Americans turning to Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine is the oldest contiguously practiced form of healthcare in the world, dating to at least 3000 and maybe more than 5000 years ago. The first book written on Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is between 2000 and 3000 years old. Modern western medicine is less than 500 years old. Daily we read of drugs harming or hurting people because short term laboratory, controlled studies could not show what long term use by a human would do. Allopathic or “scientific” medicine and its “scientific standard” have many flaws that are serious to life threatening.

Americans are turning to Chinese Medicine because allopathy and western science have their own flaws and inadequacies. Ultimately, western “science” has to learn that nothing is absolute and knowable beyond doubt, that life is fluid, ever changing and that each human being and each body, while very similar, all have a unique experience and a unique reaction to all things encountered. Chinese medicine has understood this for millennia. And people are finding the proof in the pudding.

American Chinese Medicine Association

Kidney Failure

Kidney failure is characterized by acute or chronic decrease or loss of renal function due to damage to the glomeruli of kidney.

Western Medicine treatments for kidney failure usually involve dialysis and/or kidney transplant etc.

Prevent Dialysis

ACMA deems that many kidney failure patients can avoid dialysis or even kidney transplant if they receive appropriate and in time Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) treatments. It is wrong to give kidney failure patients dialysis and kidney transplant if the kidney failure process can be stopped or even reversed by the Chinese Herbal Medicine treatments.

In 2005, ACMA received and treated a kidney failure patient with Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) before the patient started Western Medicine treatments.

After a few months CHM treatments, the patient's signs and symptoms disappeared. The blood and urine tests became normal. The patient had successfully avoided proceeding to dialysis.

Prevent Kidney Transplant

In 2006, ACMA received a patient who has been on dialysis for two years. Before visiting ACMA, the dialysis side effects started appearing, the patient's conditions got worsened, and the patient was put on the kidney transplant waiting list.

After Chinese Herbal Medicine treatments, the patient's condition get improved, and the kidney failure deteriorating trend has been stopped and reversed to some degree.

ACMA predicts that the patient's kidney failure condition may be recovered by the CHM treatments to such a degree that the kidney transplant can be prevented.

Neurologist uses acupuncture to treat variety of pain conditions

Although many medical doctors are open to complementary treatments like acupuncture, very few actually embrace it in their practice.

Dr. Adam Simmons, a neurologist at the UConn Health Center, is an exception, often using acupuncture on patients where other, more traditional treatments have failed.

Simmons’ interest in integrative medicine began when he was in high school and took a course at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

There he learned how alternative treatments such as meditation and yoga could help relieve stress.

His interest was piqued even more when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and she used acupuncture to relieve some of the fatigue associated with her chemotherapy treatments.

But he became a true believer while doing his internship at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

He worked with a neurologist there who owned a horse that suffered from terrible back pain but gained obvious relief when the doctor used acupuncture to treat the pain.

“I couldn’t see a horse having a placebo effect from someone coming and sticking needles into it,” said Simmons.

“That convinced me that there was something above and beyond the placebo effect.”

During his training, Simmons completed a program at Harvard Medical School where he was specially trained in the use of Kiiko Matsumoto’s Japanese-style acupuncture, which is slightly different from the traditional Chinese technique. Matsumoto’s acupuncture relies far more on a physical exam.

During the examination of the “hara” (meaning “belly”), the practitioner presses down on the stomach, looking for reflections of the whole body’s health and seeing manifestations of that in the stomach.

After finding a tender point on the abdomen, he or she looks for a point on the patient’s neck, feet, legs, or back that will relieve that tenderness, and that’s where the needle goes.

Simmons says an important part of acupuncture is figuring out why the body isn’t healing itself.

So instead of just focusing on the problem the patient is complaining about, you first need to help the body get better at healing itself.

Specific treatments won’t work as well, because whatever has caused the pain in the first place will cause it again.

Simmons uses acupuncture to treat a variety of pain conditions, including pain in the back, neck, and head.

“Generally, the longer the pain has been there and the longer the aggravating factors have been at work, the longer it will take to unravel that,” he says, “whereas an acute muscle strain may only take a session or two.”

