Archive for the ‘Herbal Medicine’ Category

Relieve Menstrual Cramps Pain with Acupuncture

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

(NaturalNews) A study in the journal Evidence-based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine demonstrated a significant beneficial effect when acupuncture treatments were administered to patients who were suffering from dysmenorrhea resistant to conventional medical treatment. Dysmenorrhea manifests as painful menstrual cramps, and it can be either “primary” (without proven pelvic pathology/causation) or “secondary” (cramps in the presence of pelvic pathology). The dominant symptom of either classification of dysmenorrhea is pain, which is not alleviated by NSAID drugs in approximately 25% of cases.

Patients included in this study were suffering from dysmenorrhea of a moderate to severe nature for 1 year or longer and had not responded well to NSAID use. They had also refused oral contraceptive therapy, which is currently administered as a first line of treatment in dysmenorrhea cases. The participants were given 8 weekly acupuncture treatments over a period of 2 months, with needles inserted in applicable point locations for 30 minutes.

13 of the 15 participants in the study experienced substantial reduction of pain and of NSAID consumption following the acupuncture treatments. Greater pain reduction was observed in patients experiencing primary, rather than secondary dysmenorrhea. 7 of the 15 participants ceased NSAID use completely and remained asymptomatic when questioned 6 months after treatments ended.

Acupuncture has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a scientific therapeutic modality with an effective pain-relieving ability, and it has been recommended by the NIH for the treatment of several diseases, including dysmenorrhea. The beauty of acupuncture treatments is that they are virtually devoid of side effects, non-invasive and extremely safe. It is postulated that the insertion of acupuncture needles causes enhanced blood flow to the affected area.

Herbal medicine can also be used together with the above acupuncture protocol to enhance the effect. Although the proper Chinese Herbal Formula must be selected for each individual patient’s exact signs and symptoms, one of the most commonly prescribed formulas for primary dysmenorrhea patients is known as gui zhi fu ling wan. This combination of 5 Chinese herbs includes cinnamon twig (Cinnamomi Ramulus), hoelen (Poria), peony root (Paeoniae Radix), moutan root bark (Moutan Cortex), and peach kernel (Persicae Semen). These herbs are considered in the Traditional Chinese Medicine theory to have a strong invigorating or circulating quality of the blood, and they serve the role of alleviating pain by eliminating blockages or stagnations in the body. This same formula is also appropriate in certain cases of uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.

The study mentioned above concludes that acupuncture treatment may be indicated to treat dysmenorrhea related pain, especially for patients in whom oral contraceptives or NSAID are refused or contraindicated. This agrees with clinical results that many acupuncture clinics have been reporting. However, it should be noted that this particular study had a relatively small group of participants, and it did not employ a randomized, double-blind format. It will be useful to seek further scientific validation of the effect of acupuncture in dysmenorrhea treatment.

Sources for this article:

http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/…

Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 3rd edition, by Dan Bensky, et al.

Handbook of Oriental Medicine, 3rd edition, by Hyunbae Kim.

This information is brought to you by Dr. XiPing Zhou, M.D.O.M., L.Ac.Dr. Zhou is founder & president of East West Healing Arts Institute Massage School, Dr. Zhou’s Acupuncture & Pain Management Clinic,Madison Family Wellness Community Clinic,  The Herbal Palace, &China Delight Tours. Visit anyone of these websites to learn about Chinese medicine and culture

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Qi Stimulation without Needles: Acupressure Brings Healing

Monday, April 12th, 2010

(NaturalNews: by Cathy Sherman) Acupressure has become increasingly popular in the west in recent years, though it has been used for centuries as a natural treatment for various diseases. A traditional technique of Chinese medicine, it is similar to acupuncture but less known.

The underlying theory is that there is an invisible force or energy, called qi in Chinese, which has healing power. There are many points, called acupoints or meridians, which connect to the glands of the body. In therapy, pressure is applied at specific points to increase the flow of the qi, in and around the body through the point network. Pressuring acupoints ensures normal qi circulation.

Once a therapist diagnoses a particular ailment by acupressure, he or she provides some acupoints to the patient. Self-applied acupressure is a free treatment which is quick and effective in providing relief from many disorders, a unique advantage. Its effectiveness increases with regular treatment, including self-treatment.

The wellness benefits of acupressure are many. Creating a sense of well-being, it helps provide relief from problems due to stress and tiredness. It helps the body heal its injuries, increases blood circulation, releases muscle tension and reduces back pain. Some of the diseases or disorders that have been mitigated by acupressure include diabetes, epilepsy, bronchitis, heart problems, digestive problems and many allergies. Relief of eye strain, sinus problems, arthritis, muscle aches, ulcer pain, menstrual cramps, nausea, constipation and indigestion have been reported. Acupressure can help in inducing pain-free labor during pregnancy and has been used in lieu of pain killers for minor surgery.

