Natural Herbs and Supplements for Radiation

Natural herbs and supplements for radiation exposureDo you know how much radiation affects us everyday?  Do you ever get x-rays, CAT scans or dental x-rays?  Do you use a laptop, microwave or sleep in a building that has wi-fi?  Do you have power lines near your residence, do you breath air?

Do you… do you??  Radiation is pretty hard to avoid these days.  As you’ve probably heard small amounts won’t really hurt.. it’s the accumulation of radiation that can be damaging to our cells. 

So what’s a person to do and still stay sane (and healthy) in the 21st century when living in a cave is not an option?

Here’s two of my favorite experts, with advice on how to reduce the effects of radiation.  

1.  Lu Chih-hong, president of the Sheng Te Tang Chinese Medical Hospital in Taichung City, central Taiwan, suggests more GREEN TEA!!    Tea, is a common medicinal drink in Asia,  it contains a variety of substances including Camaellia sinensis, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and lipo-polysaccharide, that can help people combat the effects of radiation. According to Lu, Camaellia sinensis is the main substance that helps human bodies discharge radiation contamination. C. sinensis can absorb as much as 90 percent of the radioisotopes in the human body and discharges it before it reaches the bone marrow. He added that C. sinensis also helps human bodies take up Vitamin C more effectively, creating more blood and making capillary blood vessels more resilient. This reduces the possibility of getting Jod-Basedow syndrome, a hyperthyroid disease one can acquire after taking potassium iodide to combat radiation poisoning.  Master Sheng Lun, who has dedicated many of his years to organic farming, said drinking tea is even more helpful than taking potassium iodine tablets, because tea prevents radioactive materials from being absorbed into the body and accelerates the body’s metabolism of such substances.  Go for the organic green tea, to avoid and pesticide residues.

2.  Dr. Tieraona Low Dog is an MD at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Univ. of Arizona who works with Dr. Andrew Weil.  She recommends foods and herbs to help protect us. She said that there is reason to believe that taking two to four grams of curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, can help protect a number of body tissues. In addition, reishi and cordyceps mushrooms can protect bone marrow from toxic assaults, and antioxidants can help the body defend itself from radiation damage.

Other notable foods to include in your diet are:

  • Garlic (one Indian tribe living in the desert of Nevada used to eat bulbs of raw garlic to help protect against radiation from the above-ground nuclear tests)
  • Foods rich in beta-carotene ie carrots, Kale, green leafy vegetables.
  • Ginger
  • Curcumin – the active ingredient in turmeric which, in turn, is in yellow curry (available in Indian and Thai dishes).
  • Many types of seaweed 
  • Miso (The longer the fermentation the better)
  • Vitamin D3
  • Vitamin E 
  • American Ginseng (studies have found American Ginseng helped prevent damage from cesium-137)
  • Rhodiola, a Chinese herb and  adaptogen
  • Holy Basil
  • Chlorella, a blue-green algae
  • Spirulina, a blue-green algae available at health food stores
  • Ginko Bilboa
  • Tomato extract (Lycopersicon)
  • Sesamol (an extract from sesame seeds, just eat sesame seeds)
  • Beta-glucan (a yeast derivative)


Because we live in a world with radiation around us 24/7 adding these foods and supplements to your diet at any time will help your cells cope with the onslaught of radiation that we live with everyday. 

Diabetes Research Uses Chinese Herbs Effectively

Chinese herbs for diabetesIn a recent study published in the Feb. 2011 World Journal of Gastroenterology, a combination of Chinese herbs known Yi Qi Zeng Ming Tang, (YQZMT) has been found effective for insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic rats. The Chinese herbs in the formula were found to ameliorate insulin resistance and did not cause an increase in body weight. This may make a suitable adjunct therapy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in humans.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In comparison to Western medicine, the use of traditional Chinese medicine and botanicals has less side-effects and proven efficacy. According to the Cochrane Library, an international organization that evaluates medical research, when they examined 16 clinical trials of 15 different Chinese herbal medicines, they found that the herbs generally helped lower blood sugar levels in people with “pre-diabetes” that can progress to type 2 diabetes.

Yi Qi Zeng Min Tang (YQZMT) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula whose chief herb is  Radix Astragali or Astragalus (Huang qi) and has been shown to alleviate glucose intolerance and insulin resistance.[1]

When Astragalus has been used in conjunction with other herbs, it proves more valuable for glucose homeostasis for diabetics and pre-diabeties.

