A Case of Fibromyalgia Successfully Treated Using the Kampo Medicine Jumizasan

Abstract

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are systemic pain and fatigue. The pharmacological treatments are usually performed for fibromyalgia in Western medicine. However, in some cases, pain that impairs everyday life continues even after medical treatment. We herein report a case in which fibromyalgia was successfully treated using jumizasan. The patient was a 28-year-old woman. Prior to admission to the author's clinic, she had complained of dull pain in the left upper arm for 4 years, and the pain had spread throughout the body for 2 years. Various other symptoms including fatigue, headache, heart palpitation, and shortness of breath coexisted. The pain resolved within 3 months after the initiation of treatment with jumizasan (a Japanese herbal medicine decoction), which was given based on pallid complexion, skin drying, strong upper arm pain, and walking difficulty. We concluded that jumizasan may be considered to be used for patients with blood deficiency, upper arm pain, and walking difficulty in Kampo concept of treatment.