Herbal Treatment | Chinese Alternative Medicine

Homeopathy as an Effective Alternative Medicine

While homeopathy is considered a type of alternative medicine, it is also the second most widely used type of medicine in the world. Even in the United States, the use of homeopathic remedies is increasing by 25% to 50% each year. These remedies can be found in pharmacies, vitamin stores, and health food stores, but many people aren’t sure what homeopathy is or how it works.

Homeopathic medicine attempts to treat symptoms by exposing the patient to a diluted substance that would cause the same symptoms. For example, if a patient’s symptoms are similar to those caused by mercury poisoning, they would be treated with a highly diluted form of mercury. When a homeopathic expert says that the formulas are highly diluted, they are not exaggerating. Many of these formulas are diluted by one billion or more parts of water. Similar theories are used to make vaccines and to treat allergies in common pharmaceuticals.

Critics of homeopathy point to the high levels of dilution to call this alternative medicine treatment option a hoax. After all, some homeopathic potions are diluted to the point that no active molecules of the original substance can even be found. While official studies often report conflicting information, anecdotal evidence proves that homeopathic therapy is extremely effective for certain individuals.

Because there is virtually no chance of side effects with homeopathic medicine, there’s little harm in trying one as an alternative medicine to harsher prescriptions. This natural medicine can even be taken along with traditional over-the-counter or prescription medications. With the wide variety of options available in homeopathic remedies, the real problem comes in finding the right one for an individual problem. Many symptoms overlap, and it can be a bit of trial and error to find the correct combination.

Benefits to this alternative medicine are numerous. Of course, it has already been mentioned that this is an effective, all-natural treatment option with few side effects. It is also provides rapid and complete solutions when the right formula is found. Homeopathic remedies work with the immune system, and once relief is provided, treatment can be stopped immediately.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine

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In use for over 2,000 years, traditional Chinese medicine is quite different from Western medicine. Instead of treating individual symptoms, traditional Chinese medicine takes a holistic approach to health care and looks at the patient as a whole. This type of treatment attempts to diagnose various syndromes caused primarily by a dysfunction in the core zang-fu organs.

The zang-fu organs make up the inner core of the human body. Everything is connected through a system of channels and blood vessels within the human body. Qi, or Chi, is the energy force that carries information that is expressed to the external world through the jingluo system. Traditional Chinese medicine analyzes the entire system before focusing on correcting the system by making readjustments.

Traditional Chinese medicine evaluates the patient by looking at the cause, location, and type of disease ad well as body resistance. The resulting treatment plan is based on the symptoms and the differences in presentation. For this reason, many patients with the same disease may be given a different treatment plan and vice versa.

While traditional Chinese medicine uses a variety of treatment methods that appear to be very different on the surface, each one is attempting to realign the patient’s Chi, or inner energy forces, to correct any problems with the zang-fu organs. Acupuncture may try to realign the body’s energy flow through external means, while herbal remedies attempt to do much the same from the inside. Qigong is an exercise method used in traditional Chinese medicine that also tries to return the body’s information and energy flows back to normal by regulating the Chi.

The theories of yin-yang and the five elements provides a basis for traditional Chinese medicine. Yin and yang is a theory that there is a wide range of opposites in the universe and in the body itself. The five elements are fire, earth, wood, metal, and water. Similar to the yin-yang theory, this philosophical concept is used to explain the relationship between the natural environment and the pathology of the human body.

Filed Under: Healthy Medicine, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Qigong as a Form of Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine uses a variety of natural methods to not only cure illnesses, but to proactively prevent disease. While Western medicine would agree that exercise is beneficial, it doesn’t actually promote a specific form to promote health. In Chinese medicine, qigong is often recommended as a good way to build mental and physical health, learn martial arts, and find self-enlightenment. Tai Chi is the most well-known for of qigong.

Qigong, pronounced Chi Kung, improves the immunity responses, increases self-healing and self-recovery, and enhances the body’s regeneration capabilities. It can help chronic conditions like degenerative bone disease, diabetes, allergies, asthma, hypertension, cancer, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Other major uses of qigong include building bone density, managing stress, cancer treatment, arthritis, physical rehabilitation, back pain, and general health maintenance.

The Chinese Health Qigong Association officially recognized four different exercises for health purposes in 2003. The tendon-changing classic is known as Yi Jin Jing. Wu Qin Xi is referred to as the five frolicking animals. Liu Zi Jue is the art of expiration in six sounds. Eight pieces of brocade or eight excellent movements is known as Ba Duan Jin. Each of the four is a standard Qigong exercise for general health maintenance.

