AboutR. Scott Malone L.Ac. Expertise I can answer questions on Acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
I specialize in women's issues, mental-emotional issues and headache.
Experience I have been in practice for 10 years.
Organizations I am certified and state liscensed.
Education/Credentials Graduated from the T'ai Institute of Oriental Medicine with certificates in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
My wife has a lipome, a kind of grease ball, just beside the scapula. She had an echography and no tumor is present. I would like to know if acupuncture might help to take it off or should we call for a surgery ?
Thank you
Pascal
Answer Typically a lipome would fall under what is called "phlegm" in TCM.
When the Spleen qi is under functioning, you can get these fatty cysts.
Has it been biopsied? Was the diagnosis of lipome just done with observation? Often what is sometimes diagnosed as a cyst is actually a muscular or tendinous knot. How big is it? If it is a knot, it can be released by "pecking" with a needle, or a massage therapist could get it to release.
There is a technique called "circle the dragon" in which a needle is dropped down into the middle of the mass or pain, and then needles are place around it aiming towards the center of the issue.
This is used to bring the bodies attention to the problem, as well as alleviate pain, (not an issue in her case I assume). The body often times will take care of it itself.
If it is a lipome, then the spleen is underfunctioning. Chances are there are more, perhaps smaller elsewhere in the body. If that is the case, then acupuncture at the site as mentioned above, as well as getting needles to tonify the spleen channel, and herbs to strengthen the spleen would be in order.
The question to ask is, "why did this happen?" Things do not just appear in the body without a deeper imbalance. Your MD might just tell you that these things happen, or you're getting older, and that's just not good enough. If you just have it removed without addressing the underlying issue, then you can bet that more will reappear.
I hope this helped, feel free to ask me more questions if you wish.
