Alternatives for Period Pain

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Tylenol dangersDid you hear? A really important consumer update from the FDA was released this month concerning the dangers of taking acetaminophen.

 

 

All of us take pain-relievers from time to time, but did you know that one of the most widely used medicines in the U.S. can cause a rare but serious skin reaction? Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can cause 3 serious skin diseases whose symptoms are a rash, blisters, and permanent damage to the skin. If you develop a rash or other skin reaction, or have in the past while taking this drug, stop using it and seek medical attention right away. There is no way to know who will be at risk for these potentially fatal reactions.

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs have a long history of helping people with pain. Check here if you use any products containing Tylenol (i.e. Midol) for menstrual cramps and period pain. There are alternatives!

All About The Schizandra Berry – A famous Chinese Medicinal

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Schisandra-Berries

Schizandra berry has been a famous adaptogenic herb used for centuries in Chinese Medicine. Adaptogenic herbs do exactly what the name implies.  They help the body adapt. Schizandra helps sharpen the mind, helps the body deal with stressors, it increases alertness and is excellent in treating wheezing due to asthma. This berry is call We Wei Zi in Chinese, which means five flavored seed because it contains all five flavors, sweet, sour, bitter, salty and spicy. Watch the video to see all the incredible properties of this magic berry.

Chinese Herbs From A Western Medicine Viewpoint

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How a Harvard-trained doctor began to appreciate Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM.

by Leana Wen, M.D.

As a child growing up in China, I was always aware of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM is what we refer to as Eastern medicine, in contrast to the Western medicine we know from U.S. hospitals. I never understood much about TCM, only that it somehow involves herbs and that many Chinese people used it. The more I progressed in my medical training in major U.S. academic centers, the more distanced I felt from TCM. Why should I learn about something that lacks evidence, when there’s so much to know about for which there is good research?

 

Last fall, I went to China on a research trip. While my study is primarily on its Western medical system, I was so fascinated by what I learned of Eastern medicine that I spent many free evenings observing TCM practitioners. There is so much I didn’t know. As a discipline, TCM is far too complex for me to understand in my short observation, but there are some very important “lessons from the East” that are applicable to our Western medical practice:

 

#1. Listen—really listen. The first TCM practitioner I shadowed explained to me that to practice TCM is to “listen with your whole body”. Pay attention and use every sense you have, he said. I watched this doctor as he diagnosed a woman with new-onset cervical cancer and severe anemia the moment she walked into his exam room, and within two minutes, without blood tests or CTs, sent her to be admitted to a (Western) medical service. I’ve seen expert clinicians make remarkable diagnoses, but this was something else!

“How could you know what you had and that she needed to be admitted?” I asked.

“I smelled the cervical cancer,” he said. “I looked and saw the anemia. I heard her speak and I knew she could not care for herself at home.” (I followed her records in the hospital; he was right on all accounts.)

 

#2. Focus on the  diagnosis. I watched another TCM doctor patiently explain to a young woman with long-standing abdominal pain why painkillers were not the answer.

“Why should we treat you for something if we don’t know what it is?” he said. “Let’s find out the diagnosis first.” What an important lesson for us—to always begin the diagnosis.

 

#3. Treat the whole person. “A big difference between our two practices,” said one TCM doctor, “Is that Western medicine treats people as organs. Eastern medicine treats people as a whole.” Indeed, I watched her inquire about family, diet, and life stressors. She counseled on issues of family planning, food safety, and managing debt. She even helped patients who needed advice on caring for the their elderly parents and choosing schools for their child. This is truly “whole person” care!

 

#4. Health is not just about disease, but also about wellness. There is a term in Chinese that does not have its exact equivalent in English. The closest translation is probably “tune-up to remain in balance”, but it doesn’t do the term justice, because it refers to maintaining and promoting wellness. Many choose to see a TCM doctor not because they are ill, but because they want to be well. They believe TCM helps them keep in balance. It’s an important lesson for doctors and patients alike to address wellness and prevention.