While qigong is an alternative medicine technique that has a spiritual element, the physical part involves movement, stretching, self-massage, and breathing. Simple qigong exercises can be done anywhere and at anytime. At its most simple form, qigong can be performed by doing the three intentful corrections that adjust the posture, the breath, and the mind.

The first intentful correction is to improve posture to unblock energy flows, increase stamina, and reduce potential injuries. Controlled breathing is the second intentful correction. This involves abdominal breathing where the lower abdomen fills completely with air before the chest and then empties during the exhale. Finally, the third intentful correction involves creating a mental state of awareness to reduce levels of stress and achieve pure awareness of the moment. This awareness tries to reduce thoughts of everyday problems and allows you to concentrate on what you are doing at that exact point in time.

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Reiki, an Alternative Medicine Method

Reiki is a form of alternative medicine that was originally developed in Japan. In a reiki treatment, the practitioner places their hands lightly on the patient’s body or slightly about the skin’s surface. It is thought to promote the body’s inner ability to heal itself. Advocates claim that reiki treatments can bring relief from symptoms of various diseases or from the side effects that many traditional medical treatments produce.

Currently, reiki is not regulated in the United States although it is officially recognized as an alternative medicine treatment. Almost anyone can learn to practice reiki regardless of their educational background. Many wellness centers and natural health stores offer reiki treatments, and some doctor’s offices are beginning to offer this type of therapy.

Reiki works on the theory that there is a universal source of energy that promotes the body’s own healing process. The reiki practitioner is trained to tap into this energy and help it flow more freely into the patient’s body. Traditionally, reiki was a form of self-care, but it has become more common for a reiki expert to administer a treatment to a patient. The most interesting part of the reiki experience is that it can be done from a distance. For example, a reiki therapist can perform a treatment on a patient over the phone or even over the internet.

During an in-person reiki session, the patient can either sit or lie down while fully clothed. The reiki practitioner places their hands just above the body with their palms down. They use a set of 12 to 15 hand positions, holding each one for two to five minutes or until they feel that the flow of energy has stopped. This flow can best be described as a hot or tingly sensation that the practitioner feels in their hands, and the patient feels in the treated area.

Depending on the health needs of the patient, the number of required sessions can vary. In most cases, there will be about four appointments that last for 30 to 90 minutes. Reiki sessions given within a health care setting can be much shorter.

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Herbs Used in Chinese Medicine can Ease Cancer Nausea

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Chinese medicine is full of natural methods to relieve nausea and other cancer symptoms without harsh chemicals. An ancient Chinese herbal remedy is showing great promise in animal studies for its potential to not only reduce the nausea that comes with chemotherapy treatments, but it also seems to make the treatments more effective. This breakthrough appears to be a win-win for everyone concerned.

Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng is a professor of pharmacology at Yale University. Among his studies of Chinese medicine and other alternative medicine treatments, he has been studying the effects of huang quin tang, a herbal preparation that has been used in China for over 1,800 years to help stomach disorders. This remedy is a combination of four different Chinese herbs.

In the study, Dr. Cheng split a set of mice into two separate groups. One group was given chemotherapy drugs alone, while the other group was given both chemotherapy and the huang quin tang herbal remedy from traditional Chinese medicine. The second group lost less weight than the first group. In addition, new cells were generated in their gastro-intestinal tract and less inflammation was seen. As an unexpected bonus, more cancer cells were destroyed than in the first group of mice.

The Chinese medicine herbal remedy of huang quin tang is used in China today to relieve diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal disorders. The remedy is a combination of Paeonia lactiflora Pall, Scutelleria baicalensis Georgi, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, and Ziziphus jujuba Mill. The study did not determine if all four herbs are required to achieve any benefit, or if one is responsible for each benefit that was seen. Dr. Cheng, Yale University, and the National Cancer Institute are investigating the potential to release this formula for human use in the Western world.

This could be an answer to many problems for chemotherapy patients who experience excessive nausea with their treatments. Instead of experiencing unrelieved symptoms or relying on harsh chemical treatments, they may be able to take advantage of the same tried and true herbal remedy that has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries.

