Linda B. White, M.D.
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 It has a long and venerable history in Traditional chinese medicine. Depending on the type used and the quality of the product, Chinese ginseng can sometimes be too strong or too stimulating and is not recommended for long-term use by most people. White ginseng—the dried root of Panax ginseng—is gentler and
Chinese ginseng . 111 1 less stimulating than red ginseng, the steamed root. Panax ginseng is probably best used under supervision of an experienced practitioner. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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 The book discusses alternative therapies and looks at the new evolutionary model of medicine as well as the view of chinese medicine on viral illnesses. I discuss pathology as well as a more holistic and integrated view of how lifestyle, habitual thought patterns, spiritual beliefs (or lack of them), and the environment in which we live all contribute to our health, well being, and the integrity of our immune systems. |
Paul Pitchford
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 Over the centuries, chinese medicine has developed a remarkably simple yet accurate description of excess:
Signs of general excess: Yang symptoms—the person is robust, energetic, extroverted and has a normal to loud voice and reddish complexion; swellings in the body are hard and painful when pressed; breathing is heavy, the tongue coating is thick, and the radial pulse has strength.
Dietary Recommendations for Excess
As mentioned earlier, the treatment for general excess is reducing and purging. |
Bill Gottlieb
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 HARA BREATHING: To Build Your Chi
In chinese medicine, the source of the philosophy and practice of acupressure, the hara is an area below the navel that acts as a reservoir for the body's chi.
"Arthritis is often caused by a combination of factors that includes a depletion or blockage of chi, usually caused by what we in the West call tension or stress," says Smith. "Hara breathing builds reserves of chi in your body."
First, place your hand, palm down, right below your navel. Next, inhale, expanding your belly into your hand. |
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
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 In traditional chinese medicine, it is considered effective for relieving fatigue, impotence, and the general effects of aging.
Ginseng is an adaptogen—a compound that helps the body to adapt to physical and psychological stressors. It does this, according to the Western interpretation, by heightening the productivity of the adrenal glands.
It is considered by Western practitioners to be a "balanced stimulant," because it achieves arousal without provoking a nervous or jittery response. |
Bill Gottlieb
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| MASSAGE: ForHands-On Relief
A facial massage from qigong, a branch of Traditional chinese medicine, can help relieve the symptoms of inhalant allergies, says Glenn S. Rothfeld, M.D., regional medical director of American WholeHealth in Arlington, Massachusetts. Here's how to do it.
Using the pads of your thumbs, rub in small circles, starting between your eyebrows and moving down along the sides of your nose and over your cheekbones below your eyes. |
| Practitioners of Traditional chinese medicine believe that building up chi gives the body the strength to have a bowel movement, he says.
You can also get the benefits of citrus without the peel. Lipski recommends squeezing the juice of a lemon into an 8-ounce glass of warm or hot water and drinking it first thing in the morning to help stimulate a bowel movement.
HEALTHY OILS: Lubricate Your Pipes
Olive, canola, and other monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils act as digestive lubricants and are very helpful in clearing up constipation, says Kenneth Yasny, Ph.D. |
| In Traditional chinese medicine, it is thought that energy healing removes blockages in meridians, the energy pathways that run through the body. Some healers believe that the technique works by balancing and stabilizing chakras, a series of energy centers in the body that roughly correspond to the endocrine glands. Other healers believe that energy healing is nothing less than the force of God.
Some scientists believe that energy healing works through resonance and entrainment. According to this theory, things (or people) in close proximity to each other actually resonate together. |
Michael Castleman
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 Qi: The Key to Healing
In chinese medicine, chi or qi is life energy, a vital force not formally recognized by mainstream M.D.'s. Qigong—the word means "cultivation of qi"— originated about 3,500 years ago, as Chinese physicians realized that a combination of low-impact movements and meditative focus could move qi around inside the body. Qigong exercises inspired all of the martial arts, including tai chi.