 

#5. Medicine is a life-long practice. Western medicine reveres the newest as the best; in contrast, patients revere old TCM doctors for their knowledge and experience. Practicing doctors do not rest on their laurels.

“This is a practice that has taken thousands of years to develop,” I was told. “That’s why you must keep learning throughout your life, and even then you will only learn just a small fraction.” Western medicine should be no different: not only are there new medical advances all the time, doctors need to continually improve their skills in the art of medicine.

 

#6. Evidence is in the eyes of the beholder. Evidence-based medicine was my mantra in Western medical training, so I was highly skeptical of the anecdotes I heard. But then I met so many patients who said that they were able to get relief from Eastern remedies while Western treatments failed them. Could there be a placebo effect? Sure. Is research important? Of course. But research is done on populations, and our treatment is of individuals. It has taken me a while to accept that I may not always be able to explain why—but that the care should be for the individual patient, not a population of patients.

“In a way, there is more evidence for our type of medicine than for yours,” a TCM teacher told me. “We have four thousand years of experience—that must count for something!”

 

There is so much I have not covered about TCM. Its practices vary regionally, and no doubt, there are more and less capable practitioners (as there are in Western medicine). More research into TCM methods will be important. However, regardless of whether we Western doctors want to prescribe TCM treatments, we should recognize there is much to learn from Eastern medicine, including what it means to be a physician to really care for our patients. Upon my return from China, I, for one, have a new found appreciation for Eastern medical practice and a renewed understanding of holistic medical care.

The Hormone High Wire Balancing Act of PMS

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Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the most common disorder for women during their reproductive years, but it doesn’t have to be.  Asian cultures have been using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat the hormonal imbalances that accompany menstrual cycle related symptoms for centuries. Chinese medicine calls this an imbalance of Qi in the reproductive and other related organs. Acupuncture and herbs can re-establish the flow of Qi and bring a balance to the body allowing the body to function optimally without hormone regulators such as a birth control pills.

Chinese Herbs for PMSOften the underlying problem with PMS is the hormonal imbalance. Estrogen levels are commonly too high in relation to progesterone levels. What’s causing this imbalance? The most common cause is our diets. Hormones are sensitive and overeating and obesity often lead to conversion of androgens to estrogen by aromatase.  High fat diets, refined sugars and carbohydrates, processed foods and artificial sweeteners, dairy products and even commercially raised livestock are all a source of estrogen exposure. Limiting our exposure of so called “artificial or xeno-estrogens” is not difficult. Eat a balanced healthy diet and choose hormone free meat. Not surprising, exercise helps keep the balance, whereas alcohol and constipation both disrupt the balance.

Regulating hormone levels is a key component to combating PMS and Chinese herbs  can help maintain a hormone balance through several methods. (See PMS Relief Herbs Pack) Many Chinese herbs have hormone enhancing properties. One such herb is Dang Gui. Several new studies have examined dang gui with a combination of herbs (also called herbal formulas). We know herb formulas, or a combination of herbs, are very effective and since dang gui is known as the “women’s ginseng”, it’s an indispensable herb for PMS symptoms. Although contradicting literature has been published on the phytoestrogen content in dang gui, it does have a plethora of well established and proven actions. In TCM it is a blood tonic and has warming and dispersing actions.  Numerous studies prove dang gui and other Chinese herbs nourish our blood. Monthly blood loss take a toll on women over time, and a healthy diet, including herbs are the fuel necessary to replenishing the blood that is lost each month.

Many Chinese herbs contain high amounts of essential fatty acids which also help maintain our natural hormonal balance.  Some do this by improving liver functions. The liver is viewed as part of the reproductive system in Chinese medicine. It’s imperative to help the liver regulate the production of prostaglandin hormones and strengthen the liver’s ability to synthesize proteins and fat. This facilitates the body’s ability to regulate itself. Bupleurum and Rehmannia are two traditional Chinese herbs which have clinically tested and proven liver tonifying properties.  Strengthening liver functions is another way Chinese herbs helps an over-active uterus and therefore reduce PMS symptoms. Advil, Tylenol and other NSAIDS only cover up your pain and can cause more harm to your liver function. Chinese herbs work at the root of the disharmony.

