Archive for July, 2008

Herbal Medicine And Acupuncture

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When talking about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), most of the people can point out that herbal medicine and acupuncture are two major components, though massage and “Qi Gong” (deep breathing exercise) are also parts of it.

Herbal Medicine And AcupunctureHerbal medicine, speaks for itself, is a treatment using Chinese herbs (ranging from a few to a dozen) decocted into liquid form for oral administration.  Before prescribing the medicine, TCM Practitioners always analyze patients’ constitution first.  Sometimes, different herbal medicines will be recommended to different patients even though they have the same ailment or same symptoms of a disease.

And for the other TCM foundation, acupuncture, it is a treatment applying acupuncture and moxibustion to adjust one’s circulation of “Qi” (essential energy).  In TCM theory, the passageway of “Qi” and blood in human body is called “Meridians.”  In fact, the flow of “Qi” will be smooth and non-stop if someone is healthy, whereas a peculiar body will have disarray or stagnation of “Qi.”  At this time, by employing acupuncture treatment to stimulate the meridian reaction points (acupuncture points), it helps the flow of “Qi” resume normal.

The effectiveness of herbal medicine relies on the absorption of the medicine by the body.  Acupuncture treatment, on the other hand, is performed directly to the body, thus the result is more immediate.

Herbal medicine and acupuncture, along with “Qi Gong,” massage, and medicinal diet, all together form TCM system.  And by applying the right approach(s) on the basis of one’s constitution, optimal medical results would be achieved.

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Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine

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As traditional medicine has become increasingly popular in recent years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also attracts plenty of attention from around the world.  In fact, more and more patients have chosen TCM as an early-stage treatment for various kinds of chronic diseases not only because of its relatively mild adverse effects, but also of its continuous applications and developments, making this ancient medical system shares an equal status with the modern medical system.

Understanding Traditional Chinese MedicineYet, TCM after all is a unique system dissimilar to main stream medicine.  The terms that TCM Practitioners commonly use such as “Yin Yang,” “Qi,” “Five Elements” etc. always make patients in a puzzle.  So, what exactly is TCM and what are its characteristics?

TCM has a long and rich history of almost three thousands of years.  It is a medical system with the aim of curing, characterized by herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, and “Qi Gong” (Deep Breathing Exercise). Its theories and techniques still hold practicability in today’s modern world.

Basically, Western Medicine cannot provide healing before successfully determining the name of a disease and its recognized treatment.  TCM, on the contrary, will not rigidly adhere to finding out the name of the disease, but to pay attention to the overall conditions and symptoms of the patients, and then employ a proper treatment accordingly.  For instance, TCM can offer treatment to conditions like constant fatigue and frequent flu those non-disease problems, so as to improve the overall constitution and thus preserve good health.

There is sufficient scientific proof of the effectiveness of TCM, still when comes to acute diseases that need emergency medical treatment or surgery, the efficiency of Western Medicine is comparatively higher.  That’s why to integrate or combine TCM therapies with Western Medicine in order to take advantage from each other and build a better healthcare system has become a worldwide trend.  In fact, during 2003 outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the combination of TCM and Western Medicine treatments provided much better results and created a whole new perspective for the world.

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Pearl: An Integration Of External And Internal Beauty

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While pearls are made into necklaces, rings, bracelets, pins, pendents, and even pocket decorations, do you know that they also have been used as medicine since ancient time because of their high medicinal value?

But what exactly makes this one of the oldest gemstone a pill to heal?  According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), pearls can boost brain power, cure faintness, restore energy, stop bleeding, and resolve toxin.  In fact, every pearl contains organic as well as inorganic components.  Organic components include a unique protein called conchiolin, taurine, metalloporphyrin compounds, etc.; while inorganic ones comprise trace elements such as calcium carbonate, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, and nickel, making pearls not only can be worn as fine jewelry, but also made into medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments and conditions.

Pearl: An Integration Of External And Internal BeautyFor example, the large number of calcium carbonates contained in pearl are a strong inhibitor to bacteria, especially staphylococcus, a common cause of gastroenteritis and enteritis.  And for the calcium ion, it can promote the formation of protein fiber in our blood, which helps cure open wounds.

Talking about the conchiolin, it acts just like keratin, one of fibrous proteins (collagen) found in our bone, tendon, skin, hair, etc. Typically, conchiolin is recognized to be capable of hydrating skin cells, advancing skin cell metabolism, and assisting in repair of damaged skin cells.  It explains why pearls are crushed into powder and used in cosmetics like skin cream.