Deciding to treat a patient with acupuncture is typically not an either-or choice. It is mainly done as an adjunct treatment, along with medication.

But the hope is that patients can reduce their dose or even stop using pain medications altogether.

Simmons has expertise in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, and is interested in researching how acupuncture may affect the non-motor symptoms that patients suffer from, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.

“Some preliminary studies have shown the positive effect of acupuncture on insomnia is statistically significant,” he says.

In the future, he would also like to work closely with cancer patients, to help them regain some of the energy lost during chemotherapy – similar to his mother’s experience.

Simmons thinks it’s very important to bring acupuncture to an academic medical center like UConn, so medical students and residents are exposed to it first hand.

“Describing acupuncture in a classroom doesn’t have the same impact as when you are actually treating a patient and watch the tension underneath your hand just go away,” he says.

“People don’t believe it until they see it.”

Traditional medicine has "world potential"

Traditional Chinese medicine could become a global leader in medical treatment, a top science official said yesterday.

"Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with its peculiar way of observing life and disease, has the greatest potential for original innovations among all the other academic disciplines in the country," Liu Yanhua, vice-minister of science and technology, said.

Liu made the comments at a ceremony marking the launch of a new report on TCM's potential to prevent and treat major infectious and chronic diseases.

The document, "Outline for Innovative Development of TCM" was co-published by 16 central government ministries and other official bodies.

TCM and forthcoming breakthroughs in life science are expected to be "one of the points of penetration for China's scientific research into the world".

Investment, innovation

To encourage more innovation, China will invest more money in the area and encourage international cooperation in the TCM research field.

And to give TCM a better footing on the world market, "a system of standards" would be established for medical treatments, medicine production, teaching, scientific research and market entry.

Such a system of standards would help boost TCM's "recognition and understanding" throughout the world, Yu Wenming, deputy director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said.

That system was expected to be the same as that applied to the world's traditional medicines.

More monitoring efforts will also be made on the side effects of TCM, according to the outline.

The State Food and Drug Administration received 369,000 reports of adverse drug reactions last year, of which TCM accounted for 15 percent, Wu Zhen, deputy director of the administration, said.

HEalth: Morning Rituals and Meditation

Morning Rituals and Meditation

Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner
Some people meditate, others do yoga; some have a protein shake every morning for breakfast or a green drink like fresh vegetable juice or wheatgrass as a morning ritual.

This morning, I got out of bed fifteen minutes after my alarm went off (a morning ritual I'd like to shake).

I went to my desk and did my morning written meditation - 3 written pages based on the concept of Julia Cameron's "morning pages" to clear my mind and harmonize my thoughts and feelings. I find that writing or doing any ritual first thing in the morning helps me to connect with what is happening on the inside of my psyche. It enables me to break through the barriers of my wide awake, conscious mind to learn what's going on underneath, stabilizing and calming both my body and my mind.

I have another morning ritual that I follow at least 5 days a week - vegetable juice before breakfast. I have a great little juicer into which I'll stick anything from organic carrots, half of a lemon, celery or apples slices to lettuce, bitter chard or kale, and live, protein-rich sprouts! Juicing is one of the best things you can do for your health. A fresh juice just before breakfast - particularly one with something green in it - sets your body up with a wealth of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to support you through the day. Organic fruit and veggies are especially good for you to juice.

I usually add an ounce of wolfberry antioxidant juice and some hemp seed oil for omegas, and sometimes a fiber supplement. It's an acquired taste, but by now I love green juicing and I can feel the good it's doing for me.

What do you do for your wellness and health as a morning ritual? The discussion boards are open and I'd love to hear from you.

Diet: Protein in dietary balance

Protein in dietary balance

How much protein you need may vary, depending on what else you're eating. Raw foods and juicing includes enzymes that balance blood sugar in ways a processed diet won't.

