May 1997
Welcome to this newsletter. I will be sharing articles and information about Chinese Herbal Medicine and related subjects. If you would like to be added to an email version of this, please send email with " news" in the subject field to Dr Kelley OMD
1) Overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
2) To self prescribe or not?
3) Stress, a modern epidemic, a TCM perspective
4) "Kidney" -Deficiency, aging, free radicals, and "Kidney"-tonifying
formulas
5) Body mind connection
6) Back to Newsletter index
OVERVIEW OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Traditional Chinese Medicine has its roots in the observation of nature's laws. It was originally a peasant's medicine and as such is riddled with simple understandable concepts so as to allow the average person to relate and use its concepts in practical ways. There is a saying that it is easy to learn TCM, but hard to practice. Conversely, it is hard to learn Modern Western Medicine (with its many specialties and complex terms) but easy to practice.
Every medicine (and culture?) is a language, a vocabulary of concepts that establishes the criteria within which we perceive and explain our "dis-ease" and even to some extent ourselves. Using that grammar, we determine how to identify and remedy problems. This of course brings up another subject regarding "definitions" and disease, why do we seek to define disease and our universe, possibly to control it? all of which is a philosophical discussion for another article.
An understanding of Chinese medicine proceeds from the assumption that each person is a universe in miniature. The logic is that the same forces that shape the macrocosm swirl within each of us, organizing our interior. We are a microcosm of the universe around us.
Within Chinese cosmology, all life arises from the magnetic interplay of Yin and Yang, Earth and Heaven. The north side of the hill was moist, cool, and vegetated, the south side was hot, dry, and barren. These defined two basic opposites, Yin and Yang from which infinite permutations (AKA "the ten thousand things") sprang forth. Just as dark and light, night and day, cold and heat, inner and outer, wet and dry are known only in relation to each other, all living processes are seen as a set of interdependent relationships and conditions. Chinese thinking is holographic: by observing the world we gain knowledge of a single being, each aspect of the body is reflective of the whole of which it is a part, and all the parts are connected and in constant interaction with each other.
A human body, like a landscape, is an ecosystem. As a mountain vista is composed of sky, river, and ground, so a human person is comprised of three basic constituents: Qi, Moisture, and Blood. Just as nature is ordered by five primordial powers (wu te) and their progression through five Phases (wu xing) - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water- people are organized by five functional systems, the Organ Networks: Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney. These Networks generate and circulate Qi, Moisture, and Blood. As air, sea, and land are bounded by Heaven and Earth, the human organism is formed by the intermingling of psyche and some, known as Shen and Essence. Shen is associated with the immaterial expression of the individual; and Essence represents the body's material source.
In simple terms, health is determined by the quantity, quality, and distribution of Qi, Moisture, and Blood, and the harmonious interaction of the five Organ Networks. Illness is understood as a consequence of either insufficient or obstructed Qi, Moisture, or Blood, and disturbances within or between the Organ Networks. In Chinese medicine, the impact of the unseen upon the visible is recognized. Even though the invisible cannot be captured, measured, or dissected, it is considered central. Even though no one has ever seen thoughts or emotions, in Chinese medicine they are acknowledged as being inextricably linked to physiology, equal to the influences of food, climate, and physical activities.
TO SELF PRESCRIBE OR NOT? by Subbhutti Darmananda
The idea of making Chinese herbal formulas readily available to people everywhere for purposes of self-prescription was promoted by several herbalists during the past few years. Dr. Hong-yen Hsu, in his book How to Treat Yourself with Chinese Herbs (1976; reprinted 1993) proposed that whenever you can match your own condition to the conditions which a traditional formula is supposed to treat, then you should go ahead and use that formula with good expectation of success. Richard Hyatt described many of the same formulas in his book Chinese Herbal Medicine (1976), also suggesting that each reader could gain the basic understanding of Chinese herb use and readily apply it. He encouraged his readers to bring the book to a Chinatown herb shop, point to the appropriate Chinese characters printed in his book, and with some added sign language and patience, obtain the herb prescription which could then be made as a tea.
However, many of those involved with promoting the use of Chinese herbs have in recent years changed their approach away from self-prescribing. Despite all the earlier calls for a self-motivated independent study of Chinese herbs and self administration, the developing view is that the best way to get Chinese herbs is to have them prescribed by a practitioner. There are three basic reasons for this:
1) The nearly complete lack of herbal medicine in our culture leads the average person to a state of utter confusion when it comes to understanding what to expect from herbs, how they work, when to start and stop herbal therapies, or which product to select, especially when two products have similar Western indications. Professional assistance is quite helpful.
2) There are very few outlets for Chinese herb formulas other than practitioners' offices. Larger cities often have one or more Chinese herb shops, but these are usually run by individuals who speak only Chinese, at least in relation to herb and formula terminology. Health food stores and individuals participating in massive marketing strategies (e.g. multilevel networks) are at least as likely to provide misinformation as they are to provide what an individual actually needs.
