cists....cysts however you spell them.

[gwa sow]

i have a gangleon cyst on my hand. doctor said its to small to really go through the trouble of surgery and it really isn't hurting anything. it comes and will stay for a whil then go away. its really not that painful but it comes up closer to my wrist sometimes and can be anoying. so can anyone recomend a treatment. or, if i do go to a tcm doctor; what can i expect......just so i know what to expect.

thanks

[Pakmei]

Hello there,
Ganglions cysts can be a little tricky to get rid of, depending on where the actual herniation of fluid is, in relation to the tendon sheath that it is attcahed to. Plus they do have a tendancy to come back again because of the inherent weakness in the tendon sheath.

However, acupuncture can be very effective. All they do is insert four needles around the circumference of the cyst and one needle perpendicularly (which is the most important) through the top of the cyst to burst the bubble.

Then apply the "warming needle" technique to invigorate and move the stagnated fluid. Takes about 5 mins in all, the really cool part is actually watching the cyst reduce before your eyes.

Once the cyst has dissipated, they sometimes apply a 2 pence coin over the site where the cyst was, and bandage your wrist for about 2 weeks. This is to apply pressure over the tendon sheath to speed up the natural healing process, where the herniation will then begin to close and repair itself.

Hope thats of some use.

[gwa sow]

sounds a lot better than what my doctor said. he said drop a big heavy book on it. :p

[Repulsive Monkey]

Interesting treatment Pakmei, of course to aid that one can also do a phlegm treatment in St 40 to help disperse it too, added in with Sp 6 to try and move the stagnation.

[Pakmei]

Hi RM,
Yeah it is quite an interesting treatment. I had a ganglion a year ago and had the exact treatment.

I thought it was great watching the ganglion begin to reduce before my eyes and if the acupuncturist is accurate with his/her needling, where the perpendicular needle actually penetrates the core of the ganglion. You can feel it 'pop' with the warming needle technique.

I also had to have my hand and wrist bandaged for about 2 weeks with a 2 pence coin placed over the spot of the ganglion. Touch wood..... I've had no ganglions since the treatment.

Regards

[herb ox]

Okay dudes, so what's the deal with the 2 pence coin. As you know, we Yankees don't have pence in our pockets - only pennies if you're like me. Is the use of the 2pence coin for a small hard disk that provides pressure to keep the fluids from building up or is it used for its metallurgic properties?

Do tell...

'slater

herb ox

[Pakmei]

Herb Ox,
The 2 Pence piece is used as a small hard disc to prevent the fluid in the herniation from building up again.

They also usually cover the wrist in some external herbal putty-like poultice as well to prevent any stagnation in the local area.

Cheers
Dave