Maintain Your Health with Ginger

Ginger is a common recommendation in my clinic. Ginger is wonderful for digestive disorders and it is anti-inflammatory. Below is a very informative article, from Natural News.com, on the many benefits of ginger, it's history and use in Chinese herbal medicine.

by: Adrian Baume L.Ac., citizen journalist
July 25, 2009

Ginger has been cultivated and taken as a medicinal by numerous cultures for thousands of years to address symptoms such as upset stomach or nausea, to expel cold from the body and to stop a cough. In addition, recent studies have confirmed and expanded our understanding of this herb's healing abilities, including ginger's ability to protect the stomach lining and inhibit the secretion of gastric acid. Ginger's botanical name is Zingiber officinale, with the genus name Zingiber deriving from a Sanskrit word meaning "horn-shaped" in reference to the shape of the protrusions on the ginger rhizome. While the exact origins of Ginger are not known, we do know that it has been cultivated in China and India for millennia, and it reached the West over two-thousand years ago.

Numerous studies have demonstrated ginger's anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger's nausea-reducing actions are attributed to its ability to increase digestive fluids, as well as neutralize stomach acid and toxins. Ginger has been shown to increase the action and tone of the bowels, as well as increase bile secretion. Ginger also reduces the stickiness of blood platelets, and may therefore help reduce one's risk of atherosclerosis.

It is interesting to note, too, that ginger has been employed in Chinese herbal medicine for thousands of years due to its numerous beneficial properties. Called Sheng-jiang in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, ginger used alone as a single herb is considered to alleviate nausea, dispel pathogens by inducing sweating, expel cold, as well as stop coughing and reduce excess phlegm in the lungs.

In Chinese herbal medicine, Sheng-jiang, or fresh ginger, is considered to have very different properties than Gan-jiang, or dried ginger. Gan-jiang is useful for "cold" pain of the stomach and abdomen, diarrhea due to "cold" in the abdomen, cough, and rheumatism, among other uses. Dried ginger has also been shown to inhibit vomiting.

Additionally, fresh ginger is considered in Chinese herbal medicine to have a moderating or detoxifying effect on other more harsh herbs. For this reason, ginger is found as a component of many different Chinese herbal formulas (clusters of herbs combined together for their overall synergistic effects) for the treatment of symptoms ranging from the common cold, to allergic rhinitis, influenza, chronic nephritis, headache, and chronic laryngitis. It should be noted that ginger won't directly treat the symptoms listed above unless combined with other herbs in the proper formula for an individual patient's particular case.

A recent study published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that ginger protects the gastric mucosa from stress-induced mucosal lesions and inhibits gastric acid secretion, due in part to inhibiting growth of h. pylori as well as offering anti-oxidant protection against gastric damage. This seems to clearly confirm the popular use of ginger in Ayurvedic, eastern, and folk medicine traditions for its medicinal properties.

Sources for this article:

http://stevenfoster.com/education/m...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...

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.

To read more about Ginger check out my enthusiastic post Why This Chicago Acupuncturist Loves Ginger

To read the original article click here

Chinese Herbs Provide Relief Following Surgery For Endometriosis

British researchers have concluded that Chinese herbs may provide more relief than drugs following laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis.

In a review of Chinese research studies, some of which had to be discarded because of poor methodology, women had comparable benefits fewer adverse effects if they treated by Chinese herbal medicine.

Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder affecting as many as one in six women of reproductive age. It can cause pelvic pain, irregular and painful periods, and infertility. Surgical treatments do not always lead to long-term improvement in symptoms and drug treatments can have unpleasant side effects such as hot flushes, acne and weight gain so being able to turn to herbal medicines is an improvement for women.

A good deal of my practice is with women who have gynecological and fertility problems. Therefore, I can confirm the effectiveness of both acupuncture and herbs for many issues that afflict women.