Tai chi was developed by Chang San-Feng, a semi-mythical Taoist monk
45 and qigong practitioner who is said to have lived around a.d. 1400. |
| Three alternative therapies—homeopathy, chinese medicine, and Ayurveda—meet these same criteria and so are considered healing systems. They're discussed in part 2, along with other alternative therapies that are close to being healing systems: naturopathy, which is fast becoming an umbrella term for an amalgam of alternative therapies; and the manipulation therapies (chiropractic, osteopathy, and some schools of bodywork), which focus on musculoskeletal problems but may also have value for other conditions. |
| But dig a little deeper, and you'll discover that cardiology and chinese medicine have almost as many similarities as differences. Both therapies view heart problems in the context of the whole body. Both rely on professional practitioners who interview and examine patients, make diagnoses, prescribe treatments, and provide follow-up care. Both incorporate medicines derived from plants (though most American cardiologists prescribe pharmaceutical versions of plant compounds). Both advocate therapeutic dietary modifications (though cardiology has been doing so only for the last few decades). |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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 The current range of therapies in which naturopathic physicians are trained includes clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, Traditional chinese medicine and acupuncture, hydrotherapy, physical medicine, counseling and other psychotherapies, and minor surgery (i.e., suturing wounds, removing warts or moles, and other minor office procedures). |
Grace Ross Lewis
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 In chinese medicine it is a folk remedy for a variety of ailments including head colds, flu, stomach ulcers, and diabetes. Used to treat cancer patients in China who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. It also is reported to have desirable cardiovascular effects.
Precautions: No undesirable side effects are reported.
Synonyms: ASTRAGALUS MEMBRANACEUS bakelite_
Products and Uses: A plasticlike material developed in 1907 by Belgium-born L. H. Bakeland. It is a phenol-formaldehyde, a hard heat-resistant material used for toaster handles, radio knobs, and so on. |
Bill Gottlieb
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| PROBIOTICS: Keep "Damp Heat" under Control
In Traditional chinese medicine, a probiotic supplement containing the healthy bowel bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus or Bifidobacterium bi-fidum decreases "damp heat" in the bowel so that it can't travel to the genitals and cause herpes, Dr. Zand says. "I've seen again and again in my patients with herpes that those who take a probiotic supplement of 500 milligrams twice a day are less prone to outbreaks."
SIBERIAN GINSENG: One Week a Month
Siberian ginseng is an "adaptogenic" herb that strengthens the immune system, says Dr. Zand. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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 In addition, dairy products, according to chinese medicine, are expansive "yin" foods in nature and may contribute to tumor growth.
Treatment and Preventive Measures
CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL TREATMENT
• Surgery, contrary to conventional medicine protocols, may not be the only option. However, significant complications from fibroids may necessitate surgery. Most small fibroids do not need treatment and usually shrink after the onset of menopause, when they are no longer stimulated by estrogen. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 These remedies might include the antispasmodics, sedatives, bitters, antitussives, purgatives and diuretics.
In chinese medicine there is little regard for anatomy and the main entities upon which pathogenic or therapeutic forces act are essentially functional and physiological. There are six pairs of functions, often confusingly translated in the West as 'organs'. These, like all phenomena in the Chinese world, are ascribed to points on the five-phase cycle that further illuminate their qualities. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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 Following the traditions of chinese medicine, a qualified acupuncturist does not merely block pain, but instead, treats the overall structure of the body. The Chinese believe that a single symptom cannot develop by itself; it must be accompanied by a wider variety of problems, and hence the entire system needs to be treated. Furthermore, when treating a patient, the persons entire medical history is taken into consideration by the acupuncturist. |
| Seaweed...Chinese medicine recognizes the value of seaweed for treating cancers as it softens hardened tumors.
•Antioxidant Supplements...The value of antioxidants, particularly beta-carotene; vitamins A, C, and E; flavonoids; selenium; glutathione; superoxide dismutase; coenzyme Q10; and grape seeds cannot be overestimated in disease fighting and prevention. Antioxidants attack free radicals before they do irrevocable damage. Many clinical studies confirm their protective effects, while other research shows that antioxidants increase a patient's tolerance of chemotherapy and radiation. |
| Based on this philosophy, certain plants have been used for thousands of years as a fundamental part of chinese medicine to strengthen the immune system. Now, mainstream Western medicine is getting interested in herbs, and opening its eyes to what Oriental, Native American, and other types of herbs can offer.
Up until now, herbal therapy has been based on empirical evidence, but the recent challenge of AIDS and other modern-day diseases has generated scientific interest in the field. Experimenters ask if herbs can help overcome dreaded diseases, and if so, how? |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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| However, chinese medicine was certainly not idle theorizing. In one review of the medicine of early China,20 it has been pointed out that among other 'modern' advances were the use of androgens and oestrogens (in placentas) to treat hypogonadism, the development of forensic medicine, the advocation of hand washing to avoid infection, the association of hardening of the arteries with high salt intake. Qualifying examinations for physicians were conducted by the Chinese state as early as the first century ad and there was an elaborate system of medical ethics. |
| Contraindications according to traditional chinese medicine are as follows: diarrhoea caused by weak digestion, haemorrhagic disease, bleeding tendency or very heavy periods, first trimester of pregnancy, tendency to spontaneous abortion and acute viral infections such as colds and influenza.2
SPECIAL WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
None required.
