title: A case report of an effective treatment for diabetic foot ulcers with integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.
abstract: Diabetes contributes 75-85% of the factors predisposing to foot amputations, usually in association with infection and gangrene. The treatment of foot ulcers is expensive, and the effectiveness of treatment varies. We report herein a case of a diabetic foot ulcer that was treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, with desirable cost-effective results. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapeutic principles include improving the spleen, nourishing yin, regulating qi, and resolving dampness, as well as activating stagnant blood. Western medicine includes wound debridement, skin grafting, and use of insulin, antibiotics, and vasodilators. The patient was treated with a holistic multidisciplinary approach (i.e., a combination of TCM and Western medicine, surgical management, education for diabetic foot care, and psychological counseling). Without this approach, the patient might have ended up with foot amputation and/or sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang, Wuhou, Chengdu 610041, China. xishengx@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Xi-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yu-Jao
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Jun-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Xiu-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001458:Bandages; D012831:Bombyx; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000628:therapy*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005734:Gangrene / Q000628:therapy; D006365:Heel / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal