Herbology & Disease Treatment

Weight Loss with Chinese Herbs
By Farah Khan

Chinese herbs can be used to influence the body’s metabolism in different ways. Most people who need to lose weight would like to have their metabolism run more efficiently. There are a number of herbs that can help people in their quest for a healthier, more efficient metabolism in order to ensure that any efforts to lose weight are blessed with success. There are three types of herbs that can assist people trying to lose weight. The first type of herb is the type that “transforms phlegm” in Chinese medicine terminology. These herbs can help the body to process fats more efficiently and prevent the accumulation of unhealthy fats and fluids in the body. Some herbs in this class that may assist weight loss include citrus aurantium, immature citrus peel, and magnolia bark. Glechoma and hawthorn berry can also help by “transforming phlegm”.

Citrus Aurantium contains synephrine, which has been shown to have fat-burning properties in research done at McGill University in Montreal. It improves the thermogenesis of brown fatty tissue in the body, which is generally the fat that is the most difficult to burn off. Citrus Aurantium does not have any negative impact on the nervous system like ephedra does. Speaking of ephedra, I do not recommend its use for dieting. Chinese medicine has traditionally used it for severe and acute conditions, such as asthma attacks. It is not intended to be used as a dieting tool or to get a high. These uses can leave a person ultimately more fatigued and adrenal-depleted in the end. Citrus Aurantium is an infinitely safer option for those interested in weight loss.

Other herbs that can help boost metabolic function are herbs that increase the qi and yang energy of the body. This class of herbs includes ginseng, astragalus, and atractylodes. Other herbs in this category include ginger, cinnamon, epimedium and eucommia bark. These herbs can also give a person an energy boost. This can encourage the person to remain consistent with his or her exercise routine. These herbs also encourage healthy digestion and generally make a person’s metabolism run faster and more efficiently. This group of herbs can be particularly helpful for those people whose weight tends to accumulate around the abdomen.

Detoxifying, bitter herbs are another class of herbs that can assist with weight loss. These herbs tend to reduce inflammatory, acidic conditions in the body that often trigger the cravings people have for inordinate quantities of unhealthy food. These herbs are particularly useful in people who tend to have voracious appetites for spicy, oily, and sweet foods. They also may have a tendency towards acne or oily skin, and a slightly reddish, or ruddy complexion. These herbs include Chinese rhubarb, coptis, and scute.

Other herbs can be used to control and balance out the emotional conditions that trigger overeating. People who find themselves eating out of stress, sadness, depression, anxiety, or PMS can find that these herbs balance out their emotional life and reduce their cravings for food. These herbs include magnolia bark, bupleurum root, mint, zizyphus and biota seeds, and longan fruit.

Other supplements that can assist in a healthy weight loss program are kelp, apple cider vinegar, vitamin B6, and flaxseed oil. Drinking green tea regularly can also be quite helpful.

It is important to remember that all of these supplements are beneficial for promoting weight loss because they promote a healthy metabolism, a healthy energy level, a healthy digestion, and a healthy mental attitude, but that dietary and lifestyle changes are crucial in order to see the results that you want. Nevertheless, Chinese Medicine can be a great ally in the quest to shed pounds more efficiently.

Dr. Farah Khan, DOM is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine practicing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She offers information and products related to different health conditions at her web site at http://www.yinessence.com/home.htm, including FormuSlim and Citrus Aurantium for weight loss. She can be reached at farah@yinessence.com.

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Chinese Herbs for Sinus Problems
By Farah Khan 

Many people suffer from chronic sinus problems. This can be due to allergies or this can be a residual symptom that lingers after a bout of cold or flu. Many people take antibiotics or antihistamines to clear up the issue, but sinus problems are often resistant to treatment with conventional medicine. Many times symptoms return soon after a course of conventional treatment. Chinese herbs can often clear up stubborn and resistant cases of sinus problems quite easily.

Sinus problems due to allergies are treated by increasing a person’s resistance to allergens while also clearing a person’s blocked nasal and sinus passages. The Chinese herbal formula, Jade Windscreen Formula, is used long term to reduce a person’s tendency to have allergies. Jade Windscreen Formula contains astragalus, siler, and schizonopeta. Astragalus can improve a person’s resistance to allergies. Siler and schizonopeta are used to reduce allergic reactions such as sneezing, itchy eyes, rashes, and runny nose. Other herbs are used to open up blocked nasal and sinus passages and reduce the pain and pressure of sinus problems. The Chinese herbs, xanthium fruit and magnolia flower, are used for this purpose. Myrrh is also a good herb for clearing sinus congestion.