Aside from conchiolin, dozens of amino acids and minerals, including taurine, also found in pearl.  Taurine is known to have the property of calming, analgesia, and inflammation reduction.  At the same time, it is able to promote biliary excretion that can protect the liver against toxins.

Well, pearls that are big, round, smooth, shine, and in translucent silk-white color are obviously worn around one’s neck or wrist; those in lesser quality and can’t be made into jewelry will be ground into fine powders and used to prepare medicines and beauty products.  Either way, pearl makes us wonderful—externally and internally.

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A Red Diamond That Beautifies Your Health

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Being crowned as “red diamond” in China, Chinese wolfberry has been regarded by Chinese as a highly nutritious herb since ancient time.  This plant not only is used commonly in herbal medicine, but also is often found in Chinese foods and meals as a “super healthy” ingredient.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),  Chinese wolfberries are bittersweet in taste and “neutral in nature” that can nourish liver and kidneys, replenish blood, improve eye health, and even strengthen immune system.

A Red Diamond That Beautifies Your HealthGrown in the northern and southern China, Chinese wolfberry species are perennial deciduous woody plants that produce orange-red and oval-shape berries. However, we may have never seen these fruits in fresh manner as they almost are sold in dried form on the market.

Although Chinese wolfberry is tiny (with only 1 to 2 centimeter long), it provides significant source of macronutients that our body needs.  Besides carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat, and proteins, Chinese wolfberry also is full of 18 amino acids, 11 essential minerals, 22 trace minerals, and 7 vitamins.

Moreover, seen as the best plant supply of iron, Chinese wolfberry’s iron content is extraordinary rich and even twice the amount than soybean provides, making it an effective supplement for preventing and curing iron deficiency anemia.

Furthermore, Chinese wolfberry contains dozens of phytochemicals.  One of them is beta-carotene, a fat-soluble nutrient and antioxidant essential for vision.  In fact, the beta-carotene content per unit weight in Chinese wolfberry is the richest among all the edible plants like carrot and pumpkin.

Another one is polysaccharide, a major supply of fermentable fiber in our body’s intestinal system.  Throughout our colonic metabolism, these fermentable fibers will generate short-chain fatty acids which are capable of stabilizing blood sugar levels, promoting the health of the colon epithelial lining that lowers colon cancer risk, and even boosting immune functions.  Although polysaccharide can be found in other plants such as mushrooms and roots, it is a significant component of Chinese wolfberry, representing up to 31% of pulp weight.

“In fact,  there is too much to be said about the nutrition and health benefits brought by Chinese wolfberry,” said TCM Practitioners.  “For example, with its high potassium content (providing about 24% of our required daily intake), Chinese wolfberry helps lower blood pressure; while the vitamin C, a general antioxidant vitamin, is able to protect other antioxidant particles from free redical destruction.”

It’s no wonder that Chinese worship the wolfberry as a national treasure regarded as the most nutritious among the nation’s plants.  Want to expand your health horizons? Try this Chinese Wolfberry Hawthorn Tea.

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Ginseng: A Plant For Man

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In China, Ginseng has been used as a tonic and restorative for thousands of years and is one of the most popular herbs being used to prevent and cure illnesses even in today. According to Compendium of Materia Medica, the most complete and comprehensive medical book ever written in the history of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) published in 1593, “Ginseng has a bittersweet flavor and is ‘neutral in nature.’ It acts particularly on spleen and lungs, which can replenish ‘Qi’ (essential energy), nourish lungs, strengthen spleen, and ultimately fortify the body.”

Ginseng: A Plant For ManSo, what exactly is ginseng? Being named as “King of the Herbs,” ginseng is the root of a small woodland plant native to the mountain forests of Asia.  As its common similarity to the human form, the name ginseng actually is composed from two words meaning “Man Plant” by Chinese.  Although being called the remedy for all diseases may sound too good to be true, ginseng indeed is full of many kinds of beneficial chemicals and nutrients such as carbohydrates, fatty acids, fructose, glucose, maltose, pectin, starch, sucrose, B complex vitamins, biotin, calcium, choline, copper, iron, manganese, nicotinic acid, zinc, etc.

Furthermore, since ginseng contains steroid compounds, it is seen and used as an effective natural body building aids.  What’s more, a chemical components called saponins have been found in ginseng, in which contain anti-oxidants and have the effects similar to those produced by various human hormones, making this natural plant capable of defending against diseases by improving one’s immune system and slowing the aging process.   In fact, clinical trials have proven that patients with shortness of breath, cold sweating, weak pulse, etc. received immediate improvement after being treated with ginseng.

