Fasting Therapy of Chinese Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Comorbidities: A Case Report

Abstract

Fasting therapy of Chinese Medicine was put forward by Professor Qin Jian based on the theory of fat and grease from The Yellow Emperors Internal Classi and modified on the basis of Buchinger fasting therapy. Here we try to report a female patient with the chief complaint of arthralgia who was diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and suspected type 2 diabetes mellitus, also diagnosed by Chinese medicine with Bi disease of spleen deficiency and phlegm dampness syndrome. After admission, the patient was treated with fasting therapy of Chinese Medicine for a week. Considering that she was in the menstrual period, she was given a very-low-calorie diet during that time. Moreover, she was given L-carnitine injection, health education and traditional Chinese medicine treatment, including foot massage, acupuncture and acupoint application everyday. After discharge, she was asked to take low-calorie diet and modified Linggui Zhugan Decoction for another week. After that, she followed the doctor's instructions for long-term caloric control. A year later, the reexamination showed that her condition was improving.