Sinus problems that are due to a chronic infection after a cold or flu can be handled using a different set of herbs. Herbs that are antibacterial and antiviral, and herbs that clear phlegm are used in this case. The Chinese herbal formula, Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan, also called Clean Air Tea, can be useful for sinus infections. It can also be helpful for bronchitis. Another herbal formula, Long Dan Xie Gan Wan, is also frequently used, especially if the person has sinus and inner ear problems combined. These formulas are for short term use (2 weeks or less), and tend to work rather rapidly. Xanthium fruit and magnolia flower can still be used to clear nasal passages.

Another method that can be helpful for people who have a tendency toward chronic sinus infection is to use herbs that cleanse the blood and the liver. Dandelion is a useful herb for this purpose. So are nettle leaves taken as a tea. Taking these herbs can help to reduce inflammation and acidity. These herbs can modulate immune response, while creating a less hospitable environment for viral and bacterial pathogens.

As you can see, there are a number of herbs and herbal formulas that can help to clear up sinus problems naturally, even in situations that have been resistant to conventional treatment.

Farah Khan is a New York licensed acupuncturist. She offers many herbal formulas, including Jade Windscreen Ultra and SinuClear, on the web at http://www.yinessence.com Her e-mail is farah@yinessence.com

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Prostate Health through Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
By Spence Pentland

From birth to young adulthood, the prostate grows from about the size of a pea to about the size of a walnut. Most men experience a second period of prostate growth in their mid- to late 40s. At this time, cells in the central portion of the gland - where the prostate surrounds the urethra - begin to reproduce more rapidly. As tissues in the area enlarge, they often compress the urethra and partially block urine flow. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the medical term for this condition. It should be noted that the prostate may also become enlarged due to bacterial infection, the term used for this condition is acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis. There is also another non-bacterial form of chronic prostatitis which is actually more common than its counterpart, the cause for it is unknown.

Prostate enlargement affects about half of men in their 60s and up to 90 percent of men in their 70s and 80s. The presence or absence of prostate gland enlargement is not related to the development of prostate cancer.

Conventional treatment depends on your signs and symptoms and may include medications, surgery or non-surgical therapies such as acupuncture, herbs, and nutritional supplements.

Signs & Symptoms Prostate enlargement varies in severity from man to man, and doesn't always pose a problem. Only about half the men with prostate enlargement experience signs and symptoms that become noticeable or bothersome enough for them to seek medical treatment. These signs and symptoms may include:

*Weak urine stream *Difficulty starting urination *Stopping and starting again while urinating *Dribbling at the end of urination *Frequent need to urinate *Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia) *Urgent need to urinate *Not being able to completely empty the bladder *Blood in the urine (hematuria) *Urinary tract infection *Pain in the lower abdomen *Discomfort during ejaculation *Fever and chills (infection)

Traditional Chinese Medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine generally sees the condition of prostate enlargement as an accumulation of Dampness and Heat in the lower portion of the torso (low Jiao), or as cold that has entered the Liver channel, quite often accompanied by a Kidney deficiency as an underlying root. This condition gives rise to all the troubling urinary symptoms listed above. Acupuncture, moxibustion, and laser acupuncture displays good results in helping restore normal urinary function (Luo YN et al. World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion), and Chinese herbal therapy has been shown to eliminate the root causes of prostate enlargement. Together, Chinese herbal medicine and Acupuncture are an important choice in overcoming the battle with prostate enlargement. In one study, electro-acupuncture was also shown to help chronic prostatitis cases that were unresponsive to conventional therapies (Ikeuchi T, Iguchi H).

Treatments with acupuncture (traditional, electro, laser) and moxibustion (heat therapy) are usually once per week unless there is considerable pain 2-3 treatments per week for 1-3 weeks may be warranted. Chinese herbal therapy will be administered in the form of daily tea, pills, powders, or drops. Some nutritional supplements and western herbal therapy may also be recommended. Diet will also be reviewed from a traditional energetic point of view to help eliminate anything that may be aggravating the prostate condition.

Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis The most recent scientific research claims that chronic non-bacterial prostatitis has unknown etiology (the cause is not known). This is an unfortunate situation considering it is more common that it’s infectious counterparts, acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis.

Symptoms include pain and discomfort in the pelvic region or CPPS (chronic pelvic pain syndrome), some low back pain, frequent urination, and an unfinished feeling after urination. There is usually no history of urinary tract infections (as in bacterial prostatitis), no redness, and patients do not obtain symptomatic relief with antibiotics.

There also seems to be more of a feeling of ‘cold’ (rather than ‘heat’ which would be associated with the infectious bacterial prostatitis). It should also be noted that emotional problems such as depression and erectile dysfunction more often than not accompany this chronic condition and should be properly diagnosed and treated.

Treatment Studies and Research Some men say they find relief with NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), although this is an avenue that cannot be undertaken forever as they suppress the immune system.

