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Eucommia bark (du zhong)

What is eucommia bark? What is it used for?

Eucommia bark comes from the eucommia, or hardy rubber tree. The tree is a member of the rubber family and is found in the Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hubei provinces of China. Mature trees can reach a height of 50 feet; however, the tree is not killed to obtain the bark.

Instead, small patches are peeled away from trees 10 over 10 years old in the late summer and early autumn. The inner bark contains a white, rubberish liquid that accounts for eucommia's healing properties.

In traditional Chinese medicine, eucommia bark has sweet, warm properties. It is associated with the liver and kidneys, and is considered the primary herb used to increase yang functions in the body. Eucommia bark strengthens the bones and muscles, heals injured and weakened tissues, and can treat lower back and leg pain, stiffness and arthritis.

In addition to its healing effects, eucommia has the ability to lower blood pressure; most Chinese formulas used to lower blood pressure contain at least some amount of eucommia. It is also given to pregnant women to calm the fetus and prevent miscarriage.

How much eucommia bark should I take?

The traditional amount of eucommia bark is 10-15 grams, boiled in water for oral use.

What forms of eucommia bark are available?

Dried eucommia bark may be available in some specialty stores. You are more likely to find it as a decoction, or as part of a formula containing other herbs.

What can happen if I take too much eucommia bark? Are there any interactions I should be aware of? What precautions should I take?

As of this writing, there are no known side effects associated with eucommia, nor are there any reports of toxicity due to overdose. However, because eucommia has an effect on blood pressure, patients taking blood pressure medications should consult with their health care provider before taking eucommia or formulas that contain it.

As always, consult with a qualified, licensed health care provider before taking eucommia or any other herbal remedy or dietary supplement.

References

• Chen LJ, Hu TW, Huang LC. A protocol toward multiplication of the medicinal tree Eucommia ulmoides Oliver. In Vitro Cell De Biol 1995; 31P(4):193-198.
• Davidson T. Eucommia. Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Gale Group, 2001.
• Foster S, Chongxi Y. Herbal Emissaries: Bringing Chinese Herbs to the West. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1992.
• Hsieh C, Yen GC. Antioxidant actions of du zhong (Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.) toward oxidative damage in biomolecules. Life Sciences 2000; 66(15):1387--400.
• Teeguarden R. Radiant Health: The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs. New York: Warner Books, 1998, pp. 164-167.

Why choose NYCTCM?

• Faculty trained in China with extensive teaching and clinical experience in both China and the U.S.
• Small college - extra personal attention
• Master-apprentice type teaching relationships in our clinics
• Flexible scheduling to accommodate students working full-time by offering a weekend curriculum
• Easily accessible by LIRR (2 blocks northeast of the Mineola Train Station), bus and automobile
• Manhattan auxiliary classroom/clinic facility increases convenience for Manhattan-based students

If you are interested in any of our programs and would like to find out more, please email us at admissions@nyctcm.edu

Winter Trimester starts in January, 2011

Acupuncture and Back Pain
By: Jennifer Dubowsky, L.Ac., MSOM

Back pain is one of the most prevalent reasons people seek health care. Millions of working days and countless hours of activity and fun are lost each year due to back pain.

Common Causes of Back Pain Treated with Acupuncture

One of the top causes of back pain are sprains (overstretching one or more of the ligaments in the back) and strains (a rip or tear in the muscle caused by sudden force). This can happen from an injury, poor posture, or improper lifting.
 
Another source of back pain comes from a herniated disc which is a disc that bulges out from its place between two vertebrae.

Sciatica is another common form of back pain. Sciatica is a term used to describe pain that extends down into the buttocks and leg which comes from an irritation of a larger nerve in the lumbar spine called the sciatic nerve. Sciatica can accompany sprains, strains, herniated discs as well as back pain emanating from other sources.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns of Back Pain

Traditional Chinese Medicine's (TCM) vocabulary is very different from Western medicine. TCM differentiates patterns of back pain.

Common TCM patterns include:

• Deficiency type pain
• Qi and Blood stagnation
• Pain due to Cold Damp Obstruction

Pain that results from deficiency is usually dull, chronic, and improves with rest. It is more common in middle aged and elderly people.