The really interesting thing about dietary protein, as far as I’m concerned, is how the standard varies with who you ask. Most general food guidelines recommend that 10-15% of our diet come from protein. This number can vary depending on your body’s individual metabolism and your daily activity, and holistic practitioners tend to recommend more rather than less protein. Bodybuilders and athletes have been known to eat about 35% protein to support the growth of lean muscle mass - yet many nutritionists claim that this is not necessary and that, like the Atkins diet, athletes who consume this much excessive protein are putting their heart and kidneys at risk.

I have type A blood - the blood type that is typically considered the least protein-dependant and most condusive to being vegetarian. However, I tend to feel tired, dizzy, or get a stomach ache if I haven’t had enough of a complete protein at a meal - particularly if there are a lot of starches, sweets (even healthy ones) or other carbohydrate foods involved.

When I focus my diet on raw fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, my need for protein to balance the blood sugar high of the carbs decreases - thanks primarily, I think, to the high count of enzymes in the raw produce. I notice a particular difference when I'm juicing (green vegetables, lemons, and whatever else I have on hand) first thing in the morning, as I have been lately. Despite the high sugar content of most raw fruits and veggies, the sugars don’t hit my system the way processed carbs do, and I feel less need for protein when I’m eating a more raw diet.

Energy Medicine in the Real World

Energy Medicine in the Real World

It’s here and it’s being discussed on Oprah. Is Energy Medicine and energy healing work the real future of medicine?

I grew up on aspects of Energy Medicine. My mother studied Touch for Health Applied Kinesiology and Brain Gym when I was a child, so I knew, at least in theory, how profound the impact of energy work could be. Energy testing or “muscle testing” was invaluable for working with my allergies and sensitivities as a child and as a teenager. However, it was only after I took a 5-day Energy Medicine Intensive taught by Donna Eden in August 2005 that I really began to feel the impact that the simplest of these exercises could have on my body and mind.

After the Energy Medicine Intensive, I began to practice Donna Eden’s “5-minute tune up” every morning. Within days of starting to do the three thumps, the hook-up, cross crawl, and all the rest, I noticed that I had more energy, my mind was clearer, and I felt stronger as I used the daily tune-up as part of a morning meditation.

I do everything I can to encourage others to try using these exercises daily - not only for those who are healthy, to improve your strength, immunity, and brain function, but also to help those who are ill come into better balance with your health.

I firmly believe that there are solutions in energy work and Energy Medicine to help almost everyone with their healing challenges - whether they have simple aches and pains or serious illnesses like cancer, chronic fatigue, and MS. Energy Medicine is so versatile and powerful that it can make a difference for almost everyone.

My favorite applications of Energy Medicine are the ones I’ve used the most - those to relax, to “unscramble” a cluttered mind, to help calm kids (children with ADD/ADHD tend to respond especially well to energy work), to ease pain and tension, and to settle anxious pets (believe it or not, they have the same energy systems as we do - it just takes a little more effort to work with them).

I’ve had some experience using Energy Medicine on skeptical relatives when they were sick enough to be willing to give anything a shot. My efforts helped them to feel better, get out of bed, and go back to grumbling about my odd habit of offering to help them sort out all kinds of situations with energy work.

The most exciting thing, for me, is the public perception of energy healing and the way it is gradually becoming more accepted and appreciated. I think we’ve come a long way from labeling alternative medicine “witchcraft” and essential oils “snake oil.” Last week, a doctor appeared on Oprah’s show and called Energy Medicine “the next big frontier” in medicine! You can’t get much more mainstream than that.

Oprah’s guest, Dr. Oz, said, "We're beginning now to understand things that we know in our hearts are true but we could never measure. As we get better at understanding how little we know about the body, we begin to realize that the next big frontier… in medicine is energy medicine. It's not the mechanistic part of the joints moving. It's not the chemistry of our body. It's understanding for the first time how energy influences how we feel."

3 tips for Toronto vegetarians

3 tips for Toronto vegetarians

Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner
Torontonians reading my recent articles about the pros and cons of vegetarianism - or anybody else - might be interested in trying these three food discoveries!

