DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

A good explanation of the effects of acupuncture:

“Research by the National Institute of Health has also found that several types of naturally occurring chemicals may be released into the central nervous system during acupuncture treatment, there-by reducing pain.

Studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and hormones. Acupuncture also has been documented to affect the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes whereby a person’s blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature are regulated. “

Feng shui is big in Israel:

“‘Israel must have the largest number of Feng Shui students in the world, relative to its population – even more than China or Hong Kong. I cannot explain why this is,’ says Joseph Yu, in deliberate, accented English. Yu, one of the world’s foremost experts on Feng Shui, has included Tel Aviv in his 18-city world tour this year.

Feng Shui is best known for its theories about furniture placement, blurring the borders between psychology and decorating. According to Yu, when we sleep, we like to sleep undisturbed. A bed against a wall feels safe. A door must not open onto the bed, because the influx of energy disturbs sleep. “

Shanghai is an amazing city:

“‘Shanghainese like everything new, they go crazy over that,’ says attorney John Sun, one of the new generation of Shanghai movers and shakers. ‘It is growing so fast because it’s not China’s Shanghai anymore. It’s the world’s Shanghai.’ “

If you’re unable to get a flu vaccine, there are still ways you can keep the flu away:

“Although the flu vaccines may be in short supply, there are plenty of needles and herbs to keep the virus at bay, according to Karen Dodson, licensed acupuncturet the Midwest Acupuncture and Pain Treatment Center at 3005 Riverside Drive.

Dodson combines acupuncture with the appropriate Western and Chinese herbs, which she claims keeps the immune system strong, treats pain and prevents allergic reactions.”

A study in Great Britain suggests drinking tea may help protect against Alzheimers:

“Scientists at Newcastle University in England said their research shows that a regular “cuppa” could slow development of the affliction that fogs the memory of otherwise healthy people.

“Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, tea could potentially be another weapon in the armoury which is used to treat this disease and slow down its development,” lead researcher Ed Okello said.

They found that both green and black tea inhibited the activity of enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease, but that coffee had no significant effect.”

DAAN has an excellent source of teas, including green tea, jasmine tea, Fujian black tea, and Oolong tea.

More information about teas here. See the entire list of DAAN teas.

Exciting research indicates Chinese herbal remedies may help with dementia:

“An herbal medicine used in Asia for 2,000 years can reduce the impact of dementia, a small study suggests.

After 16 people took the Chinese herbal preparation ba wei di huang wan (BDW) for 8 weeks, they showed a boost in mental functioning, and had less trouble doing their day-to-day activities. In contrast, people who took an inactive (placebo) pill experienced no improvements over the same time period.”
…

“The reasons why BDW may improve dementia remain unclear, Iwasaki and his colleagues write. Some research suggests the treatment may boost the activity of important proteins in the brain, increase the amount of brain substances associated with learning and memory, or improve blood flow to the brain.

“A traditional Chinese medicine is not simply a purified substance but contains many ingredients, and the interaction of these ingredients is important,” the authors write. “Eight herbs in BDW were carefully devised to interlock according to the traditional rules.”"

Tips for dealing with the stress of the World Series:

“‘The great thing about acupuncture is that people really relax,’ said Kristin Whitfield of Innerweave Asian Healing in Orleans. A licensed acupuncturist, Whitfield said she would probably place four to 12 hair-thin needles into specific relaxation points of ragged Red Sox fans, probably, ‘one in each hand, one in each foot, one in each ear, and one in the forehead”

Some people selling their houses are turning to feng shui to get an edge with buyers:

“‘Feng shui is really not about investing a lot of money, because most of the time our clients have the proper things — they’re just in different spaces. They’re in the wrong places, feng-shui-wise,’ said Mengo, who with Kasliner runs a feng shui consulting business called Harmonious Living.
A growing number of real estate agents and people selling their own homes are turning to feng shui — the ancient Chinese art of designing structures and arranging objects to create harmonious energy flow — to help attract buyers.

Once prevalent mainly in areas with large Asian-American populations, real estate agents and consultants with training in feng shui (pronounced fung-SHWAY) are becoming common.”

Chinese translations of Bill Clinton’s biography show him to be a fan of Chinese culture:

“Who knew that back in Bill Clinton’s early days in Arkansas, the future president and his Uncle Buddy sat around and chewed the fat, ham fat to be precise, and talked about how China was one of the world’s most ancient cultures and had produced Four Great Inventions, one of which was gunpowder?

Yet there it is, all that love of China and things Chinese, right in the latest bootlegged version of Mr. Clinton’s autobiography, ‘My Life,’ sold on the cheap in mainland China and now retranslated back into English, most recently by Alex Beels in the latest issue of Harper’s Magazine. The fake version reveals a Clinton family obsessed with China’s strong points, with how Chinese science and technology ‘left us in the dust.’ Readers will learn that the future president, to impress Hillary’s mother, had rhapsodized about such things as the Eight Trigrams, documented in ‘The Book of Changes’ several thousand years ago. Another retranslation of the pirated translation last summer has Mr. Clinton explaining to Hillary that his nickname is ‘Big Watermelon.’ “