How do traditional Chinese and Western medicine treat neonatal jaundice? Remember to take measures to prevent neonatal jaundice

How should newborns with jaundice be treated? In fact, in our lives, there are two methods for treating neonatal jaundice: traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

1. Western medicine treatment

1. Light therapy

Phototherapy is an adjunctive treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia that uses fluorescent light to illuminate the baby. Phototherapy often relieves neonatal jaundice because the ultraviolet light converts bilirubin into a form that is more easily excreted in the baby's urine.

2. Exchange blood therapy

If neonatal jaundice is severe or bilirubin levels continue to rise after phototherapy, the baby will need exchange transfusion therapy.

3. Drug treatment

Give albumin, correct metabolic acidosis, liver enzyme inducers (eg, phenobarbital), and IV immune globulin.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Above we have looked at the Western medicine methods for treating jaundice. Now let’s look at the Chinese medicine methods for treating neonatal jaundice.

1. Damp-heat fumigation syndrome

Symptoms

The face and skin are yellow, bright orange, irritable and crying, yellow and red urine, constipation or gray stool. The tongue is red, with thick and greasy yellow fur and sluggish fingerprints.

Governing Law

Clears away heat and dampness, promotes bile secretion and reduces jaundice.

Prescriptions

Yinchenhao decoction, Yinchen, Gardenia, Rhubarb. Often add Centella asiatica, Curcuma, Alisma orientalis, Plantago seed to enhance the effect of removing dampness and jaundice. For patients with vomiting, add Pinellia ternata and Rhizoma Anemarrhenae to relieve nausea and vomiting; for patients with abdominal distension, add Magnolia officinalis and Citrus aurantium to regulate qi and remove stagnation; for patients with severe heat, add Scutellaria baicalensis, Coptis chinensis, Polygonum cuspidatum to clear heat and remove dampness.

2. Cold-dampness stagnation syndrome

Symptoms

The face and skin are yellow and dull, the child is listless, does not want to suckle, cries all the time, has a bloated abdomen and loose stools, or has grayish-white stools and yellow urine. The lips and tongue are pale, with a white and slippery coating and light fingerprints.

Governing Law

Invigorate Qi and strengthen the spleen, warm the middle and eliminate dampness.

Prescriptions

Yinchen Lizhong Decoction with modifications: Yinchen, Codonopsis, Atractylodes, Poria, Dry Ginger, Licorice. For those with cold limbs, add processed Aconite to boost yang and dispel cold; for those with abdominal distension, add Aucklandia and Radix Angelicae Pubescentis to promote qi and dissipate distension; for those with loose stools and sluggish appetite, add Poria and Amomum villosum to dissipate dampness and soothe the stomach.

3. Yellowing due to blood stasis

Symptoms

The face and skin are yellow and dull, the abdomen is bloated with blue veins exposed, the liver and spleen are enlarged and hard, the urine is short and yellow, the stool is constipated or grayish white, the lips are dark red, or there is bleeding. There are petechiae on the tongue and purple fingerprints.

Governing Law

Promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, promote bile secretion and relieve jaundice.

Prescriptions

Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction combined with Yinchenhao Decoction, raw rehmannia, angelica, Achyranthes bidentata, safflower, peach kernel, bupleurum, fructus aurantii, red peony root, ligusticum chuanxiong, platycodon, capillaris, gardenia, and rhubarb.

Measures to prevent neonatal jaundice

(1) Fetal jaundice often occurs in the fetus due to the invasion of dampness and heat by the pregnant mother, resulting in fetal jaundice after the fetus is born. Therefore, during pregnancy, the pregnant mother should pay attention to eating in moderation, not eating raw or cold food, not being too hungry or too full, and avoid drinking alcohol and spicy and hot foods to prevent damage to the spleen and stomach.

(2) Some mothers have given birth before and had babies with fetal jaundice. They should take preventive measures when they become pregnant again and take Chinese medicine on time to regulate their physical condition.

(3) Mothers should undergo prenatal checkups to prevent premature birth and difficult labor, and avoid abusing vitamin K and sulfonamides before delivery, as these are factors that can cause jaundice in newborns.