DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

More western doctors are recommending acupuncture for fertility treatments. And there is evidence it works.

A warning from Prof. Edzard Ernst, chair of complementary medicine at the Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter & Plymouth in England about websites promoting alternative treatments to replace western treatments:

” In a survey Ernst conducted of 2,600 patients who had been prescribed a blood-thinning drug, he found that 9 percent were also taking a herbal medicine that could interfere with the effectiveness of the conventional drug. But the majority of them had not told their doctors about the herbal medication.

Ernst believes complementary therapies have a place alongside conventional treatments but that more research and scientific evidence is needed ”

DAAN encourages you to ALWAYS check with your physician before taking any Chinese medicine treatment.

Article about cupping, a traditional Chinese medicine treatment:

“Either energy or blood is stuck in that area causing the discomfort. The cup is put on, causing suction in the area to pull out whatever is stuck in there, bring it to the surface, so fresh energy or blood can flow in the area and heal it,” Nirenberg said. ”

Acupuncture is an increasingly popular treatment for many in western countries. Good background about some of the theories of traditional Chinese medicine:

” “We treat according to a pattern of symptoms and disharmony. It is a completely different approach. The body and mind are interconnected and therefore just treating a problem in isolation won’t fix the underlying cause” explained Mitchell.”

The Aimin Weight-Loss Clinic in Tianjin, China is acheiving dramatic results treating obese children with a combination of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine treatments:

“Traditional Chinese therapies are routine. Treatment at Aimin typically includes daily acupuncture sessions in which hair-thin needles are strategically inserted into chubby stomachs and thighs to suppress appetite and improve metabolism. (It’s not for everyone; Feldman, who only partakes occasionally, says, “It hurts. You should hear people, screaming like dogs.”) Patients also have herbal patches taped to their ears to help reduce hunger. And they receive up to six varieties of medication, according to individual need. “These include vitamins and minerals, and traditional Chinese medicine,” says Liu, who declines to detail the exact ingredients. “It’s not like Western medicine where you can say what it is and what it does.”

Fascinating article about Hakka women in China with an interesting perspective on traditional healing and health:

“Some women folk also acted as mediums in the villages. One of them is Tan Siew Mee, 65, from Kampung Chui Chak in Hilir Perak.

Her clientele consists mainly of young children suffering from a culturally specific condition called haak geng or “soul loss” and patients suffering from a serious illness known in Cantonese as chu mao tan, which is characterised by very high body temperature. ”