Pain from stagnation is more severe and stabbing in nature. There is stiffness and tightness in the muscles and it worsens with rest. Often this type is seen in occurrences of acute sprains and strains. It can reoccur chronically, thereby indicating an underlying deficiency.

Pain from cold damp obstruction is worse in the morning, exacerbated by cold and damp weather. It improves with heat and may be accompanied by numbness, swelling and a sense of heaviness.

Traditional Chinese Medicine as Treatment for Back Pain

TCM works to restore harmony and energetic balance to the body which stimulates natural healing and promotes health. Acupuncture is one of the primary modalities used and treatment is individual to each patient.
 
When your practitioner treats your back pain with acupuncture, both local (at the site of pain) and distal (away from the area of pain) needles can be used to help resolve the problem. Distal points are very important, especially in acute pain. Often, needles can be placed in areas other than the back and you can get excellent and quick relief. There are many local points on the back and often a practitioner will palpate your body to find the most sensitive spots and needle those. Other adjuncts to treatment might include: electric stimulation of points, and cupping. Generally, it is advisable to have frequent treatment initially and taper off as the pain diminishes. Herbs can also be helpful in moving blood and reducing inflammation as well as strengthening a deficient condition.

In a Swedish hospital study with patients who experienced chronic low back pain, doctors concluded that acupuncture provided long term pain relief. They also observed improvement in activity levels, better sleep, and consumption of significantly fewer analgesics for the acupuncture group as compared with the group receiving a placebo treatment.

Acupuncture continues to gain popularity in this country because it is an effective treatment of acute and chronic backache. Acute pain can often be cleared up in a few sessions. More treatments may be needed if there is an underlying deficiency, or reoccurring problem, or sciatica.

http://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Acupuncture+and+Back+Pain

NEJM amicus brief supports failure-to-warn claims against Wyeth Laboratories.

A group of current and former editors of The New England Journal of Medicine, along with several well-known NEJM contributors, recently filed an amicus brief in U.S. Supreme Court, charging pharmaceutical companies with deliberately withholding relevant adverse-reaction data when their profits are at stake. The brief was filed in conjunction with the Wyeth v. Levine case, in which drug giant Wyeth Laboratories is appealing a Vermont Supreme Court decision awarding $6.8 million to Diana Levine, who had to have her arm amputated after improper administration of the Wyeth anti-nausea drug Phenargan.

Levine's lawsuit charges that the drug contained inadequate warnings and instructions for use. Wyeth, in turn, is claiming that FDA authority to approve drug labeling preempts state failure-to-warn litigation regarding prescription medication. In the summary of its argument supporting Levine, the amicus brief stated:

"The argument of Petitioner [Wyeth] and its amici ('Petitioner/Amici') that federal preemption of state law failure-to-warn claims involving prescription drugs will actually make the world a safer place is riddled with factual fallacies. First, contrary to Petitioner's/Amici's necessary premise, the FDA is in no position to ensure the safety of prescription drugs. Not only is the FDA seriously hampered in its ability to determine the risks of drugs before they are approved for sale, but it has proven inadequate to the task of addressing hazards that only become apparent after a drug has been widely marketed to an unsuspecting public. Post-approval dangers posed by drugs placed into the market are unfortunately quite common. However, the FDA's ability to either anticipate these risks or react expeditiously once they have been revealed has been limited by serious information-gathering constraints in both pre- and post-approval settings."

Part of the difficulty the FDA has in addressing drug risks, according to the brief, stems from the fact that it is forced to rely on the manufacturers themselves for outcome data upon which to base its decision to either approve or disapprove a drug. The brief went on to use the examples of three different drugs - Pondimin/Redux, Vioxx and Trasylol - in which the manufacturers allegedly withheld key information from the FDA and strongly argued against stricter label warnings, all the while continuing to market these drugs to an unsuspecting public. In all cases, the companies allegedly manufactured data, ghostwrote articles for medical journals and/or withheld negative findings from the FDA.

The worst of these offenders in terms of estimated patient deaths was the anticoagulant Trasylol, marketed by Bayer. The drug was found to cause kidney failure. According to the amicus brief: "Between 1999 and 2005, Bayer generated over $935 million in revenue from sales of Trasylol with over $353 million in 2005. Bayer forecast that Trasylol would some day generate upwards of $600 million annually." Although exact numbers may never be released, an estimated 242,000 deaths were likely attributable to Trasylol between its release in 1993 and its eventual withdrawal from the market in May 2008.

