Acupuncture
for PTSD
For the original research paper, click here.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Acupuncture for PTSD
For the original research paper, click here.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Eight-Needle Knee Technique
Upcoming Event
at American Academy of
Acupuncture and oriental Medicine
Wednesday, March 19
12:30 – 1:00 PM
Lunchtime Lecture Series Presents:
Eight-Needle Knee Technique
Presented by Dr. Cheng Chi
Acupuncture practitioners are always on the
look-out for acupuncture point combinations and techniques which consistently
and successfully treat the conditions they see in clinic. One of the commonest
conditions seen in acupuncture clinics is joint pain or arthritis.
Over many years of practice, Dr. Chi
developed and refined a specific method for treating knee pain: the 8-needle
technique for joint pain and arthritis. In this informative lecture, Dr. Chi
will share his 8-needle point combination and needling techniques with
attendees. Practitioners who apply Dr. Chi’s technique to their knee pain
patients should see immediate benefits and successful outcomes.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
How Does Acupuncture Work?
How
Does Acupuncture Work?
How
does acupuncture work? An answer in scientific language was provided in the
book, Basics of Acupuncture, written
by Gabriel Stux,
Brian Berman,
Bruce
Pomeranz, P. Kofen,
K.A. Sahm.
This 17-point answer is widely cited. A digital version of this answer is
available. Click here.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ted Kaptchuk’s Placebo Odyssey
Ted
Kaptchuk’s Placebo Odyssey
Ironically, says Kaptchuk, it was his
success as an acupuncturist that made him leave the profession for academia.
“Patients who came to me got better,” he says, but sometimes their relief began
even before he’d started his treatments. He didn’t doubt the value of
acupuncture, but he suspected something else was at work. His hunch was that it
was his engagement with patients—and perhaps even the act of caring itself.
To read the full story in Harvard Magazine, click here.
Monday, February 24, 2014
A Tale of Two Herbs
Danshen and Gegen Combination
Hong Kong researchers studied an herbal
combination of Dan Shen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix) and Ge Gen
(Puerariae Radix), and published their summary: "Ten Years' Research on a Cardiovascular
Tonic". Over the past decade, this research group has investigated the
quality control and safety of this herbal combination, lab studies of its
cardiovascular protections and eventually clinical trials on its efficacy in
heart conditions such as atherosclerosis in high-risk hypertensive
patients.
This combination comes from a highly
respectable herbal expert and clinician, Shi Jin-mo (1882-1968), who was well
known for selecting twin combinations of herbs in the formation of simple,
synergistic formulae. Shi advocated the use of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix
et Rhizoma (Danshen) together with Puerariae Lobatae Radix (Gegen)
for the promotion of blood circulation. This herbal combination found to
have following actions:
1) anti-Inflammatory and
anti-oxidation,
2) anti-hypertensive,
3) anti-foam cell formation on
vascular endothelium,
4) vasodilation.
Three randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled clinical trials have been conducted with Danshen and
Gegen combination:
1)The patients with coronary
arterial diseases was well tolerated and effective in improving vascular
function and structure.
2) Danshen and Gegen combination was
found significantly improved the atherogenic process in high-risk
hypertensive subjects.
3) Danshen and Gegen combination
prevented atherosclerosis and lowered LDL and total cholesterol in
postmenopausal women with early hypercholesterolemia.
For more information, click here.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Acupuncture for Lymphedema
Acupuncture
for Lymphedema
A study conducted by researchers at
Sloan-Kettering evaluates the usefulness and safety of acupuncture on
upper-limb circumference in women with lymphedema. They note that current
lymphedema treatments following conventional breast cancer treatment are not
cost-effective and require ongoing care. Women diagnosed with breast
cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) for 0.5-5 years and with affected arm
circumference ≥2 cm larger than unaffected arm received acupuncture treatment
twice weekly for 4 weeks. Both affected and unaffected arm circumferences were
measured before and after each acupuncture treatment. Measured response was
defined as ≥30% reduction in arm circumference difference between
affected/unaffected arms. Researchers made monthly follow-up calls for 6 months
after treatment ended to record possible complications and self-reported
lymphedema status. Of the original 37 enrolled patients, 33 were evaluated; and
4 dropped-out due to scheduling conflicts. The average reduction in arm circumference
difference was 0.90 cm (95%). Thirty-three percent (11 patients) demonstrated a
≥30% reduction after acupuncture. Seventy-six percent of patients received all
treatments; 21% missed 1 treatment, and another patient missed 2 treatments.