A recent study of 549 women in Australia documented results on the severity of PMS and the effectiveness of Chinese herbs to reduce the severity.[1] By restoring the imbalance in the reproductive system, herbal medicine can prevent monthly menstrual cramps, depression, PMS, and abdominal pain.

Maintaining a healthy hormone balance (part of homeostasis) is essential throughout life and will undoubtedly also help PMS symptoms. Be in control of your body and how it functions. Give yourself healthy foods and plant based medicine like Chinese herbs and you’ll naturally balance your body’s energy and restore your body’s natural hormone balance.

For more information on this subject call us and talk to our Licensed Acupuncturist/herbalist. Go to Contact Page.

Notes: “When the balance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are off, it causes an inability of conversion from linoleic acid to GLA resulting in increasing the risk of over production of PGE2 and premenstrual pain and cramps.”[2]

REFERENCES

  1. Chinese herbal medicine for premenstrual syndrome , Jing Z, Yang X, Ismail KMK, Chen X, Wu T
  2. Dijsselbloem N, Vanden Berghe W, De Naeyer A, Haegeman G. Soy isoflavonephyto-pharmaceuticals in interleukin-6 affections. Multi-purpose nutraceuticals atthe crossroad of hormone replacement, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory therapy. Biochem Pharmacol. 2004;68(6):1171-1185. estrogen disruptors induce precocious puberty? Minerva Pediatr. 2006;58(3)
  3. Lee JM, Appugliese D, Kaciroti N, Corwyn RF, Bradley RH, Lumeng JC. Weight statusin young girls and the onset of puberty. Pediatrics. 2007;119(3):e624-e630.
  4. Steingraber S. Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment. Boston, Mass: Addison Wesley Publishing Co; 1997.
  5. Wiksten-Almstromer M, Hirschberg AL, Hagenfeldt K. Menstrual disorders and associated factors among adolescent girls visiting a youth clinic. Acta Obstet GynecolScand. 2007;86(1):65-72.
  6. Halbreich U, Borenstein J, Pearlstein T, Kahn LS. The prevalence, impairment,impact, and burden of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMS/PMDD).Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2003;28 Suppl 3:1-23.
  7. Medical Herbology & Pharmacology by John K. Chen, Tina T. Chen Art of    Medicine Press, 2004

This post is proud to be part of  thekathleenshow.com Prevention not Prescription Tuesday’s blog roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harvard Says Menopause Hormone Therapy Carries Proven Heart Risks

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A very important study was just released from Harvard School of Public Health by the National Institute of Health.  This study on women’s health confirmed that combination hormone therapy used commonly for symptoms due to menopause increases a woman’s risk for heart disease.
 
 
“New analysis from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that combination hormone therapy increases the risk of heart disease in healthy postmenopausal women. Researchers report a trend toward an increased risk of heart disease during the first two years of hormone therapy among women who began therapy within 10 years of menopause, and a more marked elevation of risk among women who began hormone therapy more than 10 years after menopause. Analysis indicate that overall a woman’s risk of heart disease more than doubles within the first two years of taking combination HT.”
 
 
My hope is that this study will be read by the throngs of women who visit their medical doctors looking for a quick fix for hot flashes and night sweats.  Understanding these proven risks will surely save lives. There is a better way to treat menopausal symptoms using Chinese medicine and Chinese herbs. This less understood Complementary and Alternative Medicine has been practiced in Asia for centuries with truly remarkable results. Today nearly every community across America has an Acupuncturist and the profession is growing.
 
 
Jacques E. Rossouw, M.D., chief of the NHLBI Women's Health Initiative Branch and a coauthor of the paper, added, "Although the number of recently menopausal women who would be expected to suffer a heart attack during the first years of combination hormone therapy is small, the risk is likely to be real.”
 