3) The health problems that many people wish to address are rather complex. There are, for example, conditions which have been left untreated for years, or treated without success by Western drugs or various alternative therapies. The problems are compounded by erratic and unusual diets, modern environmental conditions, and mental conditioning (one way or another) about the outcome of an herbal treatment.
It should be pointed out that in China several herbs and formulas are famous, and may be self-selected for the treatment or prevention of common health complaints. Knowledge is handed down orally and through popular written works. Ready availability of the products, mainly as patent medicines, assures continued discussion of their uses. This situation is one which still eludes us in the West.
There are degrees of knowledge about Chinese herbs and a corresponding range of applications. Some Chinese doctors, arriving here fresh from work in mainland Chinese hospitals, hold the opinion that only those who have thoroughly studied all relevant aspects of Chinese herbal medicine are in a position to prescribe herbs. While this may be the case for those working with severe illness or injury and the related responsibility found in a Chinese hospital setting, experience has already revealed that individuals in the West, working in private clinics, who have a smaller knowledge of Chinese medicine, can improve their clinical results by utilizing Chinese herbs.
As the use of Chinese herbs in clinical settings increases, practitioners will find that there are some problems that are basically not worth an office visit. This is a situation comparable to an individual suffering from a simple tension headache who can now self-treat using an analgesic found at drug stores and groceries, rather than make an appointment to see the doctor. Along such lines, it is likely that some Chinese herb formulas will be made available for self-prescription. General tonics, analgesics for minor pains, digestive aids, treatments for stress, and short-term therapies for minor acute ailments are likely to be included.
However, because Chinese medicine now holds out some hope for people suffering from a wide range of complex disorders, the primary focus of Chinese herbal therapy must remain guided by an experienced practitioner.
Stress, a Modern Epidemic, A TCM View by Bob Kelley OMD
When speaking about stress with a Chinese Medicine Doctor, you are most likely to be told about "Liver Qi Stagnation" as a primary disharmony.
The Liver is said to rule the free flow of Qi throughout the body. This relates most closely to the Sympathetic Nervous System. The main symptoms of Liver Stagnation include smooth muscle disorders. This relates to the stomach, intestines, uterus, and arterial system, to name a few. You can think of the Sympathetic Nervous System as a Yang function and the Parasympathetic as a Yin function. The Chinese didn't know about these two opposing and interacting systems, but they knew the manifestations of their relative imbalance.
Today, we live in a culture that is high stress, highly adrenalized. This again is Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) activity. The problem is, whereas the adrenal (fight or flight) pattern was originally a protective mechanism for when a 15 foot animal was considering us for dinner, it is now rampantly out of control. It kicks in even with the thought a a perceived danger, fear, threat, deadline, or other disdained experience.
The result is a chronically out of balance Automatic nervous system, especially the SNS, which by nature shuts down the Parasympathetic function (Vegetative Nervous System) which is control of all the more subtle, "yin" functions such as sleep, immune function, digestion, reproduction, menstruation, calcium levels, production of enzymes, etc. This then leads to the many "chronic" "degenerative" syndromes including autoimmune, allergies, digestive, etc..
The liver is regarded as the general, in charge of making decisions. This translates as goal orientated over achieving activity. The point is, to allay this rampant pattern of "stress", liver Qi stagnation, we have to take a deeper look at our values. We must take some time to do things that are not goal oriented, but are done for the shear joy of it..
The message the body sends as an answer to this stress pattern is all too often a breakdown, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrone, Fibromyalgia, or Stroke. This is an example of extremes changing into their opposites, one of the four fundamental laws of the Yin Yang paradign. For more reading on this subject, please see "The Web that has no weaver" by Ted Kaptchuck, or most any Traditional Chinese Medicine book.
The 4 laws are
1) The law of opposites -- Yin and Yang are opposites in nature
2) The law of interdependence-- Yin and Yang define each other and cannot exist separately
3) The law of interconsumption -- Yin and Yang both nurture and consume each other
4) The law of extremes-- Any extreme will change into its opposite
These laws are extrapulated from observing nature, and although may seem over simplistic, have much wisdom and room for contemplation on many aspects of life well beyond the realm of physical health.
The thing that happens at the stage of breakdown that makes things worse is that Allopathic medicine, with it's adherrence to absolutism and the treatment from a disease oriented paradign, attempts to allay the symptom(s) with very specific drugs that often aggrevate the underlying cause; for example, using steroids to treat autoimmune problems which are secondary to the stress Sympathetic Dominance pattern. These then futher suppress the immune system and around we go..
I would suggest anyone with or without a "disease"to take another look at their health through the eyes of the TCM Chinese Organ Network System/ Yin Yang Paradign. You can use my form as a sort of self evaluation/educational tool..