INTERACTIONS
The effects of dong quai on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of warfarin were studied in rabbits. |
Gary Null
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 ACUPUNCTURE "Chinese medicine has a five-element system that includes fire, water, metal, earth, and wood. When the nutritive level is affected, the fire element is disturbed. This element is responsible for relationships, intimacy, and boundaries. The organs associated with it are the heart, the heart protector or pericardium, and the small intestine.
"The heart is the center of who we are. Sexual abuse is a shock to the system, and shock is absorbed by the heart. When the heart is affected, we may see memory blocks, insomnia, palpitations and arrhythmia. Acupuncture can help. |
Prevention Magazine
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 Chinese medicine in private practice in Chicago. He advises grating the ginger or pushing it through a garlic press. Either of these methods releases more of the potent juices than slicing or chopping. You can make a spicy ginger tea by steeping a teaspoon of the grated root in a cup of boiling water for at least five minutes, says Dr. Lo.
The (offee Cure
For some people, sipping a cup of their favorite aromatic brew may work as well as popping an over-the-counter painkiller. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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| Warming/Cooling chinese medicine classifies many diseases as "cold" or "hot." Cold ailments include arthritis, colic, and diarrhea, for which warm foods are indicated. Hot ailments include headaches, abnormal sweating, and circulatory problems, for which cooling foods are indicated. Chinese theory gets far more interesting when you learn that each of the main organs correlates to both an element (earth, water, air, fire, or metal) and a season of the year, and that specific seasonal measures, guided by the associated organ and element, will help you preserve your health. |
The Complete Book of Alternative NutritionSelene Y. Craig, Jennifer Haigh, Sari Harrar and the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
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| Those who follow the diet advice of chinese medicine practitioners take it on faith that their advice works. The real track record here is history, they claim.
"Everything doesn't have to be analyzed at the molecular level," adds Pitchford. "Western science would be able to explain these properties if they chose to. It's just the science of observation." Pitchford and other experts in Chinese nutrition believe that if we would all become more in tune with our bodies, we'd be able to feel these warming and cooling reactions for ourselves. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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| Known as Traditional chinese medicine (TCM), the theoretical model of acupuncture, initially transmitted from the texts and academies of China to the West, is actually only a minimal representation of the vast, rich storehouse of Oriental medicine tradition. This traditional knowledge survives in the form of thousands of individual master hierarchies throughout China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, preserving through oral transmission special techniques and systems of great practical benefit. |
| Reprinted from Acupuncture: A Comprehensive Text, Shanghai College of Traditional chinese medicine, with permission of Eastland Press, P.O. Box 99749, Seattle, WA 98199. All rights reserved. widely recognized in Western biomedicine, since they do not correspond to known nerve pathways. However, numerous experimental studies carried out primarily in China and Japan appear to demonstrate acupuncture or bioelectronic effects along traditional meridian lines.
One demonstration occurred in Japan with a patient who had been struck by lightning and whose skin had become hypersensitive. |
| The pulse system in chinese medicine is highly developed. There are six positions on each wrist, and numerous differences in pulsebeats that a trained practitioner uses to determine the frequency, intensity, and quality of the pulse and thus the energy condition of the corresponding internal organ systems.
In recent years an electronic device, the AMI, was developed in Japan to measure the electrical resistance and potential at the acupuncture meridian terminal points on the fingers and toes. |
Dr. John Heinerman
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 Schwartz practices in the San Francisco Bay area and has access to a lot of data concerning traditional chinese medicine. She has acquainted herself with much of this, believing that it helps in her practice and makes treatments a lot safer for the variety of animals that she sees on a daily basis.
The vet prescribed three Chinese herbs: prunella, atractylodes, and Asiatic plantain. She recommended the liquid extracts that were alcohol-free. |
Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D. and Jean Barilla, M.S.
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 B To relieve deafness, traditional chinese medicine recommends that you eat pork kidney, or small amounts of fresh peanuts on a regular basis. This remedy may work because some forms of deafness are due to problems with the optic nerve. Organ meats, like kidney and liver, are high in B vitamins, which are needed for nerve
Longevity Soup
The Chinese make a soup they call "longevity soup," which is appropriately named because it contains so many nutritious ingredients. They crush bones from chicken and pork legs to extract the precious marrow. |
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