Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease of unclear cause, characterized clinically by localized or diffuse skin thickening and fibrosis. It can affect internal organs, including the heart, lungs, digestive tract, and kidneys. Systemic scleroderma is also called systemic sclerosis.
TCM Pattern Identification and Medication Reference
| Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Swollen, hardened skin; pale extremities; aversion to cold; a pale-red tongue; a thin white coating; and a deep, thready, weak pulse.
In plain language:
- The skin may swell and become hard, with reduced elasticity and softness to the touch.
- The tips of the fingers and toes may look pale, lighter in color than usual.
- You may feel cold and unusually sensitive to cold, with discomfort worsening in a cold environment.
- The tongue may look pale with a slight reddish tint, rather than a vivid red.
- The tongue coating may be thin and white, without appearing thick or greasy.
- On palpation, the pulse may be easier to feel with deeper pressure and may feel thready and weak.
| Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Release the exterior, disperse cold, diffuse lung qi, and unblock the collaterals.
In plain language:
- Release the exterior → Ease tension in the muscles and superficial channels, helping relieve external-contraction symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscle aches so movement feels less restricted.
- Disperse cold → Dispel cold from the body and affected areas, easing cold-related pain and discomfort that worsens with cold.
- Diffuse lung qi → Promote the free flow of lung qi and help relieve nasal congestion, cough, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
- Unblock the collaterals → Promote the flow through the channels and collaterals and the movement of qi and blood, helping ease numbness, pain, and stiffness.
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Tight, swollen, red skin that feels warm to the touch; fever; a red tongue with a yellow, greasy coating; and a slippery, rapid pulse.
In plain language:
- The skin may feel tight and swollen, with a taut sensation.
- The skin may look red, with noticeable redness.
- The affected area may feel hot to the touch, with a higher local temperature.
- You may feel feverish, with an elevated temperature and discomfort.
- The tongue may appear red when extended.
- The tongue coating may be yellow and greasy, giving the tongue a coated appearance.
- On palpation, the pulse may feel smooth and somewhat rapid.
| Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Clear heat, eliminate dampness, relieve impediment, and unblock the collaterals.
In plain language:
- Clear heat → Reduce internal heat, helping ease redness, swelling, burning sensations, bitter taste, thirst, sore throat, and related discomfort.
- Eliminate dampness → Address dampness in the body, helping relieve heaviness, a sticky or greasy sensation, swelling or oozing, and a feeling of heaviness in the joints.
- Relieve impediment → “Relieve” means to remove; “impediment” refers to painful obstruction of the channels. This means addressing obstruction and helping ease joint aches, stiffness, and symptoms that worsen with dampness or cold.
- Unblock the collaterals → Promote the flow through the channels and collaterals and the movement of qi and blood, helping improve numbness, pulling pain, and restricted movement.
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Hardened skin with stinging pain; bluish-purple fingertips; dark-colored skin lesions; irritability; a purplish-dark tongue or petechiae; a thin white coating; and a wiry, choppy pulse.
In plain language:
- The skin may become hard, with a prickling or stinging pain.
- The fingertips may turn bluish or purplish, darker than usual.
- Areas of affected skin may look dark or dull in color.
- You may become irritable or quick to anger and feel restless.
- The tongue may look dark purple, or spots of blood stasis may be visible on its surface.
- The tongue coating may be thin and white.
- On palpation, the pulse may feel taut like a string and uneven or rough.
| Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Invigorate blood, resolve stasis, soften hardness, and unblock the collaterals.
In plain language:
- Invigorate blood → Promote blood circulation, helping ease pain, stiffness, and numbness.
- Resolve stasis → Address blood stasis, helping relieve stinging pain, fixed pain, and swelling.
- Soften hardness → Soften hard areas and lumps, helping reduce nodules and a board-like feeling.
- Unblock the collaterals → Promote the flow through the channels and collaterals so qi and blood can move more freely, helping improve numbness, pulling pain, and restricted movement.
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Dry, atrophied, thin skin; a dull complexion; fatigue and low energy; a pale tongue; a thin coating; and a thready, weak pulse without strength.
In plain language:
- The skin may feel dry and lack moisture.
- The skin may become atrophied and thin, feeling thinner and more fragile to the touch.
- The complexion may look dull and lack luster.
- You may feel tired and low in energy, with little stamina for daily activities.
- The tongue may look pale when extended.
- The tongue coating may be thin, without appearing thick or greasy.
