Feb 22

Herbs for hay fever

General, Herbs No Comments »


Chinese herbs can help with hay fever:

Chinese herbal medicines, including bupleurum, Chinese skullcap, ginger, licorice, and ginseng, have a history of use in China and Japan for the treatment of hay fever. Other products may contain magnolia derivatives.

Chinese herbal remedies have been used to combat hay fever and other allergies for centuries. Studies on the efficacy of herbal and acupuncture treatments of Chinese medicine in treating hay fever have been published in medical journals. This field has not been widely explored, but there is evidence of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medical treatment of hay fever.

A German study published in the journal Allergy found that hay fever sufferers who received weekly acupuncture treatments and took three daily doses of Chinese medicinal herbs showed fewer symptoms and were less likely to say their hay fever was infringing on their daily activities than people who received placebo treatment.

After six weeks, it was found that 85 percent of patients showed overall improvements in their hay fever, compared with only 40 percent of the placebo group.

Try some of these products for relief of hay fever, colds, and nasal congestion:

Feb 18

Chinese medicine and cancer treatment

Disease, Traditional Chinese Medicine No Comments »

Chinese medicine be beneficial for treating cancer:

Li said that taking the cue from China, there is an increased awareness of the beneficial effects of using TCM as a complement.

“TCM has yielded new methods of cancer prevention and treatment.

“Cancer cells grow and divide rapidly, and are invasive. While effective at killing cancer cells, traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause changes to normal body functions and the immune system,” he said.

“Anaemia, infections, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, stomatitis, and ulcers are just some examples.

“Other fast-dividing cells, like those responsible for hair growth, can also be affected by the treatment, resulting in hair loss,” he explained.

“After numerous rounds of chemotherapy, the drug loses its efficacy. What Chinese herbs do is to make the body more receptive to chemotherapy by restoring sensitivity and making treatment more effective.”

TCM concentrates on rebuilding the patient’s natural immune system to fight harmful cells and also aims to minimise pain and discomfort caused by the cancer, or the chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

“TCM practitioners believe that cancer is a lifestyle disease determined by habits, diet, exercise and smoking.

“Medicine is prescribed to patients only after the overall symptoms are ascertained.”

Feb 10

What the year of the Ox will bring to the financial markets

Random No Comments »

oxAn interesting article about what you can expect from the markets in the year of the Ox:

CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets brought its popular “feng shui index” out of retirement this year, mailing feng shui investment guides to 5,000 money managers at 1,200 institutional firms.

The guide, which relies on the divinations of two feng shui masters, predicts short-lived market upswings in Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index this month and in April before bottoming out in August, only to soar again in the autumn and winter.

“Clients love this report,” said Simone Wheeler, a spokeswoman for CLSA. “Particularly when the markets are so uncertain, we find that what is meant to be a lighthearted view is as eagerly read as our macroeconomic research reports.”

At Bank of China International, energy-sector analyst Lawrence Lau doubles as the bank’s in-house feng shui master. In a recent note to clients, he wrote: “While some may think that ancient superstition has little to offer in terms of investment advice, I challenge readers to ask themselves: ‘Have all your Black-Scholes, rocket science quantitative black-box models and fundamental analysis done much better over the past year?’”

Turning to an analysis of ancient Chinese cosmology, Mr. Lau then recommended that investors this year put their money in stocks tied to the elements of fire and wood — that is, companies in the energy, electronics and agriculture sectors. Mr. Lau says some of his Chinese clients, though not his Western ones, take feng shui predictions seriously, and he is conscientious about reading the signs. He regards his predictions as simply an additional alternative resource for those who wish to take them seriously.

But what is particularly interesting is what the Feng Shui masters said about 2008:

  • Feng shui master Kerby Kuek predicted in February 2008 that abnormalities would hit the housing markets in the spring, that things would turn sour in the autumn, and that financial markets would be in “chaotic scenarios” between August 7 and November 6. “World markets are in serious trouble!” he had written.
  • Feng shui master Raymond Lo told the Associated Press in January 2008 that water and earth — two of the five elements Chinese mystics believe are at the root of all things — were in conflict, bringing financial and political rumblings, tsunamis and epidemics. “Earth usually conquers water, but it is too weak to control the rat, which symbolizes the most powerful water,” he said at the time.
  • Feng shui master Peter So told Hong Kong’s The Standard in February 2008 that there would be some fluctuations in the stock market in 2008. The Year of the Rat, he said, was dominated by the wood element, meaning those working in wood-related industries would enjoy some good fortune and prices of agricultural products could soar.
  • Feng shui master Alion Yeo recommended financial prudence to The Standard in February 2008 ahead of a cooling-off period for the economy. He advised people to save money and be very cautious about investments.

Sounds like a pretty good track record to me!

Feb 06

How acupuncture can help you maintain your health

Acupuncture, Disease No Comments »

Acupuncture can help with a number of common ailments:

While it may be difficult to believe, the body wants to be healthy. Generally speaking, the human organism (or any living creature) is designed to thrive and function in an optimal state. Otherwise, we would not survive past perhaps a few years after birth.

So, what is the best way to keep our bodies in balance.

The answer may be found in acupuncture.

While this practice has been around for well over 2000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, has only been recognized here in the United States in the last 30 years. It first gained notoriety in 1972 after President Nixon opened talks with China. James Reston, a New York Times journalist covering the event, had a medical emergency and underwent an appendectomy with acupuncture being used as the only anesthetic.

Today you, or someone you know, has been treated by acupuncture. What you may not know, however, is the huge range of afflictions that acupuncture can treat. Aside from back and neck-pain, acupuncture is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to successfully treat a wide variety of illnesses including:

* Asthma/Allergies: Chronic asthma, allergic rhinitis, sinus infections, sinus congestion.
* Emotional Disorders: Stress, panic and anxiety attacks, depression, insomnia
* Digestive Disorders: Heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation/diarrhea.
* Pre and Post Natal Care / Pregnancy: Infertility, labor-induction (shorten delivery time), reduce morning-sickness symptoms including nausea
* Other: Dysmenorrhea, PMS, headaches, TMJ, tennis elbow, Bell’s Palsy, sciatica, weight loss, drug addiction

 
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