Filed Under: Alternative Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Herbalism, National Cancer Institute, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yale University

Alternative Medicine Remedies for Anxiety

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Many people suffer from uncontrolled anxiety on a daily basis and look to alternative medicine for natural herbal remedies. Most everyone experience anxiety from time to time. It’s normal and was once a valuable survival instinct. However, if excessive anxiety is felt on a daily basis and interferes with a person’s normal functioning, it should be treated. Alternative medicine offers several herbal remedies for those who would prefer to try them instead of harsher prescription medications.

The passionflower herb has been used throughout history to control anxiety and insomnia. Studies have reported that passionflower has a similar effect as the class of anxiety medications known as benzodiazepines which include drugs like valium and xanax. This herbal alternative medicine does come with side effects including nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and rapid heartbeat. Care should be taken when combining any other herb or medicine with passionflower.

Mind and body techniques have also shown to be effective alternative medicine remedies for anxiety. This area includes massage, yoga, tai chi, meditation, and biofeedback. It appears that when the body relaxes, so does the mind.

Valerian is a root that has traditionally helped people with insomnia get a better night’s sleep. It is also known to help with mild anxiety. Valerian can take several weeks to work and shouldn’t be used for extended periods of time. Side effects can include dizziness, headaches, and heart palpitations. Don’t take valerian with other sedatives or alcohol.

Kava is another herb that has been found to help with anxiety. However, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about supplements containing Kava. Numerous cases of liver damage have been reported after using this herbal remedy.

Aromatherapy is an alternative medicine technique that is virtually side effect free. Many people find that certain scents instantly relax them and induce a calm state. Lavender is the most well-known fragrance that brings relaxation and reduces anxiety. The essential oils from certain plants can be added to infusers, bath water, and massage oils for aromatherapy. In addition to lavender, other relaxing scents include bergamot, geranium, cypress, jasmine, rose, melissa, sandalwood, neroli, and ylang-ylang.

Filed Under: Alternative Medicine, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Alternative medicine, Aromatherapy, Health, Herbalism

Naturopathy as an Alternative Medicine Option

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One type of alternative medicine provider is a Doctor of Naturopathy. A Naturopathic doctor, designated as an ND as opposed to an MD, bases their practice on the human body’s inner healing ability. They instruct their patients to modify their diet, exercise routines, and lifestyle and use new natural therapies to increase their innate ability to prevent and fight disease. Instead of focusing on a single part of the body or a set of symptoms, an ND views the patient as a whole person with interrelated systems. When a patient chooses an ND, they experience the best combination of modern medicine and natural medicine. In order to treat their patients, Naturopathic physicians seek out the root cause of an illness by following six basic principles.

An ND’s first principle is to let nature heal. The body has an innate capability to heal itself. A Naturopath will find and remove any barrier to the self-healing process like poor diet or unhealthy habits.

The second principle is to identify and treat the root cause of an illness. The ND understands that the symptoms will continue to return until the initial cause is corrected. They do not attempt to simply cover up symptoms with medications.

Do no harm is the third principle in the alternative medicine technique. A Naturopath will use safe procedures and healing substances like supplements, herbal extracts, and homeopathic remedies that have a low potential for side effects. They will only suppress symptoms when absolutely necessary because these are the body’s way of naturally trying to self-heal. Symptoms are suppressed if they become dangerous. An ND will see each patient as an individual that needs a customized diagnosis and treatment plan.

A doctor of Naturopathy’s fourth principle is to educate patients about nutrition, exercise, and relaxation techniques. The ND uses the fifth principle to treat the whole person as an individual with their own unique needs each of which contribute to their health. The sixth principle is to prevent illness. An ND will proactively evaluate heredity and other risk factors to prevent disease.

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The Basic Theory Of Chinese Medicine

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The theory of Chinese medicine revolves around the philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang is a long held Chinese idea of living in harmony with nature and having opposing balance, even going so far as to correspond with the four seasons and the 24 hour cycle of 4 time zones throughout the day – sunrise, noon, sunset, and evening. Everything in the universe is divided into two parts, the Yin and Yang: darkness versus light, feminine versus masculine, rest versus activity, north versus south, and right versus left, cold versus hot.
However, when it comes to Chinese medicine specifically, in terms of physiological functions, Yin and Yang can be split into form versus energy, contraction versus expansion, below versus above, and growing versus generating. This definition of Yin and Yang is very important in Chinese medicine, because it can help a skilled practitioner determine where an imbalance of chi – or, a persons life force - is, and how such an imbalance of chi can be fixed. For example, Chinese medicine teaches that Yin places of the body consist of the front of the body as well as the inner and solid organs like the liver and kidney, while Yang places of the body consist of the back of the body as well as the exterior and hollow organs like the stomach or intestine. If one were to have stomach cramps, for example, that would be an imbalance of Yang – thus, Chinese medicine dictates that it can be balanced out by treatment of giving a person more Yin by making a traditional herbal prescription. In a more simplified example of Chinese medicine at work, if a person is cold – a Yin sign – then such an ailment can be cured with heat – a Yang sign. However, because there are so many aspects of Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine, it takes a professional to help determine how to keep ones body balanced properly if there is an imbalance within.