During the treatment period, 14 of the 33 patients reported minor complaints,
including mild, local bruising or pain/tingling. There were no serious adverse
events and no infections or severe exacerbations after 255 treatment sessions
and 6 months of follow-up interviews. Researchers concluded that acupuncture
for BCRL, indeed, appears safe and may reduce arm circumference. They recommend
study result confirmation by running further randomized trials.
The study was published here.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
San Ren Tang is Virtuous
Don’t Forget Classical
Formulas
A 50 year-old male patient with fever of unknown
reason for three weeks came to see Dr. Lu. The fever, which was persistent
initially with the body temperature 102F, turned into a tidal fever that
happened about 10 P.M and lasted about one hour in the past week, accompanied
with lassitude and decreased appetite. The tongue coating was white, thick and
greasy.
This patient did not have many other symptoms to
help the differential diagnosis. According to TCM, tidal fever can be caused by
yin deficiency, excess yangming fu organ pattern or warm-dampness disease. It
was hard for his condition to turn into a yin deficiency in such a short time,
and he did not have any other symptoms supporting yin deficiency. He had a white greasy tongue coating and
lassitude. So it should be a fever in warm dampness disease. Then Dr. Lu
prescribed the herbs that can transform dampness with aromatic smell and
releasing exterior patterns. San Ren Tang (Three Kernels Decoction) with
modification was the choice. After the
patient took the herbs, no fever was exhibited in the same day of the use of
the formula. With three doses applied, the patient’s fever had been completely
gone.
San Ren Tang (Three Kernels Decoction)
Xing Ren 15g
Hua Shi 18g
Bai Tong Cao 6g
Bai Kou Ren 6g
Zhu Ye 6g
Hou Po 6g
Yi Yi Ren 18g
Ban Xia 15g
San Ren Tang (Three Kernels Decoction) first
appeared in Wu Jutong’s Differentiation
of Warm Diseases. This could be a review for your Febrile Disease class.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Acupuncture Faces Challenges
Scientists
Query Study Saying Ear Acupuncture Aids Weight Loss
Scientists derided
research published on Tuesday that suggested ear acupuncture may help people
lose weight, saying the study's design was flawed and its conclusions highly
implausible.
Responding to the
findings of research published online in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine,
experts not involved in the work said it was unreliable and probably a waste of
money.
"It is hard to
think of a treatment that is less plausible than ear acupuncture," said
Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at Britain's University of
Exeter.
A summary statement
about the study, conducted by Korean researchers, said it compared three
approaches in a total of 91 people - acupuncture on five points on the outer
ear, acupuncture on one point, and a sham treatment as a control.
It said participants
were asked to follow a restrictive diet, but not one designed to lead to weight
loss, and not to take any extra exercise during eight weeks of treatment.
Its results suggested
significant differences were apparent after four weeks, with the active
treatment groups receiving acupuncture on one or five points having lower body
mass index scores compared with the sham treatment group, where there was no
such reduction.
To read the full story, click here.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Lawsuit claims getting acupuncture at a chiropractor is a public health threat
Lawsuit claims getting acupuncture
at a chiropractor is a public
health threat
The
Texas Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine filed the suit Feb. 5 in
the 201st State District Court in Travis County against the Texas Board of
Chiropractic Examiners and its executive director, Yvette Yarbrough.
As
explained in the plaintiff's petition, the Texas Occupations Code governs the
practice of both chiropractic medicine and acupuncture, spelling out
regulations for the two fields in different chapters: Chapter 201 for
chiropractic and Chapter 205 for acupuncture.
Whether
these regulations allow chiropractors to practice acupuncture has been a
question debated in the Legislature and courtroom since the early 1990s, the
petition stated.
In
2005, in response to a legislative requirement, the chiropractic board adopted
rules clarifying which activities are included in chiropractic practice. The
rules authorized chiropractors to perform procedures involving needles,
including acupuncture and needle electromyography (a technique for studying
electrical activity of muscles).
