Two Cases of Frailty and Sarcopenia Successfully Treated by Kampo Medicines and the Relation to the Spleen Yi Disease in Huangdi Neijing

Abstract

Huangdi Neijing has a disease concept named Yi ‘Wei' disease which is similar to ‘frailty'. Yi disease is characterized by physical and/or mental dysfunctions eventually being unable to stand up. Yi disease are classified into five types : the lung Yi ‘qi deficiency', the heart Yi ‘vascular disorders', the liver Yi ‘muscle weakness' like sarcopenia or ‘qi stagnation', the spleen Yi ‘spleen deficiency, weight loss or excess weight', and the kidney Yi ‘kidney deficiency'. Each condition can be treated by Kampo medicines. Therefore, frailty can be treated by Kampo medicines systematically and strategically. The author reports here two cases of frailty with weight loss successfully treated by Kampo medicines in giving priority to spleen Yi morbid state. One of 2 patients had a drug induced gastrointestinal disorder caused by probably previously taking Kampo hachimigan. After treating the spleen Yi, she became able to take hachimigan for the kidney Yi again. These cases suggest that high priority should be given to restoring spleen conditions, or digestive functions in treating frailty with weight loss caused by anorexia or digestive dysfunction.