We report a case of a 35-year-old woman with fibromyalgia who was successfully treated with acupuncture only after identification of syndromes using the Four Examinations. After working hard for years, she suffered from severe chest and back pain, fever and insomnia. At one hospital, no abnormality was found after detailed examinations. The pain gradually worsened and she was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia at a university hospital. She wanted to be treated with Kampo medicine and consulted us. We identified her symptoms as liver qi stagnation, qi stagnation causing blood stasis and qi stagnation damage to yin, and treated with acupuncture mainly using only two shendao (GV 11) and zhaohai (KI 6) points. Pain was relieved by 30% after her 37 th treatment. Her fever also disappeared. Almost no pain was reported by the 91st treatment. A Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score of 78 at her first examination had improved to 23 by the 82 nd treatment at 17 months, indicating that her QOL had improved.

The Seinetsugedoku (elimination of toxic heat) technique of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment usually involves needle insertion or bloodletting at acupoints such as Ch'u-Ch'ih (LI11), Wei-Chung (BL40), Ta-Chuei (GV14), Ho-ku (LI4), Nei-T'ings (ST44), Hand-Chings, and Foot-Chings. Fujimoto, the representative of the Hokushinkai group, devised a new Seinetsugedoku technique on the basis of the Huanglian Jiedu Tang described in “The Medical Secrets of an Official” and the theory of acupuncture and heat described in “Plain Questions” (chapter 32). This technique of associated points consisted of horizontal needle insertion into Ling-T'ai (GV10), bilateral TuShu (BL16) and Chi-Chung (GV6), and bilateral P'i-Shu (BL20). Treatment by this combination of points can markedly eliminate toxic heat in patients with febrile diseases in the Qi system. We confirmed this efficacy in 11 cases. Using this technique to treat patients with the same treatment for different diseases, we confirmed the range of conditions for which this Seinetsugedoku acupuncture technique is effective.

We report a case of a 35-year-old woman with fibromyalgia who was successfully treated with acupuncture only after identification of syndromes using the Four Examinations. After working hard for years, she suffered from severe chest and back pain, fever and insomnia. At one hospital, no abnormality was found after detailed examinations. The pain gradually worsened and she was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia at a university hospital. She wanted to be treated with Kampo medicine and consulted us. We identified her symptoms as liver qi stagnation, qi stagnation causing blood stasis and qi stagnation damage to yin, and treated with acupuncture mainly using only two shendao (GV 11) and zhaohai (KI 6) points. Pain was relieved by 30% after her 37 th treatment. Her fever also disappeared. Almost no pain was reported by the 91st treatment. A Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score of 78 at her first examination had improved to 23 by the 82 nd treatment at 17 months, indicating that her QOL had improved.