A 58-year-old woman came to our clinic complaining of a painful burning mouth. She had been diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome the previous year but had not found any treatment to help. Her tongue, mouth, and gums experienced burning pain all the time, with constant dryness, loss of taste, and a tingling sensation. This burning mouth case study describes how Chinese medicine relieved her pain naturally and efficiently.
Understanding Burning Mouth Syndrome
The NIH describes two types of burning mouth syndrome. Primary BMS is most often the result of damage to the nerves that control pain and taste. Secondary BMS results from other health problems, including:
- Tooth grinding or jaw clenching.
- Depression.
- Hormonal changes from diabetes or thyroid problems.
- Allergies to dental products, dental metals, or foods.
- Sjögren’s syndrome and certain drugs and radiation therapy.
- Certain medicines, such as those that reduce blood pressure.
- Low vitamin B or iron levels.
- Mouth infections like yeast or candida.
- Acid reflux.
The main symptom of BMS is pain in the mouth that feels like burning, scalding, or tingling. BMS pain can last for months or years. Some people feel constant pain, while others find the pain gradually increasing during the course of the day.
Burning Mouth Case Study
Our patient in this burning mouth case study had secondary BMS due to radiation treatment ten years earlier for throat cancer. She suspected that the radiation damaged the nerves enervating her tongue and mouth, leaving her with a constant burning sensation. She had tried many different treatments over the years without success.
During her intake exam, our patient presented with a deep red, peeled tongue, indicating toxic heat in her body, particularly her head. In contrast, the tongue in a healthy patient is typically pink. In addition, she had night sweats, and her head always felt hot, more indications of excess heat in her head. Therefore, our primary goal of treatment was to clear heat from her head and stop the regeneration of more heat in the future.
Chinese Medicine Resolves Toxic Heat
Chinese medicine is well-positioned to clear toxic heat from the body. Many health conditions are rooted in an overproduction of heat in the body (a.k.a. inflammation), including skin conditions like hives and eczema, and autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s disease and interstitial cystitis.
For our patient in this burning mouth case study, we treated her with the following acupuncture points to clear toxic heat from her head and mouth: LI11, LI4, ST44, LV2, CV24, KD2, SP6, and KD6. We also prescribed a Chinese herbal formula to reinforce the effectiveness of these acupoints.
Within two treatments, she started to feel less burning pain in her mouth, and after just four sessions, she was more than 90 percent pain-free. However, over the next six months, we determined that she required maintenance acupuncture treatments once a month to sustain the benefits – the radiation therapy from ten years earlier had done permanent damage, which our treatments could control but not fully resolve.
Acupuncture Relieves Burning Mouth Syndrome
Specific acupoints promote the body to expel excess heat through either sweating or urination. Other points prompt the body to generate natural coolants, which we call Yin. Your car requires coolant liquids to circulate through the engine to help avoid overheating, and so too, your body needs Yin fluids for the same reason. Acupoints like LI11, ST44, and KD2 clear heat, while points like KD6 and SP6 generate coolant. The Chinese herbal formula we gave our patient primarily cleared toxic heat.
Next Steps
Acupuncture can completely heal some health conditions, while others need management. However, unlike Western medications, acupuncture and Chinese herbal supplements typically have no adverse effects, making them a superior option for managing difficult-to-treat diseases. This burning mouth case study is an excellent example of how Chinese medicine improved a patient’s quality of life after ten years of suffering without any adverse side effects.
Try acupuncture if you are struggling with a toxic heat health condition. Your doctor may have diagnosed you with a disease like burning mouth syndrome, Crohn’s, interstitial cystitis, ulcerative colitis, or other conditions. No matter the diagnosis, if you feel that toxic heat plays a role in your situation, see if acupuncture can help.
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Photo by Anna Shvets: https://www.pexels.com/photo/portrait-photo-of-smiling-woman-in-white-sweater-sticking-out-her-tongue-3746288/