In light of these examples and others, the brief argues strongly in favor of the FDA and the legal system working together to enhance consumer protection:

"Product liability lawsuits and the FDA have peacefully coexisted for seventy years for one simple reason: they have complementary, rather than conflicting, goals. The tort system complements the federal regulatory structure by providing a mechanism for compensating victims of hazardous drugs. Product liability litigation provides the FDA with key information unearthed in litigation that the agency can use to better protect the public from unsafe and inadequately labeled drugs. At the same time, the tort system and the FDA are similarly constrained.

"Whereas the FDA, as a regulatory body, weighs the risks against the benefits of a drug, in 'failure-to-warn' litigation most state courts require a similar balancing between the cost of care owed to a patient versus the prospective harm."

The brief went on to conclude:

"[G]iven that pharmaceutical companies have been known to equate increased warnings with a loss of sales, they would have an incentive to delay warnings as long as possible. As has been shown, certain pharmaceutical companies have already proven themselves unwilling to prioritize safety over profits, even when faced with the threat of civil liability. It is chilling to imagine how such companies might conduct themselves if the threat of tort liability for dangerous drugs were eliminated entirely by virtue of federal preemption."

The full text of the amicus brief, along with all other briefs filed in the lawsuit, is available online at www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/nov08.shtml#wyeth.

This article was published in Acupuncture Today, The Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine News Source

Basically, I believe it is good medicine to educate the patient about the length of time a treatment may take before seeing any noticeable results, which is based on the Doctor's previous experiences in treating the disorder in question. Thus both practitioner and patient have some realistic goal posts to aim for, making the "slow and steady" treatment approach much easier to follow. Then if change does not happen within the desirable amount of time dedicated to it, switching gears into a different modality makes sense.

..in the style of Chinese Medicine that I have been taught and practice, results are expected after a certain, somewhat set, amount of time. This is of course totally dependent on the disorder being treated. If results are not seen in the alloted time, I as a practitioner have to seriously question whether or not I will be able to help.

Trevor currently works out of the Acubalance Wellness Centre, having a special focus on the treatment of Psoriasis, Eczema, Acne, Rosacea, and various reproductive health disorders like Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and Endometriosis.

Read the complete article at Treatment Expectations - know when enough is enough at Skin Health Information - Chinese Medicine Skin Dermatology website

I entered NYCTCM in 2000 as a non-matriculated student, intending only to get a foundation in Chinese medicine as a first step to studying Tibetan medicine and naturopathy. Suffering an accident to my head and neck shortly after beginning study, I had to take a leave of absence while recuperating and receiving acupuncture treatments at NYCTCM's clinic. 

Patient is on her right side for this acupuncture treatment. The acupuncture needles go all up the right side from the toe to the neck.

                   By: Billy Shonez Singh, M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. C.H. (NCCAOM)

                                                      ©2010

 

"Dedicated to my family, my patients, my teachers, and my colleagues.  ¡Hasta La Victoria Siempre (Always Towards Victory)!"

 

Moxibustion is another procedure used in East Asian medicine and it involves the burning of an herb called mugwort (ài yè in Mandarin) on different points and areas of the body.  Moxibustion is one of the many sub modalities in the acupuncturist's arsenal.  Modern TCM theory says the needles are used to move qì while moxa is used for supplementing it. That is modern TCM view on acupuncture and moxibustion.  Thus the modern view of moxibustion being a supplementing entity is correct in that respect.  Classical literature has shown that moxa is used for either supplementation or for dispersion just as much as acupuncture can used for either moving qì or supplementing qì.  Before I discuss the proper functionalities of moxa (ài yè), let us look at the Chinese characters of moxa, jiǔ huǒ. 

The character  "jiǔ" when translated from Mandarin to English is "something that endures; long-standing." 

The character  "huǒ" means "fire." 

Putting those characters together,   "jiǔ huǒ" translates to "long burning fire."  This implies that the effects of moxibustion heats up the body and its effects are long lasting.