In
response to a challenge from the Texas Medical Association, a district court
invalidated several of the chiropractic board's rules allowing needle use, and
the Austin Court of Appeals upheld the district court's judgment, according to
the petition. The chiropractic board repealed rules related to needle
electromyography but didn't change the rule allowing needles for acupuncture.
What
it boils down to, the petition states, is the chiropractic board has defined
incision in a way that allows chiropractors to use needles in procedures
besides diagnostic blood draws, which is in direct disagreement with Chapter
201 on chiropractic practice.
To continue to read the story, click here.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Marketing is NOT Advertising
Marketing is NOT Advertising
The responses I get
almost always revolve around advertising. Here are a few:
- I go to a
networking group.
- I pass out business
cards and brochures around the community.
- I have an ad in the
yellow pages.
- I have a website
and I pay for ranking on Google.
- I put up flyers at
the grocery store.
- I rely on foot
traffic that sees my sign.
- I work with other
practitioners to get referrals.
- I have an ad in the
local paper.
- I have an ad on
Craigslist.
- I have an ad in
Valpak.
- I did a groupon.
- I do health fairs.
- I do public speaking.
To read I hate
marketing, click here.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Acupuncture Injection for Dysmenorrhea
Acupuncture Injection for
Dysmenorrhea
Painful menstruation, or dysmenorrhea, is a major cause of activity
restriction and absences from school and work among young women. Traditional pharmaceuticals
used to treat painful menstruation are not effective for all women and have
side effects that limit their use. Studies in China and other countries have
shown beneficial effects for use of vitamin K1 as an acupoint treatment, but
the acceptability of this treatment to women in the United States has been
unknown. A new study was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco
(UCSF) to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects
of acupuncture point injection of vitamin K1 as an alternative treatment for
primary dysmenorrhea among US women.
The study was designed as a pilot
study with a blinded, randomized, crossover trial. Fourteen women 18 to 25 years
of age who had been diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea in the San Francisco
Bay Area participated and finished the study. They were randomized into 2
groups to receive bilateral injections of vitamin K1 in the Spleen-6 (SP-6)
acupuncture point at the start of menstruation and then, following a 2-month
washout period, saline in a nonacupuncture point at the start of menstruation.
One group received the vitamin K1 injection first, while the other group
received the saline injection first. Menstrual pain intensity was measured
using a 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS), before and after injections. The
results showed that women had an average
2.5-point decrease in pain after a vitamin K1 injection in the SP-6 acupoint (P
< .001), as compared with a 1.8-point decrease after a saline injection (P
< .001). Change scores for vitamin K1, as compared with a saline injection,
approached statistical significance (P < .10). Intensity and duration of
menstrual symptoms, as measured by the Cox retrospective symptom scale, also
decreased following injections. After participating, 94% of the women remained
agreeable to receiving the injection therapy, and 77% reported they would come
every month were the treatment available. The research findings suggested high
acceptability for an acupuncture point injection of vitamin K1 as treatment for
primary dysmenorrhea among young women in San Francisco. Pain decreased with
both treatments, with a trend toward greater pain reduction for the vitamin
K1/SP-6 injection. These findings are consistent with outcomes from the
Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Shanghai, China, where the protocol was
developed.
To read the full research report, click here.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Acupuncture for Autism
Acupuncture for Autism
To read the full research report, click here.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Acupuncture for Cancer Care
Scientific
Studies
Support
the Use of Acupuncture for Oncology Patients
Changzhen Gong,
Ph.D.
Moreover, the use of acupuncture
to treat patients with cancer and the symptoms that arise from conventional
cancer treatment is currently one of the most robust fields of scientific
acupuncture research. The following paragraphs cite four recent cancer-related
scientific studies which validate acupuncture therapy and point the way for
further investigation into this field.