The Merck manual is quoted saying that hot sitz baths and prostate massage are two of the best ways to provide symptomatic relief.

A recent study showed the benefits of alternative therapies including phytotherapy (quercetin, bee pollen) and physical therapies such as acupuncture (Shoskes and Manickam, dept. or Urology Cleveland Clinic Florida). The relief from acupuncture displayed that there is a neuromuscular component to chronic prostatitis. This is further proven in another study done by Chen and Nickel at the King Street Medical Arts Centre in Mississauga Ontario Canada where acupuncture successfully ameliorated symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Another study performed by Chen, Gao, Liu, and Shen at Zhejiang College Hangzhou showed promise with the use of laser acupuncture.

Other herbal supplementation has received scientific recognition as of late; pygeum for urinary symptoms, saw palmetto and quercetin for pain, and beta-sitosterol to aid with urinary flow.

Moxibustion, a form of heat therapy used with acupuncture has also shown improvement in patients that participated in a study at Fushun Municipal Hospital, and another showed significant improvement at Nanjing Medical University when a combination of antibiotics and acupuncture were used in the treatment of CPPS and chronic prostatitis.

Years of empirical evidence also gives hope to those that seek out the aid of a qualified Chinese herbal medicine practitioner.

Spence Pentland of Vancouver BC Canada received his five year Doctor of TCM education from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Vancouver. To complete his studies he spent 500 hours at Anhui Hospital of TCM Hefei City, in the Peoples Republic of China. He is a licensed and registered member of the Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, is the President of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association of British Columbia (TCMABC http://www.tcmabc.org/), and practices at Acubalance Wellness Centre (http://www.acubalance.ca/)where he treats only Men's reproductive health (http://mens.health-info.org/)and Women's fertility issues.

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Discover 3 Natural Remedies For Morning Sickness
By David Silva

Here's an estimate that might shock you: as many as 80% of pregnant women experience morning sickness or some form of nausea during their pregnancy. Fortunately, the morning sickness doesn't last throughout the entire pregnancy. It tends to peak around the 9th week and disappear around the 20th week. Unfortunately, nearly three months of battling nausea can be tough on anyone.

Because of concerns for the baby, more and more women are turning to natural remedies for their morning sickness. However, even natural remedies require caution. For instance, the three most common natural remedies for morning sickness are ginger tea, acupressure wristbands, and peppermint oil. Yet these remedies can cause mild adverse reactions such as skin irritation due to the wristbands or the intolerable taste of the ginger.

You do have other choices, however. Here's a short list of steps you can take immediately to help relieve your morning sickness

- Eat frequent, smaller meals so you never feel too hungry or too full.
- Avoid fried or fatty foods.
- Eat crackers, bread, toast, cereal and other bland foods throughout the day. Eat something from this list before you get out of bed in the morning.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially between meals.
- Keep a record of your activities and the foods you eat in order to identify what tends to trigger your nausea.

If these steps aren't helpful, then you might want to consider trying one of natural remedies listed above. Let's take a closer look at these ...

Acupuncture

A very small percentage of pregnant women experience hyperemesis gravidarium, which is a severe form of morning sickness that can result in weight loss, dehydration, and potentially hospitalization. Several studies have demonstrated that regular, several-times-a-day acupuncture sessions can be helpful in minimizing this form of nausea and vomiting.

In addition, acupuncture wrist bands (also known as ‘sea bands’) that stimulate the pericardium (p6) acupuncture point can be effective. The wrist band consists of a plastic button that applies pressure on the p6 point inside the wrist. This is a form of traditional Chinese medicine used to relieve nausea, and it generally works immediately. You can find an acupuncture wrist band online or at your local health food store. They're generally reasonably priced.

Ginger

Ginger is a popular natural remedy for morning sickness. It's been used for this purpose for centuries, and after numerous medical trials, is generally recognized as safe. However, ginger does contain substances that can potentially cause birth defects. For this reason, taking higher doses (over 500 mg) during pregnancy is generally unadvisable. In addition, there are concerns that ginger can prolong bleeding time and interfere with platelet aggregation, though studies focused on the first trimester found no notable difference in the number or miscarriages, stillbirths and malformations.

Ginger is commonly taken in hot water as a tea. It can also be consumed as ginger soda, gingersnaps or in capsule form.

Peppermint Essential Oil

Nausea can be minimized by using the aroma of peppermint. It's relatively easy to create your own peppermint aroma bowl. Fill a large bowl with hot water, add two drops of peppermint essential oil, and you're all set. Keep the bowl on a nightstand near where you sleep and see if it doesn't help.

As with any medical treatment or natural remedy, always consult with your physician first. Some natural remedies can work against medications, others can have hidden side effects that your physician can caution you about.