 
The risk  of taking hormone therapy is real!   It can’t be much clearer than that. Yet, to me it sounds like Dr. Rossouw’s statement doesn’t want to cause panic so he says the risk is small. But if even one women dies unnecessarily from a heart attack due to hormone replacement therapy, in my book, that’s one heart attack and one life to many.     
 
 
I treat many women with menopausal symptoms and I understand how uncomfortable hot flashes and night sweats can be. Routinely I hear the common complaints about quality of sleep, how difficult it is to dress comfortably and all the other dryness issues from hair to nails to skin, etc.   I treat women with Acupuncture and with Chinese herbs. I don’t do anything miraculous as an Acupuncturist, but my patients get great results.  It’s the acupuncture and herbs that balance the body naturally and help ease the symptoms of menopause.
 
 
It’s also not a quick fix, many patients come for three to six months on a  weekly basis and are very compliant about taking the herbal formulas. Again it’s not me, it’s Chinese medicine that understands the relationship of Yin and Yang energy in the body and has been perfected throughout the last 2000 years.
 
 
My hope is that all women will ease into the change of life and experience little to no uncomfortable symptoms. But when they do, spread the word that help is available using Chinese Medicine and Chinese herbs that does not carry proven risk factors such as heart attacks. Acupuncture is safe and effective when performed by a licensed Acupuncturist. If you need a referral we are here to help. Use the yellow contact button on the left and just let us know your looking for an acupuncturist in your hometown.  
 
 
I always give links to studies in my articles, here’s the link for this one. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/feb2010/nhlbi-15.htm

How To Harmonize Your Health With Licorice Root

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Pacific Herbs uses highest quality licorice in its formulasWe have all heard of licorice, but what it is used FOR, is a bit of a mystery. Licorice is used in nearly every Chinese herbal formula (and there are thousands) because it is known to “harmonize the formula”.

Well, what the heck does that mean?  Because licorice root can ameliorate the blood (make it better by kick starting your blood and energy), it facilitates the gastrointestinal tract’s absorption process of the herbs in the formula.  Researchers have been studying this process for years, and although scientists do not completely understand the “how” of why licorice does what it does, it is known that it does work.

Licorice root “harmonizes” herbal formulas by helping your GI tract.  Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root has been used to treat stomach ulcers, it has antioxidant qualities (the root contains flavonoids), contains amino acids that help build healthy cells and muscles, and treats upper respiratory infections, viral infections and a sore throat. Amazingly, it is classified as an adaptogen, and helps the body deal with stress! What a versatile chinese herb!

It is important to know that it’s better to use the whole herb rather than chemicals isolated from the herb because all the components of the herb together produce the desired effect. Once again, we get back to “harmony”.

All Pacific Herbs products are produced using the gold standard of pharmaceutical grade processing to ensure the most potent formulation, then stored in convenient packets that are air, water and light tight. This unique packaging keeps the all-natural compounds in our Herb Packet vital for an unprecedented 4-year shelf life while offering the convenience of a highly portable, pocket-sized pack that can be taken anywhere. The herbal ingredients are tasty and available in a powder that can be dissolved in your mouth or in hot or cold water.

Additionally, Pacific Herbs products are the most potent on the market, using the highest quality Chinese herbs available that are both safe and effective. Our manufacturing facility has state-of-the-art equipment to cook, dry and package botanicals. All Pacific Herbs Chinese herbal products are extensively tested for pesticides and other contaminants. Pacific Herbs Packets are stamped with a lot number traceable to a Certificate of Analysis (COA) of testing date. Manufacturing is under strict Current Good Manufacturing Process (cGMP) and International Standards Organization (ISO) standards.