In China, TCM Practitioners often include ginseng in their prescribed herbal medicine to help patients smooth the mucous membranes, strengthen and tone the spleen, and mitigate fatigue and stress. While for general population, especially those who suffer from chronic disease or want to speed up the recovery from a major sickness, often add ginseng into their meals to increase physical and mental activity.

“The value of ginseng primarily is as a preventive,” TCM Practitioners said.  “When taking it over a long period of time, it indeed can support the natural balance of your body and stimulate rejuvenation.”

Not sure how to start?  Try this Ginseng Black-bone Chicken Soup tonight.

Tips:
In order to get the possible best results from eating ginseng, we should have ginseng before meal and allow the body to absorb and digest the nutrients as much as possible.  Also, to avoid affecting or reducing the effects of ginseng, one shall not eat daikon (radish) or drink strong tea, or consume any food with “cold” or “pungent” attribute within 24 hours.

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Bury The Pain In A Sand Bath

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A day at the beach would never be boring with all these fun things to do: Sun bathing, sandcastling, swimming, surfing, volleyballing…. However, if sand bathing has yet on your list, it really deserves your consideration. It’s fun—and good to your health!

Sand bathing has a long history of being a medical treatment that uses natural conditions to treat illnesses in China. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), sand bathing is an energetic medical practice designed primarily to trigger intense perspiration, which helps enhance the overall functions of our organs by stimulating the circulatory system, metabolism, and growth. It has effects on skin, joints, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and body weight.

Bury The Pain In A Sand BathFirst, sand bathing provides strong stimulation to the skin. In addition to the high temperature, skin is stimulated by the density and rough sand grains themselves. Moreover, because sand increases body resistance, buried in a sand bath to certain extent receives the benefits as much as having a massage therapy.

Second, since sand holds in heat and increases body temperature that helps improve blood circulation, sand bathing works wonder for bruise, eczema, arthritis, neuralgia, neuritis, convulsion, and paralysis. In fact, in a medical study about the effects of sand bathing in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, 21 of 30 rheumatoid arthritis patients’ joint pain was relieved significantly after being treated by sequential sand bathing for 15 days.

In effect, the radioactivity of the sun, the sun’s impact on the sand, the presence of hot salt from sea water, and the stimulating hot sand grains, all these attributes combined together make this solar-heated sand bathing health beneficial.

So, can’t wait to bury your pain in a sand bath? Follow this steps next time when you hit the beach.

  1. Choose a location and create a sand pile of about 1 foot/30 cm in height.
  2. Take the bath when the sand warms up to 113ºF/45ºC to 131ºF/55ºC.
  3. Cover all parts in poor health with sand. For limbs and joints, cover as much sand as you like.
  4. Cover the chest and stomach area with a thin layer of sand. Yet, leave the heart uncovered.
  5. Stay in sand bath for 20 to 30 minutes for adults, and 10 to 15 minutes for children. However, end the bath whenever you have a fast heartbeat or pulse, or feel a weightiness to the head.
  6. For purpose of treating the above illnesses, you may take the sand bath daily or every other day for 12 to 20 procedures.

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The Healing Power Of Baths

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A slow and hot bath in the evening indeed can take away the fatigue from a day. And for some people, they can even take advantages of a hot dip for easing pain and some illnesses.

The Healing Power Of Baths“You know what, we can further transform our plain bath into a pool of water with revitalizing and curing power by adding some ingredients—really simple ones—from the household,” Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners suggested. “These seem ordinary ingredients not only enhance our bath, but also our health.”

Cornstarch
To pour one cup of cornstarch into the bath (straight into the hot running water to facilitate the dissolution), it can soothe and relieve itchy skin caused by dryness, sunburn, eczema, or psoriasis.

Flower Petals
By adding a few flowers or a handful of flower petals directly to the bath in a muslin bag or tea ball, your bath immediately becomes a natural relaxing, cleansing, as well as rejuvenating remedy.

“In fact, aside from aromatics which facilitate relaxation, lutein esters found in most flowers are chemically bound to different kinds of fatty acids which can naturally relax muscles and nerves,” added TCM Practitioners.

Among all the flowers, rose is considered the best because of its property of easing the symptoms of dermatitis such as dry, sensitive, and redness skin. “Since chamomile contains natural anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, and anti-bacterial properties that provides calming and smoothing effects, it definitely is another good choice for flower bath,” TCM Practitioners recommended.

Table Salt
To add half cup of table salt to a hot bath, it can mitigate symptoms of yeast infection and help the infected vagina resume healthy state. “When any first sign of symptoms occur, take salt bath for three consecutive nights and one shall instantly see the relief,” said TCM Practitioners.

