Main complaints:

Gastrostomy (with a gastric button); she could only be fed by the gastric button, she was unable to eat through the mouth

Hypotonia of the body (all muscles)

Hypertonia of the Achilles tendon

Vomiting

Renal failure, with cysts in the kidneys

Tendency to become hypoglycemic easily

Tendency to catch cold easily

History: Nillian was born with a genetic mutation. She had a genetic translocation of chromosomes, monosomy of the ninth chromosome, associated with the 11th chromosome, resulting in the very severe disorder called trisomy. There was no family history of such problems. She was born 2 months premature (at 2.62 kg, 50 cm tall) and required hospitalization after birth. At birth she had edema and required ventilation for 2 months. At age 2½ years she needed heart surgery to correct a heart defect. The Western medical prognosis was not good: she would never eat through her mouth; she would not easily get strength in her legs, which meant that she would be unable to walk, with or without help.

Initial visit

Observations:

Red face all over, not only on the cheeks

Hot face, throat and chest

Legs and feet very cold, with cyanotic feet

Runny nose with yellow mucus; cough with yellow, greasy sputum; mucus in the stools

Yellow mucus coming out of both ears

Constant asthenia and apathy

Vocalizations only with sounds

The legs were the weakest part of the body during the movement, after motor stimulation

Tongue: red body with thin white coating; coating more greasy and yellow on the sides, the tongue marked by the teeth; the tongue without tonus and slightly pale in the area of the lung

Vein of the finger: purple, up to the middle phalanx

Diagnosis:

Gallbladder damp-heat

Liver qi stagnation

Spleen and lung qi vacuity

Treatment principles:

Clear the heat, remove the dampness

Promote the free liver qi circulation

Reinforce the spleen and lung qi to reinforce the kidneys

Ear candles were used to clean the ears, to remove the mucus-dampness directly from the inside of the ears, and release the sinuses and throat.

Tui na massage was performed on the chest to open it and alleviate cough, on the legs and feet to promote blood circulation.

Mustard seeds were left on: ST-36, CV-12, SP-6, SP-9, BL-13, BL-23; on the ear points: liver, lung, spleen, and stomach.

The parents were instructed to perform shonishin treatment with a stainless-steel spoon, and press on the mustard seeds, every day. It was recommended that the shonishin be done in the evening/night, just before bedtime.

These treatments were repeated weekly in the clinic.

Nillian’s reactions: After two treatments, the runny nose, the cough, and the mucus coming from the ears stopped completely, the face was not so red and hot any more.

After 1 month the legs became less cold; the muscles of the legs started to become stronger.

Two months from the first treatment, Nillian started to eat through her mouth, and the gastric feeding button was removed!

These treatments were given over an extended period. At the time of writing, almost 4 years since treatments began, Nillian is 10 years old. She has shown the following changes and responses:

She continues to eat through her mouth. She does not easily catch cold anymore. She has real strength in her legs to the extent that she started to stand and walk with assistance. At about the age of 6½ she started to stand up with help. By her eighth birthday she was walking with assistance. Now she walks on her own, using a “wanderer,” a support with four legs, provided someone walks behind her for security.

Her body temperature is uniformly distributed, all over the body.

She now comes for treatment just when the seasons change, to strengthen the wei qi (immune system), and the organ qi, or occasionally, when she gets cold at school. If she is in a weakened state the treatment dose is reduced and, for example, seeds are left only on the ear points, ST-36 and CV-6.

It was possible to help this child so effectively with all the team’s effort and collaboration: Nillian, her parents, I, and all the knowledge that my teachers, here in Portugal, China, and in Amsterdam shared with me, for which I am very grateful.