 

References: [1] Effect of licorice on the reduction of body fat mass in healthy subjects. Armanini D, De Palo CB, Mattarello MJ, Spinella P, Zaccaria M, Ermolao A, Palermo M, Fiore C, Sartorato P, Francini-Pesenti F, Karbowiak I. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Jul;26(7):646-50. [2] Glycyrrhetinic acid, the active principle of licorice, can reduce the thickness of subcutaneous thigh fat through topical application. Armanini D, Nacamulli D, Francini-Pesenti F, Battagin G, Ragazzi E, Fiore C. Steroids. 2005 Jul;70(8):538-42. Epub 2005 Apr 12. [3] The treatment of atopic dermatitis with licorice gel. Saeedi M, Morteza-Semnani K, Ghoreishi MR. J Dermatolog Treat. 2003 Sep;14(3):153-7. [4] The efficacy of licorice root extract in decreasing transaminase activities in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Hajiaghamohammadi AA, Ziaee A, Samimi R. Phytother Res. 2012 Sep;26(9):1381-4. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3728. Epub 2012 Feb 6. Other Sources: Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements, second edition, ed, Paul M. Coates, 2005, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 479 – 486.

Can Cash Register Receipts Cause PMS?

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As women, our hormonal cycles can make us an emotional mess! From our first period to our last, we are dominated by our hormones.  These tricky little messengers can run around amuck in our bodies for years and are often never “on a short lease and house trained.”  This is my motto and the way I like my hormones.

 

In other words, I want some predictability.   I don’t want the unknown creeping into my day and then I blow a fuse without any warning.  I think my family appreciates this too, especially my kids!   But life is not always so predictable and neither are our hormones.  If you agree, then it’s time to do something about them!

 

Hormonal balance is possible, in fact it’s absolutely essential to maintaining our good health. This has become harder to do with all the chemicals we find everywhere and so many products we take for granted our safe to us.  The fact is our bodies absorb many chemicals through our skin that can throw our hormonal balance into a spiraling nose dive.  As you probably know hormonal imbalance is the precursor to PMS, menstrual cramps, peri-menopause and menopause symptoms. So keeping the balance is crucial no matter what your age.

  

Here's one tip on a chemicals you may have already heard about but didn't realize it could be sneeking into your body in ways you never considered.

The chemical is BPA’s (Bisphenol A)  a known endocrine disrupting chemical which acts like estrogen in our body. Did you know that cash register receipts are made from thermal papers that contain high amounts of BPA’s.  When you touch these receipts or even handle cash today, (much of the BPA’s are landing on our cash) you potentially have high amounts of BPA’s on your hands. The cumulative effect is the effect we are worried about here.  Your action step to prevent BPA’s entering your body is easy.

Wash your hands before you eat or touch you mouth.

It should be part of our daily hygiene anyway.  But often times we eat on the run, pick up fast food and have just touched the receipt of the food we bought.   Just be cognitive, that you may not really need that receipt.

Politely decline taking the receipt. Washing your hands may seem like a simple baby step to creating better health and healing for your body from PMS to menopausal symptoms.  But,  adding a whole lot of small healthy steps together takes you from a standstill to a full sprint in creating better health.  If you have more questions revisit the information on BPA’s in the book, Stop Your Bitching…naturally! or get "30 Days of Tips To Stop Your Bitching…naturally!  The book of tips is an easy to follow guidebook with one TIP for everyday of the month to help you bring balance back to your hormonal shifts..NATURALLY.  

Get 30 Days of Tips FREE from October 18-20th, 2013 on Amazon downloadable books. 

 

 

Natural Menstrual Cramp Relief fast with PMS Relief Herb Pack from Pacific Herbs

Is China Ripping Off American Ginseng?

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GinPacific Herbs Highest quality Siberian ginseng seng is one of the most popular Chinese herbs in the world and if you live in China, it is one of the most popular ways to promote health and virility.  

 

But why does most of the American ginseng get exported to China and Korea? 

 

Asian cultures have been using ginseng for thousands of years and place a high value on the American grown variety. Amazing, but true, China has been importing American ginseng for nearly 100 years since it was first discovered in the Northern mid-western region. In fact, Wisconsin's most valuable export has nothing to do with the dairy industry, or corn or wheat.  It's all about the ginseng production every year.

 

Wisconsin  is producing 95 percent of America's ginseng. U.S. demand for ginseng is still very low and the best price can be fetched in Asia. 