I'm admitting straight off the top that this is a silly post. In light of my recent article about vegetarianism, I thought some of my readers might be able to make use of the fabulous results of my recent foray into vegetarian health food cuisine. I've found three things I'd like to share:

1. Basil pesto from Sunflower Kitchens

2. Vegepate from Fontaine Sante

3. Free hulled hemp seed samples at Noah's at Bloor and Spadina

1. Sunflower Kitchens is a small operation that cooks up various forms of hummus, pestos, and other dips and sauces to gourmet and health food stores in the Toronto area. I've tried some of their catering, over the years, and it's very good - but nothing compares to their fabulous BASIL PESTO. It has a rich, fresh flavour and is completely vegan - any creaminess is due to the ground sunflower seeds added to the pesto. It'll last for at least two weeks, opened, in the fridge (I've never had one longer than that before I use it up!) and it's great on salads, sandwiches, to dip raw veggies, you name it. Don't confuse it with Sunflower Kitchens' Kale and Basil Pesto - which is not as flavourful.

2. Fontaine Sante is a fresh health food company out of Quebec. I'm not as familiar with their products, but I picked up a small package of VEGEPATE yesterday at the health food store and I was surprised how good it tasted. It also has a sunflower seed base, with onions, nutritional yeast, carrots and other veggies, but it tastes like nothing so much as my Jewish great-aunt's recipe for vegetarian chopped liver. Excellent on crackers. I doubt that it will have the longevity of the Sunflower Pesto - which I like to stock as a staple! - but it's nice on occasion.

3. I was at Noah's Natural Foods at Bloor and Spadina this evening and they have a basket of FREE HEMP SEED SAMPLES on the check-out counter at the front. I doubt it'll last long, but while it does - free hemp seeds! They're a great source of omega-3 oils and of protein. And they taste great. (I was amused to see fine print on the tiny card insert in the package which reads, "Batch 6. THC Test: 0%"

HERBAL : Vegetarian Restaurants in Toronto

Vegetarian Restaurants in Toronto

Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner
On the lookout for a restaurant in the city of Toronto? Check out these five vegetarian restaurants for creative dining options for vegans, omnivores, and all in between

By no means an exhaustive list, this post is in intended as a follow-up to my recent articles, Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet and Disadvantages of Going Veg to suggest a few of Toronto’s best restaurants for great cuisine, good atmosphere, and healthy eating!

1. Fresh / Juice for Life

Juice for Life has three locations in the city: at Bloor and Spadina, on Queen Street West at Crawford, and on Spadina south of Queen Street West. Each is a bouncing spot for vegetarians and vegans to enjoy wholesome meals, fresh juices, and a range of desserts made with natural ingredients and healthier sweeteners. Their specialties include a veggie burger made from almonds and rice bowls topped with any and every combination of vegetables, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and sauces you can imagine. Most of their desserts come from Sweets from the Earth, the exquisite Toronto vegan bakery (most of their goodies are, however, made with unrefined cane sugar).

2. Annapurna

One of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in the city (and perhaps across Canada) is Annapurna Restaurant, a quirky, quiet place in Toronto's Annex, on Bathurst Street just south of Dupont. Annapurna specializes in delicious Southern Indian cuisine, with daily soups and specials, all very reasonably priced. Their masala dosai, a lentil flour crepe filled with potatoes and served with spicy sanbar lentil soup, is a favorite, as are the honey-sweetened carob balls for dessert.

3. Live

Live Organic Food Bar, located on Dupont at Spadina, is the only restaurant in Toronto that offers raw food appetizers and entrees as nearly half of their menu. They specialize in gourmet vegan food, fresh juices, and gourmet raw vegan desserts. Live is new, trendy, and more than a little pricey, but the food is excellent. They also offer cooking classes, catering and healthy packaged foods in the entryway.

4. Le Commensal

Le Commensal has been around since 1996, and it’s still going strong. Located in the heart of Toronto at Bay and Elm Streets (near the subway at Dundas and Yonge), Le Commensal is a buffet-style vegetarian restaurant where you pay for your food by weight before you eat. Food choices include a range of salads, rice, tofu and seitan curries and stews, pizza, lasagne, and more. Their soups and the favorite dishes are prepackaged and frozen so you can also enjoy them at home. As a bonus, they make the best tofu cheesecake in town.