Acupressure has also been used to decrease swelling in the lower body caused by water retention. Massaging certain acupoints on the legs, feet and ankles helps to relieve such swelling by eliminating dampness; it can also help to strengthen the spleen and kidneys. This is important because these are the organs responsible for ensuring the right body fluid balance.

There is some anecdotal evidence that the swelling may be lessened by utilizing a “porcupine ball”, an exercise ball covered with spiked bumps. These bumps provide pressure to the body part massaged by the ball. In addition, there are abundant wood and plastic hand and foot massagers and other devices with pointed nubs to help a person treat himself. More study of the efficacy of such tools is needed, however.

Several techniques, or types of pressure, are used depending on the particular needs of a patient`s disorder. These vary from firm pressure to the more aggressive kneading of the muscles. Keep in mind that acupressure, like other Chinese medicine protocols, does not cure disease, but it works by bringing the body`s qi into a better flow, thus enabling the body to heal itself. It is also thought that a disruption in the qi flow can actually cause the problem, so restoring the flow ends the discomfort.

Several precautions must be taken before stimulating any point. Acupressure should be avoided after heavy exercise, meals and bathing, and if pregnant. Prescription drugs might interfere with the treatment. Also, if under treatment for cancer or high blood pressure, the doctor`s supervision is necessary.

If care is taken to follow the precautions, acupressure can be an adjunct to treatment or a self- administered help for many common complaints. Its non-invasive quality allows people to use it for free, anywhere, anytime. Even though its more illustrious relative, acupuncture, has been more fully researched and implemented, acupressure offers one alternative to try before opting for acupuncture. Depending on the complaint, it may be all that is needed.

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Alternative remedy use common among infertile

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A substantial number of American couples are looking beyond just state-of-the-art fertility treatments to therapies dating back centuries in hopes of improving their chances of conceiving a baby, according to new research.

More than a quarter of northern California couples followed in a study sought help from acupuncture, herbal therapy and massage-often as a complement to conventional conception strategies such as in vitro fertilization. Rates were especially high among wealthy, older couples.

“We suggest that couples struggling to achieve pregnancy are more likely to seek out any treatment that offers hope,” Dr. James Smith of the University of California, San Francisco, who led the study, told Reuters Health in an email.

The research is the first in the U.S. to quantify the use of complementary and alternative medicine for infertility-a problem that afflicts 7 to 17 percent of American couples, note the researchers in the journal Fertility and Sterility. Overall, studies have shown that up to 40 percent of Americans use such remedies for all conditions.

As a first step toward understanding what motivates a couple’s decision to pursue alternative remedies, Smith and his team recruited 428 couples from eight reproductive clinics and followed them via questionnaires and interviews over the next 18 months.

During this period, 29 percent of the couples reported using some form of complementary and alternative medicine: 22 percent underwent acupuncture, 17 percent took herbal therapy, 5 percent had body work such as chiropractic or massage, and 1 percent tried meditation.

With every five-year increase in the woman’s age, the chances of her and her partner pursuing at least one of these strategies rose by about 29 percent, even after accounting for factors such as having previous children and the use of other infertility treatments.

Couples earning more than $200,000 were nearly three times more likely to seek alternative remedies than were those with combined incomes less than $100,000.

In another study, not yet published, Smith and his colleagues calculated the total out-of-pocket infertility costs for couples using in vitro fertilization at $16,550. A visit to the acupuncturist runs about $100, added Smith.

“Couples with higher incomes were more likely to have the financial resources to seek out” complementary and alternative remedies, said Smith, emphasizing the relevance of “complementary” over “alternative” in this case.

Perhaps less surprising, couples failing to achieve pregnancy had a nearly two and a half-fold increased chance of using such remedies compared to those successfully conceiving, and partners that had a positive attitude about the effectiveness of alternative treatments were 85 percent more likely to try it.

The authors say the study’s design may limit whether their findings can be generalized to the larger population, because the couples were self-selected and there were low numbers of certain racial and ethnic groups. And, Smith said, the study was not designed to test whether such treatments are effective.

SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility, online March 24, 2010.