 

Good to know we have at least one export that China wants from us. Wisconsin governor Walker is in China this week and a deal with Tong Ren Tong, the oldest continually operated Chinese herb store in China has just been signed to export Wisconsin grown ginseng.  Maybe one day soon Americans will learn the value of this incredibly powerful herb.

 

We carry American Ginseng in our store here!

 

Chinese Herbs Reduce Hot Flashes Says American Menopause Society

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HT Hormone Therapy Risks

The American Menopause Society recently published the results of a study on the use of Chinese herbs as a menopause treatment.  It's always nice to see a clinical trial like this published in English (many are in Mandarin only)  and this study was completed in a manner consistent with top notch clinical protocol.  The study was double-blind, randomized and controlled…..ahhhh the gold standard for clinical research.

 

Chinese Herbal Formulas Can Reduce Menopausal Hot Flashes Safely and Effectively

The women in the study were experiencing menopausal hot flashes and were between the ages of 40 to 50 years old.  The participants drank either a concentrated extract of herbal granules twice daily for 12 weeks or a placebo, fake herbal tea.  The women who drank the Chinese herb remedy found their hot flashes dropped by 62%.  Most importantly, the dosage of herbs was discussed in this trial and the participants used 15 grams of concentrated extracts in a sachet each day.  (See Menopause Relief Herb Packet herbal granules here)
 
 
It is important to note the herbs were dried into granules and no pills or capsules were used in this trial. Pills and capsules always contain fillers. It is also very difficult to take 15 grams (15,000 milligrams) of herbal concentrate when taking pills or capsules because it requires a high number of pills to be swallowed.  In this case it would be 15-20 pills per dose.
 
 
THE TREND CONTINUED

Even three months after the study ended, the participants said their hot flashes did not increase after the study ended and they stopped using the menopause herbal remedy. This study shows, compared with Hormone Replacement therapy, Chinese herbs are a safe and viable alternative for menopause symptoms. 

 

Although previous studies have found that Chinese herbs can help reduce hot flashes, those studies were not of the same quality methodology as this study, according to the researchers at Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.

 

SOURCE: Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, online February 25, 2013.

Tong Ren Tong Increase Chinese Medicine Services to 20 Million People

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TCM supplier eyes foreign expansion

A typical Tongrentang store also serves as a showroom for the culture behind traditional Chinese medicines. Provided to China Daily

Tongrentang, the nation’s best-known producer and distributor of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), is promoting Chinese notions of healthcare through offering services to people in foreign countries.

This century-old company based in Beijing began overseas operations in 1993.

Since then, it has opened 66 outlets in 16 countries and regions that offer medical services to more than 20 million people. As a result, this brand is known to more than 100 million foreigners.

Just like its outlets in China, Tongrentang’s overseas operations are a combination of pharmacy and clinic, where doctors make diagnoses and give prescriptions to customers.

Many foreigners have even developed a strong love of the Traditional Chinese medicine after receiving services from Tongrentang.

A South African advertising designer who has suffered from weakness of lower limbs for 15 years had his last try in a Tongrentang store in Dubai in 2010. He was advised to have a massage and acupuncture therapy by a Chinese doctor there.

After two months of treatment, this man was freed from the confinement of a wheelchair. He was so grateful that he volunteered to design an ad for Tongrentang that is now used for promotion in many countries.

The recognition of traditional Chinese medicines is not easy at all in many countries, but Tongrentang has made every effort to persuade foreign citizens and administrators to realize their effectiveness.

In 2009, the Australian drug authority deemed that the saffron flower is a forbidden ingredient in the country.

A number of medicines that Tongrentang produces and sells contain the ingredient, the effectiveness of which has already been proved in the Chinese market.

Therefore the company cooperated with experts at the Australian Society of Traditional Chinese Medicines to produce a research and test report to the drug authority. The latter finally agreed to a re-evaluation.

Despite the uneven road of development, the company is confident about its global expansion.

Ding revealed that the number of Tongrentang’s overseas outlets is expected to reach 100 by 2015.

In addition, Tongrentang TCM museums will be built in about 20 countries and regions, helping people overseas better understand not only the quality of its products and services but also the unique culture behind traditional Chinese medicines.

