of the whole body in a severe case, skinny body appearing gradually, flaccid muscles, inability to stand long, even total paralysis, accompanied by aching pains and softness of the loins and knees, dizziness, tinnitus, vexation, dry cough with little phlegm, dry tongue and throat, preference for cold drinks, night sweating, loss of semen or scanty menstruation, insomnia, dreaminess, red cheekbone areas, feverish sense in the soles and palms in the afternoon, joint pains (or with slightly hot sense locally), or high blood pressure, yellowish urine, dry stool (constipation), red tongue or cracked tongue body, little tongue coating or yellow coating, thready and rapid pulse.

Pathogenic Mechanism: Deficient Cold of the Spleen and Kidneys; Lack of Warmth of the Channels.

Major Symptoms: Weak four limbs, stiff muscles, even inability to walk, cramps of the muscles sometimes, aversion to cold of the whole body, pains of the muscles and joints in many parts of the body which could be relieved by warmth, cold pains of the loins, abdominal cold, cold four limbs with bluish or purplish color, edema of the general body or four limbs, preference for warm environment, dripping of thin saliva, liking warm drinks, whitish urine, frequent night urination, sloppy stool, pale and enlarged tongue body, or with teeth marks on the two edges of the tongue, white and greasy tongue coating, deep and thready pulse or deep and slow and weak pulse.

Pathogenic Mechanism: Insufficiency of the Qi and Blood; Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis.

Major Symptoms: Long history of disease, weakness of the body, being fatigued easily, palpitations, insomnia, dizziness, colorless complexion, pale eyelids, poor appetite, skinny and weak four limbs, even inability to walk, muscle jumpings, pains of the muscles and joints in many parts (or with needling pains), exposure of bluish vessels on the four limbs, shortened and weak tongue body with slight shakings, pale or dark tongue body, purplish blood vessels under the tongue, thin and white tongue coating, or with blood macules or spots on the tongue, thready and uneven pulse or weak pulse.

Pathogenic Mechanism: Soaking of Dampness and Heat; Blockage of Tendons and Vessels.

Major Symptoms: Weak two legs or with slight swelling and hot sense, pains of the muscles and joints in many parts (or with burning sense), aversion to heat and preference for coolness, heavy body, numbness of the hands and legs, muscle jumpings, depression and fullness of the chest and abdomen, or thirst but no desire for drinks, scanty and yellowish urine with burning pains, constipation or sloppy stool with burning anus, or reddish white part of the eyes, red tongue body, yellowish and greasy tongue coating, soggy and rapid pulse or slippery and rapid pulse.

Pathogenic Mechanism: Blockage of Channels by Cold and Dampness; Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis.

Major Symptoms: Relatively low body temperature or aversion to cold, or numbness of the four limbs, stiff four limbs, edematous or purplish legs, pains and cramps of the four limbs which could be worsened by cold and be relieved by warmth, impotence, premature ejaculation, painful menstruation, liking warmth and aversion to cold, no thirst but liking warm drinks, whitish urine, sloppy stool, white and slippery or white and greasy tongue coating, pale tongue body, deep and thready pulse or deep and tardy pulse.

Pattern 6. Sinking of Middle Qi

Pathogenic Mechanism: Sinking of the Spleen Qi (Middle-Warmer Qi), Weakness in Lifting.

Major Symptoms: Dizziness, fatigue, colorless complexion, dropping head with painful and weak neck, unclear speech, gradual un-smoothness of breath, shortness of breath, skinny body shape, muscle jumpings, weakness of the chewing muscles, necessity to support the lower jaw with hand, reduced power of the upper limbs, distention and dropping sense of the abdomen, sloppy stool sometimes, reduced appetite, pale tongue body with white coating, tardy or weak pulse.

Pattern 7. Qi Deficiency of Lungs and Spleen

Pathogenic Mechanism: Qi Deficiency of the Lungs and Spleen; Lack of Nourishment.

Major Symptoms: Weak four limbs, inability to pick up articles by hands, inability to raise the arms, inability to walk, inability to bend the knees, edema of the legs, unclear and unsmooth speech, shortness of breath, cough without power, thin saliva, difficult swallowing, having to eat fluid foods, powerless chewing ability, obvious muscle jumpings of the whole body, fatigue, low voice, being lazy to talk, reduced appetite, abdominal fullness, colorless complexion, sloppy stool, pale or enlarged tongue body, white and slippery tongue coating, weak pulse.

Pathogenic Mechanism: Hot Phlegm Disturbing the Throat; the Channels Blocked.

Major Symptoms: Scanty and sticky phlegm on the throat, being not easy to cough out, cough with yellow phlegm, chest depression with vexation, difficulty in speech and swallowing, unclear speech, cough when drinking, difficult breath, muscle jumpings, weak four limbs, muscle atrophy, or shortened tongue body, yellowish urine, constipation, red tongue body, yellowish and greasy tongue coating, slippery and rapid pulse.

Pattern 9. Cold Phlegm Blocking Throat

Pathogenic Mechanism: Deficient Cold of the Spleen and Stomach; Failure of Transformation of Water and Dampness.

Major Symptoms: Shortened tongue body with large amount of thin saliva dripping continuously, difficulty in speech and swallowing, cough, unclear speech, cough when drinking, unsmooth breath, relatively low body temperature, numb or painful four limbs, stiff and edematous two legs which are worsened when facing cold, whitish urine, pale tongue body, white and slippery or white and greasy tongue coating, deep and thready and slippery pulse.

Pattern 10. Double Deficiencies of Yin and Yang

Pathogenic Mechanism: Double Deficiencies of the Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang.

Major Symptoms: Stiff tongue with inability to speak, disabled feet, muscle jumpings, stiff muscles or flaccid muscles, aversion to cold, cold four limbs, dry mouth, red face, feverish sense in the soles and palms in the afternoon, dizziness, softness and pains of the loins and knees, impotence, loss of semen, deep and thready and weak pulse.

Pathogenic Mechanism: Rushing upward of the Deficient Yang; Coagulation of Cold in the Lower Part of the Body

Major Symptoms: Thirst, red face and eyes, dry mouth and throat, sweating at the upper body, feverish sense of the upper body with normal body temperature, muscle jumpings of the upper body, stiffness and heaviness and cramps of the lower body, relatively cold lower limbs, yellowish urine, red tongue with yellowish coating or yellowish and greasy coating, slippery and rapid pulse.

Thank you very much. Hope our research and work are helpful for your health.

Dr. Zhu Ming

April. 6th, 2013