The 10 Chinese herbs in the formula are: Radix Astragali, (Huang Qi)  mung bean seed,  Perillae (zi su ye) , Phellodendri (Huang Bai), Pollen Typhae (Pu Huang), Serissa foetida, Cinnamomi (gui zhi), Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata (fu pian, fu zi), Coptis (huang lian) , and Rhizoma Alismatis (ze xie).

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is dramatically increasing throughout the world. The pathogenesis of the disease involves abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism, including inadequate insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells and insulin resistance. The results from this study  showed the diabetic rats had reduced serum glucose levels, lower body weight and lipid levels than the control group of  rats who were not given the YQZMT formula. The results suggests this TCM herbal formula can produce marked improvement and  is a viable treatment for diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Related posts:

1.        Astragalus – The Ultimate Immune Booster

2.     Herbal Sugar Options You Should Know

3.   New Diabetes Drug From A Chinese Herb

See World Journal of Gastroenterology study here:   http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v17/i8/987.htm

1. Hoo RL, Wong JY, Qiao C, Xu A, Xu H, Lam KS. The effective fraction isolated from Radix Astragali alleviates glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia in db/db diabetic mice through its anti-inflammatory activity. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010;7:67.[PubMed]

A Natural Alternative To Hormones and Hot Flashes

Natural Menopause treatments I was so thoroughly impressed with Carolyn's article below I had to re-post it.  If you're one of the millions that suffer from menopausal hot flashes and night sweats you should know there is a natural solution.  Traditional Chinese Medicine has been using combinations of herbs, (herbal formulas) for over one thousand continuous years successfully.   Our Menopause Relief Herb Pac  is based on  one of these formulas.  Written originally in 1113 AD, it's the synergy of the herbs working together that makes the difference.  The 12 herbs in our Menopause Relief gently restore your body's natural "thermostat".  The tea taste delicious and results are guaranteed.  There is a better, safer answer for menopause symptoms than HRT  and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has embraced it for centuries.  Just because you live in the West does not mean you can't experience the healing power from the East.  We didn't recreate the wheel here, we just repackaged it for you.  Now for the Nag!

By:  The Ethical Nag – Carolyn Thomas

How is it possible that half of all gynecologists are still prescribing hormone replacement therapy to their patients for uses that are clearly unsupported by evidence – despite the alarming warnings of the largest randomized, placebo-controlled trial of HRT ever performed?

This reality is “curious”, according to Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman at Georgetown University Medical Center, in a new study* examining 340 medical journal articles about HRT. Her research was published yesterday in the journal, Public Library of Science Medicine.

But even more curious are her findings that the majority of the doctors who have written pro-HRT papers for medical journals have been funded by the very drug companies that manufacture hormone replacement drugs.

These companies were financially hurt by 2002 results of the massive Women’s Health Initiative study, which meant an almost immediate catastrophic loss of sales revenue for manufacturers of all HRT drugs. Prescriptions dropped by 80% – a major blow to companies like Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, whose HRT drugs Prempro and Premarin had earned the company over $2 billion just one year earlier.

Dr. Fugh-Berman now explains how pharmaceutical companies may have successfully begun to address and even reverse this loss of income by attempting to influence what doctors are learning about HRT since the WHI findings went public:

“The pharmaceutical industry has supported publication of articles in medical journals for marketing purposes. For example, of the 10 journal authors we studied who had written 4-6 articles each:

* eight were found to have declared payment for speaking or consulting on behalf of menopausal hormone manufacturers or for research support
* seven of these eight were speakers or consultants for the drug company

In addition:

* 30 of 32 medical journal articles (90%) evaluated as promoting HRT were authored by those with financial conflicts of interest
* journal articles promoting the use of HRT were almost two and a half times more likely to have been authored by authors with financial conflicts of interest as by authors without conflicts of interest
* in articles from three authors with financial conflicts of interest, some of the same text was repeated word-for-word in different medical journal articles

We know that physicians read medical journals, and Dr. Berman reminds us that about half of gynecologists still continue to distrust the results of WHI while prescribing HRT for uses that are not supported by evidence.

