Weary and frightened after 10 years of fighting a losing battle against bronchitis, Sheila Cohen turned two years ago to traditional Chinese medicine. A practitioner from the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF prescribed herbal pills and teas, as well as deep tissue massage, to boost the 58-year-old's immune system.

Acupuncture is an alternative medical method that originated from China.This method is based upon the old Chinese assumption that there are invisible energy point scattered across the human body. Theses energy points are called Meridians. during an Acupuncture treatment, tiny needles are inserted into the Meridians, causing he energy flow through them to change. This principle is used for quit a few benefits:

Still dealing with monthly cramps, bloating and irritability? Chinese medicine offers natural remedies to ease your menstrual cycles.

out your tongue. It's one of the first things a medical doctor tells a patient with a sore throat to help make a diagnosis.
Doctors trained in Chinese medicine ask the same thing of their patients, but besides a sore throat, they say they can diagnose heart disease, cancer, stomach problems and psychological problems, among other things, just by examining the tongue.

Good overview of Tai Chi:

"Distinguish between solidness and emptiness, hardness and softness - as the change in the four seasons.

Once you have learned the structure of the Forms, you can focus on the contrast between solidness and emptiness, hardness and softness in your body. During the Forms, your weight is always shifting as you move continuously between attack and defence positions. Always be clear when and where your energy is being used-which parts are relaxed and which are working; which are solid with weight and which are empty; and also which parts of the body are moving and turning.

Concentrate the mind, let your spirit lead your movement - the body must follow the chi.

The procession of Tai Chi exercise requires the body's movement to be led by the mind, so that spirit is placed into every part of the exercise. First, relax the body and empty the mind, breathing naturally. Second, concentrate the mind on the dan tian, so that you can call upon its balance through all the movements."

Chinese medicine is popular among increasing numbers of non-Chinese:

"More people are turning to traditional Chinese medicine to seek a cure for their ailments, and almost half of these patients at one TCM centre are non-Chinese.

Kathy O'Brien has been suffering from chronic sinus problems for more than 20 years, but less than a year ago, she started acupuncture treatments at the Raffles Chinese Medicine centre at Raffles Hospital.

Said Ms O'Brien, "I knew I had a chronic problem. I had too many colds turning into flu, then into a sinus infection, and I'd walk out of a GP's office with a set antibiotics, which I didn't want to keep dumping into my body."

After about 20 treatment sessions she is now free of sinus problems.

She still receives acupuncture treatments once a month, just to keep her body in tune; each session costs about S$40.

She says she is now more aware of her own body and physiology, and she has also changed her lifestyle, buying ginseng and altering her eating habits.

Said Ms O'Brien, "The bit that was new to me was the environment, because most of what I heard about TCM was an environment that was very different from the more clinic, hospital-oriented environment I was more used to, coming from the West."

The profile of the patients are varied; in fact, 40 percent are non-Chinese. "

An interesting acupuncture success story:

"At age 20, Kelly McGarvey barely had the energy to get through the day. She had to drop out of college and was in chronic pain.

The symptoms had been mounting for over 10 years and McGarvey felt she had lost control of her life.

It was at this time that McGarvey started to see a new medical doctor, and he diagnosed her with chronic Lyme disease. He also recommended that she receive an alternative course of treatment in conjunction with what he could do for her.

McGarvey started a course of acupuncture and herbal treatments administered by Samantha Jacobs, of Ridgefield Acupuncture LLC.

"I came to Sam and she helped me with my problems," McGarvey said. "That was two years ago. Sam helped point me in the right direction. She controlled the inflammation, the pain of Lyme related arthritis. I now have a better range of motion. I sleep better and the chronic fatigue is gone. I've gotten my life back."
The News-Times/Chris Ware
Samantha Jacobs uses acupuncture to treat pain.

McGarvey is going back to college part time attending classes at Western Connecticut State University. She is vibrant and healthy and has her cognitive function back."

Ineresting information about Korean ginseng:

" Korea is not the world’s no. 1 in terms of ginseng production. That is China, which produces 52,000 tons of the root to account for 67 percent of global production. Korea follows with 16,000 tons (20 percent), ahead of Canada with 6,000 tons (7 percent) and the U.S. with 2,100 tons (3 percent). Recently, countries like Australia and Germany have also started producing ginseng. But in terms of market size, Korea is way ahead. As of last year, the global ginseng market was valued at W2 trillion(US2 billion) and the Korean market took the biggest share with W85 million. The reason is that Korean ginseng is significantly more expensive than ginseng from elsewhere, and much of it is consumed locally. The highest quality Korean ginseng is 10 times more expensive than the Chinese variety and five times more than the U.S. equivalent.

