Microsoft word - hives.doc

Background Info

Alias – Ann
Age – mid thirties
Occupation – Full time office job
Marital Status – Recently divorced.
Family Hx – Mother is “very nurturing”. Father is “full of wisdom”.
Past Medical Hx – Hypothyroidism, Anemia
Allergies – She reports no allergies, confirmed by allergy testing.
Chief Complaint - Ann explains that she was in a great position in her career. Then she
was transferred from a position of “managing down” to “managing up” which she finds is very high stress. One morning she woke up covered in hives and her eyes were swollen shut and she had a swollen lip. She went to her doctor who gave her medications, and referred her to an allergist who tested her for the potential cause of the reaction. The results did not show any sensitivities, indicating it was not an allergic reaction to something in her environment like foods or detergents. The reactions continued to happen more and more regularly, and it had the doctors, as well as the client stumped. When she came to me for an alternative approach to her symptoms, she was on a 3 weeks stress leave from work, as she had begun to recognize that the symptoms were aggravated by stress. At the time of the first visit she wanted to know “what was wrong with her that these symptoms were happening”, and how she could prevent them from returning. When asked about other concerns in her life, she reported coming through the end of a very amicable divorce in which she felt the right decision had been made. When asked if she would ever consider looking for a new job, she mentioned the stress of paying bills with no income, and the uncertainty that having no job brings. These were big factors in her answering that she would not quit her job at this time. She didn’t feel she could even look for another job because her managers made it clear she couldn’t leave her current position. She felt her back was up against a wall. Medications – Her MD put her on a course of Prednisone and Aeruis as needed for symptom management of hives and swelling. She also takes Synthroid. Therapies – Ann partakes in regular yoga. She also enjoys weekly dancing where she enjoys the feeling of “not having to be in control, and just dancing”. She also walks regularly with her dog. She has not experienced any kind of alternative therapy in the past. Supports – She has a supportive family whom she socializes with regularly.


Sessions
Session #1
• During this afternoon visit, the client reports enjoying her time off from work (stress leave), and was planning a short vacation with family. She was symptom free. • A lot of education about 5 Elements Acupressure was provided, which the client was very interested in. A focus of the information was the Metal element and letting come and letting go, as she felt she was in a situation at work that prohibited her from doing this. • The client was introduced to her first Acupressure session with a Great Regulator Release. Sp 10 was added for hives, and LI 11 was added for immunity. • She required medium to firm pressure, and would notify practitioner when a point • Pt reported feeling relaxed, lying with eyes closed at times and conversing at others. She also reported interesting visions of herself “filling up the room”, especially at GB-41. She couldn’t expand on the feeling, and did not know what it was connected to. • At the end of the session client was educated on how to locate LI-11 and SP-10, and told she could use these points when she developed symptoms. Instructions on how to do “Opening the Bow” were also provided, so that she could use it to relax on a break at work, or before going to work to stimulate her Metal element. • Her pulses were all even prior to the session. Post session pulses revealed a decrease in her Wood element and K. Her Metal element was slightly stronger. • 24 hours after the session her muscles felt sore, like she had had a strenuous work out. After that she went on a vacation and she felt well. Her symptoms did return when she went back to work, but not as bad and she used LI-11 and SP-10 when they did come up. She felt the points prevented symptoms from progressing. • During this evening session, the client reported she had thought a lot about the Metal element education from the previous session. She acknowledged that she had felt she had no options with her job, but was coming to understand that her symptoms were her body’s way of letting her know she could not continue in a job she hated. As a result, she decided to start to look for another job, and made it clear to her managers that she would not be staying in her current position. She was happy and light hearted when she told me there was a possibility of a new position that was being created in her company that she was hoping to get at the end of the month. • Pre pulses showed low H, K, Lu, and P. • A Lu release was performed. • Pt tolerated medium pressure and alternated between resting with eyes closed or • Post pulses showed an increase in all of her pre session low pulses, except for Lu, • After that session, the client reported feeling less tension in her body. No new episodes of swelling even though prednisone had been discontinued, but occasional hives persisted. • During this evening session the client reported that although not finalized, it was very likely she would be changing positions at work to a new position she wanted. She was very cheery and light hearted, joking and smiling, and engaging with practitioner in questions to determine her CF. • Her pre pulses showed low SI, H, TW, and Lv. Her Metal element, B, and P were normal, while her K and Earth element were excessive. • A transfer from GB to TW was completed during this Fire tonification. • Client required medium pressure. She reported not feeling much at Rt TW 4, likely related to a previous fracture in that area. • The pt reported feeling relaxed, but did converse throughout the session. • Her post pulses showed in increase in her P, with a decrease in her already low H, SI, and Lv. Her excessive Earth normalized and her GB decreased to low. Metal was unchanged, while her P came up to excessive and her K normalized. • During the session, a yellow green hue was noted at the client’s temple, and some intonation at the end of sentences was noticed. She spoke about not needing to be in control, and was happy to give that power to others she felt could get the job done. In relationships she was happy to give to others and didn’t necessarily need anything in return. She gave lots of stories and examples because she wanted the practitioner to understand her to be able to make the right CF diagnosis.
Impression

The impression gathered from these three sessions, is that the clients CF is Earth. She
loved being in a place to be able to direct her colleagues to their fullest potential, as well
as being there for them to help in times of need. When she was put in a position where
she was forced to exert control, decision-making, and planning, her Wood element
became stressed. The Metal element came into play when she felt she was stuck in a job
where she couldn’t let come or let go. Its no wonder her immune system let her know that
on some level she was being threatened by an outside force, no different that an allergic
reaction to bee stings. While the symptoms were at first perceived as a nuisance, in the
end they were an important message from her spirit, conveyed through her body, to let
her know she had to make the decision to get out of a job that wasn’t utilizing her
inherent capabilities as a nurturer. Without those very obvious symptoms to stop her from
continuing on a flow she knew wasn’t for her, she may still be rowing upstream.
By Carolyn Belanger

Source: http://acupressureshiatsuschool.com/content/caseStudies/Hives.pdf