She reported that common themes in journal articles, editorials and letters that were identified as “promotional” included:

* attacks on the methodology of the WHI
* arguments that clinical trial results should not guide treatment for individuals
* arguments that observational studies are as good as or better than randomized clinical trials for guiding clinical decisions.
* arguments implying that the risks associated with hormone therapy have been exaggerated and that the benefits of hormone therapy have been or will be proven.

WHI, a major independent 15-year research program begun in 1991, reported that the demonstrated risks of HRT outweighed benefits in asymptomatic women. Risks were so clearly demonstrated that the HRT study was stopped early. These findings on the use of estrogen-progestin and estrogen-only HRT drugs were alarming, according to Dr. Fugh-Berman’s team:

“Both therapies increased the risk of stroke, deep vein thrombosis, dementia, and incontinence; estrogen-progestin therapy also increased rates of breast cancer.

“Neither therapy reduced cardiovascular risk, and neither markedly benefited health-related quality of life measures.”

A follow-up study by the Canadian Cancer Society found there was a significant decrease of 10% in the rate of new breast cancers among post-menopausal women between 2002 and 2004 — coinciding with a huge drop in the use of HRT after the WHI study was published.

But the WHI results were no surprise to many women’s health organizations, according to Kathleen O’Grady of the Canadian Women’s Health Network:

“We have been following the questionable methods used to promote the prescription of HRT to healthy midlife women. Short-term use of HRT has been documented in a variety of studies as a useful treatment for alleviating the temporary symptoms associated with the onset of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. However, long-term use of HRT (more than 5 years), and the practice of prescribing HRT to healthy women—those not experiencing severe menopausal symptoms—is another matter.

“The WHI results are only the latest in a long series of studies demonstrating that longterm use of HRT should be considered only with extreme caution.”

If you’re like me, and you question even the term “hormone replacement therapy” – which somehow implies that, when diagnosed with the medicalized “disease” of menopause, our hormones need “replacing” in the first place – you’ll be interested in reading Dr. Fugh-Berman’s paper in the Public Library of Science Medicine. Or learn more on the Women’s Health Initiative FAQs page.

*Fugh-Berman A, McDonald CP, Bell AM, Bethards EC, Scialli AR (2011) Promotional Tone in Reviews of Menopausal Hormone Therapy After the Women’s Health Initiative: An Analysis of Published Articles. PLoS Med 8(3): e1000425. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000425

http://www.ethicalnag.org

New Research Supporting This Chinese Herb for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chinese herb thunder god vine for Rheumatoid arthritis I originally posted this article about Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Chinese herb known as Thunder God Vine about a year ago.  Since new research on this herb has just been published and I  am continually asked how Rheumatoid Arthritis can be helped with herbal medicine,  it's time for a re-post. 

The new research from John Hopkins School of Medicine isolated an extract in the traditional Chinese medicinal plant also known as  lei gong teng, which works by blocking gene control machinery in the cell. The research was published in the March issue of Nature Chemical Biology, and  suggests that the natural product could be a starting point for developing new anticancer drugs.

"Extracts of this medicinal plant have been used to treat a whole host of conditions and have been highly lauded for anti-inflammatory, immuno-suppressive, contraceptive and anti-tumor activities," says Jun O. Liu, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins. "We've known about the active compound, triptolide, and that it stops cell growth, since 1972, but only now have we figured out what it does."

But the RNAPII enzyme complex actually requires the assistance of several smaller clusters of proteins, according to Liu, which required more investigative narrowing down.   If you choose to read the whole article there's a link at the bottom.  As the researchers discover more on triptolide they also discover that plants have more than one active chemical constituent.  When they try to isolate one protein so they can patent a drug and sell it for billions, they often find it's not so easy because plants have many chemical components that work together and isolation of a single solitary protein will not necessarily give the same desired effect as when the whole plant is used. 

Plants/herbs can not be patented.   This is why there is so much new research on herbal medicine that have been used for thousands of years.  Research, such as this at John Hopkins,  is not looking to validate the effects of Chinese herbal medicine, they are looking for plant compounds that can be isolated and then reproduced as drugs.  Drugs that can sell for millions.  In comparison to a new drug, thunder god vine and other Chinese herbs cost pennies and they work.

If your suffering with Rheumatoid Arthritis or know someone who is read on.

A study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in August 2009 on a Chinese herb used for rheumatoid arthritis, (RA). This study found that after six months of taking this herbal remedy more patients in the Chinese herb group had improved, than the group taking a sulfasalazine.   

