DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Acupuncture brings relief to some animals

“JACKSONVILLE, FL — Little Ricky is clipping along as he takes a stroll around the hallways of the Brentwood Animal Clinic. Everyone is happy to see how easy he moves. Because just two months earlier it was a much different story for the Dachshund.

Tags: Acupuncture by DAAN
No Comments »

First Confucius institute in Traditional Chinese Medicine is being set up in Britain
“Britain’s London South Bank University (LSBU) announced on Monday the opening of its Confucius Institute, the first of its kind in the world to offer traditional Chinese medicinal courses, including a degree in acupuncture.

At the launching ceremony, LSBU Vice Chancellor Deian Hopkin said “We here at LSBU are very excited and proud to be launching the first Confucius Institute in Traditional Chinese Medicine in both the UK and the world.”

Tags: General by DAAN
No Comments »

Eating well and taking care of yourself can help with male impotence. In addition, here are some tips from Chinese medicine:

“Acupuncture Acupuncture has proven quite successful in the treatment of impotence. Typically, the Conception Vessel meridian is utilized, along with various bladder and spleen points, to improve the flow of chi to sexual organs. Stomach 36, Bladder 23, and TIiple Warmer 4 may also be included.

Acupressure Acupressure can help stimulate the sex drive and strengthen the kidneys which, in turn, may prevent impotence. Relevant acupoints include Conception Vessell, 2, 4 and 8; Governing Vessel 3 and 4, Spleen 6, Stomach 36, and Bladder 23.

Chinese Herbal Therapy Because impotence is viewed as being caused by a kidney deficiency, herbs may be prescribed to strengthen that organ and improve the flow of energy along the kidney meridian.

The aptly named herb horny goat weed has been shown in studies to increase semen secretion and stimulate the male sex drive; it is most potent if steeped in spirits for three months and then taken as a tonic liquor.

Lycium Combination and Golden Book Tea are commonly prescribed Chinese patent medicines that also claim to boost libido.”

DAAN carries a number of men’s health products.

Tags: Uncategorized, Men's health by DAAN
No Comments »

Some tips for indigestion from a Chinese medicine perspective:

“Acupuncture This modality may be used to help control the symptoms of indigestion (heartburn, gas, abdominal pain, nausea), though it won’t necessarily cure any underlying causes, especially if used only short-term.

In most cases of indigestion, the practitioner begins by focusing on points related to the large and small intestine, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, and spleen.

Acupressure To alleviate symptoms of indigestion, the practitioner may apply firm pressure to Stomach 25 and 36, and Large Intestine 4. Add Spleen 6 and Bladder 60 to counteract gas. Heart burn may be treated by manipulating Conception Vessel 6 and 12, Stomach 36, and Pericardium 6.

Chinese Herbal Therapy Codonopsis and fennel are two other commonly prescribed herbs for this condition and are thought to boost the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food and speed digestion; take a 5- to 7-gram codonopsis decoction twice a day, or a 1- to 3-gram fennel decoction three times a day.

Cardamom seed, nutmeg, and mint all have a soothing effect on digestive upset, while licorice and trifoliate orange act as stomach tonics.”

Tags: General, Herbs by DAAN
No Comments »

As China modernizes, some of the traditional Chinese medical skills are waning:

“While traditional Chinese medicine lives on, some of the skills are being lost as older practitioners retire, and automation and Western medicine encroach. Liang Yiwen reports.

MAKING herbal pastes, medicinal wine and pills were once compulsory skills for workers in traditional Chinese drugstores. But the craft of hand-making pills has almost vanished today.

“It is really hard to find experienced and skillful pharmaceutical workers able to make traditional pills. Most of them are retired and they only occasionally perform the craft at some festivals,” said Chen Zhenghui, secretary general of Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Trade Association.

Thanks to people’s awareness of tonics, hand-made herbal paste and medicinal wine are still very popular. However, traditional handmade pills are fading as the whole TCM industry suffers under the pressure of Western medicine.”

Tags: General, Herbs by DAAN
No Comments »

Chinese medicine provides insights into insomnia:

“Insomnia, or the inability to get restful sleep, affects approximately 70 million Americans. The consequences of not getting enough sleep are significant and can impact every aspect of a person’s well-being. While many find relief with pharmaceutical sleep aids, these drugs often have undesirable side effects, and in many cases are not recommended for regular, long-term use.

Traditional Chinese medicine has long recognized the importance of sound sleep and has developed several effective strategies to help improve the quality and duration of sleep. In fact, a 2003 analysis of acupuncture research published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing concluded that “acupuncture may be an effective intervention for the relief of insomnia.”

Healthy sleep occurs when one’s body and life are in balance. Throughout the day there is a waxing and waning of highly active “yang” energy and slower, quiet, calm “yin” energy. Normally, a person’s yang is higher during the day while yin is more prevalent at night. When there is an imbalance between yin and yang, insomnia can result. A Chinese medicine practitioner might use acupuncture, herbs, massage, or a combination of these to restore balance and thus improve sleep.

Recent research suggests that simply going to bed and waking up at the same time each day can significantly improve sleep. You also can help move toward optimum sleep balance by taking time each evening to nourish quiet, relaxing yin activities such as dimming your lights, listening to relaxing music, or meditating. Additionally, yang activities such as watching TV, consuming spicy foods and stimulating beverages, and exercising should be avoided for up to three hours before bed. “

Tags: Acupuncture, General by DAAN
No Comments »

A journalist visits an acupuncturist and reports:

“I have made an appointment to see Rachel at the acupuncture clinic to receive treatment. There is nothing specifically wrong with me yet I find the concept of a former intensive care nurse having spent four years training full time as an acupuncturist quite intriguing.