More details about this study can be found in ScienceDaily (July 11, 2009)

The Chinese Medicine View Of The Menstrual Cycle

Women generally learn to be aware of the emotional, physical and hormonal ups and downs of their menstrual cycles. In addition to knowledge of your own body, I thought that you would find it interesting to know that Chinese medicine describes 4 universal stages of the menstrual cycle.

The 4 stages include:

Stage 1 - Chinese medicine considers the actual bleeding period as stage 1. These days comprise the transition from yang to yin in your cycle. You go from being at your most yang with higher temperatures to lower temperatures accompanied by bleeding.

Stage 2- The follicular phase, in TCM terms, is the growth of yin. Think in terms of the growing follicle which contains the egg soon to be released

Stage 3- Ovulation, in TCM, is the transition back from yin to yang in the cycle. You go from growing an egg to releasing it.

Stage 4- TCM considers the luteal phase as the final phase. During this time, yang begins to grow with ovulation and continues until your period.

This has been a general overview of each of the 4 stages of the menstrual cycle. For more information, check out my post on the yin and yang of the menstrual cycle.

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Attention Chicago Marathon Runners

4 reasons why acupuncture is an essential aspect of successful training

1. Acupuncture helps keep you in top form, healthy, high energy and pain free! It boosts your energy when you are awake and helps you sleep at night.

2. Acupuncture can help reduce inflammation and relax muscle tension.

3. Acupuncture helps injuries to heal faster so you do not miss training time.

4. Acupuncture reduces and often eliminates pain. An important benefit for serious runners is that the stimulation of acupuncture points boosts the activity of your body's natural painkillers and increases blood flow.

Chicago Marathon Runners Consider Acupuncture

if you have any of the following:

1. sprains, strains, tendonitis, shin splints, pulled hamstring, muscle cramps, and muscle pulls or spasms
2. joint pain
3. muscle stiffness
4. headaches
5. arthritis
6. sciatica
7. knee pain
8. hip pain
9. plantar fascitis
10 fatigue or insomnia

Acupuncture is very helpful for these conditions and many others.

To read more about acupuncture and athletes click here

Acupuncture At Sea?

Some days are made for fantasizing... I just read this article in the Examiner about new innovations on Celebrity cruise lines. They now offer Chinese Medicine on their ships, perhaps I should become an acupuncturist of the high seas? What do you think? Here is an excerpt from the article.

"Celebrity is the first cruise line to offer acupuncture at sea with two to four doctors of oriental medicine on each ship in its fleet who perform acupuncture treatments for pain management, weight loss, smoking cessation and stress management. They also diagnose and treat specific syndromes with medicinal herb formulas and deliver talks on topics ranging from feng shui and nutrition to healing with herbs."

To read more about new innovations at sea click here

Lao Tzu On Letting Go

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”

Famous Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu (Lao Zi) was the author of the Tao Te Ching, the main text of Taoist thought. He is considered the father of Chinese Taoism. To read more about the Tao click here , to read more quotes by Lao Tzu click here

Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

More on Acupuncture and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome From: Acufinder.com
By: Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common job-related injuries and is responsible for the highest number of days lost among all work related injuries. It is the reason for over two million visits to physicians' offices and approximately 465,000 carpal tunnel release operations each year, making it the most frequent surgery of the hand and wrist.

Acupuncture is extremely effective at treating carpal tunnel syndrome; eliminating the need for surgery or the use of anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids. In fact, one of the most common reasons that people get acupuncture is for repetitive stress injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Recent studies even suggest that acupuncture may be more effective than corticosteroids when it comes to treating CTS.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist made up of ligaments and bones. The median nerve and the tendons that connect the fingers to the muscles of the forearm pass through this tightly spaced tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, also known as median nerve entrapment, occurs when swelling or irritation of the nerve or tendons in the carpal tunnel results in pressure on the median nerve. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers, as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move.

