Neuralgia due to tabes dorsalis is refractory to treatment. We report a case which responded to Kagawa-gedoku-zai-kamiho. A 55-year-old female patients started having persistent systemic pain, particularly frequently in both of her lower extremities. It did not improve, and the diagnosis was made as tabes dorsalis at Fukushima Medical College Hospital. After antisyphilitic therapy, she underwent acupuncture and treatment with various drugs for systemic pain. However, the analgesic effect of this treatment gradually diminished, and she was referred to our institute (Department of Kampo Medicine). Based on her medical history and systemic conditions, we prescribed the above formulation. The analgesic effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (suppositories) gradually increased. When pain in the legs later became more severe, Bushi and Daio were given in increased doses, which relieved the pain completely and enabled the patient to stop the suppositories. In January, 1993, pain developed again in the arm. The doses of Bushi and Daio were increased, which gradually reduced the pain. Kampo medicine seems to offer promising treatment for syphilis after antisyphilitic therapy.

28 years-old male patient has felt dysesthesia as swelling of forehead, numbness of cheeks and pain of eyes. Dysesthesia has developed gradually.
“Fuku-myaku” means the pulse difficult to be palpable. This characteristic pulse and Oketsu symptoms suggested the indications of Tokaku-joki-to and Tokaku-joki-to-go-Daio-botampi-to. As we had found “Fuku-myaku” and oketsu syndrome in this patient, we treated with these kampo medicine according to “Sho” diagnosed by Kampo. The dysesthesia in the patient has been gradually disappeared. At the same time, attacks of asthma which had appeared after discontinuation of Saiboku-to administration have been also disappeared. It is easy to make a mistake that “Fuku-myaku” is for pulse of hypo-functioning condition. But we understand that “Fuku-myaku” is not always for pulse of hypo-functioning condition, but for hyper-functioning condition.

Scientific elucidation of “oketsu (blood stasis)” states is very important to understanding the diagnostic methods of oriental medicine. We investigated the correlation of blood fluidity to oketsu states, by micro channel array flow analyzer (MC-FAN). Twenty-seven female patients were divided into three groups: a non-oketsu group, a mildly affected group, and a severely affected group according to the diagnostic criteria of their oketsu syndrome. Immediately after collecting their venous blood, whole blood passage time was measured by MC-FAN. And we compared and investigated the correlation with degree of oketsu state, diagnostic criteria and changes of whole blood passage time after the administration of ku-oketsu drugs. As a result, whole-blood passage time of the mildly affected group and the severely affected group were significantly longer than that of the non-oketsu group, while the [an] improvement of blood fluidity was observed after medication. This study confirms that reduced blood fluidity is seen using MC-FAN in oketsu states, and that ku-oketsu drugs are able to improve these states.