|
Wei Li, L.Ac., began practicing Chinese medicine at the age of 17, and she came to the United States with over 15 years of experience with TCM. Now, with over 30 years of expertise with acupuncture and herbal medicine, she continues to help patients all across the Pacific Northwest.
Diseases of the Kidney & Bladder, by Wei Li et al., is the first English textbook and clinical reference to be published on the Chinese diagnosis and treatment of kidney and bladder diseases. Read critics' reviews of Dr. Li's book. For more info, please visit bluepoppy.com. |
An Overview of Common Clinical Conditions The theory behind traditional Chinese medicine interprets the workings of the body from an abstract point of view unlike the scientific approach of western medicine. For early physicians, the ideological influence of Taoism and Confucianism intertwined their practical study of medicine and their philosophical study of nature. They observed the elements of nature — the air, temperature, moisture, etc — and conceived fundamental theories such as that of Ying and Yang and of the theory of the Five Elements. The environment thus became the essential analogy of Chinese medicine for health and illness. In her diagnoses and treatments, Wei Li approaches clinical conditions also from this traditional point of view. See below for brief overviews of Wei Li's perspective on treatment for the various clinical condition listed. This constitutes only some of the illnesses with which Wei Li has experience in treating; for more information on any clinical condition not overviewed, please contact us. Thank you! Allergies
Our combined therapy of acupuncture and herbal medicine eliminates Heat toxicity, strengthens
your adrenal and immune system to eliminate Lung, Kidney, and Spleen Qi deficiencies, and removes
Qi, Blood, and Phlegm stagnations to clear up any remaining symptoms of your allergies. We begin
by clearing away existing external pathogens, specifically any Heat toxicity that might be present,
before tonifying your adrenal and immune system.
Alzheimer's Disease
Herbal medicines, accompanied by acupuncture, form the basis of treating Alzheimer’s disease.
While an external viral pathogen and an internal deficiency are both possible causes of Alzheimer’s
disease, either of the two sources will set off the other as well. For that reason, our treatment
plan focuses on both sources for all cases of Alzheimer’s disease. By strengthening your Spleen and
Kidney and by diffusing Qi, Blood, and Phlegm stagnations, both the root and symptoms of Alzheimer’s
disease can be diminished or eliminated altogether.
Asthma
The main considerations of our treatment plan are to strengthen the Lung, to remove Phlegm, and to
improve the circulation of Qi and Blood in the body. In doing so, we strengthen the organ primarily
affected by the illness, namely the Lung, also removing Phlegm stagnation in the Lung and clearing
away external pathogens, such as Wind, that may induce asthma. Combining acupuncture with herbal
prescriptions significantly expedites all three processes in your recovery.
Bell's Palsy
Our treatment plan involves herbal patches applied locally in addition to acupuncture and herbal
prescriptions. Herbal patches are applied locally to expel Wind-Cold from the channels of your face
as well as to warm them and move the local circulation of Qi, Blood, and Phlegm. Acupuncture at the
local area affected by Bell’s palsy opens the channels of your face, also expelling Wind-Cold and
clearing away Qi, Blood, and Phlegm stagnations along those channels. Herbal prescriptions, besides
serving to strengthen your whole body, also clear stagnations and open the channels throughout the
rest of your body as well as your face.
Gastrointestinal Disorders
For people above the age of 40, we focus primarily on treating the condition of your entire body than
on the illness itself. By improving the health of your body and the condition of your digestive system
as a whole, we can clear away any gastrointestinal disorders. For people under the age of 40, we focus
primarily on treating the gastrointestinal disorder itself. However, the theory of Chinese medicine is
to balance the whole body no matter what the illness, and therefore we nevertheless take into consideration
the condition of your entire body when prescribing an herbal formula for your illness.
Headaches
To treat any headache, we usually use acupuncture and herbal medicine together, depending on the
patient’s condition. Acupuncture and herbal medicine help move the Qi, Damp, and Phlegm stagnation
while also strengthening your body. We treat both the branch symptoms and the root sources of the
headaches. The branch of a headache is the ache itself, and the root sources are the stagnations
and the deficiencies, which may be found together or individually. The root is the cause of all of
the branches, or symptoms, of an illness. Therefore, by eliminating the illness from the root outwards,
we can clear out the remaining excess of the branches of the problem without their recurring.
Hyperthyroidism
Our treatment plan for hyperthyroidism consists of three stages. In the first stage, following a
diagnosis of your condition, we clear out the root cause of the disease, which could have been
caused by various reasons such as stress, anxiety, or heat toxicity of the body. The root is the
cause of all of the branches, or symptoms, of an illness. Therefore, by eliminating the illness
from the root outwards, we can clear out the remaining excess of the branches of the problem
without the recurring. After the first stage of the treatment, your Blood levels T3 and T4 should
return to normal. In the second stage, we clear out the remnant excess of the disease and tonify
your body at the same time. As we clear out the excess, we also tonify your body in order to help
prevent the root of the disease from returning. After the second stage of treatment, your Blood
level TSH should return to normal. In the final stage, we focus solely on tonifying your body in
order to make your body strong enough on its own to prevent the disease from recurring.