David Silva is the webmaster for Alternative Medicine First, a website dedicated to the dissemination of information about alternative medicine, including various practices such as acupuncture, biofeedback, Traditional Chinese Medicine, massage, yoga and others.

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Treating Menopause With Acupuncture and Herbs
By Toni Narins, L.Ac

Menopause is the cessation of the menstrual cycle, which usually occurs slowly, as the ovaries gradually lose their ability to produce estrogen. The reduced levels of estrogen in the body reduces fertility, making reproduction more and more difficult until it eventually ceases altogether. Menopause is a natural part of the physiological aging process, but can also be induced surgically, when a woman undergoes a hysterectomy - if the ovaries are removed with the uterus. The average age of onset of menopause is 50.5 years, but can occur much earlier in cases of premature ovarian failure, or slightly later.

Some women can sail through menopause with hardly a symptom. Most women experience something - from mild to severe hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, to irritability. Other possible symptoms can include vaginal dryness, urinary urgency or incontinence, osteoporosis, joint pain, decreased libido, fatigue, depression, memory loss and mood swings. One decade, estrogen replacement therapy is touted to be the best thing since the water faucet, and the next decade it is deadly. Nowadays there are bio-identical hormones available, progesterone creams, and a host of other options. The risks of such treatments are still unknown, especially for women who have had a history of breast cancer.

One of the many options available to women is acupuncture and oriental medicine, sometimes called Chinese medicine. The roots of this medicine go deep. It has been treating women for all the symptoms associated with menopause and perimenopause for around 5,000 years. Does it work? Well, if it didn’t, someone would have noticed by now. But how does it work, and what can you expect from being treated by this ancient form of medicine?

To answer the second question first, you can expect a soothing environment, and a sense of deep relaxation. Some people can actually feel something “shift” inside them during treatments, describing it as a sense of something being released. Some people feel a slight tingling, and some a heavy sensation. Sometimes patients report that they experienced fewer hot flashes, mood swings or night sweats after one treatment. But since Oriental medicine relies on the body’s ability to correct and heal itself, it usually takes more than one treatment for you to get lasting results.

So what is happening here? How does this work? What we say is that before you experience any kind of a symptom, the body’s energy is out of balance. First energy goes out of balance, and then matter follows energy. The principle that underlies the theory of acupuncture is the principle of energy. When the energies of your organs and tissues are in balance, then they function properly. Over time, with different stressful situations, different life events and choices, our energies lose their equilibrium. Factors such as diet, emotional stress, overwork, lack of exercise, etc. affect the bodies energies. It’s like a stream with too many rocks in it – on the upstream side you get a puddle, and on the downstream side you get a trickle. What acupuncture needles do is take the rocks out of the stream.

Starting with perimenopause, women begin to lose what’s called their “yin” energy. Yin relates to quiet, moist, calm, receptive energy. It’s as if you forgot to put enough coolant into the engine of your car, so the engine heats up. It’s not that there’s too much heat, it’s that there isn’t enough coolant. So while acupuncture can balance your bodies energies, you can also expect that your acupuncturist will recommend an herbal formula. Herbs are a way of putting something into the body - in this case, some “coolant”. Chinese herbs are almost never taken singularly. They are meant to be taken in formulas, with specific amounts of each herb, prescribed to match each patient’s specific condition or conditions, body type, etc. When searching for an acupuncturist to treat your menopause or perimenopausal symptoms, you should make sure that he or she is a qualified herbalist, too, as this will make a big difference in the results you can expect. But it is important to understand that many of the herbs which are typically used in treating perimenopause or menopausal symptoms contain phytoestrogens, they are generally contraindicated in treating women who have had a history of breast cancer. Only a qualified herbalist will be able to decide if it is possible to compose a formula without any phytoestrogens, which would effectively treat your symptoms.

   

 

Male Infertility – Deep Physical and Emotional Implications
By Spence Pentland

 

When a man receives a diagnosis that his sperm is not able to get his wife pregnant, a state similar to shock may ensue. This seems to manifest as a type of post traumatic stress disorder. The man may then go through some, or all of the following 'D.E.E.P.' mental, emotional, and physical stages;

Denial: 'not me!', numbness, depression [*this exacerbates the stagnation of Qi].

Emotional: 'why me?' anger, hypersensitive, over-reactive, sad, withdrawal, poor mental function, *humiliation, shame, isolation, 'is anyone else going through this?' [*the Liver and Heart share this load].

Ego: central to being a man is the role of keeping the special woman in their life happy and protected. Being the 'provider' is also fundamental. Some men feel so inadequate with their inability to provide a child that some may even push for divorce.

Physical: damaged pride & shame are a breeding ground for sexual dysfunction, along with a wide array of physiological signs and symptoms (from insomnia to poor digestion, headaches to back pain).