Xerostomia (dry mouth) after
head/neck radiation is a common problem among cancer patients. Quality of life
(QOL) is impaired, and available treatments are of little benefit. A small
pilot study comparing the effects of acupuncture and sham acupuncture on
xerostomia symptoms was conducted at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
by Meng, et.al., and reported in the
July, 2012 issue of the European Journal
of Cancer. Twenty-three patients were randomized to real acupuncture (N=11) or to sham acupuncture
(N=12), with the objective of determining whether acupuncture
could prevent xerostomia among head/neck patients
undergoing radiotherapy. Patients were treated three times per week during the
course of radiotherapy. They were assessed by both subjective and objective measures
during radiotherapy, and were followed for one month after radiotherapy. In
this small study, true acupuncture given
concurrently with radiotherapy significantly reduced xerostomia
symptoms and improved QOL when compared with sham acupuncture.
Researchers concluded that large-scale, multi-centre, randomized and placebo-controlled
trials were justified, based on the results of their pilot study.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Acupuncture offers holistic alternative to Botox
Acupuncture offers holistic alternative to Botox
As Lora Lipman entered her 60s, she
began to notice not only fine lines around her eyes and lips, but an uneven
skin tone she described as somewhat grayish and ashy. She found that acupuncture is a natural and holistic alternative to Botox.
She was reticent to opt for chemical
enhancements, or the typically invasive nips, tucks, and pokes of plastic
surgery.
So instead, on a recent
afternoon, she lay perfectly still on a spa table as dozens of the tiniest of
acupuncture needles were gently inserted into the skin of her face and head. It
was her fourth week undergoing a cosmetic treatment at the steady hands of
Stephanie Kula at the Jewish
Community Center of the North Shore in Marblehead.
“Now,” said the 62-year-old from
Beverly, “people say ‘Your skin looks so nice, so clear and healthy.’ ”
To read the full story in Boston Globe, click here.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Er Xian Tang for Hot Flashes
Chinese Herbs May
Reduce Hot Flashes
Women taking a
Chinese herbal formula experienced less than half the number of menopausal hot
flashes they had before the treatment, according to a new study from Hong Kong.
Among women taking an
herbal mix called Er-xian decoction (EXD), the frequency of daily hot flashes
dropped by 62 percent, compared to a 52-percent drop seen among women taking a
placebo.
"It's a modest
effect, but not a zero effect," said Katherine Newton, a researcher who
has studied herbal menopause therapies at the Group Health Research Institute
in Seattle.
Newton, who was not
involved in the research, said she'd want to see more, long-term studies
demonstrating that these herbs are safe before she would recommend them to
women, but that the current study makes EXD look promising as an alternative
menopause treatment.
Hormone replacement
therapy is considered the most effective therapy for menopause-related
symptoms, but potential health risks from hormones have women looking for
alternatives, said Yao Tong, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and one
of the authors of the new study.
To read the full report, click here.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
More Westerners in Hong Kong Take Traditional Chinese Medicine
More
Childless Westerners
are Turning to Chinese Medicine, Say Doctors
Childless Westerners in
Hong Kong are increasingly turning to traditional Chinese medicine to improve
their chances of having a baby, according to two practitioners.
The patients - mostly
French and British women - are using Chinese herbs and acupuncture to achieve
optimal health and stimulate their hormones after the use of Western procedures
alone failed them. This despite a lack of research proving the efficacy of
traditional Chinese medicine in fertility.
One fertility
specialist, who believes women can boost their rate of conception by combining
Chinese and Western therapies, said she was seeing a dozen new cases every week
- both Chinese and non-Chinese.
"There is an
increasing trend in foreign patients seeking treatment from us, many of them
referred by Western doctors to supplement their fertility treatment," said
Dr Michelle Law Pui-man, a registered Chinese medicine practitioner who also
holds a PhD in public health.
"I believe it is a
result of an increasing recognition of traditional Chinese medicine in the
West."
Law pointed to one
benefit: "The health of the uterus is essential for embryo development.
Traditional Chinese medicine therapy aims to optimise nourishment of the
uterus."
Kwan Chi-yee, president
of the Chinese Herbalists Association, said he had observed the same trend in
foreigners.
He said traditional
medicines could target specific aspects of a woman's health and create the best
possible conditions for her to conceive. He cautioned, however, that in the
absence of clinical data, any help it offered could not be conclusively proven.
Law said that from
experience, using both types of therapies together could raise the rate of
conception by 15 per cent, depending on the patient's age. However, she did not
recommend relying solely on traditional Chinese medicine in order to get
pregnant.