Rachel now knows more about me than my mother does.

She has taken a comprehensive medical history, noting everything from childhood earaches to shocks and traumas, my love of chocolate to how often I wake each night and thematic dreams.

Not only have we discussed my lengthy list of complaints but also my family’s medical history and what medication I take.

For Rachel it is vital to have every ounce of information she can possibly extract about a patient as the treatment for an ailment such as migraine in one person may be different to the treatment another migraine sufferer requires.

After this lengthy discussion I hop up on the bed and Rachel feels my pulses, commenting that they are weak.

Concerned, I probe further and she tells me I am deficient in fire energy.

At this point the my cynical journalistic mindset kicks in and I start to think this diagnosis sounds a little like the days my horoscope tells me I may meet a stranger who may turn out to be a useful future contact.

However, Rachel goes on to explain to me that terms such as water, earth and fire simply represent various organs which feed and nourish each other. Wanting to boost my fire energy, Rachel must interpret my pulses to be able to know the precise location for each needle.”

Tags: Acupuncture by DAAN
No Comments »

Chinese scientists are studying Chinese herbs to map all the compounds used in traditional Chinese medicine:

“The Herbalome Project is the latest–and most ambitious–attempt to modernize t raditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The venerable concoctions–as many as 400,000 preparations using 10,000 herbs and animal tinctures–are the treatment of choice and often the only recourse for many in China. In the 1970s, TCM tipped off researchers to qinghaosu, a compound in sweet wormwood whose derivatives are potent antimalaria drugs. But TCM’s reputation has been blackened by uneven efficacy and harsh side effects, prompting critics to assail it as outmoded folklore. “TCM is not based on science but based on mysticism, magic, and anecdote,” asserts biochemist Fang Shi-min, who as China’s self-appointed science cop goes by the name Fang Zhouzi. He calls the Herbalome Project “a waste of research funds.”

Hoping to rebut TCM critics, Herbalome will use high-throughput screening, toxicity testing, and clinical trials to identify active compounds and toxic contaminants in popular recipes. “We need to ensure that TCM is safe and also show that it is not just qinghaosu,” says Guo De-an, who leads TCM modernization efforts at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and is not involved in Herbalome. Initial targets are cancer, liver and kidney diseases, and illnesses that are difficult for Western medicine to treat, such as diabetes and depression.”

Tags: Herbs, Disease by DAAN
No Comments »

A dentist in Michigan has developed herbal lollipops that help fight tooth decay:

“Sugar-free lollipops won’t hurt your teeth, but researchers in California and a local couple teamed up to go one better: a lollipop that fights decay-causing bacteria.

Dr. John’s Candies, a Grand Rapids company owned and operated by Dr. John Bruinsma, a dentist, and his wife, hygienist Debra Bruinsma, is marketing “Dr. John’s Herbal Lollipop.”

They created the candy several years ago with C-3 Jian Inc., California a company that develops products targeting harmful bacteria.

Microbiologist Wenyuan Shi, of the University of California-Los Angeles, is the scientific adviser for C-3 Jian.

The company tested 400 herbs against organisms that cause cavities and found Chinese licorice root extract worked the best.

In June 2002, C-3 Jian contacted Dr. John’s Candies. Since 1995, the couple has been manufacturing and selling sugar-free candies. C-3 Jian wanted the Bruinsmas to get their herbal cavity-fighter into sugar-free candy.”

Tags: Disease by DAAN
No Comments »

All over the world, Chinese are celebrating the year of the rat. Here’s what Las Vegas is expecting:

“Peter Miao and his family were posing for photos with a 5-foot-tall rat, and there wasn’t a single Disney theme park in sight.

Miao, standing in the cavernous conservatory at the Bellagio casino-resort, said he brought his wife and daughter from Hong Kong specifically to celebrate Chinese New Year in Las Vegas. And to pose with a rat.

“People are pretty wealthy now in China, so they can afford to come over here,” said Miao, basking in the artificial light reflecting off an 18-foot God of Wealth and Fortune statue to his right. “They don’t know a lot about Las Vegas; that’s why they want to come here, to see.”

There’s an odd symmetry to celebrating the Lunar New Year in a town where night is more sacred than day, where English isn’t as common as the language of luck, and where you can begin the Year of the Rat in the Land of the Rat Pack.

“Everybody wants to come, not only me,” said Miao.

And Las Vegas is encouraging them.

While there are no precise numbers, tourism officials here estimate tens of thousands of Asian and Asian American visitors - from the Bay Area, Beijing and many places between and beyond - are ringing in Lunar Year 4706 not in their homes with large extended families, but in Sin City, where extravagant feasts, themed entertainment and, yes, a little gambling fit in with long-held traditions for the holiday.

OK, a lot of gambling.

Casino owners, firm believers that you make your own luck, have been raising the stakes each year - elaborate exhibits; banners around every corner wishing good fortune, prosperity, long life; concerts by pop stars from Taiwan; lion dances; and culinary festivals with food prepared and served by staffs flown from Beijing - to make sure that, win or lose, guests still feel lucky.

By the time this year’s 15-day celebration is over - the period between the new moon and full moon, Feb. 7-21 - thousands of visitors will have filed through the Bellagio’s Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where the God of Wealth and the 5-foot rat are flanked by a traditional pagoda, a scene of jagged mountain country, oversize incense burners and a koi pond with a zigzag bridge. (Evil spirits, it turns out, are not adept at navigating corners.) “

Tags: Culture by DAAN
No Comments »