It should also be noted that when a couple decides to go through A.R.T. (artificial reproductive techniques) many invasive procedures and medications are administered to the woman. This can affect the 'protector' aspect of a man, breeding fear for her health, and guilt towards being powerless to keep his wife out of harms way.

Chinese medicine and acupuncture, diet and lifestyle changes, proper supplementation, Qigong, education, and proper counsel to regarding the D.E.E.P. implications of male infertility, will restore confidence, and produce profound effects that show not only on a semen analysis, but also in the everyday wellness of the man and his relationship with his wife.

[*] denotes Traditional Chinese Medicine theory

Spence Pentland of Vancouver BC Canada received his five year Doctor of TCM education from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Vancouver. To complete his studies he spent 500 hours at Anhui Hospital of TCM Hefei City, in the Peoples Republic of China. He is a licensed and registered member of the Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, is the President of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association of British Columbia (TCMABC), and practices at Acubalance Wellness Centre (http://www.acubalance.ca) where he treats only Men's reproductive health (http://mens.health-info.org) and Women's fertility issues(http://infertility.health-info.org).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Spence_Pentland

 

 

 

The Use of Chinese Herbs for Lyme Disease
By Farah Khan

A number of Chinese herbs can be useful for the many different facets of Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is a bacterial infectious disease caused by the spirochetal organism, Borrelia Burgdorferi. It is usually caused by a tick bite. The prevalence of the disease is greatest in the northeastern United States, but there have been cases of the illness in all lower 48 states. The disease is easy to treat with antibiotics in its initial stages, but it is often not detected at that point. There is a bull’s eye rash that is characteristic of the disease, but many people never get the rash. The rash looks different in people with darker pigmentation, making it easy to mistake it for other skin conditions, including bruising or eczema. The wide variety of symptoms that a person can have in its later stages makes it hard to obtain a proper diagnosis, and the medical testing for the illness is still not very accurate in many cases.

People with later stages of Lyme need treatment on a number of different levels. At the very basic level, herbs that are anti-bacterial, specifically against spirochetal bacteria, are an important component of treatment. Herbs that have been shown to have activity against spirochetal bacteria include coptis (huang lian), andrographis paniculata (chuan xin lian), isatis (ban lan gen/qing dai), phellodendron (huang bai), scute (huang qin), forsythia (lian qiao), smilax (tu fu ling), and gardenia (zhi zi). Garlic is also a useful antibacterial supplement for those with Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease can lower body temperature and create poor blood circulation. A person is also likely to feel cysts, lumps, and swellings in different areas of their body that often change and move. The bacteria walls itself off, and creates an environment in which it can grow and thrive and the person with the disease ends up in severe pain, with horribly low energy, and neurological problems. The disease thrives in a low temperature, low oxygen environment, and that is the environment it creates within the body. People with the disease often have signs and symptoms similar to someone with severe altitude sickness (also caused by a low oxygen environment). Chinese herbs that clear blood stasis and break blood stagnation can be very useful for this aspect of the disease. The herb, pseudoginseng (san qi), can be extremely beneficial for people with Lyme Disease. It promotes blood circulation and oxygenation in the body, and can force open the cysts that protect the bacteria from being killed off. It also can help clear some of the brain fog that people with this disease have by improving blood circulation and oxygenation to the brain. Frankincense (ru xiang), and myrrh (mo yao) can also help by improving blood circulation, especially to the joints, where the bacteria often hides in cartilaginous tissue where blood circulation tends to be poorer. An herb that is frequently used by people with Lyme Disease, teasel root, is beneficial because it improves circulation in the body and also has a warming affect. All of these herbs can help significantly with the intense and chronic pain that those with later stages of Lyme disease experience.

Certain Chinese herbs can be used to reduce the person’s sensitivity to cold and improve microcirculation in the body. Herbs such as clove, cinnamon, ginger, and siegesbeckia can be useful for this purpose.

The lymphatic system and the metabolism are often compromised in people with Lyme Disease. The bacteria frequently hides inside the walls of white blood cells, and results in swollen and congested lymph glands. People with the disease often have symptoms of hypothyroidism and a slowed metabolic rate even if all of their thyroid tests are normal. In Chinese Medicine, herbs that treat phlegm are frequently used for conditions related to a slow metabolism and a congested lymphatic system. The Chinese herb, prunella vulgaris (xia ku cao), and scrophularia (xuan shen) are very useful for inflammation, congestion, and infection of the lymphatic system. Herbs such as citrus aurantium, kelp, epimedium, and Siberian ginseng, can be beneficial for improving a sluggish metabolism in people with Lyme Disease who have signs or symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

Another aspect of Lyme Disease is severe and debilitating fatigue and a total lack of energy. This can be due to a host of different factors. Poor oxygenation and blood circulation and lowered metabolism and body temperature are part of the picture. The person’s adrenal glands may not be functioning properly either. Someone with Lyme Disease may also have a host of digestive problems that result in a lack of adequate nutrition. The disease itself can trigger chemical changes in the brain that create severe depression and an inability to concentrate, which is debilitating as well.