This information is brought to you by Dr. XiPing Zhou, M.D.O.M., L.Ac.Dr. Zhou is founder & president of East West Healing Arts Institute Massage School, Dr. Zhou’s Acupuncture & Pain Management Clinic,Madison Family Wellness Community Clinic,  The Herbal Palace, &China Delight Tours. Visit anyone of these websites to learn about Chinese medicine and culture

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Med Students Say Conventional Medicine Would Benefit by Integrating Alternative Therapies

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Newswise — In the largest national survey of its kind, researchers from UCLA and UC San Diego measured medical students’ attitudes and beliefs about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and found that three-quarters of them felt conventional Western medicine would benefit by integrating more CAM therapies and ideas.

The findings will be published in the online issue of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM) on January 20, 2010.

“Complementary and alternative medicine is receiving increased attention in light of the global health crisis and the significant role of traditional medicine in meeting public health needs in developing countries,” said study author Ryan Abbott, a researcher at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. “Integrating CAM into mainstream health care is now a global phenomenon, with policy makers at the highest levels endorsing the importance of a historically marginalized form of health care.”

CAM, which includes therapies such as massage, yoga, herbal medicine and acupuncture, is characterized by a holistic and highly individualized approach to patient care. It’s emphasis is on maximizing the body’s inherent healing ability; getting patients involved as active participants in their own care; addressing the physical, mental and spiritual attributes of a disease; and preventive care. While interest in these fields has increased dramatically in the United States in recent years, information about such therapies has not yet been widely integrated into medical education.

“Even with the high prevalence of CAM use today, most physicians still know little about non-conventional forms of medicine,” said study author Michael S. Goldstein, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and professor of Public Health and Sociology, UCLA. “Investigating medical students’ attitudes and knowledge will help us assess whether this may change in the future.”

The team of UCLA and UC San Diego experts in the fields of CAM, integrative medicine, Western medicine, medical education and survey development created a novel 30-question survey and sent it to 126 medical schools throughout the United States. In return, the team received 1,770 completed surveys from a pool of about 68,000 medical students nationwide, roughly three percent.

While the current results offer valuable insight into medical students’ perceptions of CAM, given the low response rate, researchers plan future studies to further refine the tool and see if the findings can be more generalized.

Researchers found that although medical students endorsed the importance of complementary and alternative medicine, obstacles remain that may prevent future doctors from recommending these treatments in their practices. According to the findings:

• 77 percent of participants agreed to some extent that patients whose doctors know about complementary and alternative medicine in addition to conventional medicine, benefit more than those whose doctors are only familiar with Western medicine.
• 74 percent of participants agreed to some extent that a system of medicine that integrates therapies of conventional and complementary and alternative medicine would be more effective than either type of medicine provided independently.
• 84 percent of participants agreed to some extent that the field contains beliefs, ideas, and therapies from which conventional medicine could benefit.
• 49 percent of participating medical students indicated that they have used complementary and alternative treatments however few would recommend or use these treatments in their practice until more scientific assessment has occurred.

“Our research suggests that persuading doctors to integrate CAM will require investment in the types of clinical research that form the backbone of Western medicine,” adds Abbott. “Even now, medical schools have the opportunity to train the next generation of medical practitioners in health care systems outside of conventional medicine. Core values of CAM can help students develop a more holistic and individualized approach to patient care.”

The study also found that the further along in school the student was, the more likely they were to believe their learning regarding CAM therapies was sufficient. Still, researchers note that more than 60 percent of participants favored more education related to this field during their time in medical school. Although more than half of all U.S. medical schools currently offer some type of CAM course, researchers say these courses could be augmented or streamlined into more formal, standardized curricula.

“Although the content of integrative medicine programs remains controversial, medical schools across the country are moving forward with ambitious new programs to teach the next generation of health care leaders,” said Dr. Ka Kit Hui, Wallis Annenberg Chair in Integrative East-West Medicine at UCLA, founder and director, UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, and chair, of UCLA’s Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine. “Through the Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine, UCLA has become one of the nation’s leading academic centers for integrative medical education. UCLA offers training programs for health sciences students and residents, as well as fellowships for clinicians and researchers.”

Hui added that the importance of integrative medical education is increasingly being realized outside of UCLA. Forty-four highly esteemed academic medical centers now comprise the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, which was established to advance the principles and practices of integrative health care within academic institutions. It provides a community of support for academic missions and a collective voice for influencing change. The Consortium also helps disseminate evidence-based information on CAM, informs health care policy, and supports medical education.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Gerald Oppenheimer Family Foundation, and the Annenberg Foundation.

Source: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

This information is brought to you by Dr. XiPing Zhou, M.D.O.M., L.Ac. Dr. Zhou is founder & president of East West Healing Arts Institute Massage School, Dr. Zhou’s Acupuncture & Pain Management Clinic, Madison Family Wellness Community Clinic,  The Herbal Palace, & China Delight Tours. Visit anyone of these websites to learn about Chinese medicine and culture.

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