Yale Says Chinese Herbs Help Chemotherapy Effectiveness

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Chinese herbs in the Wall Street Journal?  Undoubtably not the place you would expect such a story.  

 

Since the research was done at Yale University, why not?  Turns out a combination of four herbs used for about 1800 years in Chinese Medicine has been studied through Yale University and is reported to “enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy in patients with colon cancer”.

 

The formula/combination of herbs is called Huang Qin Tang (Scutellaria Decoction). In early trials this four herbs  have been found effective at reducing the side-effects of chemotherapy, including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.   (I think everyone knows a cancer patient that would love to get rid of those side-effects.)   The herbs are also being reported to “bolster colon-cancer treatment”.1

 

Will this study, help hurdle Traditional Chinese herbal medicine into mainstream American cancer therapy?  Time will tell.  Chinese herbs have been used for centuries safely and effectively and are the first medicine given before drugs throughout Asia.

 

 

 

The scientific team led by Yung-Chi Cheng, an oncology researcher at Yale University was funded in part by the National Cancer Institute, is planning to begin Phase II clinical trials. Many conventional medications are derived from individual chemical agents originally found in plants. In the case of Huang Qin Tang, however, scientists so far have identified 62 active chemicals in the four-herb combination that apparently need to “work together” to be effective.

 

Josephine Briggs, head of the National Center for Complementary

and Alternative Medicin (CAM) said about this herbal combination,

“It’s polypharmacy,” or the equivalent of several drugs being administered at once.

Dr. Cheng began his research on Huang Qin Tang about a dozen years ago when he sought a better way of dealing with the chemotherapy’s side effects.  Dr. Cheng, who grew up in Taiwan, and turned to Traditional Chinese Medicine, (TCM) which often uses herbal combinations for gastrointestinal problems. He decided to test whether it could help cancer patients without compromising the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.

 

The Chinese herb formula Huang Qin Tang contains:  Huang Qin 36%, Da Zao 16%, Bai Shao 24%, and Zhi Gan Cao 24%. Scientists have found over 62 chemicals when these four herbs are cooked in an aquaous solution, boiled in water.

The potential in Chinese herbal medicine is vast indeed.  

What will they find next?

 

Note:

Chinese herbs in places like Japan, Taiwan and China have been used for centuries and their reputation in the healthcare system is undeniably successful. Chinese herbal medicines health insurance coverage is part of the national health insurance in these Asian countries

Nestle Ventures into Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbs

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          Nestle is moving into Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM  by joining forces with Chinese pharma group Chi-Med.  Nestle also just announced they are acquiring Pfizer Nutrition for $11.85 billion dollars.

Nestle is growing in leaps and bounds.  Chinese herbs already have thousands of years of proven use and it makes sense that a giant like Nestle would see the value in looking to Chinese herbs for the newest drugs. The new company, called Nutrition Science Partners (NSP), is to be owned equally by the two parties, Nestle said, without revealing any of the financials behind the deal.  NSP will research, develop, make and sell nutritional and medicinal products derived from botanical plants, it said.

When I think of Nestle, I think of the chocolate chips cookies I use to make as a kid with Nestle chocolate chips.  Yup, same company.  In fact they own too many brands to mention and are the worlds largest food company.

The new herbal joint venture will hand Nestle's Health Science division access to Chi-Med's traditional Chinese medicine library, which includes more than 50,000 extracts from more than 1,200 different herbal plants is one of the world's largest, the statement said.

"Botanical are in the forefront in our view in the search for new medicines," the Chi-Med chief said.

Traditional Chinese plant-based medicines represented between 30% and 40% of all pharmaceutical sales in China, he added.

“This joint venture provides Nestlé Health Science with an opportunity to develop and commercialize truly innovative and scientifically validated botanical-based nutrition for personalized healthcare in gastro-intestinal health,” Nestle Health Science head Luis Cantarell said.

Nestle established the health science business early last year to develop personalized nutrition treatments for conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

What do you think, good for the Chinese medicine world or not?