Hypothyroidism
The root cause of hypothyroidism is kidney and spleen deficiency. Therefore, we primarily focus on
strengthening your kidney and spleen. We clear away the branches of the disease at the same time
with acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Infertility
Our treatment plan combines acupuncture with herbal medicine to strengthen your body and your eggs.
As both grow stronger and healthier, your chances of becoming pregnant increase greatly. We have a
great deal of experience in working both with women who have tried in vitro fertilization (IVF) with
their own eggs and with women who have tried IVF with donor eggs. Depending on the condition of women
who have tried IVF, we may or may not prescribe herbal medicine.
Menopausal Symptoms
We combine acupuncture treatments with herbal medicine in order to release wind, to clear away any
existing heat toxicity, to strengthen your adrenal and immune system in order to eliminate lung, kidney,
and spleen deficiencies, and to move Qi, Blood, and Phlegm stagnations and thereby clear up the symptoms
of menopause. In the beginning stage, we clear away the heat or cold imbalance in your body and remove
the Qi, Blood, and Damp stagnation. The intermediate stage involves a conjunction of the beginning and
concluding stages. In the concluding stage, we tonify your kidney Jing, which is the source of all Yin,
Yang, Qi and Blood. The majority of menopause patients have more kidney Yin deficiency than kidney Yang
deficiency. In Chinese theology, Yang is heat and Yin is cold; therefore, a Yin deficiency causes an
imbalance in your body which results in too much heat. When your body is deficient, there is also a
great amount of Qi, Blood, and Damp stagnation. We also focus on clearing away the Qi, Blood, and Damp
stagnation as we clear away the heat or cold.
Nephritis
Acute nephritis is categorized into heat and cold types, though the cold type is rarely seen. The heat
type is most often caused by heat toxicity such as strep throat, malaria, and the common cold because a
Wei Qi deficiency allows toxicities to extend deeper into the kidney. Chronic nephritis is categorized
into heat and cold types as well. Symptoms of the heat type are night sweats, a red tongue, and a fast
pulse. The heat type is cause by heat toxicity that lingers inside the body for a long period of time,
causing kidney Yin deficiency. Symptoms of the cold type are swollen legs, a pale face, a pale tongue,
and a weak pulse. The cold type is cause by Yang and Qi deficiency of the kidney and spleen that resulted
from a long-term illness or a significant loss of protein through the urine.
Nephropathy
Nephropathy is primarily caused by Qi and Yang deficiency of the kidney and spleen. Qi deficiency
causes protein to leak out through the urine, and Yang deficiency causes water to accumulate in the
body, resulting in an edema.
Pain
For chronic pain, we combine acupuncture and herbal medicine for speed and effectiveness in clearing
away the pain. We use acupuncture to treat the stagnation and the pain itself through both local and
distal points. In treating the deficiency, herbal medicine is prescribed to strengthen the body. The
length of time needed to treat chronic pain varies greatly, depending on the your condition and the
frequency of weekly visits for treatments.
Renal Failure
Acute renal failure is frequently caused by toxicity. Kidney damage that was caused by the toxicity
can be repaired by Chinese medicine to a certain degree, depending on the patient’s condition. Chronic
renal failure is the result of a deficiency of kidney Jing, which is the source of all Yin, Yang, Qi
and Blood, although the illness is primarily Qi and Yang deficiency. This may be caused by hypertension,
diabetes, or chronic nephritis.
Stress & Anxiety
Acupuncture helps to disperse your liver Qi, balance your emotions, and boost your immune system. Herbal
medicine disperses your liver Qi even more effectively and helps to balance the Yin and Yang deep inside
your body as well. Acupuncture and herbal medicine not only relieve stress, but they also help prevent
serious disorders that result from too much stress, such as depression.
This page is still in the process of being updated. |
Wei Li's primary clinic is located in the Gateway district of Portland, at which she practices every day of the week except Wednesday and Sunday. She practices at Salem on Wednesday, and at present her availability in Tigard is subject to change. Please contact us for more information on Wei Li's schedule. Thank you very much! TCM in the News |
|
Home | Wei Li, L.Ac. | A Brief History of TCM | Clinical Conditions | Critics' Reviews of Wei Li's Book | Clinic Locations | Contact Us The information on this website is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from qualified medical or health care providers. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health conditions or to prescribe any medication or for any other medical purposes. Wei Li Acupuncture, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or comprehensiveness of the information provided on this website. |
||