The Chinese herb used in this study was a single herb known as Lei Gong Teng or Thunder God Vine. Herbal remedies such lei gong teng or in latin Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) have been used and documented for treating inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.   It’s understandable that people with RA are looking to treat their disease with herbal remedies such as Chinese Medicine and Chinese herbs because Western medicine has no cure for RA, only symptomatic relief with many side effects to the medications.  

Find articles referenced at these addresses:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303153118.htm

http://www.annals.org/content/151/4/I-36.full

Rheumatoid Arthritis Responds Well To This Herb

thunder-god-vine  Chinese herbsIf your suffering with Rheumatoid Arthritis or know someone who is, this should interest you. 
 
A study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in August 2009 on a Chinese herb used for rheumatoid arthritis, (RA). This study found that after six months of taking this herbal remedy  more patients in the Chinese herb group had improved, than the group taking a sulfasalazine.   
 
The Chinese herb used in this study was a single herb known as Lei Gong Teng or Thunder God Vine. Herbal remedies such lei gong teng or in latin Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) have been used and documented for treating inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.   It’s understandable that people with RA are looking to treat their disease with herbal remedies such as Chinese Medicine and Chinese herbs because Western medicine has no cure for RA, only symptomatic relief with many side effects to the medications.  
 
The only limitation to this study was it’s duration. The studies time frame was too short to show whether lei gong teng helped to prevent joint destruction.
 
Reference
http://www.annals.org/content/151/4/I-36.full

Dr. Oz And Dr. Weil Talk About Herbs for Menopause

Menopause treatment Dr. Andrew Weil, founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona  recently appeared on The Dr. Oz Show.  The topic of supplements and herbs was discussed, especially those for menopausal hot flashes and night sweat flair-ups. Dr. Weil suggested  eating fresh ground flax seed, which is high in omega-3 and fiber, sprinkled on cereal or otherwise taking 20 mg of black cohosh twice daily in supplement form or as tea.  I agree with Dr. suggestions but….

What if black cohosh worked better when combined with a few other herbs?  (Kind of like chicken soup.  You add the chicken but if you add spices, carrots and celery it just taste a little better.)

What if the herbs for menopause symptom relief had been proven effective by hundreds of clinical studies?

What if a herbal tea that relieved hot flashes and night sweats was available in the U.S.?

What if you knew this menopause relief herbal tea was completely safe to take long term and has been used my millions of people?

What if  you knew the herbs in menopause relief herb tea has been used for one thousand years, continuously throughout parts of the world. 

What if you knew this menopause relief herb tea was included as part of the health insurance prescription coverage in Japan?

What if  you could drink this blend of herbs as a tea that taste delicious?

What if this menopause relief tea cost  less than $1.00 per day?

What if all the was true and you could buy it right here?

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee you can stop suffering from night sweats and hot flashes. We guarantee it. As do the governments of Japan, Germany, and China which all include it as part of the national health insurance programs.  Why are these countries so far ahead of the U.S.?  I believe Dr. Weil and his team ask the same question.  

Thank you Dr. Weil and his team of doctors Russell Greenfield, Jim Nicolai and Victoria Maizes which have brought Integrative Medicine front and center stage on shows like Dr. Oz.   I whole heartedly applaud  them for embracing integrative medicine in the U.S.  In other parts of the world, particularly China, Taiwan, Germany and Japan and Australia, Integrative medicine is more universally practiced  and taught in the medical schools.

Dr. Oz went on to say that Dr. Weil had a secret supplement that he couldn’t live without. It turned out to be a supplement that Dr. Weil highly recommended taking once a day containing containing acetyl L-carnitine (1000 mg) and alpha-lipoic acid (300 mg) daily.  Dr. Weil said that the benefits of the supplement will also help reduce aging.

Chinese Medicine and Insomnia Symptoms

no insomnia with chinese herbs

Insomnia, whether for a prolonged time or a short duration is a dreaded cycle that can drive us to the brink of insanity. There nothing worse than being so tired all day long that we just can’t think straight. When you finally hit the pillow you sleep only a few hours  and can’t get back to sleep. People cope with insomnia in different ways, some start their day at 4 AM  because “there is just no sense in staying in bed” others rely on prescription drugs. Regardless of how you decide to cope with the lack of sleep here’s a quick look at insomnia from the Chinese medicine perceptive. This little insight or different perspective,  may help you change whatever is going on in your life that’s affecting your sleep patterns

 

Chinese Medicine, practiced continuously now for over 2000 years, categorizes insomnia into 4 main groups.  

