Patient's question:
Postpartum for less than two and a half months, symmetric pain in the whole body joints, knee joints, elbow joints, wrist joints, finger joints, morning stiffness in hands, lower back pain, often catching colds, Zhengma City Jing's Traditional Chinese Medicine HospitalDoctor's answer:
Postpartum rheumatism, also known as postpartum wind disease, can be confidently said to be completely treatable with traditional Chinese medicine. Reflect for a moment if you didn’t take good care of yourself during the postpartum period after giving birth or having a miscarriage—such as catching a cold, getting wet, taking a bath, sweating, wearing slippers, going outside, or being exposed to air conditioning—all of these could have contributed to your current symptoms. You can also carefully compare the following symptoms:1. Headache, dizziness, and feeling cold.
2. Uncomfortable eyes, fear of wind, and tearing (if you cried, caught a cold, read or watched TV excessively, or didn’t rest well during the postpartum period, this symptom may appear).
3. Aching, numbness, and feeling cold in the hands, feet, joints, shoulders, soles of the feet, waist, and feeling exhausted.
4. A faster heartbeat than usual, fear of being startled, and a sense of palpitations.
5. Increased irritability, easily angered, often feeling a sudden, uncontrollable urge to vent frustration.
6. Frequent colds, continuous colds, and even prolonged low-grade fever in more severe cases.
7. Irregular menstruation with clots, dark or white discharge, varying in duration or volume, or even amenorrhea.
8. Mild lower abdominal pain and bloating.
9. Poor appetite, lack of interest in food, breast tenderness, and feeling cold.
10. Pale complexion. In more severe cases, memory and libido may decline significantly, leaving one feeling constantly fatigued. Some may even be mistaken for being lazy or gluttonous, but the pain is only known to the sufferer.
This disease comes in acute and chronic forms. Chronic cases develop slowly and can hide in the body for years, even decades. As the body’s constitution weakens, the condition worsens. If further diagnosis is needed, you can visit a hospital for rheumatism and rheumatoid factor (RF) tests. The doctor may tell you there’s nothing wrong, as all test results appear normal. However, this disease is completely treatable with traditional Chinese medicine and can be completely cured. Don’t worry too much—just focus on keeping warm, avoiding wind and cold water, eating fewer raw or cold foods, reducing physical labor, and resting more.