- On palpation, the pulse may feel thready and weak, with little force.
| Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify qi, nourish blood, warm the channels, and unblock the collaterals.
In plain language:
- Tonify qi → Support vitality and function, helping ease shortness of breath, fatigue, and a quiet voice or reluctance to speak.
- Nourish blood → Nourish the blood and support qi and blood, helping address a poor complexion, dizziness, palpitations, and numbness in the limbs.
- Warm the channels → Warm the channels and dispel cold, helping ease cold pain, stiffness, and symptoms that worsen with cold.
- Unblock the collaterals → Promote the flow through the channels and collaterals so qi and blood can move smoothly, helping improve numbness, pulling pain, and restricted movement.
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Board-like, dry, withered, atrophied skin; hair loss; chest tightness and shortness of breath; cough; fatigue and low energy; a swollen, pale, tender tongue; a thin white coating; and a thready, weak pulse.
In plain language:
- The skin may become board-like, dry, withered, and atrophied, and may feel less soft.
- Hair may gradually fall out, with increased hair loss during combing or washing.
- You may feel tightness in the chest and breathe shallowly, with shortness of breath.
- You may develop a cough, which may become more noticeable when speaking or being active.
- You may feel tired and weak, with low energy.
- The tongue may look enlarged, pale, and soft when extended.
- The tongue coating may be thin and white, without appearing thick or greasy.
- On palpation, the pulse may feel thready and weak, with little force.
| Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify the lungs, support the spleen, strengthen earth to generate metal, invigorate blood, and unblock the collaterals.
In plain language:
- Tonify the lungs → Support the lungs’ dispersing, descending, and defensive functions, helping ease shortness of breath, cough, a weak voice, low energy, and susceptibility to discomfort.
- Support the spleen → Support the spleen and stomach’s digestive and transformative functions, helping address poor appetite, abdominal bloating, loose stools, fatigue, and a heavy feeling.
- Strengthen earth to generate metal → Strengthen “earth” (the spleen and stomach) to nourish “metal” (the lungs), supporting the generation of qi and fluids. In TCM theory, this approach is intended to help reduce cough and phlegm, ease breathing, and support stamina and resistance.
- Invigorate blood → Promote blood circulation, helping ease pain, stiffness, and a feeling of congestion or swelling.
- Unblock the collaterals → Promote the flow through the channels and collaterals so qi and blood can move more freely, helping improve numbness, pulling sensations, and restricted movement.
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Hardened, thinned skin; a mask-like face; aversion to cold and cold limbs; soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees; a pale, swollen tongue with teeth marks; a white coating; and a deep, thready pulse.
In plain language:
- The skin may become hard and gradually thin, feeling less soft to the touch.
- The facial skin may feel tight and hard, making facial expressions appear unnatural, as if wearing a mask.
- You may feel unusually cold, with cold hands and feet.
- The lower back and knees may feel sore and weak, and you may have difficulty exerting yourself when walking or being active.
- The tongue may look pale and swollen when extended, with teeth marks along its edges.
- The tongue coating may be white, making the surface of the tongue look pale.
- On palpation, the pulse may be easier to feel with deeper pressure and may feel thready.
| Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify and nourish the spleen and kidneys, warm yang, and dispel cold.
In plain language:
- Tonify the spleen and kidneys → Support the spleen and stomach and nourish kidney qi and essence, helping address poor appetite, abdominal bloating, loose stools, fatigue, and excess fluid retention.
- Warm yang → Support yang qi and warm the body, helping ease aversion to cold, cold limbs, cold soreness in the lower back and knees, and low energy.
- Disperse cold → Dispel cold from the body or affected areas, helping ease cold-related pain and discomfort that worsens with cold and improves with warmth.
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
References
- Rheumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis (Draft)[J]. Chinese Journal of Rheumatology, 2004, 8(6): 377-379.
- Tang Honghu, Liu Yi. Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis[J]. Journal of Practical Clinical Medicine, 2015, 12(5): 38-42.
- van den Hoogen F, Khanna D, Fransen J, Johnson SR, Baron M, Tyndall A, et al. 2013 classification criteria for systemic sclerosis: an American College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism collaborative initiative[J]. Arthritis Rheum, 2013, 65(11): 2737-2747.
- He Wei, Feng Jia, Xiang Yang. Current Status and Prospects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Systemic Sclerosis[J]. Journal of Hubei Minzu University (Medical Edition), 2015, 32(3): 74-76.
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China: Chinese Patent Medicines Volume[M]. 2010 edition.