 

Moxibustion works on these levels:

1. Increasing metabolic vacuities within the body (or supplementing the qì or Blood)
2. Providing analgesic effects (or moving qì and Blood to stop pain)
3. Building up the immune system (or supplementing the wèi qì)
4. Lowering blood pressure (or sedating Liver yang when applied to Kid-1{Yǒng Quán} or Du-20{ Bái Huì})

 

The way moxa works on body based on scientific thinking starts in the second century.  In the second century, Buddhism arrives in China from India along with Ayurveda and breathing techniques (pranayama).  According to the philosophy of yoga, chanting "Om" during meditation is based on the concept that everything vibrates.  This is the sound that the earth's core makes.  That form of thinking goes into Chinese medicine.  Moxa has a vibratory effect because there is movement while it's being burnt.  The human cell vibrates at a rate of 600 to 900 amgstroms per second.  When moxa burns, vibrates at a rate of 900 amgstroms per second.  Therefore, its vibrations affect the human body.

 

The application of moxa depends on the following factors:

1. The point(s) used
2. The treatment principle: supplementation or dispersion
3. Transfer mediums:
1. aconite (Fù Zi)
2. Ginger (Shēng Jiāng)
3. Garlic (Da Suàn)
4. Salt
5. Deer Antler (Lù Róng)
6. Tangerine Peel (Chén Pí)
7. Poria (Fú Líng)
8. Potato
9. Rice
4. direct application on the skin (cones)
1. has it been burned 2/3's of the way down
2. has it been burned all the way down

      5.   being burned on top of the needle (needle-head)

 

The cone-style moxa affects the wèi, qì, and yíng levels of the body, thus making it effective in treating vacuities in the body (qì level) or supporting the immune system (the wèi and yíng levels).  Needle-head moxa, where the moxa wool is placed on top of the needles, affects the xuè (blood) level.  When moxa in cone form is burnt an odd number of times, its function (depending on which point is being used) becomes supplementing.  When moxa cones are being burnt an even number of times (again, depending on the point used) becomes regulatory.  Now it's not just the number of cones being used but also the amount of heat being transferred through the points.  When the moxa cones are burnt 2/3's of way and the patient feels "warm" the effects are supplementing and the heat is spread put in a smaller quantity.  This will affect the wèi, qì, and yíng levels of the body.  Similarly, if the cones are burnt 2/3's of the way almost to the surface of the skin, the effects are more dispersive.  It will feel "hot" and the circulatory system is increased and the heat is spread out throughout the body.  This technique will affect the yin and blood levels of the body.  The heat emitted from the burning moxa on top of the needles (in the needle-head technique) conducts itself through the needle to affect the xuè level.  Thus, it is effective in treating muscle, tendon, and joint related conditions thereby invigorating the flow of blood to those specified areas. 

 

Another point I want to mention is that moxa overall helps with regulating the zhēng qì (the correct qì).  The definition of zhēng qì is the qi that defends the body from exogenous pathogens and gives rise to other forms of qì such as wèi qì, yíng qì, zàng fǔ qì , and jīng luò qì.  With that in mind, the zhēng qì is needed for the proper energy dynamics within the body to maintain health.  When, the zhēng qì is compromised in serious illnesses such diabetes or autoimmune disease, then the other aforementioned types of qì becomes compromised.  As stated before, moxa helps regulate the zhēng qì.  In essence, moxa leads to a natural reorganization of the body into its normal components.

 

 

Bibliography

 

Jackowicz, M.Ac., L.Ac., Ph.D., Dr. Stephen J., "Moxibustion Boot Camp," Lecture Notes 2007.

 

Jackowicz, M.Ac., L.Ac., Ph.D., Dr, Stephen J., "Dr. J- Moxa Seminar Excerpt- History" http://www.youtube.com/user/holisticceus#p/a/u/1/aOivgbDwMdU November 11th, 2008.

 

Jackowicz, M.Ac., L.Ac., Ph.D., Dr, Stephen J., "Moxa Theory Excerpt," http://www.youtube.com/user/holisticceus#p/a/u/0/BRvdf3l2MqI November 11th, 2008.

 

Easton, Darlene, Fundamental Theory of Oriental Medicine, Lecture Notes 2002.

 

 

Billy Shonez Singh is a licensed acupuncturist and a board certified Chinese herbalist by the NCCAOM.  He is currently practicing in Westbury, NY.  His primary focus with East Asian medicine is stress, pain management, diabetic complications, and treating chemotherapy side-effects. He is also the President & CEO of Zen-Ohs Botanicals, Inc.