The past four years had
seen a 15 per cent rise in the number of childless foreign women seeking help
from Law. They account for about 65 per cent of all her patients with fertility
difficulties.
To read the full story, click here.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Chinese Medicine is in Hong Kong’s Undergraduate Curriculum
Hong Kong Urgently Needs
a Hospital
to Teach Traditional Chinese Medicine
No
remedy. The city is in urgent need of a teaching hospital for traditional
Chinese medicine, its practitioners tell Linda Yeung
Chinese
medicine clinics are everywhere in Hong Kong and, for more than a decade since
the 1997 handover, Chinese medicine education has been part of the
undergraduate curriculum.
Many
Hong Kong's practitioners were trained on the mainland, and some have only
apprenticeship training. But local universities have emerged as a source of
talent for the traditional field, producing about 70 graduates a year.
Unlike
the much-envied graduates of mainstream medical schools, these graduates end up
working in clinics, and are denied a chance for key practice due to the lack of
a teaching hospital.
Of
the three universities offering Chinese medicine studies - Chinese University,
the University of Hong Kong and Baptist University - the latter has made the
strongest call for a Chinese medicine teaching hospital. It hopes to use a site
adjacent to its School of Chinese Medicine, on the southern part of the former
Lee Wai Lee campus .
To read the full story, click
here.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Acupuncture and Serotonin
Acupuncture and Serotonin
Changzhen Gong, Ph.D.
Acupuncture, a medical
modality of traditional Chinese medicine, has been practiced for several
thousand years. It involves the insertion of thin needles into specific sites
called acupuncture points which are distributed along vital energy pathways on the
body known as meridians. Acupuncture is effectively applied to diseases ranging
from chronic and acute pain conditions, internal disorders, and pediatric
conditions to gynecological and neurological disorders. Since its introduction
to the U.S. in the 1970s, acupuncture has achieved a prominent position among
alternative and complementary medicine modalities. But how does acupuncture
work? What is the mechanism behind acupuncture’s therapeutic function? Exploration
of this question by the scientific research community has resulted in a number
of studies suggesting that acupuncture can directly affect the production and
release of a number of chemical substances in the body, including serotonin.
Serotonin, also called
5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a hormone which is found in the central nervous
system, blood platelets, digestive tract, and pineal gland. A hormone is a chemical
substance produced in one part of the body that regulates and controls the
activity of tissues or organs in another part of the body. In the brain, serotonin acts as a classic neurotransmitter,
mediating nerve impulses between cell synapses. As a component of blood platelets, serotonin
acts as a vasoconstrictor, causing blood
vessels to narrow. Approximately 80% of the body's total serotonin is in the intestinal tract,
where it stimulates smooth muscle contractions. Serotonin
is involved in many physiological functions including appetite, mood, hormonal
balance, sleep cycles, alertness, inhibition of gastric secretions, stimulation
of smooth muscles, and vasoconstriction. Changes in serotonin production are
believed to be at least part of the clinical basis for depression, premenstrual
syndrome, eating disorders, and a variety of other health problems. Low levels
of serotonin in the brain have been correlated with clinical depression. Scientists
have found that acupuncture can regulate the production and release of
serotonin, based on analysis of serotonin levels in blood and spinal fluid.
Acupuncture Affects Neurotransmitters and Neuropeptides
A wide variety of scientific studies indicate that
acupuncture increases the levels of a number of key chemical substances in the
blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Besides serotonin, these include the
neuropeptides endorphin and enkephalin, which are powerful analgesics, and the
hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, which regulate blood pressure, among
other functions. Currently, this is considered to be the most important
mechanism to explain how acupuncture works.
One way of measuring the effects of
acupuncture is to analyze the levels of hormones and
neurotransmitters in the blood and spinal fluid. In the last two decades, a new
technology –functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) – has enabled
scientists to pinpoint the effects of acupuncture on specific areas of the
brain. For example, it has been shown that a part of the brain – the medullary raphe nuclei – processes somatic signals during electroacupuncture and participates in acupuncture-related modulation of cardiovascular function through an
opioid or serotonergic mechanism.
It is interesting to note that there are various subtypes
of serotonin receptors on cells, and that these receptors can occur in
different combinations in different individuals. This is also the case for
other hormones and neurotransmitters. This may explain why people respond
differently to acupuncture stimulation at an individual level.
