Posts Tagged ‘Herbal Medincine’

Relieve Menstrual Cramps with Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources for this article:

http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/…

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

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

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

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Herbal Medicine | No Comments »

Children with cancer often use alternative medicine

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Amy Norton, Reuters Published: Tuesday, March 23, 2010

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Many children undergoing treatment for cancer use herbal remedies, vitamins or other types of alternative therapies, a new research review suggests.

The review, of 28 studies involving 3,500 children, found that anywhere from 6 percent to 91 percent of study participants used some form of alternative or complementary medicine at some point during their cancer treatment. In half of the studies, the rate ranged between 20 percent and 60 percent.

It is not clear from the studies whether some children were receiving alternative therapies instead of a particular standard cancer treatment, or whether they were only being used in addition to conventional medicine, according to lead researcher Dr. Felicity Bishop, of the University of Southampton School of Medicine in the UK.

What the studies do indicate, she told Reuters Health by email, is that “a substantial proportion of pediatric cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine at some point in their treatment.”

The bottom line for parents, according to Bishop, is that they should discuss any use of such therapies with their child’s doctor.

She and her colleagues report their findings in the journal Pediatrics.

The public often perceives alternative therapies as “natural” and safe. But while some approaches are unlikely to cause harm — like relaxation therapies to reduce stress — other alternative treatments may present a risk to cancer patients. Research has found, for example, that high-dose vitamin C, St. John’s wort and green tea compounds may interact with certain cancer drugs and lessen their effectiveness.

And few alternative therapies promoted for cancer patients have been subject to rigorous clinical trials to test their effectiveness.

Some recent studies have had promising results; for example, a clinical trial last year found that the herb milk thistle may help limit liver inflammation as a side effect of chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Another found that adding flaxseed to the diets of men scheduled to undergo surgery for prostate cancer seemed to slow the cancer’s growth in some patients.

However, researchers caution that these are the first well-controlled clinical trials to evaluate those therapies, and more studies are needed before recommendations can be made.

In their review, Bishop and her colleagues found that herbal remedies were the most commonly reported alternative therapies, though use varied widely across the studies — with anywhere from 2 percent to 48 percent of children using herbs.

Between 3 percent and 47 percent of children used special diets or other nutritional therapies, while 3 percent to 30 percent used prayer or other forms of “faith-healing.” Other forms of alternative therapy included high-dose vitamins, mind-body therapies like meditation and relaxation techniques, and homeopathy.

In studies that asked parents why they had turned to alternative therapies, the most common reasons were “to cure or help fight the child’s cancer,” to help ease symptoms and to counter the side effects of conventional cancer treatment.

According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, patients considering alternative therapy should speak with their doctors first to make sure it fits safely into their overall care. Doctors or staff at a patient’s cancer center may also be able to recommend an alternative-medicine practitioner. Some cancer centers now offer alternative- and complementary-medicine programs that can be integrated into standard care.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, April 2010.

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

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Cancer, Herbal Medicine, children | No Comments »

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine for Asthma, Allergies

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Asthma and allergies involve abnormal production of immunoglobulin E antibodies, according to Western researchers. A simplified model of the immune response includes two parts, Th1 inflammatory and Th2 antibody. Allergic disorders appear to be “too much Th2,”while inflammatory disorders appear to be “too much Th1.” There are many Western drugs that suppress the immune system by a variety of mechanisms, but it has been a challenge to modulate the relative strength of Th1 and Th2 responses without too much overall immune suppression.

In a recent review article, a team from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine reported that herbal formulas from Chinese Traditional Medicine may do a better job of balancing the function of the immune system.

Chinese herbs are used either alone or in combination with standard (Western) medicine. Clinical trials have shown positive results for five Chinese herbal formulations in treating asthma:
1. Anti-asthma herbal medicine intervention (ASHMI), formula with three herbs. This is the only one that has been tested alone in the U.S.

2. Modified Mai Men Dong Tang (mMMDT), with five herbs. When added to standard asthma therapy, this formula improved lung function, compared to standard asthma therapy plus placebo.

3. Ding Chuan Tang (DCT), with nine herbs. This formula improved airway stability as an add-on therapy.

4. STA-1, with 10 herbs. This is a combination of mMMDT and Lui-Wei-Di-Huang Wan (LWDHW). Patients used less standard asthma medication and had improved symptoms with this formula.

5. Sophora flavescens Ait. This herb alone reduced the need for inhaled corticosteroids and beta-agonists.

ASHMI has been the best studied. In trials comparing this formula with prednisone, both treatments produced significant improvement in lung function for patients with asthma. The prednisone group had slightly better lung function than the ASHMI group, but gained 2.8 kg over four weeks of treatment. The ASHMI group had a much smaller weight gain of 0.8 kg. In addition, prednisone suppressed serum cortisol levels in asthmatic patients who had cortisol below normal to start with.

Patients taking ASHMI returned to normal cortisol levels.

These herbs are not available from the average health food store, but you may have a Chinese pharmacy in your area. Most licensed acupuncturists in the U.S. are also qualified to recommend or prescribe Chinese herbs. To locate a practitioner, check the web site of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine: http://nccaom.org.

References:

Xiu-Min Li, MD and Laverne Brown, PhD, “Efficacy and mechanisms of action of traditional Chinese medicines for treating asthma and allergy”, J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Feb; 123(2): 297-308.

Xiu-Min Li, Md, “Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for Asthma and Food Allergy”, J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 July; 120(1): 25-31.

Author: Linda Fugate is a scientist and writer in Austin, Texas. She has a Ph.D. in Physics and an M.S. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering. Her background includes academic and industrial research in materials science. She currently writes song lyrics and health articles.

Source: EmpowHER.com

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Posted in Allergies, Asthma, Herbal Medicine, Immune System | No Comments »

Ancient Chinese Herbal Remedy More Powerful At Killing H1N1 Than Prescription Antivirals

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

An ancient Chinese remedy that was used to fight the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic may prove effective against the H1N1 swine flu, according to a study conducted by researchers from Kaohsiung Medial University in Taiwan and published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products.

The plant is known by the scientific name Ferula assa-foetida, but is known colloquially in many regions as “Dung of the Devil” due to the foul smell of its sap. It grows mostly in Iran, Afghanistan and China, and has been traditionally used to treat everything from the flu and children’s colds to asthma, bronchitis, constipation, flatulence, and epilepsy. It is considered an antimicrobial and digestive aid, and has also been traditionally used as a contraceptive and abortifacient. The researchers noted that more than 230 medicinal compounds have been identified in plants of the ferula genus.

The researchers tested F. assa-foetida samples acquired from a Chinese herb store in Taipei against samples of H1N1 influenza, then compared the plant’s effectiveness with that of the prescription antiviral drug adamantine. The researchers found that the herbal medicine proved more effective at killing H1N1 in the laboratory than the prescription drug.

A number of influenza strains, including some varieties of H1N1, have shown great success in evolving resistance to adamantine.

The tests were conducted before the outbreak of the H1N1 variety known popularly as “swine flu,” and therefore the results may not apply to that strain. The next step is to test F. assa-foetida against influenza viruses that are actually infecting humans or other animals.

“Overall, the present study has determined that sesquiterpene coumarins from F. assa-foetida may serve as promising lead components for new drug development against influenza A (H1N1) viral infection,” the researchers wrote.

The study was funded by the Taiwanese National Science Council and Department of Health.

Source: Natural News

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

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Posted in Herbal Medicine, Vaccines | No Comments »