5. Vegetarian Haven

Set in the U of T/ Kensington Market district on Baldwin Street, Vegetarian Haven has a huge menu - from the more conventional stews, noodles, and stuffed vegetables to unusual veggie simulations which included the popular “tofu drumsticks” as well as tofu "ham", "pastrami", "salmon" and more. The food is nicely presented and, for the most part, in very generous portions. Like Fresh/Juice for Life, they also serve desserts made by Sweets from the Earth (see above); and they’ll blend any cake or cookie into a dessert shake to order.

Traditional Medicine, why is Important?

Importance of Traditional Medicine

Traditional medicine has always been regarded as important in Bhutan, and a dispensary which doubles as a training centre was opened at Dechenchoeling in 1967. In 1979, a traditional medical hospital with a laboratory for making medicines was opened in Thimphu, subsidized by the World Health Organization. This hospital can be visited (see page 161). Four dispensaries were also set up in the rest of the country. In 1988, a project for cataloguing plants and establishing a training centre for doctors was begun with the help of an Italian non­-governmental organization. This project today is being continued by European Community.

Traditional Medicine : Diagonistic Techniques

Diagonistic Techniques

Diagnosis begins with an examination of the 12 pulses, the tongue and urine, and questions to the patient. Illnesses develop with the increase, decrease or destabilization caused by bad food, the weather, evil spirits, the weight of previ­ous actions, karma, or way of life. Remedies, in general, consist of a diet that varies with the nature of the illness, and medi­cines, which may be aided by acupuncture and moxibustion.

The decision about what kind of treatment to use for a particular condition is made by the physician mainly through the reading of the pulses. In modern medicine, pulse reading is only used to detect anomalies of the heart and of the circulatory system. Using the So-bar Rig-pa method, it is possible to detect diseases of any organ through the pulses. The eyes, tongue and urine are also examined for signs that will help with the diagnosis, and sometimes the physician will record the patient's medical history.

Therapeutic applied in traditional medicine

Therapeutic Practices

Several forms of treatment are applied in traditional medicine. Hundreds of medicinal plants, minerals and animal parts form the basic drugs used by the practitioners. These ingredients are processed and mixed in different combinations to make about 300 medicines in the form of pills, tablets, syrups, powders and lotions. Other treatments include dietary and behavioural advice. There are also so-called surgical procedures that include gtar (blood letting), bsregs (cauterisation by lerbal compounds), gser facos (acupuncture by a golden needle), tshug (cauterisation with instruments of different materials), dugs (applying heat or cold to parts of the body), byugs-pa (medicated oil massage), sman-chu (stone-heated bath), fsha-chu (bath at a hot spring) and turn (vapour treatment).

Herbal in Bhutan: The Land of Medicinal Herbs.

The Land of Medicinal Herbs.

One of the ancient names for Bhutan was Menjung – ‘the Land of Medicinal Herbs’.

The Himalayan Buddhist system of medicine is called So-ba Rig-pa and is practised in many countries today. Because it originally developed in ancient Tibet, it is commonly known as Tibetan medicine.

It is believed that at the beginning of time, the art of healing was a prerogative of the gods. It wasn't until Kashiraja Dewadas, an ancient Indian king, went to heaven to learn medicine that medicine could be offered to humans as a means to fight suffering. He taught the principles and the practice of healing, and this knowledge was spread as part of early Buddhist sacred writings. Some of the fundamental beliefs of this system are the basis of Buddhism itself.

When Buddhism was first brought to Tibet in the seventh century, some of these medicinal texts were translated into Tibetan and the rulers became interested in the subject. From that time, So-ba Rig-pa was considered a single system of medicine, although some differences are found in the different lineages based on the discovery of terma, which occasionally include medicinal teachings.

When Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal came to Bhutan, his minister of religion, Tenzin Drukey, an esteemed physician, spread the teaching of So-ba Rig-pa. Though the basic texts are the same, the Bhutanese tradition of So-ba Rig-pa has developed independently from its Tibetan origins. Today, the Himalayan Buddhist tradition is the most common type of medicine practised in Bhutan. It has been recognised by the government as the official medical tradition of the country and has been included in the national health system since 1967.