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb, index and middle fingers. The symptoms often first appear during the night. As symptoms worsen, people might feel pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm during the day. Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. If not properly treated, CTS can cause irreversible nerve damage and permanent deterioration of muscle tissue.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Acupuncture

From an Oriental medicine perspective, CTS is seen as a disruption of the flow of Qi and Blood within the area and associated with Cold, Dampness or Wind penetrating the muscles and sinews of the wrist. Acupuncture points, stretching exercises, herbal remedies and nutritional supplements are chosen to treat accordingly.

As well as reducing the swelling, inflammation and pain in the wrist, acupuncture addresses any headaches, neck pain, shoulder stiffness and sleeping problems that often accompany this condition.

Your treatment may also take into account any underlying conditions that contribute to the development of CTS including obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid problems, diabetes, hormonal changes of pregnancy and menopause.

Sources: Acupuncture: A Comprehensive Text. By Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1981 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Volume 105(5) April 2000 pp 1662-1665

Study Shows that Acupuncture Effective in Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is common especially among people who spend a lot of time on the computer. I've had several patients come in over the years complaining of persistent wrist pain. As with other types of pain acupuncture is often a great solution. So I was happy to read about this recent study on the web site Acufinder.com.

By: Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM

Acupuncture is as effective as the corticosteroid, prednisone, for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), according to a new study.

The randomized, controlled study that was published in the May 2009 issue of the Clinical Journal of Pain, investigated the efficacy of acupuncture compared with steroid treatment in patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome as measured by both nerve conduction studies and symptom assessment surveys.

Seventy-seven patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received eight acupuncture treatments over four weeks, and the other group received oral doses of prednisone, daily, for four weeks. The results showed that acupuncture was just as effective as the corticosteroid for pain, numbness, tingling and weakness. For the symptoms of night time awakening and motor function, the acupuncture group had better results.

The researchers concluded that acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment option for CTS for those who experience side effects to oral steroids or for those who do not opt for early surgery.

Source: The Clinical Journal of Pain. 25(4):327-333, May 2009. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e318190511c

Fire and the Season of Summer!

By David Tucker from the zen of healing blog

Fire and the Season of Summer!

The summer season is upon us. For the year, it is our most Yang time of year. And the sun is reaching out to love, connect, and warm all of that which grows in Nature. The same is true on an interpersonal level. The emotion connected to the Fire Element is Joy and the sound is Laughter. So the take-home message to live in harmony with Nature during this time is to laugh, love, and play!

Many relationships begin, deepen or come into full bloom. With a stronger sense of community, we may take up more extra-curricular activities that involve connecting with other people - playing sports or music, spiritual group, yoga class, knitting circle! This is the time to open up our hearts and let our love-light shine…

For more information on the Fire Element and its deeper aspects, click here.

to read Summer and Traditional Chinese Medicine click here

Acupuncture Provides Relief For Headaches

Headaches are a very common ailment in my clinic. Using acupuncture, I've been able to provide patients with tremendous relief. This article from the web site myOptumHealth.com provides a good explanation of acupuncture's effectiveness so I thought that many of you would like to read it.

Needling Away Your Headaches With Acupuncture

Suffering from chronic headaches? Studies show that this ancient Chinese healing technique may help relieve headaches and migraines.

By Jane Harrison, R.D., Staff Writer, myOptumHealth

Do you suffer from chronic headaches? Acupuncture treatment may help.

Studies show that this ancient Chinese healing technique may help relieve many types of pain, including some headaches.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, health is achieved by keeping the body in a balanced state. Practitioners believe disease is due to an imbalance of "qi" (pronounced "chee"), or energy force in the body. A blockage in the flow of qi, they say, can lead to disease and pain. In good health, qi is believed to flow freely through certain pathways known as meridians. Acupuncture points are found along these meridians.

What is involved?

Acupuncture involves inserting fine needles into specific points on your meridians. Stimulating these points is thought to aid the body's natural healing abilities.

