Patient's question:
Sometimes I find that my hands and joints are sore, especially when touching cold water, which makes the pain worse. In the morning, my hands are stiff and I dare not bend them. After reading some web pages, it seems this is postpartum wind, also known as postpartum illness. It may continue to develop, so I am very anxious. I hope there is a good method to treat it, or a hospital where it can be treated.Doctor's answer:
After childbirth, women experience emptiness in all joints, weakened defensive Qi, and loose or dense skin pores, leading to deficient Qi and blood. Due to careless living habits, wind-cold-dampness pathogens invade the body, causing symptoms similar to wind-cold-dampness bi (a cluster of symptoms). Clinically, it manifests as joint pain that worsens with cold or wind, accompanied by numbness, heaviness in the body, lower back pain, fatigue, aversion to cold and wind, and other symptoms.In Traditional Chinese Medicine, blood deficiency generates wind, and kidney deficiency causes lower back and foot pain, which are considered deficiency conditions. If the condition is caused by careless exposure to cold, it becomes a deficiency with underlying excess. In such cases, while dispelling cold, attention should be paid to the mother's condition, and Qi and blood should be appropriately replenished. Sweating should be avoided, and instead, the exterior should be fortified to address both the root and symptoms, achieving a comprehensive treatment.