Results tagged “TCM” from Acupuncture & TCM Blog

Dispel wind and stop itch

"In terms of itch, Traditional Chinese Medicine considers that it connects with wind pathogen. So treating pruritus is always based on dispelling wind. But for chronic eczema caused by wind from Yin deficiency and blood dryness, it is worthy to be cautious to use pungent and warm natural drugs to resolve superficies. Or the condition would worsen because pungent and warm natural drugs reinforce the wind of blood dryness. Drugs of pungent and cool nature to resolving superficies, such as Bo He (Wild Mint) and Chan Tui (Cicida Moulting) are highly recommended.

Even while the lesion is akin to neurodermatitis, pungent and warm natural drugs to resolve superficies can not be abused, or would cause acute outbreak of eczema. Traditional Chinese Medicine consider that it need to promote blood circulation in the first place for the sake of dispelling wind, and then wind vanish naturally after blood stasis removes. So it is suggestive that some herbs of promoting blood circulation should be added."

Read more at Chinese Medicine Gem blog. He gives TCM diagnoses and possible treatments for common symptoms.

Contribute. Learn. Connect. The Online Community for Traditional Chinese Medicine - Rootdown.us Are you a professional acupuncturist, herbalist, or TCM Student? Sign up for a free account and connect with the Rootdown community. Meet other pros and students, submit articles and information, vote on submissions, take practice tests, and earn credits toward TCM certification. Grow with .US! http://www.rootdown.us/

 "Rootdown.us is a comprehensive online resource and forum for current and aspiring practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Our goal is to provide the TCM community with a forum that provides a living, searchable and free resource for students, teachers, and practitioners. Our mission is to expand the knowledge, understanding and accessibility of TCM by providing a globally accessible venue for interactive learning and the communal exchange of ideas.

At Rootdown.us we want YOU - the TCM community - to complement and expand on what you find here. We encourage you to add ideas, your first-hand experiences and new information to make Rootdown.us a living, dynamic, and interactive reflection of YOU and YOUR knowledge and contributions."

 Good resource!

Excellent article on diabetes by Clinton J. Choate, L. Ac. published in Acupuncture.com.

November is National Diabetes Month.

Diabetes, Biomedical and TCM Perspectives and Treatments (Part 1)

Part 1 covers the biomedical treatment of diabetes; the nutritional therapy section is helpful.

Diabetes Mellitus From Western and TCM Perspectives - Part 2

Diabetes was discussed in all the earliest ancient TCM tests, including Neijing. According to TCM overconsumption of fatty and greasy food, sweets, emotional disturbances, and a constitution that is too yin is related to developing diabetes. Clinton Choate then analyzes diabetes according to TCM theory, explains treatment according to the Three Burners, giving acupuncture protocol. He explains diabetic complications according to TCM  including cataracts and night blindness, edema, skin infectins, neuropathy and strokes. He describes food remedies for diabetes.

This article is helpful to anyone suffering from diabetes who wants to understand it better, and helpful forTCM practitioners.

In part 3 of AnnaMarie's paper on Lateral Epicondylitis she discusses the Traditional Chinese Medicine Understanding of 'tennis elbow' and shows the acupuncture points that are used to treat it.She cites clinical studies on acupuncture treatment of lateral epicondylitis.

AnnaMarie is an acupuncture student at New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mineola, NY.

"Lateral Epicondylitis is named 'Elbow Strain' in TCM. It is also called zhuo lao, elbow taxation, zhuo tong, elbow pain and shang jin, damaged sinews.

• Overstrain exhausts the Qi and blood, and tendon and muscle are malnourished that causes the lateral epicondylitis
• Overwork taxation causes detriment and damage to the sinews and vessels of the elbow. On the one hand, there is insufficient blood to nourish the sinews, while, on the other hand, there is blood stasis obstructing the free flow of vessels. This may then be complicated by external contraction of wind cold evils due to defensive qi vacuity.