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The Emotions Behind Chinese Medicine

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Chinese medicine is a philosophy based off of how the human body works as a universe in itself. The basic concept of Chinese medicine consists of balance within the body and its interconnected systems, focusing on the flow of body fluids – chi. The internal and external philosophy is one based on how internal emotions can lead to an imbalance of chi, causing external symptoms to manifest and point out certain illnesses occurring within the body.
This idea in Chinese medicine believes the development of disease is based on emotional disturbance. Sorrow generally reduces chi, and affects the lungs by causing asthmatic symptoms like irregular breathing, as the lungs control respiratory reactions. Fear represses chi and effects the kidneys, and such imbalance can lead to anything from urinary problems to poor short-term memory, as the kidneys effect the bladder and are a key part in telling the body to distribute oxygen to the brain. Anger stimulates chi and affects the liver, an imbalance that causes irritability and headaches, as the liver produces the biochemical’s that help process food and nutrients. Brooding affects chi of the spleen by congealing it, causing digestive issues. Joy calms chi and affects the heart; and though joy may not seem like an emotion that would hinder the body with negative effects, Chinese medicine deems that too much of a good thing can lead to excess stress and an inability to stay restful.
These are the seven key emotions in Chinese medicine. Having an imbalance of emotions – anything from too much emotion to too little emotion – can cause negative effects on one’s chi, disrupting the body and causing disease or illness. Luckily, by understanding the symptoms listed, a skilled practitioner in Chinese medicine can figure out which part of the body is being affected by an imbalance of chi, and easily help rebalance the body.

Filed Under: Chinese Herbal Medicine, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Alternative, Health, Heart, Liver, Lung, Spleen, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Some Infertile Couples Seek Alternative Treatments

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For many people, it’s hard to imagine the pain that couples face when they’re dealing with infertility. Well-meaning family members and friends try to console them, if they’re aware of the problem. Infertility is a topic that’s somewhat taboo, reserved for hushed conversations with close friends. Ultimately, couples are left alone to deal with the monthly heartbreak of yet another negative pregnancy test.

Typically, it takes six months to a year of unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant before a physician recommends that a couple undergo diagnostic tests. Fertility experts seem to agree that 40 percent of the time, the man has a medical issue that’s preventing pregnancy and 40 percent of the time, it’s the woman’s health problem. The remaining 20 percent of cases involve fertility concerns for both the man and woman. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than seven million (nearly 12 percent) of women between the ages of 15 and 44 experience infertility.

There are a variety of medical procedures available to couples. Doctors may prescribe ovulation-enhancing drugs like Clomid or offer outpatient procedures like in utero insemination. More involved treatments like in vitro fertilization require multiple visits to the doctor, thousands of dollars in medication, and minor surgical procedures. Except in states where it’s illegal to do so, many insurance companies exclude fertility treatments and related prescriptions from coverage, leaving couples to bear the high costs themselves.

Before undertaking expensive procedures to get pregnant, many couples explore alternative treatments like acupuncture. Practitioners strategically place very thin needles into the patient’s body. This technique for bringing the body into balance has gained wide acceptance and popularity when it comes to treating infertility. In fact, many physicians who do in vitro fertilization strongly recommend that their patients get acupuncture treatments to compliment the procedure. Some infertile couples turn to naturopathy for help, a process that involves increased exercise, better nutrition, and improved emotional health. Massage is another popular treatment that can help some infertile couples. Alternative medicine can be an affordable source of healing and help for couples having problems getting pregnant.

Filed Under: Chinese Herbal Medicine, General, Herbal Treatment | Tagged: Tagged With: Alternative medicine, Clinics and Services, Health, In vitro fertilisation, Infertility, Medicine, Pregnancy, Reproductive Health