1.       Insomnia due to over-thinking or disharmony between work and rest. When it’s time to sleep your mind should not be thinking of all the days plans, all that worries you or what needs to be done tomorrow. Your mind should simply not be talking to you. Your mind should be active during daytime hours and quiet at night.  There are many techniques in Chinese medicine to help you quiet your mind such as Tai Qi, meditation, exercise and other stress reducers.  A proper discussion of these techniques will be addressed in another article. Herbal medicines can help stop these over thinking habits and help quiet your mind without being addictive. 

2.      Insomnia due to sickness or advancing age. When we are extremely weak and/or recovering  from an illness it is not uncommon to have sleeping difficulties. During this time both qi and blood are deficient which nourish our heart, kidney and spleen channels of Chinese medicine. Rebuild and replenish yourself with a proper diet and supplements and this pattern will subside.

3.        Insomnia due to panic, anger and excessive worry will gradually lead to chronic insomnia. This pattern is especially worrisome because of  it’s chronic, (ongoing) nature. Emotions that are buried and not addressed during the daytime hours may in a sense, haunt us at night. These emotions cause a deficiency of heart qi  and transform and flare up disturbing the mind at night. Dealing with emotional problems during waking hours will prevent this type of insomnia.

4.    Insomnia due to spicy, fatty, raw and even cold food late at night. This type of insomnia is the easiest to change. Simply stop eating 3-4 hours before going to bed. Over eating from a Chinese Medicine perspective  leads to phlegm and  heat and both interfere with restful sleep. The body cannot optimize digestion late at night. Your body needs time to process the foods eaten during the day and clean itself out.

These four patterns cover the gamut of sleeping problems in Chinese medicine. Some people suffer from just one pattern, (typically # 1)  others suffer from a combination of them. Once you identify your pattern you can take steps in your life to make the necessary changes to give your body and your mind the rest it needs.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Oatmeal Unpluged

Excuse the short deviation from my usual blogs on Chinese herbs and Traditional Chinese Medicine, (TCM)

The the fact is, everything that is wrong with our food supply and as a result our health, is reflected by McDonald's oatmeal.  Read on! 

Silly, gullible me, when I first heard a radio commercial advertising this new "healthy choice" McDonald's oatmeal, I actually thought it was a great new day and MickeyD's  had seen the light.  

Fail!

How To Make Oatmeal Wrong

By MARK BITTMAN

There’s a feeling of inevitability in writing about McDonald’s latest offering, their “full of wholesome” — also known as oatmeal. The leading fast-food multinational, with sales over $16.5 billion a year (just under the GDP of Afghanistan), represents a great deal of what is wrong with American food today. From a marketing perspective, they can do almost nothing wrong; from a nutritional perspective, they can do almost nothing right, as the oatmeal fiasco demonstrates.

One “positive” often raised about McDonald’s is that it sells calories cheap. But since many of these calories are in forms detrimental rather than beneficial to our health and to the environment, they're actual quite expensive — the costs aren’t seen at the cash register but in the form of high health care bills and environmental degradation.

Oatmeal is on the other end of the food spectrum. Real oatmeal contains no ingredients; rather, it is an ingredient. As such, it’s a promising lifesaver: oats are easy to grow in almost any non-extreme climate and, minimally processed, they’re profoundly nourishing, inexpensive and ridiculously easy to cook. They can even be eaten raw, but more on that in a moment.

Like so many other venerable foods, oatmeal has been roundly abused  by food marketers for more than 40 years. Take, for example, Quaker Strawberries and Cream Instant Oatmeal, which contains no strawberries, no cream, 12 times the sugars of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and only half of the fiber. At least it’s inexpensive, less than 50 cents a packet on average. (A serving of cooked rolled oats will set you back half that at most, plus the cost of condiments; of course, it’ll be much better in every respect.)

The oatmeal and McDonald’s story broke late last year, when Mickey D’s, in its ongoing effort to tell us that it’s offering “a selection of balanced choices (and to keep in step with arch-rival Starbucks) began to sell the cereal. Yet in typical McDonald’s fashion, the company is doing everything it can to turn oatmeal into yet another bad choice. (Not only that, they’ve made it more expensive than a double-cheeseburger: $2.38 per serving in New York.) “Cream” (which contains seven ingredients, two of them actual dairy) is automatically added; brown sugar is ostensibly optional, but it’s also added routinely unless a customer specifically requests otherwise. There are also diced apples, dried cranberries and raisins, the least processed of the ingredients (even the oatmeal contains seven ingredients, including “natural flavor”).