In Chinese medicine, herbs that nourish the qi and blood can help this lack of energy. The herbs can improve the person’s digestive functioning, support the functioning of the brain, support proper functioning of the adrenal glands, and improve the person’s ability to handle stress. They can also help the proper functioning of the mitochondria in their production of ATP in the cells, which helps a person’s energy at a very fundamental level. Siberian ginseng, schizandra, licorice, and astragalus are all good herbs for improving a person’s energy level, digestive functioning, and their ability to handle stress. White peony, dong quai, and wolfberry nourish the blood and reduce fatigue. Polygonum and eucommia can help improve a person’s adrenal response and can improve brain functioning. Bupleurum, longan fruit, zyzyphus seed, dragon bone, oyster shell, and magnolia bark can be beneficial for the depression, anxiety, lack of concentration, and sleep problems that people with Lyme Disease experience.

As you can see, Lyme Disease is a complex illness with many facets. Chinese herbal medicine has numerous herbs in its pharmacopia that can treat the many different aspects of this disease in a comprehensive and holistic manner.

Farah Khan is a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She developed an interest in Lyme Disease after contracting the illness in October of 2001, and developing late stage Lyme Disese by June of 2002. She has used numerous methods to recover from this insidious illness, including her own training and expertise in Chinese herbal medicine. She offers herbal and essential oil formulas related to this condition on the web at http://www.yinessence.com. She can be reached at farah@yinessence.com.

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Five Easy Ways to Avoid the Flu This Winter
By Steven Sonmore

 

Many people wonder how they can stay well this winter, considering the onset of the flu season and the fear of a possible influenza epidemic. Fortunately, acupuncture and Oriental medicine provide proven steps toward preventing illness and maintaining good health in cold weather.

We hear about so many people catching the flu - but in reality it is only a portion of those exposed to a virus that get sick. Why? According to Oriental medicine's teachings, our bodies get sick when we are in a weakened state. It is only when our immune systems are weakened and our bodies are out of balance that we are vulnerable to sickness.

Acupuncture originated in China between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago. It corrects imbalances in the body's energy systems that cause illness. Practitioners of Oriental medicine identify Qi (pronounced "chee") as the life giving energy that needs to flow freely through the body for good health. Integrated with a wise lifestyle, Oriental medicine can help prevent illness.

Here are Five Tips for Avoiding Illness This Flu Season:

1. Exercise a little bit everyday. Exercise moves the lymphatic system, thereby helping to detoxify the poisons in your body.

2. Keep warm. Make sure your neck and chest are protected from wind, drafts and cold. Use a scarf around your neck when going outside and wear turtle neck shirts or sweaters. The neck is an area where wind can invade the body and cause sickness. The Oriental medical perspective is that wind invasions make people more vulnerable to developing colds and flu. Always keep your feet warm and dry.

3. Get adequate sleep and relaxation. Your body is vulnerable to stress without enough rest. Think about doing some deep breathing exercises to help relax and unwind at the end of the day. Use stress-reduction methods like Qi Gong meditation or yoga.

4. Eat smart. Avoid refined sugars (processed food and baked goods, alcohol, etc.). A diet of refined or simple carbohydrates (white sugar, white bread) raises the body's Ph and allows bacteria, mold, yeast and fungi to thrive. Simple carbohydrates suck up the nutrition your body needs to detoxify, nourish and build new cells and antibodies. This makes you MORE susceptible to illness. Vitalize your nutrition by eating more fresh, organic foods and less processed food. This food has more "Qi" in it.

5. Get Acupuncture. When you get regular acupuncture treatments (as little as once per month) it actually boosts your immune system. Acupuncture strengthen the "Wei Qi" or the protective energy that safeguards us against colds and flu.

Use these Five Tips for Avoiding Illness to keep your body strong and healthy this winter. You can resist illness, the flu or the common cold.

For more than 19 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform their health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, Oriental bodywork therapist and herbalist. He offers complete health care with acupuncture, Chinese herbs, nutritional counseling, Oriental massage, and facial rejuvenation. He is licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. For more information visit http://www.orientalmedcare.com or write to info@orientalmedcare.com or call <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->612-866-4000<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->. Copyright © 2005 by Steven Sonmore. All rights reserved. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Sonmore

 

Natural IBS Treatment With Traditional Chinese Medicine
By Sandra Kim Leong

 

 Other than conventional western medicine, there are various options available to you if you wish to seek for a natural IBS treatment. One such healing system for IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

TCM is based on a holistic approach. Thus, a complete and proper diagnosis involves an analysis of parts of your body, other than your abdominal area. For instance, your practitioner may check your tongue to check for coating. He needs to do this to determine that if the coating on your tongue is related to your IBS systems. If so, he may conclude that there is too much heat is being produced in your body. You may experience different IBS symptoms and so each symptom may be telling of a different ailing part of your body. When you experience any pain or discomfort as in the symptoms for IBS, TCM hypothesizes that your body is not in balance.