The needles used are tiny and hair-thin. Most people feel little or no pain when they are inserted. Some say they feel energized by treatment, while others feel relaxed.

If you struggle with chronic headaches, acupuncture therapy may help. Among complementary treatments for pain management, acupuncture is one of the most widely used and well accepted by doctors.

Effect on migraines and tension headaches

Results from 33 trials involving over 6,000 people compared the use of acupuncture to medication. The findings showed that:

• Almost half of those treated with acupuncture plus pain medicine said it at least halved the number of tension and migraine headaches they got over an average of three months.
• Those treated with only acupuncture (no drugs) had fewer tension and migraine headaches than people who were given medication. They also reported fewer side effects.
• Another long-term study of people with headaches showed that acupuncture treatments led to fewer missed work days, less need for medication and fewer visits to the doctor.

When "fake" or "sham" acupuncture was compared to acupuncture done in the correct manner, the results were mixed:

• Several studies were done for prevention of muscle contraction headaches. They showed that people who were given the correct treatment had statistically fewer headaches than those who got the fake acupuncture.
• The results were not as clear for migraine headache sufferers. People in both groups - those who got the real and the "sham" acupuncture - reported about the same reduction in headaches.

Experts say the pain relief from the sham treatment may be due to the hands-on, repetitive stimulus of the needles. It may also be because people believe acupuncture works. This is known as the placebo effect.

Is acupuncture safe?

Talk to your doctor about acupuncture before you try it. It is usually safe in the hands of a licensed and qualified practitioner. Soreness or pain could result if the needle isn't placed properly, is defective or if you move during the treatment. If not done properly, you could also suffer an infection or damage to internal organs. Always be sure that the practitioner is using an unopened set of sterile, disposable, one-use needles.

Acupuncture therapy is becoming widely available. You may find it offered at your local hospital, at a pain center or through a neurologist. Ask your doctor for a referral. As with any treatment, talk to your doctor if your symptoms persist or get worse after this therapy.

To view the original article click here

Lucy Liu Includes Acupuncture Among Her Beauty Secrets

This is an excerpt from an interview Lucy Liu gave to InStyle.com in 2007

You sound very low maintenance. Do you have any beauty indulgences?

I splurge on acupuncture. It's preventative medicine: You go in once a month, and you get a little checkup so you're regulated. It keeps you healthy. My parents used to get acupuncture. It has been a part of my culture and my life for a long time, and it really, really works. It can help you lose weight, it can help your skin stay young -- and I've found it helps with jet lag. [Acupuncturists] look at your tongue and will say: "All right, you're drinking too much" or "You're emotional, aren't you?"

To read all of Lucy's beauty secrets click here

Gan Cao (Licorice Root) Offers Protection Against Breast and Skin Cancer

Several interesting articles about two types of cancer and Gan Cao, a commonly used herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine, have come out recently. Gan Cao is also known as licorice root.

The Detroit Alternative Medical Examiner reported that licorice has potential for preventing breast cancer. Gan Cao can be effective against breast cancer cells but, when taking the herb, it is important to also use a potassium supplement to avoid depletion of that element. Earlier research, conducted in 2002 at the Cancer Research Laboratory in Indianapolis, came to similar conclusions.

A story out of London states that researchers at the Cancer Research UK have found that Gan Cao could offer valuable protection against sunburn and skin cancer. It combats inflammation because Gan Cao, or licorice root, contains the active molecule glycyrrhizin which blocks AP-1, a protein that can cause inflammation and cancer.

Licorice root/Gan Cao is popularly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for digestive disorders, dry cough, to harmonize and moderate other herbs in formulas, to alleviate pain, stop spasms, and other symptoms.

Using Gan Cao (licorice root)

Licorice can be applied topically in the form glycyrrhizin to help skin cells recover after being damaged by UV light. And, if an area of your body is sunburned, apply a licorice balm. For general use, look for an organic sunscreen and after-sun formulation that contains licorice or glycyrrhizin. For added protection, take licorice internally as tea or as a supplement, but not if you have high blood pressure, because it elevates it.

