Traditional Chinese Medicine

Yu Lung- Welcome to A2K!

I don't know very much about Chinese medicine, but would be interested in learning about it.

Welcome Yu Lung!

Do you practise TCM yourself? I don't know a lot about it, but I do have a TCM doctor that I go to. I really like him. I am interested to see what develops in this thread and learning more.

I'm also interested to see where this thread goes. When I lived in Santa Fe, NM, I took advantage of the various alternative medicines there. I was taking a couple of chinese medicines for a while. Also, have lived with two women who were originally from China who both claimed that my habit of going to bed with wet hair was bad because doing so gives you headaches.

Don't accupuncture and chiropractics have their roots in China?

Glad to make all of your acquaintence ...
Hello all ...

Does anyone have any specific questions for me about TCM? I have been involved with Traditional Chinese Medicine since I started training in martial art when I was 12 years old. I am currently finishing my Doctorate in TCM in British Columbia. Give me your curiosities, and I'll do my best to answer ...

Yours,

Hastings

How would Chinese medicine treat Alzheimer's?

That's an interesting question, I'll do my best to give you an answer. Please remember that the Chinese didn't cut open a body until several thousand years after they formulated their theories of medicine.

In Chinese medicine the kidneys are seen as a storehouse of energy, a wonderful analogy for them is to look at them like a boiler room. Their job in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is to store essence (vital energy such as hormones and adrenal secretions, ECT ...), and also to transform water sending waste products to be urinated and "pure vapour" upwards to nourish the brain and spirit. They have an associated sense organ, the ears, their own emotion, fear, and their own season, winter.

In looking at Alzheimer's, their are many more complex views on the subject than the one I am about to offer here. This is an introduction for those not entirely familiar with TCM.

The Ancient Chinese thought that the human body and nature were completely inseperable. That we are a small version of the planet, complete with our own elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Like the environment around them they felt that people also had their life mapped out in seasons. Spring is the season of youth, Summer maturation, Late Summer consists of becomming a fully matured individual, Fall is when you reap the reward of your hard work, and finally winter is the season of old age.

The Kidney's associated season is Winter, they are the boiler room that heats the body in winter. They transform the fluids, in part, to raise upwards and nourish the brain. They also help nourish the bone marrow which the chinese believed was the same as the tissue of the brain. When the kidneys become sluggish, they begin to fail in their nourishing functions. One of the late signs of that is memory loss. Early signs consist of back pain, weak knees, general fatigue and a weak pulse. Also it should be stated that the mental confusion and fear/confusion that many head trauma and Alzheimer's feel fit into TCM's signs/symptoms list as well.

In such a case in TCM we would nourish the kidneys. Their are a myriad of ways that a TCM Doctor can nourish the kidneys: food, Tai Chi/Qi Gong exercise, acupuncture and most definately herbs. Each patient is unique and there are many variations between one patient to the next, TCM recognizes that and the treatments would be tailored to them. Their Kidneys may be fine in terms of nutrition, but low in function ... or the other way around ... a TCM Doctor sees the variables and changes the angle in which the treatment is being done.

I don't know if that helps?

Yours,

Hastings

Hastings--

Very interesting. Thank you.

Any other curiosities??
I'm game for any other questions??

Yours,

Hastings

Any particular illness?
Hello again ... just making an all call out on any illness curiosities in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Yours,

Hastings

Hello Yu Lung and a grand welcome aboard A2K. My
niece is a student of Chinese medicine & has finished her training in accupuncture. I have a very serious condition for which there is simply
no treatment that can help me. But, Gina, my niece, has given me what are called Six Ingredient Teapills with Rehmannia??( Liu Wei Di Huang Wan) and on several different occasions she has been able to help me. I have Sjogren's Syndrome, an auto immune disease that can present itself along with other autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis) The effect of the loss of saliva is horrible. My tongue burns all the time, my teeth are falling apart because without saliva, the enamel just disappears. I also have had esophagitis, not from gastric reflux - but from inflammation due to Sjogren's Syndrome. My very first accupuncture treatment helped me somewhat, but the second accupuncture treatment really did the trick. It didn't change what was happening to me overall, but at least I had relief from my burning esophagus. As this disease worsened I began to have more difficulty in swallowing, due to the lack of saliva, and then I began to aspirate some foods. Saliva is SO important in guiding food to the esophagus. When it's so dry, food can just as easily go down the wrong
way, especially llittle things like peas. I was a bit skeptical of the pills but I finally tried them for several days and I have noticed a significant relief from my tongue burning. Drinking a Sprite, or Ranch dressing set my tongue on fire. So, I tried the pills, what possible harm could it do to me?
I also use Orabase B paste when my tongue is really on fire. But I have begun to see some slight improvement and I am SO grateful. She has truly tried to help me. She is very compassionate and she wants so much to be a healer. I'm so glad she has chosen this "new - old way" of helping people by learning about ancient Chinese medicines. She has diagnosed me with excess of heat, caused by an abnormal ascending & descending of deficency of Qi So I have a Yin deficiency with much dryness and internal heat. LV, Qi stagnation and def (Lu LV, K, SP, HT and something else to do with my liver and I really don't understand it very well. I have been very ill for for about 8 years now. Perhaps you
could explain what is a Yin deficiency w/ internal heat and what the
abnormal ascending and descending of Qi means. In her notes it says
that all organ systems are being affected.

