At the request of the gynecology deparment, ten patients who were suffering from edema of the legs after undergoing radical operative hysterectomy and radiotherapy were treated with a combination of Oriental medical therapies, namely acupuncture, moxibustion and ‘Toeki’ (a form of internal treatment more commonly known as Kampo formulas, or decoctions of combinations of crude drugs). The average patient age was 54±3.7 years of age and the average morbid period was 180 days.
Although this therapy did not appear to produce any remarkable change in the leg diameter (measured at the thigh, largest diameter of the crus and leg joints), relief from subjective symptoms such as pain associated with the swelling (swelling pain), muscle stiffness and improved bowel function were evident.
These findings indicate that Oriental medical treatment has therapeutic value for alleviating the patients' discomfort and improving the quality of life.