I do not advise you to devise a program on your own. Please consult your experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner to purchase trusted herbs and get real benefits from Gan Cao.

Acupuncture Provides Improvement to Women with PCOS

According to a new study, women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can benefit from exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments because these treatments reduce sympathetic nerve activity. This finding is significant because elevated sympathetic nerve activity plays a role in hyperinsulinemia (a condition in which there are excess levels of circulating insulin in the blood), insulin resistance, and weight gain, problems for women with PCOS.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders, affecting an estimated 10% of women of reproductive age.

The study also found that the electro-acupuncture treatments led to more regular menstrual cycles, reduced testosterone levels and reduced waist circumference. “The findings that low-frequency electro-acupuncture and exercise decrease sympathetic nerve activity in women with PCOS indicates a possible alternative non-pharmacologic approach to reduce cardiovascular risk in these patients,” said one of the researchers, Dr. Elisabet Stener-Victorin of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The study was small, including 20 women with an average age of 30 years, divided into 3 groups: (1) low-frequency electro-acupuncture; (2) exercise; and (3) untreated controls.

Group (1) received 14 treatments during the 16-week study. Group (2) received pulse watches and were told to exercise regularly 3 days a week for 30 minutes. Group (3) was instructed on the importance of exercise and a healthy diet, the same instructions the experimental groups received, but were not specifically assigned to do anything differently.

After 16 weeks,

Both the (1) acupuncture and (2) exercise groups significantly decreased muscle sympathetic nerve activity compared to the control group.

The (1) acupuncture group experienced a drop in waist size, but not in body mass index or weight. Only the acupuncture group experienced fewer menstrual irregularities and there was a significant drop in testosterone.

The (2) exercise group experienced a drop in weight and body mass index but not in waist size.

The study by Stener-Victorin, E., et al, “Low-frequency electro-acupuncture and physical is in the online edition of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, published by The American Physiological Society.

Summer and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Summer is the time of year that is most yang. High yang means heat, maximum activity, and moving outward with our lives and into nature.

In TCM, the element associated with summer is fire which includes: the color red, the emotion of joy, bitter tasting foods, and the body organs of heart and small intestine and it relates to the tongue. When the fire element is in balance, your heart is strong and healthy, your mind is calm and your sleep is sound. On the other hand, when the fire element is not balanced, you may either lack joy (depression) or have an excess of joy (mania).

Because summer is the hottest season, to balance the heat, you need a diet that is cooling. Fresh fruits and vegetables are great choices. Examples of cooling foods include watermelon, asparagus, sprouts, corn, cucumber, spinach, and mint. Summer is a poor time to overdo spicy foods, alcohol, or caffeine because all of these foods provide heat rather than cool.

Happy Fourth Of July!

Happy Fourth of July!

Obama Positive Toward Acupuncture

This article is from Acupuncture Today
July, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 07
By Editorial Staff

During a recent Q&A session of a Presidential Town Hall meeting in St. Louis, one licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist in Florissant, Mo., got to ask President Barack Obama what must certainly be one of the most important questions in the minds of all alternative health practitioners.

Q: I'm a licensed acupuncturist and licensed massage therapist in Florissant. And so...

President Obama: I could use one right now. (Laughter.) My back is stiff. I've been working hard.

Q: I'll be happy to help you. (Laughter.) And this kind of fits into what you were just talking about as far as health care. I'm wondering, as a practitioner of Oriental medicine, knowing that the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization have discovered through their studies that alternative medicine often is more cost-effective and very effective, how will alternative medicine fit in your new health care program?

President Obama: Well, look, my attitude is that we should - we should do what works. So I think it is pretty well documented through scientific studies that acupuncture, for example, can be very helpful in relieving certain things like migraines and other ailments -- or are at least as effective as more intrusive interventions.

To read the entire article click here