TCM uses a variety of different natural IBS treatment methods to correct the imbalance. Chinese herbal medicine is one such method. Specific herbs are prescribed to treat specific symptoms that you are experiencing and to aid the body in healing. For example, if you experience bloating, then the herb that will be recommended to you is one that can help relieve the bloating. If your TCM practitioner finds that you are too heaty, he will prescribe you herbs that cool your body system.

TCM herbs originate from China and therefore cannot be found elsewhere in the world. However, TCM herbs can be used on just about looking for a natural IBS treatment. An experienced TCM practitioner would be well versed about the herbs that can be used for your IBS treatment. However, as not all herbs for IBS treatment may be suitable, he will have to make sure that he recommends the right ones for your case.

You will probably need to consume the herbal concoction a few times before you start experiencing results. As in most natural treatments, TCM does require time for healing to take place.

Acupuncture is another natural IBS treatment that is part of TCM. Acupuncture for healing is fast becoming popular in the west as well. Acupuncture targets specific meridian points that run from elsewhere in your body to the abdominal area where you are experiencing the painful bloating symptoms. The energy flow in your meridian system is said to be blocked causing you to experience the symptoms. Acupuncture with the use and manipulation of thin needles is used to unblock the energy flow. TCM practitioners highly recommend acupuncture as an effective way to treating your IBS symptoms.

Then, there are also TCM exercises like tai chi or qigong that you can take on for relaxation and to still your mind. This helps to improve your overall well being. Using TCM as a natural IBS treatment option is a good idea. Do however ensure that you get proper referrals for a good TCM practitioner before seeking consultation.

Sandra Kim Leong has plenty of tips on natural IBS treatment For more articles and resources, please visit http://www.ibs-treatment-options.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Kim_Leong

 

Hemorrhoids and Chinese Medicine - Get Relief Without Side Effects
By Christopher J

 

. As you age, you become less open to experimenting with new ideas, new acquaintances, new lifestyle changes, and tend to resist any kind of change in your comfortably settled middle-age life. Some of the things that many people find the most difficult to accommodate at this stage in their lives is a change in eating habits and a change in their thinking. But when taking medicines to find some relief from an ailment, the story takes a turn – the stubbornness gives way to open-mindedness.

Hemorrhoids and Chinese medicine is the perfect example of this. Although conventional allopathic medicines, having been scientifically researched and developed, earn instant respect and blind faith by most, one aspect that bothers many people is their side effects they may be harmful. In the methods of hemorrhoids and Chinese medicine, this worry can be disregarded because with thousands of years old traditional Chinese medicine the likelihood of any bad side effects is minimal. Thus, hemorrhoids and Chinese medicine implies minimal side effects, which are a major concern while considering various hemorrhoids cure options.

Chinese Medicines and Their Historical Background

Chinese medicines have been in use for ages, providing relief to millions of people from a variety of ailments. Particularly for hemorrhoids, Chinese medicines have proved very beneficial. Hemorrhoids Chinese medicines can be administered either topically or internally. The popular Chinese herbal supplement Ginkgo – also known as Ginkgo Biloba, Japanese silver apricot and maidenhair tree – has been used in China for severeal thousand years for treatment of hemorrhoids and also for many other ailments. It is derived from the Ginkgo tree, which has also been known about to mankind for several million years.

When it is about hemorrhoids and Chinese medicine, Ginkgo is the most popular medicine. There are a number of other Chinese medicines too for hemorrhoids cure. Some of the names are real tongue twisters. (But as long as you don't have to pronounce the name repeatedly to get relief, what difference does it make?) One such Chinese medicine that you might try is Bu Zhon Yi Qi Wan – its unique formula has been shown to be effective in curing chronic hemorrhoids. You would need to take 8–10 pills three times a day for one month or more to get relief.

Other hemorrhoids Chinese medicines are: the musk hemorrhoids ointment, which is for topical application, and also Gargelin extra, which strengthens the hemorrhoids. In the case of bleeding hemorrhoids particularly, the improvement shown by using these medicines is simply astounding. Three or four tablets three times a day is the recommended dosage. It is advisable to use them only for short spells as they may contain high levels of heavy metals. For this reason, women who are pregnant and children should avoid them. In conclusion, if you have hemorrhoids and Chinese medicine is your idea of curing your condition, then you can do that with minimal side effects.

