Acupuncture Rising II

1958: Acupuncture Anesthesia
In acupuncture medicine, 1958 was bench-marked by an extraordinary development: the discovery of acupuncture anesthesia, one of the most spectacular modern applications of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
In acupuncture anesthesia, the insertion and manipulation of acupuncture needles replaces anesthetic drugs. Patients are awake and even talking to their surgeons while undergoing major surgical procedures. The first successful instance of acupuncture anesthesia occurred in 1958, in Shanghai No. 1 People's Hospital. Dr. Yin Huizhu performed a tonsillectomy without the use of conventional anesthesia by applying acupuncture to Hegu (LI 4) acupoints. The case was immediately reported in Shanghai's Liberation Daily.¹
This extraordinary discovery was immediately followed by an observational study with 74 patients participating. A fairly high success rate was reported and published in the Shanghai Chinese Medicine Journal.² Subsequently, hospitals all over China rapidly assimilated this breakthrough procedure. Between 1958 and 1986, more than two million procedures using acupuncture anesthesia were performed in Chinese hospitals, including operations on the brain, face, neck, chest, abdomen and limbs, either without drug-induced anesthesia or with only a small dose of conventional anesthesia. More than one hundred different surgical procedures have been conducted using only acupuncture anesthesia, including significant surgeries such as thyroidectomy, hysterectomy, heart surgery, and subtotal gastrectomy.³ The enthusiastic popularization of acupuncture anesthesia in the 1960's led to widespread total replacement of conventional anesthesia by acupuncture anesthesia in a variety of surgical operations. China officially announced acupuncture anesthesia to the world in China's People's Daily in 1971⁴. During the 1970's, the more rational practice of combining acupuncture with conventional anesthesia to reduce the overall dosage of anesthetics became the norm. A quiescent period followed in 1980's, but acupuncture anesthesia never disappeared from Chinese medical practice. From the 1990's on there has been a resurgence of interest in acupuncture anesthesia in both research and practice.
How does acupuncture anesthesia actually work? Although acupuncture is involved in many aspects of the anesthesia process, the central theme of the mechanism of acupuncture anesthesia is acupuncture analgesia (AA). The analgesic effect is accomplished through the production and regulation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. When acupuncture needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points on or under the skin, nerve fibers in the underlying tissues are stimulated. This stimulation sends impulses to the spinal cord, activating the spinal cord, midbrain and hypothalamus-pituitary complex to release neurotransmitters. Incoming pain messages are blocked by the release of neurotransmitters such as enkephalin and dynorphin. The midbrain uses enkephalin to activate the raphe descending system which inhibits spinal cord pain transmission. In the hypothalamus-pituitary center, the pituitary gland releases endorphin into the blood and cerebrospinal fluid to produce an analgesic effect. Nerve cell extensions from the hypothalamus to the midbrain stimulate the midbrain's production of endorphin, which activates the descending analgesia system⁵.
The discovery and development of acupuncture anesthesia is a remarkable chapter in the ongoing story of Chinese medicine. Scientific research into the effects and applications of acupuncture are now being conducted in countries around the world. Although acupuncture is an ancient treatment modality, it continues to provide a seemingly inexhaustible supply of avenues for exploration.

 This article has been  published in Acupuncture Today.

Acupuncture Rising

Acupuncture Rising: From Acupuncture Anesthesia to Assisted-IVF, Part 1

By Changzhen Gong, PhD

Acupuncture's cultural and historical roots go back to the emergence of Chinese civilization. For more than 2,000 years, acupuncture needling has been continuously practiced on the largest population in the world.

As a system of medical treatment, acupuncture's prevalence and robustness are continuously demonstrated by strong public demand, growing scientific evidence, and vast institutional support. Over the last thirty-odd years, students, scholars, researchers and practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese medicine in the United States have witnessed a swift rise in popular acceptance of acupuncture therapy, hand-in-hand with the profession's steady advancement.

Although the increasing momentum of acupuncture acceptance and awareness in the West is based on a solid foundation of daily work and practice by tens of thousands of practitioners around the world, the acupuncture profession has also been shaped by a succession of historical landmark events.

This article has been  published in Acupuncture Today.

A Chinese Herb Study

A Chinese Herb Study

Plants of the genus Mahonia Nuttall (Berberidaceae) have a long history of medical use in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of a wide range of health disorders, such as tuberculosis, periodontitis, dysentery, pharyngolaryngitis, eczema, and wounds. In the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), most Mahonia species exert the effects of relieving internal heat, eliminating dampness, removing toxins, suppressing pain, promoting blood circulation, inhibiting cough and alleviating inflammation. The aim of the review is to provide comprehensive summary on ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical trials of Mahonia species used in TCM based on scientific literature. Available scientific evidence supporting the therapeutic effects of Mahonia species in TCM is demonstrated and opportunities for future research are discussed to highlight the scientific gaps in our knowledge that deserves further investigation.