Pain, Depression, and Addiction
In
the West, acupuncture has been most widely accepted as a way to relieve pain
and reduce stress. Serotonin, functioning as a neurotransmitter, is involved
with both analgesia and mood perception. Some antidepressant
medications affect the action of serotonin as a means to treat depression.
One study of electroacupuncture analgesia found serotonin-releasing
neurons and several subtypes of serotonin receptors affecting the descending
pain inhibitory pathway in the lower brainstem. In a comparative
neurotransmitter study on the analgesic mechanism of electroacupuncture, the
analgesic effects of electroacupuncture were demonstrated to be related to
opioid, adrenergic, serotonin and dopamine
receptors in an arthritic pain model using rats. A depression study using rats
as an animal model showed that acupuncture
stimulation can relieve maternal separation-induced behavior changes in young
rats.
Acupuncture
has been used in
the United States since the 1970s to treat substance addictions such as
alcohol, drugs, or nicotine. A study to explain the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction indicated
that acupuncture's role in suppressing the
reinforcing effects of abused drugs takes place by modulating mesolimbic
dopamine neurons. Several brain neurotransmitter systems, including serotonin, have been implicated in the modulation of
dopamine release by acupuncture. These studies provide evidence for the
biological effects of acupuncture that ultimately
may help us to understand how acupuncture can be
used to treat drug addiction.
An expanded version of this article appears in the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture, No. 4, 2013.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Links from Illinois Acupuncture
Acupressure and Stanford Pelvic Pain Protocol
Acupressure and Stanford
Pelvic Pain Protocol
To read more, click here.
An unorthodox device for treating pelvic pain
was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and its inventors
say it could help legions of men in misery from what are misdiagnosed as
prostate problems.
The therapeutic wand resembling a longshoreman’s
cargo hook, but made of plastic, is used to gently press on “trigger points” in
pelvic muscles that are in spasm. What makes it unorthodox is that men must
insert it rectally; a small number of women use it vaginally.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
The Rise of Ginseng
Traditional Chinese Medicine: The
Rise of Ginseng
Ginseng has long been
used in traditional Chinese medicine to boost immunity and lower blood sugar,
but recent research suggests a new reason to consume the plant: to perk up,
quite literally, a man's sex life.
In a study published last month in the International Journal of Impotence Research, scientists from the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, found that men who suffered from erectile dysfunction and took tablets of ginseng berry extract daily for eight weeks saw improved sexual function.
The research team concluded that ginseng should be considered as an alternative medicine to improve all domains of sexual dysfunction.
A wealth of studies provide evidence that more than half of the world's male population has some degree of erectile dysfunction. Two main symptoms of sexual dysfunction are erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Erectile dysfunction occurs when a man is not able to achieve or keep an erection for sexual intercourse.
Prevalence of erectile dysfunction in the Hong Kong population has been reported by University of Hong Kong's Urology Division as 61 per cent of men aged 51 to 60, 47 per cent of men aged 41 to 50, and 38 per cent of men aged 31 to 40.
In a study published last month in the International Journal of Impotence Research, scientists from the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, found that men who suffered from erectile dysfunction and took tablets of ginseng berry extract daily for eight weeks saw improved sexual function.
The research team concluded that ginseng should be considered as an alternative medicine to improve all domains of sexual dysfunction.
A wealth of studies provide evidence that more than half of the world's male population has some degree of erectile dysfunction. Two main symptoms of sexual dysfunction are erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Erectile dysfunction occurs when a man is not able to achieve or keep an erection for sexual intercourse.
Prevalence of erectile dysfunction in the Hong Kong population has been reported by University of Hong Kong's Urology Division as 61 per cent of men aged 51 to 60, 47 per cent of men aged 41 to 50, and 38 per cent of men aged 31 to 40.
To read more, click here.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Xiao Yao San and Hepatitis B
Xiao
Yao San and Hepatitis B
Xiao-Yao-San is a famous Chinese
herbal formula originally recorded in "Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang"
(a classical Chinese medicine book of the Song Dynasty). It is a mixture of
eight crude herbs (Bupleurum falcatum, Angelica sinensis, Paeonia
lactiflora, Atractylodes lancea, Wolfiporia cocos, Zingiber
officinale, Mentha arvensis, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis.
