溫氏現代針灸 溫崇凱中醫診所-耳針眼針頭皮針舌針權威-跟診日誌

Hemifacial spasm / HFS  

When I learning from my master, the Chinese Medicine doctor Dr. Tsung-Kai Wen, I often heard from patients that they were referred to Dr. Wen by some other doctors, most of whom Dr. Wen had never known before. I admire Dr. Wen very much. His medical skills have been recognized in medical circles. I also very much admire those doctors who did the referral. They were willing to put the patients’ health conditions first and recommended a better doctor to their own patients. However, what’s totally unexpected to me was seeing a patient visiting Dr. Wen with a letter of entrustment handwritten by his attending neurological surgeon from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH). It’s unprecedented, like breaking the Guinness World Record!

This doctor from NTUH did not know my master, so why did he refer his patient to him? According to this patient, his attending physician said that many of his patients mentioned in their return visits that their health conditions have improved immensely after being treated by Dr. Wen. The word-of-mouth recommendation by his patients has left a great impression on him. In addition to that letter of entrustment, the patient also came to the clinic with some information such as the website of Dr. Wen’s clinic, prepared by his attending physician for him, marked by a highlighter pen; I was dumbfounded by it and became speechless.

The letter indicated that the patient suffered from Hemifacial Spasm (HFS) and had been through surgery once. But a few months later, the HFS came back again. This neurological surgeon didn’t want the patient to undergo any more surgery. Therefore, he did the referral.

This patient is a university professor and has had HFS for 4 years. The HFS struck often and especially while he was giving lectures. Dr. Wen taught me during the treatment that patients who have had surgery are usually more difficult to treat, but after the acupuncture treatment by Dr. Wen, that patient’s frequency of twitching reduced on the spot in the clinic. Dr. Wen reminded that patient to get the treatment on a daily basis. After a complete course of treatment, the patient’s condition has stabilized. In his return visit, the patient mentioned that the HFS didn’t occur so much while he was interacting with his students.

Hemifacial Spasm (HFS) often occurs on one side of the face of the patient, especially on the upper or lower eyelids. It begins with involuntary twitching, most of the time on the lower eyelid, and then spreads to the cheek and the corner of the mouth, which are near where the orbicularis oculi muscle and orbicularis oris muscles are. The spasms would gradually become more frequent and intense, the longer the patient suffered from HFS. Subsequently the patient would suffer symptoms such as eyes becoming narrower and lips and cheeks being pulled and deformed. It often happens due to the patient’s being nervous, emotional or physically exhausted.

In the subsequent observations that I sat in for, again, I saw many patients from NTUH. Patients introduced by NTUH to Chinese Medicine clinics, through either referral or consultation requests, are very rare, much rarer than being struck by lightning or winning the lottery. You could say that the odds are 0. It would never happen to any doctor in his or her entire life. But it does, right to the Chinese Medicine Clinic of my master.

Reflection on the observations

Firstly, what a benevolent, skillful and generous neurological surgeon from NTUH! I wish myself to be as broad-minded and magnanimous as he is, and to always take patients’ health into consideration first. The fact that this NTUH doctor referred his patient to a Chinese doctor did not undermine his professional authority. Instead, it boosted his virtues of being skillful and benevolent.

Secondly, the magical medical skills of my master have not only awed his patients but have also convinced the medical circle, even the western medicine doctors - NTUH doctors. As he is able to convince a surgeon from NTUH, the best hospital in Taiwan, to recommend his patient to be treated in a Chinese Medicine clinic and has won such recognition, his medical skills should only belong to heaven. Fortunately, they exist in the world of mortals. I am very grateful to have the good karma from my previous life to be able to learn from my master.