Vinegar
By pouring about two cups of vinegar to the bath, the pH level of our skin will be increased, making it slightly more acidic which helps prevent the growth of a number of bacteria. In fact, TCM Practitioners often suggest patients, especially those who are taking antibiotics, to add vinegar in the bath as a preventative action against possible yeast infections. And for anyone who has constant foot odor, vinegar bath is an easy and effective solution to restrain the problem.

Last but not the least, “In order to allow our body to receive the possible best recovery process on through the night, a revitalizing hot bath usually is best at night time just before retiring to bed,” TCM Practitioners concluded.

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Soaking Up A Hot Bath’s Benefits

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Although cold shower is quicker, refreshing, more hygienic, and of course more environmental friendly, nothing seems is more soothing than a long dip in a tub—of hot water.

In fact, no matter cold or hot, water is a natural healer. While cold shower is stimulating and invigorating, hot bath quiets and soothes the body. “Soaking in a hot tub indeed can bring us health benefits in several ways,” said Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners.

Soaking Up A Hot Bath's Benefits

Circulation and Blood Pressure
When we immerse in hot water, first it speeds up our heart to send blood to the surface that helps disperse extra body heat. And a few minutes later, the hot water raises our body temperature and causes the blood vessels to dilate, which not only increases circulation, but also lowers the blood pressure.

Muscles
As the warm blood reaches deeper and deeper into our muscles, the vessels expand accordingly and helps relaxing our muscles. Since hot water is capable of easing any pinching of blood vessels and nerves, plus facilitating muscles to get rid of lactic acid, making this muscle-relaxation effect also a muscle pain cure.

Joints
“For arthritis sufferers, hot bath is a safe and effective way to mitigate the pain and prevent the joints from further damage,” TCM Practitioners suggested. In fact, when we are dipping in a hot tub, the buoyancy of the water can support and reduce pressure on the joints, promoting freer movement. At the same time, it also preserves and restores flexibility and strength.

Sleep
“If someone suffers from insomnia, especially caused by pain, he/she may try this simple solution—soaking in hot water about one hour prior to bedtime,” advised TCM Practitioners. Why? Studies have found that when our core body temperature drops, the level of sleep deepens. That means if we immerse in hot water before bedtime, due to a temperature shift after stepping out from the hot bath, it actually hints at the body it’s time to sleep, facilitating insomnia patients get easier to fall asleep.

Indeed, a soak in a hot tub at night is a simple and effective way to wind down ourselves from a hectic and stressful day. To have it more ideally, the water temperature of a hot bath should be around 95ºF/35ºC to 104ºF/40ºC (temperature may be raised a few degrees for the purposes of loosening tense muscles and easing the pain of stressful backaches) and shall last for 20 to 30 minutes.

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Practice “Blood Vessel Gymnastics” With Cold Shower

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There is no doubt that a shower not only cleans and refreshes our body, but also relaxes our mind. While a shower at night removes all the dirt, dust, and sweat that we have gathered all through the day, a shower in the morning energizes us and makes us ready for a new day.

Indeed, a shower everyday helps us to maintain good hygiene, as well as provides us enjoyable experience. However, some like it hot, others cold. Is there any different effect that the temperature of the water actually create?

Practice According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is. When we are having cold shower, the blood vessels in our skin will contract, causing the dissipation of the body heat reduced. And due to the contraction of the blood vessels, the blood flow is driven to the internal organs, making the skin blood vessels dilate this time, which draws the blood flow back out to the skin. “As you can see, a cold shower can increase our blood flow in all organs, especially skin, heart and lungs,” TCM Practitioners explained. “In fact, Chinese refer this blood vessels contraction and dilation generated by cold shower a ‘blood vessel gymnastics.’”

Besides, stepping under a cold shower makes us breathe deeper and faster (a big gasp and more when the cold water hits the skin). And deeper breathing means more oxygen for our whole body.

What’s more, cold shower strengthens our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. And by contracting our muscles, it can eliminate toxins and poisonous wastes, too.

“Having said that, cold shower isn’t for anyone at anytime,” TCM Practitioners warned. For example, if someone has heart problems, he/she shouldn’t have cold shower since extreme temperature not only increases the workload on the heart, it can interfere with circulation, cause breathing difficulty and chest pain, too.

Also, women should avoid taking cold shower during their menstrual cycle as cold water can cause uterine contractions that may lead to menstrual cramps. (Also read Neither Empty Nor Full Stomach Enjoys Cold Shower.)

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