Among the various varieties, red ginseng leads the way in recovering Korean exports. Red ginseng is produced by steaming six-year-old ginseng and then drying it. The unique color that results gives it its name. As a flagship ginseng product, red ginseng accounts for two-thirds of total exports.

Korean ginseng is so popular around the world because it is particularly efficacious, as scientific studies show. Research by pharmacologists and doctors suggest ginseng is effective in preventing cancer and diabetes and also helps treat erectile dysfunction. In addition, taking ginseng helps reduce stress and fatigue and improves memory. The core element that makes it so effective is called ginseng saponin. “Korean six-year-old red ginseng has as many as 37 kinds of ginseng saponin,” says Park Jong-dae, a researcher with KT&G, the nation’s biggest tobacco company and KGC’s parent company. “By contrast, Chinese ginseng and U.S. ginseng have only 13 and 14 kinds of ginseng saponin.”"

DAAN carries Korean ginseng tea, Korean ginseng powder, Red panax ginseng capsules (made from Korean ginseng), and Red panax ginseng (Korean ginseg roots).

Couples are using acupuncture to help them conceive:

"It's been used in China for over 2,000 years but acupuncture to help infertility is a new concept in North America.

Dr. Lorne Brown is a doctor of Chinese medicine specializing in fertility. This former Fredericton resident is now living in Vancouver.

Daily, he says, he receives e-mails from around the world from couples who have been unable to become pregnant who want more information on acupuncture as a treatment for infertility.

"We know it increases blood flow to the reproductive organs. The more blood flow to the ovaries the more nutrients and oxygen and balanced hormones. That means, hopefully, better egg quality and also the more blood to the (uterine) lining which means better implantation of the embryo."

Acupuncture has also been shown to reduce the effects of stress which has been proven to impair fertility. If stress and its negative hormones can be lowered and blood flow can be increased, he says, this can help people who want to have a baby."

Like acupuncture for people, acupuncture for pets is gaining in popularity:

"Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years on people, so this isn't a new practice. But Milo is a mastiff-boxer crossbreed, and the table was in Granite City Pet Hospital & Surgery Center.

He is one of a growing number of pets -- household and other -- who receive acupuncture to treat ailments.

During that 20-minute session, Milo had 10 needles inserted into various places on his body. He was receiving after-surgery treatment for a ruptured ligament in his knee.

The needles, inserted into his right hind leg -- the one that had surgery -- right foreleg, his head and back will speed the recovery. Four needles were connected to a machine that provides an electric charge to stimulate them.

"As people begin to look for alternative therapies for themselves, they search for them for their pet, too," said Alyssa Erlandson, a veterinarian at Granite City.

Erlandson is one of a handful of vets in the area who practice alternative healing methods for pets.

In the year Erlandson has been practicing acupuncture, she has treated arthritis pain, post-surgical conditions, seizures, inflammatory bowel disease, behavioral problems, urinary tract incontinence and other chronic conditions.

Erlandson usually recommends procedures and normal medications before suggesting acupuncture.

The needles stimulate nerves and release natural pain relievers. It won't cure things such as arthritis, but it will alleviate some discomfort. It can usually relieve urinary incontinence completely with several treatments.

Sergeant, a papillon from Foley, started acupuncture treatment three months ago. He now has it every other week to treat seizures.

"He has definitely cut down in the frequency and the strength of the seizures (after acupuncture)," said Sharon Rausch, Sergeant's owner. "They're much, much more mild than they used to be.""

Researchers in Adelaide have found that giving acupuncture to IVF patients can substantially increase pregnancy rates.
But the reasons for the treatment's apparent success are still unclear.

Plants valued for their fragrance, flavor or medicinal and healthful qualities are often referred to generally as herbs. They cover a wide range of trees, shrubs, perennials, vines and ferns. From wild plants to garden favorites, there is a wide, wide world of herbs to choose from.

Milo Hirt was a little uneasy last week. Recovering from knee surgery, he was about to be poked with 10 needles to help his recovery.
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years on people, so this isn't a new practice. But Milo is a mastiff-boxer crossbreed, and the table was in Granite City Pet Hospital & Surgery Center.