Systemic Lupus (SLE), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Bipolar Disorder, Asthma, Chronic pain, Hypertension, Seizures, Eczema, Glaucoma, Endometriosis, Insomnia, Hair loss, Stroke, Heart Attacks

(Darlene is a repeat guest. Follow her story, see Radio Show #242 – 04/26/2008)

Darlene is Dr. Elain Tong’s patient during her Residency in Family Medicine; Dr. Yee-Wing Tong was not involved in her care. Darlene is a 51 year-old black lady with a history in her early teens of juvenile arthritis, for which she was treated with liquid Phenobarbital. In her 20’s, she developed asthma, generalized skin rashes, eczema, hair loss, and poor eyesight. Ten years later in the mid 1980’s, she was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus SLE. She suffered from severe joint pain and swelling, making it difficult for her to walk, frequently rendering her bedridden. She was in-and-out of hospitals. She had two strokes and three heart attacks in her 40’s, the last one in 1995. She was then declared permanently disabled.

Her current diagnoses included SLE, chronic pain, hypertension, bipolar disorder, asthma, seizure disorder, glaucoma, endometriosis, and insomnia. Her medications included lithium, risperdal, neurontin, NSAID’s, Tegretol, Kadian, Lexapro, Methrotrexate, Benadryl, Benazapril, Travatan, Duragesic patches, Albuterol and repeated use of steroids, which caused weight gain and other side effects. In spite of these drugs, in 2007 she visited the ER on the average every two weeks for pain shots and required several hospitalizations as well. She began receiving osteopathic manipulation therapy and acupuncture in 1995, both of which made her pain more tolerable, but 13 years of such AT failed to reduce her medication requirement, or frequency of ER visits and hospitalizations in 2007. They also failed to improve her ability to perform living functions.

She was referred to Dr. Elain Tong in February of 2008, and within 5-6 NBE treatments, most of her symptoms were alleviated and she was able to discontinue nearly all her medications! The only medication she needed by June of 2008 was Duragesic patches, which she had reduced to rare occasions and minimal doses, and albuterol, which had dropped from 3 times or more daily to once a week on an as-needed basis! Moreover, since Dr. Elain’s intervention, Darlene has not been admitted to the ER or hospital for pain, and was hospitalized only one time for anemia due to heavy menstrual periods.

On this radio show, all of the above improvements were accomplished with a total of ten sporadic treatments within three months! Nevertheless, her activities have been greatly increased. She is much happier, as evident from her frequent chuckles on the second radio show. No one with her previous problems would be in any mood for humor.

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