The available information on the ethnopharmacological uses in Chinese medicine, phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical practice of the genus Mahonia was collected from Chinese Herbal Classics, published books, un-published resources, dissertations and various worldwide-accepted scientific databases: CNKI, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, Wiley, TPL(www.theplantlist.org), SciFinder, and Embase.

A variety of ethnomedical usages of Mahonia have been recorded in ancient Chinese books and references. The phytochemical research of this genus has resulted in the identification of more than 150 chemical constituents, among which alkaloids are predominant. The isolated compounds and crude extracts have been shown to exhibit a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antimutagenic and analgesic properties. Preparations containing Mahonia species have been demonstrated to exert good efficacy for the clinical treatment of dysentery, internal and external haemorrhage, acne vulgaris and chronic pharyngitis, among other diseases.

The available scientific references demonstrate that the traditional medical uses of some important Mahonia species in TCM have been evaluated in modern pharmacological studies. Isoquinoline alkaloids may contribute to some of the activities shown by the plants of this genus. However, further studies employing scientific technologies and methods are warranted to reveal the phytochemistry of this genus, particularly to detail the active compounds and the underlying mechanisms.

Source: He JM, Mu Q. The medicinal uses of the genus Mahonia in traditional Chinese medicine: An ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Sep 17.

Australian Prime Minister Uses Chinese Medici

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s health secrets could help him live to 130 years old

Medicine man ... Dr Shuquan Liu is the Chinese doctor who helped Malcolm Turnbull lose 14 kilos in 2011. Picture: Rebecca Michael

MALCOLM Turnbull could become the country’s longest serving Prime Minister ever, living up to age 130 if he keeps to the treatment protocol of the Chinese Medicine guru who helped him lose 14 kilos.

The 60-year-old Mr Turnbull took drastic action to reduce his weight back in 2011 using the services of Dr Shuquan Liu’s extreme fasting 101 Wellbeing Program.

Now the multi-millionaire works out on a rowing machine, cycles and swims and survives on five hours’ sleep a night.

With a price tag of between $4,000 and $9,000, Dr Liu’s weight loss services are for high rollers and he’s reportedly also treated Australian Securities Commission chief Greg Medcraft and Aussie Home Loans’ founder John Symond.

The 47-year-old Dr Liu, who spent five years studying Chinese medicine in China where he achieved a PHD, continues to treat Mr Turnbull for ailments like tennis elbow.

“Malcolm is doing very well, he looks healthy, he looks good,” says Dr Liu.

In good shape ... Malcolm Turnbull finishes the 1km Cold Power swim from North Bondi beach in 2011.

Dr Liu’s treatment philosophy is based on the idea that a person’s organs have a set life that is determined by DNA and won’t change after the age of 18 and they are built to sustain only a normal weight.

“From then how long organs last is set, that should be between 100 and 130 years old,” Dr Liu said.

However, he says if we overeat and treat our bodies badly, we damage the organs and can’t fulfil our life potential.

“I want my patients to use their life potential to the maximum,” he says.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Australia has four clinics in NSW and one in Melbourne where more than 55,000 clients have been treated for weight loss cancer, diabetes and other health problems.

Many clients lose up to 8kg in weight and 10cm from their waist in two weeks by fasting, drinking a mysterious herbal mixture and receiving massage, acupuncture to their stomach, cupping and reflexology treatments.

Health guru ... Dr Shuquan Liu’s philosophy is based on the idea that a person’s organs have a set life that is determined by DNA. Picture: Rebecca Michael

After the full 101 days of treatment their weight loss peaks at between 18 to 24 kilos.

Dr Liu told News Corp Australia that the first four weeks of treatment involves an organ cleanse and toxin release, the next four weeks are for repair and recovery, then four weeks of maintenance.

In the first two weeks clients fast and consume a brew of Chinese herbs three times a day with black tea and water allowed. In week three, a small amount of food is allowed — half a cucumber on day one, then small amounts of cooked white fish, prawns, chicken or egg and a herbal brew every second day.

“Once you reset your body is clean, if you allow your organs to repair you don’t feel like you want to eat more and if you do you feel discomfort,” Dr Liu said.

Dr Liu said his program is based around resetting the organs in a patient’s body so they work in balance and every patient gets a different herbal mixture to suit their individual needs.

Those who have undertaken the program claim the herbal brew doesn’t taste good and Dr Liu says it removes body toxins through the urine but he would not reveal the recipe.

“Some people feel unwell,” he said, adding that most of his patients don’t feel hungry.