A more accurate description than “100% natural whole-grain oats,” “plump raisins,” “sweet cranberries” and “crisp fresh apples” would be “oats, sugar, sweetened dried fruit, cream and 11 weird ingredients you would never keep in your kitchen.”

Since we know there are barely any rules governing promotion of foods, one might wonder how this compares to real oatmeal, besides being 10 times as expensive. Some will say that it tastes better, but that’s because they’re addicted to sickly sweet foods, which is what this bowlful of wholesome is.

Others will argue that the McDonald’s version is more “convenient.” This is nonsense; in the time it takes to go into a McDonald’s, stand in line, order, wait, pay and leave, you could make oatmeal for four while taking your vitamins, brushing your teeth and half-unloading the dishwasher. (If you’re too busy to eat it before you leave the house, you could throw it in a container and microwave it at work. If you prefer so-called instant, flavored oatmeal.

If you don’t want to bother with the stove at all, you could put some rolled oats (instant not necessary) in a glass or bowl, along with a teeny pinch of salt, sugar or maple syrup or honey, maybe some dried fruit. Add milk and let stand for a minute (or 10). Eat. Eat while you’re walking around getting dressed. And then talk to me about convenience.

The aspect one cannot argue is nutrition: Incredibly, the McDonald’s product contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only 10 fewer calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger or Egg McMuffin. (Even without the brown sugar it has more calories than a McDonald’s hamburger.)

The bottom-line question is, “Why?” Why would McDonald’s, which appears every now and then try to persuade us that it is adding “healthier” foods to its menu, take a venerable ingredient like oatmeal and turn it into expensive junk food? Why create a hideous concoction of 21 ingredients, many of them chemical and/or unnecessary? Why not try, for once, to keep it honest?

I asked them this, via e-mail: “Why could you not make oatmeal with nothing more than real oats and plain water, and offer customers a sweetener or two (honey, the only food on earth that doesn’t spoil, would seem a natural fit for this purpose), a packet of mixed dried fruit, and half-and-half or — even better — skim milk?”

Their answer, via e-mail and through a spokesperson (FMO is “fruit and maple oatmeal”): “Customers can order FMO with or without the light cream, brown sugar and the fruit. Our menu is entirely customizable by request with our 'Made for You' platform that has been in place since the late 90s.”

Oh, please. Houere’s the thing: McDonald’s wants to get people in the store. Once a day, once a week, once a month, the more the better, of course, but routinely. And if you buy oatmeal, they’re o.k. with that. But they know that, once inside, you’ll probably opt for a sausage biscuit anyway.

And you won’t be much worse off.

Cold and Flu Prevention With The Herb Astragalus

Chinese herb astragalus boosts your immune systemMillions of kilos of this herb are sold throughout Asia every year, yet most Americans have never heard of it. It is Astragalus Membranaceous, also know as Huang Qi and it’s one of the greatest immune boosting, fatigue fighting herbs in the world. The functioning plant part is the root which has been native to Northern China and Mongolia for centuries. I’m excited to see Astragalus cultivation has begun in the U.S. Once found only in the wild, a wild root commonly grows 2-3 feet long and are more highly prized than a smaller cultivated root. The far more common product today is the cultivated version of Astragalus root which is usually only about a foot long and less dense which is obvious once it is sliced into long thin pieces, the usual way it is packaged and sold in the states.

     Asian cultures will traditionally add Astragalus to various soups and stews. Chicken soup with Astragalus tastes delicious and is probably the best way to boost your immune system when the seasons are changing. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it has been used for centuries to boost the Wei Qi. This Wei Qi acts like a shield which circulates in our skin, or the outermost layer of the body. Wei Qi is also known as Defensive Qi because it is the energy that protects us from outside bacteria and viruses.   