This herbal prescription is reported to possess hepatoprotective,
anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-cancer, and immunomodulation activities,
and is commonly used in the clinic to treat functional dyspepsia,
postmenopausal women with climacteric symptoms, premenstrual dysphoric
disorder, mood stabilizer swings, insomnia, depressive disorders, breast
cancer, and so on. Recently, some studies have shown that Xiao-Yao-San has a
potent effect on treating CHB. Xiao-Yao-San could improve the clinical symptoms
(e.g., weak, inappetence, and hepatalgia) of patients with CHB.
Furthermore, the patients' liver function (ALT and AST) and liver fibrosis
indexes, including hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), procollagen III peptide
(P-III-P), and collagen type IV (IV-C), were improved significantly after
treatment with Xiao-Yao-San. Furthermore, Xiao-Yao-San combined with adefovir
dipivoxil could significantly improve the negative conversion rates of HBeAg
and HBV-DNA in the treatment of CHB. Although Xiao-Yao-San has its unique
advantages in treating CHB, a far larger body of literature only exists in Chinese
language journals. It is reasonable to publish some well-designed, efficacy-based
basic or clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of Xiao-Yao-San in treating
CHB in the future in English language journals.
Excerpt
from Qi FH, Wang ZX, Cai PP, Zhao L, Gao JJ, Kokudo N, Li AY, Han JQ, Tang W. Traditional Chinese medicine and related active compounds: A review of
their role on hepatitis B virus infection. Drug Discov Ther. 2013 Dec;7(6):212-224.
To read the full
text, click here.
Friday, February 7, 2014
More Reports on Yan Hu Suo (Corydalis)
Yan
Hu Suo (Corydalis) is Popular
Recently, due to media coverage, the Chinese herb Yan Hu Suo (Corydalis) has become sought after by the public. Acupuncture clinics selling Chinese herbs have been overwhelmed by inquiries. To read those reports,
Click here.
And
here.
And here.
And
here.
And here.
And here.
And here. How to use Yan Hu Suo (Corydalis)? Click here.
Acupuncture and TCM in Dermatology
Traditional
Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Dermatology
A
forthcoming book from Oxford University Press, Integrative Dermatology, is one in a series of integrative medicine edited by
Andrew Weil, MD. The series “Integrative
Medicine Library” applies the modern medicine golden standard to screen complementary
medicines and takes an integrative approach to non-western medicine modalities.
The
chapter “Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Dermatology” covers
the following five dermatological conditions:
Atopic
Dermatitis
Herpes Simplex Virus
Lichen Simplex (Neurodermatitis)
Pruritis
Urticaria
The
digital version of some chapters of the book is available through Amazon.com. To preview
the book, click here.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Differential Needling for Facial Paralysis
Upcoming Event at the American Academy of Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine
In her lecture, Dr. Tian will elaborate on the
importance of determining which nerve segment(s) are affected in relation to
choosing needling techniques and point combinations. She will also describe the
stages of facial paralysis, which determine the treatment plan. Evolving
treatments of principal stages are: expelling pathogenic factors; reducing and
reinforcing combinations; and tonifying qi and blood.
Wednesday, February 19
12:30 – 1:00 PM
Lunchtime Lecture Series Presents:
Treating Facial Paralysis:
Differential Needling by Location & Stage
Presented by Dr. Lili Tian
In the past, acupuncture practitioners treated facial
paralysis solely according to TCM differentiations such as wind invasion, heat
patterns, etc. But as Chinese medicine has evolved to incorporate scientific knowledge,
effective treatment of facial paralysis combines accurate neurological
diagnosis with time-tested needling techniques.
For example, disorders of the facial nerve can be categorized by the
segment of the nerve which is affected. When a pathogen affects the segment of
the facial nerve out of the stylomastoid foramen, the result is simple facial
paralysis. When the segment of the facial nerve from the stylomastoid foramen
up to geniculate ganglion is affected, the patient is diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy.
Beyond the geniculate ganglion, affliction of the facial nerve results in the
serious condition of Hunt’s Palsy.
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