GMO Potatoes Cause Cancer in Rats

Herbal: GMO Potatoes Cause Cancer in Rats

Genetically Modified Potatoes: finally, proof of the risks
Newly released evidence from Russian studies that were suppressed since 1998 shows exactly the danger that alternative health experts predicted: GMO foods may not be safe

The debate over Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) has been going strong for years. When Monsanto and other companies began designing GMO corn, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, and other crops and marketing them to third world farmers, they opened a can of worms that may never be shut.

Environmentalists take issue with the risk that GMO crops can accidentally be released into the environment and wipe out other, native, plant species.

Religious activists object to the concept of humans "playing god" with other lifeforms and our own food supply.

And health experts - especially those in natural healing, energy work, and holistic health fields - believe that GMO foods are inherently unsafe to consume, because we don't know how the combination of genes in new ways might effect a food's chemistry or its impact on the human body.

Now, we are beginning to find out.

Studies conducted in Russia in 1998 - and suppressed by the biotech industry for eight years - have finally been uncovered, showing that rats fed GMO potatoes developed tumors. The findings from these studies are being released thanks to the work of Greenpeace activists in the UK.

Natural Medicine

The debate over Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) has been going strong for years. When Monsanto and other companies began designing GMO corn, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, and other crops and marketing them to third world farmers, they opened a can of worms that may never be shut.

Environmentalists take issue with the risk that GMO crops can accidentally be released into the environment and wipe out other, native, plant species.

Religious activists object to the concept of humans "playing god" with other lifeforms and our own food supply.

And health experts - especially those in natural healing, energy work, and holistic health fields - believe that GMO foods are inherently unsafe to consume, because we don't know how the combination of genes in new ways might effect a food's chemistry or its impact on the human body.

Now, we are beginning to find out.

Studies conducted in Russia in 1998 - and suppressed by the biotech industry for eight years - have finally been uncovered, showing that rats fed GMO potatoes developed tumors. The findings from these studies are being released thanks to the work of Greenpeace activists in the UK.

For more information on GMO foods, and links to the full story, see http://www.mercola.com/2007/mar/8/warning----gm-food-linked-to-cancer.htm

Reproduction System, a practitioner of Chinese Medicine

In assessing the health of the reproductive system, a practitioner of
Chinese Medicine will begin by looking at the health of the Qi
(pronounced “Chee”). Qi is the energetic component of the human body
that is responsible for all our metabolic and physiological events.
Just as the energy within a germinated seed that propells the seed to
grow up into a plant is invisible, so is the Qi within the human body
unseen directly. We can only see the results of the Qi’s actions
through the functions it performs.

In particular Qi has five basic functions:
1) Warming: Keeps the body at its regular temperature and initiates
the spike during ovulation.
2) Transforming: Turns ingested food into either nourishment or
waste. We can see how strong this function is by looking at the
strength and structure of the physique.
3) Propelling: Initiates all life’s growth and development and as well
the functional aspects of individual organs. ie. events like
maturation of the external sex organs, menarche, and the fact that the
heart beats regularly.
4) Defending: Protects the bodies exterior from invasion of external
pathogenic factors. Recurring colds and flu’s are a sign that this
function is weak.
5) Securing and Containing: Keeps everything within the body where it
should be. This includes keeping the blood within the blood vessels,
the foetus within the uterus, and preventing organs like the uterus or
stomach from prolapsing.

By asessing these functional aspects of the Qi the Chinese Medical
Practitioner will have a better idea of how to guide the body back its
natural state of balance and harmony. Thus increasing the chances for
a natural pregnancy.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Departments

Traditional Chinese medical departments in China receive nearly 300 million annual visits, sources with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM) said on Saturday.

“About 234 million visits have been made to hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine, another 58.51 million to Chinese medicine sections of comprehensive hospitals,” the sources said.