 “I must say that I found the fast extremely informative because it made me realise I am in control of my own body and can control my appetite,” Mr Turnbull said in 2012 on his weight loss. “It is a very good insight.”

While former Liberal Prime Ministers like Tony Abbott and John Howard have made a public feature of their exercise habits — John Howard’s walks and Tony Abbott’s cycles and swims — Mr Turnbull has no such plans.

His advisers say he’s unlikely to be seen working up a sweat in public.

The PM revealed this week that like the evil fictional political hero of US television show House of Cards, Frances Underwood, he uses a rowing machine to keep fit.

“I’ve got nothing in common with Frances Underwood other than we both use a rowing machine,” he told the Sunrise program.

The PM, who owns a harbourside mansion, can also be seen kayaking on Sydney Harbour, he cycles around Lake Burley Griffin and walks to work in Canberra, although that is likely to stop now he’s running the country.

“The secret to weight loss is to eat less,” Mr Turnbull told News Corp Australia this week.

“Exercise is very important and do as much as you can but the only way to lose weight is to eat less,” he said.

World leaders are famous for needing little sleep.

The late British PM Margaret Thatcher got by on four hours a night, former PM Kevin Rudd started work at six in the morning and went to bed around two or 3am according to his wife Therese.

New PM Malcolm Turnbull goes to bed before midnight and rises at 5am.

A New Book on TCM for Cancer

Active Phytochemicals from Chinese Herbal Medicines: Anti-Cancer Activities and Mechanisms 1st Edition

by Wing Shing Ho

Chinese herbal medicine represents complementary or adjunctive therapies that often can improve the efficacy of Western medicine to achieve the pharmacological effects, especially in cancer treatment. However, the combination of herbs with therapeutic drugs can raise potential health risk. Building a bridge between Western medicine and herbal medicines, Active Phytochemicals from Chinese Herbal Medicines: Anti-Cancer Activities and Mechanisms gives you useful information on how integrated medicines can work for cancer therapy. It discusses the therapeutic uses of phytochemicals, adverse effects, and interactions with (Western) cancer drugs.
The author takes a unique approach to integrated pharmacology of herbal medicines, examining the development of phytochemicals and their mechanisms of action in the context of the cancers and diseases they are used to treat. He covers biologic action of the active phytochemicals at the molecular, cellular, and organ levels. The book covers the principles of the interaction of phytochemicals and the related drug actions. It also addresses the common pathways affecting cancer development before discussing the phytochemical classes and specific phytochemicals that have been recently reported in journal papers for the management of cancer and other diseases.
Highlighting the increasingly important aspects of pharmacology, including health benefit and drawbacks of phytochemcials, the book presents the relevant background of the biochemistry of the cancer. It includes illustrations and tables with adverse reactions that highlight important issues related to phytochemical actions. These features and more make the book a useful reference on phytochemicals obtained from herbal medicines. It blends coverage of fundamental mechanisms of anti-cancer action and the use of phytochemicals to manage cancers and other human diseases, allowing you to explore how herbal medicines can enhance conventional protocols.

A New Acupuncture Study for Asthma

A New Acupuncture Study for Asthma

Although asthma symptoms can be temporarily controlled, it is recommended to use effective low-risk, non-drug strategies to constitute a significant advance in asthma management. Acupuncture has been traditionally used to treat asthma; however, the evidence for the efficacy of this treatment is still lacking. Previous clinical trials of acupuncture in treating asthma were limited by methodological defects; therefore, high-quality research is required. This trial is designed as a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group controlled trial. Patients with mild to moderate asthma will be randomly allocated to either a verum acupuncture plus as-needed salbutamol aerosol and/or prednisone tablets group or a sham acupuncture plus as-needed salbutamol aerosol and/or prednisone tablets group. Acupoints used in the verum acupuncture group are GV14 (Da Zhui), BL12 (Feng Men), BL13 (Fei Shu) and acupoints used in the sham acupuncture group are DU08 (Jin Suo), BL18 (Gan Shu), BL19 (Dan Shu). After a baseline period of 1 week, the patients in both groups will receive verum/sham acupuncture once every other day with a total of 20 treatment sessions in 6 weeks and a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome will be measured by using the asthma control test and the secondary outcomes will be measured by using the percentage of symptom-free days, the average dosage of salbutamol aerosol and/or prednisone tablets, lung functions, daily asthma symptom scores, asthma quality of life questionnaire, and so on. This trial will assess the effect of acupuncture on asthma and aims to provide reliable clinical evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in treating asthma.

Source: Yin LM, Wang Y, Fan L, Xu YD, Wang WQ, Liu YY, Feng JT, Hu CP, Wang PY, Zhang TF, Shao SJ, Yang YQ. Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic asthma: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Sep 23;16(1):424.