—

Major Pattern Differentiation

• Characterized by marked soreness, numbness and heaviness. It is cause chiefly by pathogenic damp. Soreness and fixed pain in the joints, numbness or heavy sensation with possible swelling of the limbs.
• Recurrent or enduring pain which is worse on exertion, worse on exposure to cold, and better on obtaining heat

Treatment Principle

• Sooth the tendon and activate meridian circulation
• Boost Qi and nourish the blood, warm the channels and free the flow of impediment"

To read part 3 of Lateral Epicondylitis or Tennis Elbow click on the link below. 


TCM understanding of tennis elbow.swf

"Psoriasis is a systemic disease and should be treated as such, a fact that Chinese medicine has identified for hundreds of years. A recent article published in the British Journal of Dermatology stated that people with psoriasis have an increased risk of heart disease. The authors stated that traditionally western dermatologists mainly focused on psoriasis in the skin and joint level, but failed to view any correlation to other organ systems.

Because psoriasis is an immunoinflammatory disease, affecting the body as whole, it makes sense that the same inflammation causing the skin manifestations could also aggravate other diseases known to be induced by inflammation, particularly cardiovascular disease. See research here.

Chinese medicine's view of psoriasis as a systemic inflammatory disease is seen in the main traditional patterns attributed to it, mainly fire toxins and heat in the blood with stasis. It has always held that psoriasis is a disease of the blood, hence any part of the body influenced by the blood can be affected, particularly the heart.

It is interesting to see that many of the herbs used to treat psoriasis in Chinese medicine also have cardiac protective properties. Dan Shen, Salvia miltiorrhiza, is one of them. I use the herb a lot in my prescriptions to treat psoriasis, as it's main functions are to cool and invigorate the bloods flow. Dan Shen has been used both traditionally and in modern times to protect and repair heart tissue. Many studies have been done on this herb and I recommend you look at my research section to view one of them.

The more western research that comes out showing that the body is an integrated whole, that problems in one area (like the skin) influence other body areas, the more impressed I am with the observations of the ancient Chinese. By treating the roots of a disease pathoglogy, then not only is the disease itself healed, but so is a multitude of other associated problems. This is wholistic medicine."

Trevor Erikson, March 25, 2009 ;The Chinese Medical Dermatology Website

Mr. Erikson's Skin Disease Photo Gallery shows Before and After pictures of skin diseases treated with TCM.

Trevor Erikson's article is apt because of this April 8, 2009 article in the New York Times "Genentech announced on Wednesday a phased voluntary withdrawal of the psoriasis drug Raptiva from the United States because of a link to a brain infection.

Raptiva has been associated with an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a rare and usually fatal disease of the central nervous system."

 "Practitioners use moxa to warm regions and acupuncture points with the intention of stimulating circulation through the points and inducing a smoother flow of blood and qi.

Research, for example at Mugwort (Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Clare Hanrahan) has shown that mugwort acts as an emmenagogue, meaning that it stimulates blood-flow in the pelvic area and uterus. It is claimed that moxibustion militates against cold and dampness in the body and can serve to turn breech babies.

Medical historians believe that moxibustion pre-dated acupuncture, and needling came to supplement moxa after the 2nd century BC."

Wikipedia article describes moxa treatment.

The photo, taken in Xingping, China, is on Johey24 Flickr photstream, plus more photos.

A TCM tongue diagnosis exercise for the general public. There are pictures of all the different categories of tongues with a suggestion as to their meaning; the user clicks on the tongue that looks like theirs. The acupuncturist says that people should consult a TCM practitioner for a real diagnosis. Beyond Well Being Tongue Diagnosis.

Rootdown is a new online community for TCM practitioners and students; there is a database of herbs, case studies, formulas, and you can create your profile. They said it was like a Facebook for TCM practitioners and students.

"Rootdown.us is a comprehensive online resource and forum for current and aspiring practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Our goal is to provide the TCM community with a forum that provides a living, searchable and free resource for students, teachers, and practitioners.