According to the SATCM, the traditional Chinese medical industry, with a total production value of nearly 81.026 billion yuan (about 10.125 billion U.S. dollars), makes up more than a fourth of China’s overall medical industry, with an export value of 820 million U.S. dollars in 2005.

Statistics show that China has 3,009 traditional Chinese hospitals, with more than 310,000 beds, some combining Chinese and Western medicine or Chinese and ethnic minority medicine.

“About 70 percent of all township hospitals, 89 percent of urban community medical services and 40 percent of village clinics have traditional Chinese medical departments,” the sources said, adding that traditional Chinese medicine plays a key role in health care in areas poor in medical resources.

Nationwide, 448 standard herbal medicine planting bases have been built, which have helped nearly a million farmers out of poverty by growing and selling herbal medicines.

Acupuncture: Men are more sensitivelly

My practice is approx. 50/50 men to women. I can fully conclude, without a doubt, that men are more sensitive to the needles than women. Restated, men are, on the whole, much bigger babies than their female counterparts! Yes Yes I understand that as a rule men only go to see their doctor when something is either falling off or they are too embarassed to walk out their door because of some disfiguration, and when they finally do go it is like pulling teeth to get personal information out of them. Why are women so willing to let others help them (collective) and men are stubborn as bulls (competition)?

In the luteal phase of a womens menstrual cycle (from ovulation to menses, day 14-28) when estrogen levels are quite high women too can be quite skin sensitive to the needle poke. Is there a correlation here? Does mens estrogen levels rise when they actually let down their guard enough to allow someone to help them? I think this may be a question for Huang Di and Bob Flaws to figure out !

The long and the short of this ramble is that I really feel that it is important to address the need to figure out how men need to be treated differently. Women like the spa-like TCM clinics that are poping up in the western world, but for the most part, I don’t think that men do. This issue must be addressed. I think we exist in medical systems that were built largely by men to take care of/get to know their women (the protector role men carry with such pride). So, different ideas need to come out from the woodwork from the few practitioners that have actually dedicated some focus to male patients/clients on how, and possibly where to treat the fellas.

Traditional Chinese Medicine : Cancer Pathology

TCM has unique theories that explain the origin and development of disease. When diagnosing complex conditions, TCM often distinguishes between the root and branch of a disorder. The root refers to the underlying cause. The branch develops from the root, and is commonly the most obvious manifestation of the disorder. For example, according to TCM, a root cause of cancer is long standing qi deficiency or yang deficiency. In other words, the body lacks enough energy to sufficiently carry out its functions.

After prolonged qi or yang deficiency, excess syndromes may develop. In this situation, there is insufficient energy to permit the free flow of blood, bodyfluids, and energy itself. As a result, these substances tend to build up, forming a local mass or excess in a particular organ or structure. In TCM, this excess is regarded as the branch. However, both benign and malignant tumors follow this pattern.

Malignant tumors are further complicated by the development of what is referred to as toxic heat. Toxic heat can be thought of as a severe inflammation, a raging fire that consumes the body’s vital resources. When blood and bodyfluids stagnate into a mass, energy builds up much like a traffic jam. Eventually the energy build up transforms into fire.

According to TCM, the foremost challenge of treating cancer is that treatments addressing the branch often aggravate the root. Conversely, treatments directed at the root will aggravate the branch. Therefore, a skilled practitioner, knowledgeable in diagnosis and treatment using herbal formulas is essential to address both the root and the branch of a disorder in appropriate sequences.

Supporting Research for Traditional Chinese Medicine

Supporting Research

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Bensoussan A, Talley NJ, Hing M, Menzies R, Guo A, Ngu M. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with Chinese herbal medicine. JAMA. 1998;280(18):1585-1589.

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Chen YY, Hsue YT, Chang HH, Gee MJ. The association between postmenopausal osteoporosis and kidney-vacuity syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine. Am J Chin Med. 1999;27(1):25-35.

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Fink MG, Wipperman B, Gehrke A. Non-specific effects of traditional Chinese acupuncture in osteoarthritis of the hip. Complement Ther Med. 2001;9(2):82-89.

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