"Kidney" -Deficiency, aging, free radicals, and "Kidney"-tonifying
formulas
Exerpt from East West Medical Digest
The following article is in response to the recent awareness of the link between antioxidants and aging. Here, the traditional Herbal formulas used for aging are looked at from a more modern pharmacological perspective. "Kidney"- deficiency has been related to aging in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). "Kidney"- deficiency means the decline of "Kidney" function in TCM terms. The Chinese character "Shen" in TCM has been frequently translated to English as "Kidney." However, "Shen" in TCM indicates not only the kidneys, but also includes the endocrine and reproductive organs. Therefore, functions of Shen include the kidneys, endocrine system and reproductive organs. The linear regressions of kidney functions, including renal plasma flow, creatinine clearance, and protein synthesis have shown with age. A decrease in the functions of the endocrine system and reproductive organs are also observed with age. It is very surprising that the findings regarding the functional relationship of the kidneys, endocrine system and reproductive organs with age were made by the ancient Chinese more than 2200 years ago. Aging phenomena indicate that the aging process is the sum of the deleterious free radical reactions going on continuously throughout the cells and tissues, and the relationship between aging and diseases involving free radical reactions seems to be a direct one. It has been reported that "Kidney" deficient persons have higher blood lipid peroxide (LPC) levels in comparison to non "Kidney"-deficient persons. Blood LPO levels have been known to elevate with age. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity also has been found to decrease in "Kidney" deficient patients and when the "Kidney"-deficient patients conditions worsen, the SOD activities in the blood cells also decrease more drastically. SOD is one of the enzymes necessary to eliminate a free radical superoxide from our bodily systems. Oxygen free radicals also have been identified as playing a key role in ischemic acute renal failure and other renal failure. Chen, et al showed that the "Kidney" tonifying herbal formula containing Alpinia, Rehmannia, Lycium fructus, Juglans and several other herbs was able to decrease the serum LPO levels in 73 elderly people more than 60 years old after taking the formula for eight weeks. Treating 122 cases of "Kidney"- deficient elderly people with "Kidney"-tonifying formula Qing Palace Changchun tablets (Ingredients: seeEast-West Medical Digest 2 (1990): 20) for three months, Zhang, et al) also showed the decrease of serum LPO levels in the treatment. The "Kidney"-tonifying formula also showed the suppressing effect on free radical reactions in animal experiments. The typical "Kidney"-tonifying formula Rehmania 8 increased SOD activities in blood and brain tissues of experimental animals after administration of the formula. Many tonic herbs have been found to have antioxidant activity. The following tonic herbs possess antioxidant activity: Ginseng, ginger, cimicifuga, alisma, polygonum, rehmannia, atractylodes, poria, polygonatum, ophiopogon, psoralea, cuscuta, Lycium, acanthopanax, ligustrum, cornus, paeonia moutan, cinnamon, dioscorea, alpinia, shizandra, codonopsis, jujube, cratagus, allium, citrus reticulate and pilose antler. Minor Bupleurum formula and saikosaponin d isolated from bupleurum also have antioxidant effect. "Kidney " -tonifying herbal formulas not only have antioxidant activities but also possess immunostimulating activities in their ingredients. Therefore, "Kidney"-tonifying herbal formulas are commonly used to help slow down aging.
Body mind connection reprint from The Waikaloa Wisper
Scientists are linking everything from the common cold to cancer to our emotional condition. They are suggesting several techniques to strengthen the mind so the body can ward off illness. How we think, say doctors at the UCLA School of Medicine, influences how we feel. A new term has evolved that describes the science. Psychoneuro-immunology (actually all one word and dubbed PNI) links the mind with the immune system. Evidence shows that the immune system response, for example, changes when a person just pretends to be angry. Virus- and infection-fighting white blood cells are suppressed. Short-term stress can actually increase resistance to disease. Our bodies rally under immediate stress so we can fight or flee. But if stress continues, the mind perceives the threat as inescapable. Then the body weakens, according to studies at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). The impact of stress differs from one individual to another. It appears to go to the line of least resistance. (your weakest link in the chain) So if you tend to get backaches, you will have more of them. If you tend to get colds or digestive problems, you will be more prone to them.
Here are some recommended ways to put yourself in a healthy mental state:
1. Meditate. It's a calm, yet alert mental state. In tests, meditating subjects produced more of the disease fighting chemical interleukin-1.
2. Takebreaks.Two lO-to2O-minute breaks during the workday are recommended. Take them after tense periods and focus on a happy memory or thought.
3. Make a deal with yourself. When you can't avoid stress, promise yourself that you will do something enjoyable this evening or this weekend.
4. Say no when it's possible. Try not to take on new tasks when you are already stressed.
5. Eat and sleep right. Treat yourself well when emotions are running high.
6. Exercise. This may be your most beneficial activity in stressful periods. Don't give in to the temptation to skip your workout during very busy periods.
Acknowledging the mind-body link is another helpful step in taking responsibility for your own health.
The secret of life isn't in what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.
Norman Vincent Peale
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