I'll do my best ...
Hello,

Chinese medicine and Chinese philosophy have the same roots, it is same way in the west we cannot separate our medicine and our way of thinking. Let me further explain ...

Taoism is the mother of most (I'd say all) medicine in Ancient China. In Taoism it is thought that the world came from a void called "wu". Wu divided and became yin and yang. It's very hard to explain these concepts in such a forum, but yin represents the shady side of a hill and yang is the sunny side of a hill. Through looking at the patterning of life in Ancient China, things began to be classified as either Yin or Yang. The active time of the day for villagers was during the day, the passive time was at night. Yang became associated with activity and movement and Yin with passive resting behavior. Over time this lead to an incredibly elaborate classification system that bled into medicine.

Yang natured parts of the human body are thought to comprise function, where Yin is thought to comprise form. For example in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we have two sets of organ groupings known as the Zang-Fu. The Zang are Yin organs: lung, kidney, liver, heart, spleen. The Fu organs are Yang: Large Intestine, Bladder, gallbladder, small intestine, stomach. When you look at this it's interesting because the Fu are all hollow continually functioning organs that lead to the exterior part of the body, thus they are Yang.

Furthermore, if your disease gives you a Yin deficieny you may end up with a low fever. Yin is passive, like water ... Yang is active like fire. If you do not have enough water to control the fire it will not be in balance and you will get heat. This is not heat because it's too strong, it's heat because the water is too weak to control the heat of the fire. Yin not controlling Yang.

Liu Wei is a staple in most TCM clinics, and I'm sure it helps. However my advice would be to go see a genuine old country herbalist. You may be able to get significant help in the hands of the right doctor. He will take a look at your pulse and tongue and ask you a series of questions to see exactly what is out of balance. There are many new therapies out there as well that may help. Remember not all Doctors are created equal regardless of profession, find the best and you'll be happiest.

My hat goes off to your niece, I am sure she will love the field.

Yours,

Hastings

Thanks for illuminating some of the characteristics of Chinese herbal medication for me. I am very familiar with the concept
of yin/yang. My whole life, I have been very curious about all eastern philosophies. I was reading books by Pearl Buck when I was 8 years old. I have also read a little about Taoism, Hindu, Buddhism and all ancient religious practices. My niece has asked me to inquire of you, about the case of a someone with an auto-immune diseases ( I have rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's Syndrome) and the need to tonify the spleen.
She believes that strengthening the spleen will not in any way increase nor worsen my medical condition, even though it is the spleen that makes antibodies & the cells to fight what is seen as "not self". She asks what do you think about the use of " JADE FLUID DECOCTION/ OR CONCOTION"to tonify the spleen, to reduce internal heat, and to moisten yin. She is herself, a licensed practicioner, but she is pregnant this year, and has not paid yearly fees required to maintain licensure. She believes that specifically the Qi is too weak to spread fluids, resulting in constant red burning tongue, lack of saliva, dessication of the mouth, destruction of the teeth, and all related problems that result from the lack of saliva, even the lack of fluid to the skin. Very dry, aged looking skin. I am quite ill, and I don't know of any Chinese herbal doctors here where I live, on an island off the coast of Florida. If you could tell me what your thoughts are about my niece's idea of JADE FLUID DECOCTION and her attempts to help me, I would be most grateful to you. Thank you so much, Barbara

Yu Ye Tang
Yu Ye Tang (Jade Fluid Soup) would likely be a good choice for you. I would likely recommend it, however I have not seen you in person so I can't bank on it. Yu Ye Tang is a common formula for advanced stages of diabetes, a chief symptom being a very dry mouth and tongue. If you can get your hands on it I would give it a try.

Tell your niece good call on the formula.

Yours,

Hastings

PS. The Yu in Yu Long is for Jade, Jade Dragon.