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FCE And Lumbosacral Stenosis

by CarolineJ - March 5, 2026

Arnold is a 6 years old Pit mix and had a stroke event occur late September2025. The left hind leg was affected first and got very weak, then the weakness and paralysis progressed quickly to the right side (within a day). Arnold was paralyzed in both rear limbs. He was brought to the the ER and they started him on NSAIDs, Gabapentin and a couple other pain meds. He was diagnosed with ischemic myelopathy secondary to fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) from L3 to L6 and severe degenerative lumbosacral stenosis with cauda equina compression.

I met Arnold shortly after and we started Electro-acupuncture right away. His pulse is toned, broad (exuberant). I first started him on Voltrex and when he started showing his first signs of improvements, we added in the Lumbrex. Initial TCM diagnosis was Wind Dam Heat with Shao Shang disharmony.

His right side has made a 85-90% recovery (so he is basically a tripod now), but his urinary and bowel function haven’t come back online yet, nor his left hind.
After about a month of being on the Voltrex and Lumbrex combo, I added Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang to see if we could further improvements to the left side. Unfortunately didn’t get much leeway from that.

I also tried adding Xiao Huo Luo Dan about a month ago with the owner saying how he doesn’t do well with cold weather. I thought it would be a nice warming, moving formula to try.
He across as Damp (he is kibble fed & paws and chin are prone to dermatitis, along with colitis tendencies). He is known for having a very sensitive stomach, getting diarrhea with fatty foods.

I guess at the same time as the owner was introducing the XHLD formula, he was given some fatty pieces of pork and he ended up with blasting diarrhea and some vomiting. We’ve been waiting for his GI to go back to normal before introducing his herbs again. I do wonder if the XHLD was too warming/moving for him? Although he was genuinely cold in Jan/Feb.
Maybe it was a bad idea, if he is still dealing with his ''Wind Damp Heat'' pathogen ?

BL17, 18,19, 24, 25 are always active.

Si Miao San definitely comes to mind for his Damp Heat and colitis tendencies, but I’m not sure it will do much for his back left limb to kick back into gear?
Do we continue with Voltrex and Lumbrex ? Any other ideas?

Thanks again!!

by naturevet

March 16, 2026

Hi there,

Given the pre-existing stenosis and degenerative changes in the spine, there is a high likelihood that these residual deficits are not from FCE but rather from direct contact of ligaments, bone and discs with the cord itself. Chiropractic can work quickly and dramatically to relieve that contact, sometimes producing improvements overnight, or even within the hour. I use an Activator myself, so that the treatment is gentle. If you feel the pulse moderate after chiropractic, you'll know vertebral fixations causing cord contact are playing a major role.

If the pulse still feels broad and toned to you, a way you can check for Wind invasion is to sedate BL 40 (in the popliteal crease) with an acupuncture needle, or even your thumb. If you feel the pulse moderate, then for sure there is a Wind invasion. You then just need to figure out how to expel it. I have variously used Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San (Agastache Combination), San Ren Tang (Three Seeds Combination) or even Yi Yi Ren Tang (Coix Combination). Natural Path has all these. They may all help, but if there are tendencies to Heat, the first two are probably preferable. I've used both in disc disease.

Lastly, the continued consumption of processed food will allow the disc degeneration and stenosis to continue. I would strongly suggest a real food diet (raw, cooked, commercial or homemade) to put a halt to further degeneration. It's the only thing I've found that will take the risk of future paralysis off the table.

You've done a great job getting through the Shao Yang phase of things. I think now, your best bet will be one of these three formulas in tandem with chiropractic and diet change.

Hopefully, this helps!

Steve

by CarolineJ

March 17, 2026

He's actually had a chiropractic adjustment and I will advise those routinely (not by me, but at a specialty rehab center nearby). I agree 100% on the fresh food diet, I will have that conversation again with the owner. I reviewed all 3 formulas and I would be tempted to start with Agastache Combination and go from there. San Ren Tang would be next in line.
That being said, would you keep him on the Voltrex and Lumbrex as well or not?
Many thanks !

by naturevet

March 17, 2026

If he's Damp, Lumbrex won't help. Voltrex will be helpful until the pathogen has been driven from the deep to the superficial. You should feel the pulse become more superficial, broad and buoyant and it will respond to BL 40 once you're finished with Voltrex. As long as GB points improve the pulse, continue the Voltrex

by CarolineJ

May 1, 2026

Hi Steve, my patient passed away so I won't be able to tell you how he did with the Agastache Combination worked out:(

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