 

 

Chinese Medicine for Alopecia Areata
By Farah Khan

 

Alopecia areata is considered to be an auto-immune condition in which the body’s immune system, specifically the white blood cells, attack the hair follicles, leading to hair loss, which can be on the scalp or elsewhere.

 

In most cases of alopecia, the hair falls out in small round patches about the size of a quarter. Alopecia areata affects approximately four million Americans of both sexes, and all ages and backgrounds. The effects of alopecia are primarily socially and emotionally disturbing, because of its unpredictable effects on a person’s appearance. It is not life threatening or painful.

There are a number of Chinese herbs that can be beneficial for this condition. Chinese medicine treats the root imbalances in the body that result in alopecia. When the body is brought into balance, symptoms resolve themselves and slowly disappear. There are two patterns in Chinese Medicine that can result in the hair loss symptomatic of alopecia areata. The first is a pattern of Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency. This means that the energy of the body that normally nourishes the hair follicles is deficient. When herbs are used that nourish Liver and Kidney Yin, hair can start to grow back. The second pattern is that of Toxic Heat in the body. This means that there is an inflammatory condition in the body that is a result of excess acidity from a poor diet, exposure to pollution or other toxins, or an infection. In most people with alopecia areata, these two conditions exist in combination with each other.

It is necessary to reduce inflammation and acidity in the body while nourishing the cooling yin energy of the body that nourishes hair growth.

He Shou Wu, polygonum or Fo-ti, is one herb that can be beneficial for people with alopecia areata. This herb has been used traditionally in China for graying hair and premature hair loss. It is a general tonic for the brain and the body, and can improve the quality of hair growth on the head. It can take three to six months of use to see the full benefits of Fo-ti. The Chinese have also traditionally used this herb as a longevity tonic.

Ligustrum and eclipta are also two Chinese herbs used to nourish hair growth by strengthening the Liver and Kidney Yin energy of the body. Research done in China have shown that these herbs can promote hair growth in people with alopecia areata.

Chinese wolfberries are also a general body tonic that improve blood circulation to hair follicles of the head. This herb can work well in combination with the herbs listed above.

In order to clear the inflammation and acidity that can trigger alopecia, mint, dandelion, and honeysuckle herbs can be used in combination.

Some supplements that may be of benefit in combination with Chinese herbs include vitamin C, flaxseed oil, and nettle tea. All of these are anti-inflammatory and detoxifying to the body. Eating black beans and black sesame seeds can also be helpful when taken alongside Chinese herbs.

Chinese herbs are a safe, natural, effective, health-promoting way to treat alopecia areata and increase hair growth.

Dr. Khan is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine practicing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has her own line of herbal supplements, including one for alopecia, at http://www.yinessence.com. You can reach her at farah@yinessence.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Farah_Khan

Chinese Acne Medicine
By Ross Bainbridge

All acne begins with one basic lesion: the comedo, an enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil, dead skin cells and bacteria. Chinese medicine looks upon acne generally as a result of the environmental force of heat. The typical name for acne in Chinese medicine is "fei feng fen ci", or "lesion of the lung wind."

In the theory of Chinese medicine, skin is closely related to the lung organ as it depends upon the lungs to supply the "essential substances of water and grains." The skin in turn can affect the normal process of respiration, as in the case when feng (evil wind) and cold gaining access into the body through the sweat-pores.

Chinese medicine generally categorizes acne into three types: the blood-heat type, the phlegm-accumulation type, and the toxic-heat type. The main symptoms and signs of the blood-heat-type are: There are red papules, tubercles, acnes and inflammatory infiltration around them, accompanied with burning sensation, red tip of the tongue with thin and yellow fur and slippery and rapid pulse. The main symptoms and signs of the phlegm type are: Skin lesion is mainly characterized by acne, indurative acne and cystic acne, accompanied with white and greasy fur on the tongue and slippery pulse. The main symptoms and signs of toxic heat type are: Malar flush, scattered inflammatory nodules, acne, abscesses and furuncles on the face, accompanied with red tongue with yellow fur and slippery and rapid pulse.

At the beginning, diseases were cured by individual herbs. As time progressed, formulas developed. The Acne Formula is an herbal formula. The formula of Chinese medicine consists of two parts: prescription of ingredients and preparation. Preparations refer to the forms of herbs prepared according to the prescription, such as soup, pills, powder, jelly, pillets, etc. Acne can be treated by the application of a well-prepared medicine.

Acne Medicine provides detailed information on Acne Medicine, Best Acne Medicine, Prescription Acne Medicine, Natural Acne Medicine and more. Acne Medicine is affiliated with Acne Product Reviews.

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