Post 1: Kampō practitioners and the coronavirus

This paper is a strategy document sourced from our London-based Japanese Kampō physicians discussion group. It is designed to have a realistic impact on our Kampō practice during the current pandemic.

By 28 March 2020 newest reports from Europe on patient-reported symptoms and progress of the coronavirus varied from the early reports from Wuhan. The reports from hospital treatment in China identify a damp pathogen, stagnant in the chest – calling for the creation of a wide variety of formula.  With Japanese Kampō treatment strategies we recognise damp as a pathogen, however naming a pathogen in itself is not adequate detail to formulate a treatment plan.

Recent reports from the UK and EU suggest a different set of early symptoms, – namely, the loss of hearing, loss of smell and loss of taste. This suggests a virus entering though the sensory organs of the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat then moving into the nervous system.

These early symptoms are consistent with the Kampō  approach  derived from interpretations of the Sho Kan Run (Shan Han Lun in Chinese).   In Europe far more people are reporting these sensory symptoms, and is not clear how early in the onset they appear, nor how long they will endure.

Our KampōUK community is not among front line NHS healing staff working in hospitals and emergency services. Rather we are looking after family, associates, and existing clients. For these Kampō practitioners, we attach a guide sheet to assist in choosing formula for existing patients.  This KampōUK treatment guide is based on actual cases treated in the UK, and on UK hospital reports, with a focus on the treatment patterns mentioned above as derived from the Sho Kan Run.

We plan to post from patient experiences as cases develop, as outlined below, to cover:

Post 1&2 Strategies (Tai Yang)

Post 3 the Virus goes inside (Shao Yang)

Post 4 Fullness accumulating in the Abdomen (Yang Ming)

Post 5 the Sensory stages  (Interior Yin)

Post 6 Recovery SHO, (will develop as patients progress)

 

Reference codes

KCG2010.p29 = Kampo a Clinical Guide to Theory and Practice, edition 2010, page 29

KCG2017.p61 = Kampo a Clinical Guide to Theory and Practice, edition 2017, page 61

 

Post 2: Formulations for the first signs of a viral encounter

alternative pattern, because patients

react differently depending upon their existing state of health

 

alternative pattern, because patients

react differently depending upon their existing state of health