     Astragalus has warming properties and is known for it’s fatigue fighting, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Traditionally in Chinese Medicine it is used as an energy tonic and protector for the pancreas. It’s a fantastic herb for chronically weak lungs or anyone who catches frequent colds. There have been hundreds to thousands of studies done on Astragalus, both used as a single herb remedy and in a popular formula in Chinese Medicine called Jade Windscreen Formula or The Great Protector. This formula or combination of three herbs was originally written circa 1000 AD and as the name implies it acts like a wind screen preventing outside influences to penetrate the body. In recent research, Astragalus has shown to contain the same molecules found to reverse aging. One caveat, Huang Qi is most effectively used before catching a cold or flu. For anyone with an auto-immune disease such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, astragalus should be used under the strict care of a trained herbalist because astragalus is known for increasing immune system activity and may worsen these conditions.

     If you are often fatigued, have cold extremities and seem to catch every cold going around, Astragalus is the perfect herbal supplement. Drink Astragalus as a tea or take it as a processed supplement for approximately two weeks before the change of seasons and before catching any colds or flu. Astragalus can be found in pill form, dried granule form or raw. If you are planning on adding it to a soup you’ll want the raw sliced roots. The more yellow in color the better the quality. However, in the U.S. it is often difficult to get the highest quality because the market here is limited compared to the oversees market.

     As I mentioned most Americans are naïve to the incredible immune enhancing properties of this  food, but you can always find it in Asian markets in several different packages at different price points. Lesser quality raw Astragalus appears more white to beige in color and is less aromatic. Granules may be more convenient if you want to add them to a healthy juice or smoothie. Granules are a concentrated extract of the root after it is cooked and dried and will carry a much higher concentration of the active ingredients than if you used the raw root. Pill form may be convenient but be careful where you purchase Chinese herbs. Knowing the herbal supplier is crucial in getting an effective, potent and safe product.

Avoid a Human Energy Crisis

Do you have an energy crisis every afternoon or even once in a while?  Our busy lifestyles can create havoc for our endocrine systems, our bodies energy fund and storage bank. Chinese herbs work  naturally and effectively to replenish your energy at the source of the problem, targeting  your endocrine system.

The endocrine system acts like the main control panel in our body. It secretes hormones which act as messengers telling the body how to  function properly.  We depend on our endocrine glands for all our energy.  They are responsible for your mood, mental function, immune system, physical growth and reproduction.  If something throws off the control system you may feel tired, depressed, gain weight, experience infertility, digestive issues and have trouble with body temperature regulation regardless of the outside temperature. 

The endocrine system includes the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, pineal, pancreas, and reproductive glands.  All areas of your health are effected by your endocrine glands. 

This is where Chinese herbs work best.  If your tired in the afternoon, ginseng and other herbs in our Power Booster can give you refreshing boost of energy  when you need it.  No caffeine or sugar, just natural Chinese herbs. They work and have been proven to work for over 1000 years. This is not some new 5 hour energy mix of caffeine and sugar. This is botanicals, a natural source of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, carbohydrates, saponins and other compounds  your body recognizes and needs.

If your experiencing hot flashes or night sweats it’s the endocrine system running low on natural coolant.  Whether it’s your car or your body, you’ve got to feed it what it needs.  When your low on coolant herbal remedies such as our Menopause Relief can help rebuild it and nourish it.

Low Energy is a Sign of Compromised Health

The cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s viewpoint of health has always been maintaining health and wellness by preventing illness through a healthy life style and proper nutrition.  If proper food is not enough then herbs are added to the diet to supplement one’s health.  When the body’s natural intelligence  is awakened with Chinese herbs, it can restore the natural balance and  your body will respond by providing  the energy you need to feel good all day, everyday.


Integrating Supplements and Chinese Herbs Into Western Medicine

It's been nearly a month since I had a chance to listen to an incredible group of M.D's  talk about what "Wellness" looks like today.  So I've had a little time to discuss the topic and think it over.

Is wellness not missing work?  Is it simply feeling healthy?  Wellness, no doubt looks and feels different for different people.  I believe wellness starts with the right information.  Information on how to stay healthy no matter what age you are and information on how to be well if you don't feel well now.   

But what else? What do you really need, to stay "well"?  Are wellness supplements needed and which ones will really make a difference?    This was the central theme of the 8th annual conference called Natural Supplements: An Evidence Based Update held in San Diego by the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine.  If you are not familiar with the term Integrative Medicine it's about time you should be. 

Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, one of the many incredible presenters over the weekend said it best, "Integrative medicine just makes sense—it is a re-emergence of viewing the patient as a whole human being, a person with a rich story, a history and set of beliefs and a culture that you must consider in the co-creation of a treatment plan."  Dr. LowDog is on the faculty of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine  at the University of Arizona where she currently serves as the Director of the Fellowship. Dr. Andrew Weil has this to say about her, "Dr. Low Dog is one of the world's leading authorities on botanical medicine & dietary supplements."  

Over the course of three days of lectures there was an wealth of information, certainly too much for this blog.

But in regards to "Wellness"  a review of natural supplement research presented by Dr. Joseph Betz discussed the "Best Supplements of the Year".   In his review of scientific literature, six of his top nine supplement list were Chinese herbs.  Six on the "BEST of 2010" list. How Fantastic!!  These 6 Chinese herbs have been studied repeatedly and systematic reviews have been published in the most popular medical journals. 

They are:  (in alphabetical order) 

1.  Bilberry –  (Man Yue Ju)   (Active ingredient Anthocyanidins)

2.  Ginko Biloba – (Bai Gou)

3.  Milk Thistle – Silybum Marianumn – (Shui Fei Ji)

4.  Pepperment (Bo He)

5.  Red Yeast Rice – (Hong Mi or Chi Qu)

6.  Thunder God Vine – Tripterygium Wilfordi Hook (Lei Gong Teng)

Just for the record the other three natural supplements on Dr. Betz's list for 2010 were Pomegranate Juice, Echinacea and Cranberry Juice.

It will take at least another blog or more to talk about all the benefits of these amazing herbs. For now, we in Chinese herbal medicine fields feel somewhat vindicated that Western medicine is beginning to catch up and recognize what Asian cultures have known for centuries.  Finally the Western literature begins to surface on Chinese herbal remedies. 

 

Note: Dr. Joseph Betz works at the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institute of Health (NIH)

Menopause Treatments and Hormone Tips

Chinese herbal remedies for menopauseIt is possible to live through the menopausal years without suffering from hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats and other symptoms.  Consider these  menopause treatment options,  when you are looking for a solution.

What was once standard therapy, Hormone Replacement Therapy, (HRT) has been proven much too risky because of the increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease.  Now what’s a women to do?

Today Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy, (BHRT) seems to be coming more accepted. The difference is hormones in BHRT are derived from plants such as soy and yams rather than from the urine of pregnant horses.  

But is taking unopposed estrogen a good idea?  Our bodies normally maintain a delicate balance of hormones to keep it functioning optimally at any age.  Today we have xeno-estrogens in our water, our cosmetics, our food and even on cash register receipts.  So how do we know when our bodies have too much or not enough hormones??  As our livers work overtime to process all this estrogen, is adding more really such a good idea?

Some doctors are speaking out on this subject, warning that unless estrogen is balanced with progesterone, women could be putting themselves at risks..”To say it’s bio-identical doesn’t mean it’s safe,” Dr. Richard Boroditsky, a professor at the University of Manitoba’s department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences. To avoid the risk of uterine cancer most women taking estrogen also need to take progesterone, he says. While most bio-identical therapies use progesterone creams, Dr. Boroditsky says women can’t be sure of the levels of hormones they’re absorbing. “We’ve known this for years – that if woman takes un-opposed estrogen, she increases her risk eight to 10 times over the normal chances of developing cancer of the uterus,” he says.

When you are looking for an answer carrying non of these risks, check into Eastern Medicine alternatives such as Chinese herbs and Menopause Relief Herb Pac.   These types of herbal remedies have been used for centuries safely and without side-effects.  The herbs we use do not mimic estrogen nor are they xeno-estrogens rather they gently reduce your body temperature by supporting adrenal function and nourish the dryness which occurs from the excessive heat.  In Eastern medicine the classic herbal formula called Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan or Anemarrhena, Phellodendron, and Rehmannia  cools the blood and nourishes the yin fluids. 

At Pac Herbs we strive to bring herbal remedies to women who want a safe and effective answer to the uncomfortable symptoms that can accompany menopause and peri-menopause.  Give our Menopause Relief herb tea a test run, you’ll see a noticeable reduction in symptoms with the first box of tea.  It taste delicious while fueling your body with the natural nutrients it needs to support your adrenal glands as you gradually adjust to reduced hormone levels. Menopause is a natural body function which arrives as we age and all bodies need a little support to manage the change. Herbs are a gentler, kinder, time tested method of supporting this natural change.