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Articles in this Issue
Expressions of the Heart
by Ross Rosen and Brandt Stickley
with Hamilton Rott
In our last article,
the reader was exposed to the history and origins of Contemporary
Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD) and the entire methodology for analyzing,
interpreting, managing and treating patients that we refer to as Contemporary
Oriental Medicine (COM) as well as a few of its unique concepts. In
this article, we shall further explore COM, with an emphasis on imbalances
of the Heart, especially as it relates to one's psychology as described
in Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies (DRRBF). The Heart holds the position
as emperor, and as the great communicator, it is only fitting that
it should have the greatest range of expression. Its expressions are
described below in the context of the numerous imbalances that we
see as manifesting in the following patterns of signs and symptoms.
Keeping in mind that each pattern below is presented as a single expression,
which rarely, if ever, is seen clinically without combining with other
expressions to manifest a more complicated picture. It is also important
to note, that the progression of these patterns are not necessarily
linear, but often one expression can lead to another.
The Heart
and Fire Phase in Dragon Rises Red Bird Flies
One of the central themes of Dr. Leon Hammer's work is an emphasis on the role of awareness. From a classical and conventional Chinese medical perspective, this is certainly the purview of the Heart. In addition to compounding some of the states described and delineated below, addressing Heart conditions from the perspective described in Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies, offers another avenue into the varied expressions of the Heart and the Fire phase in general. Dr. Hammer's work charges us with a serious commitment to practice a truly individualized and preventive medicine in the context of a deeply grounded and searching therapeutic relationship. Given the role assigned to the heart in terms of awareness and housing of the Spirit, any attempt to demonstrate the basic congeniality of psychology and Chinese medicine must focus on this aspect of both psyche and soma. This does not amount to a psychologizing of Chinese medicine, but to a fulfilment of the inherently embodied psychosomatic model established by the classics.
[more info]
Is Electroacupuncture a Useful Approach for Migraine and Tension-Type
Headache? Using the Clinical Studies Database at www.electroacupunctureknowledge.com
- Part Two
by David Mayor
Acupoints
used for headache - general considerations
In the Journal
of Chinese Medicine, there is a useful synopsis of the main acupoints
used in TCM treatment of headaches (17 local points, 21 adjacent and
distal ones). In the EA and other clinical studies for mixed headache
types in the database, the most commonly used points are Fengchi (GB
20), Taichong (LIV 3) and Hegu (LI 4), with others such as Tianzhu
(BL 10), Shuaigu (GB 8), Zusanli (ST 36) and Taiyang (M-HN-9) trailing
behind and a scattering of other points used even less frequently.
A number of authors emphasise TCM differentiation; others stress that
local treatment is best carried out, at ashi points. Certainly in
studies on experimental dental or other head pain local points have
sometimes proved more effective than distal ones such as Hegu (LI
4).
However, most formula
approaches to treating headache (as if it were a single condition!)
do make use of Hegu (LI 4), either because it is traditionally indicated
for headache, or because of the dense innervation at the point, or
because it lies within the C5 (or C6 dermatome. Thus one EA device
manual recommends Fengchi (GB 20) and Taiyang (M-HN-9) with Hegu (LI
4), whereas an Australian pTENS handbook advocates combining Hegu
(LI 4) with Yintang (M-HN-3) (Richards 1991). For cranial electrotherapy
stimulation (CES) using the Liss device, application at Hegu (LI 4)
as well as over the area of pain is suggested. Other recommendations
may be more sophisticated. George Ulett gives a combination of Hegu
(LI 4) with Fengchi (GB 20), Yamen (DU 15), Baihui (DU 20) and Taiyang.
[more info]
The Neglected Art of Channel Palpation
by Tony Reid
Introduction
The teaching and
practice of Acupuncture has become increasingly 'herbalised' in recent
times, (a description first used by Ted Kaptchuk in the mid 1980's)
and as a consequence, this has encouraged an increasingly cerebral
approach. It is not the intention of this article to entirely disparage
this approach; in keeping with the heterogeneous nature of traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM) it is acknowledged that important insights
into the practice of Acupuncture can be gained from it. However, to
neglect the fundamental differences between traditional Chinese herbal
medicine and Acupuncture would be to commit a serious error. Therefore
I aim to demonstrate the historical precedents for a Channel based
and palpatory approach to the practice of Acupuncture as well as to
explore the contemporary literature dealing with it. Additionally,
this article explores the implications for Chinese medicine education
and research.
Since the time of Zhang Yuan-su (a.k.a. Zhang Jie-gu, circa 1151-1234), one of the early the medical 'reformers' of the Jin-Yuan era, there has been a current of thought within TCM that attempts to 'herbalise' traditional Acupuncture theory as well as to 'acupuncturalise' traditional herbal medicine theory. This paper arose as a result of my concern that certain of these teachings have now become mainstream and are accepted as representing a true and perhaps infallible version of traditional theory. These ideas are presented in the curricula of teaching institutions worldwide and appear in all of the major teaching text books, e.g. Cheng's 'Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion', which, along with prior editions, was for many years the major English language foundation Acupuncture text to come out of China. (1) While there is no intention to deny the potential usefulness of such teachings, my aim is to caution against the danger that these ideas devolve into dogma, which in the end stifles free and creative thinking. This paper focuses specifically on the Channel (or meridian) based approach to diagnosis and treatment as well as a palpation based approach to point location, and places them in contrast to the standardized 'text-book' Acupuncture that has become prevalent today.
[more info]
A Prelimary Summary on Studying the Shanghan Lun - Part Two
by Enqin Zhang
Shaoyang
Disease
Shaoyang (Lesser
yang) Disease is a special stage and condition seen in febrile diseases,
when the pathogen is half outside, half inside, half excess and half
deficient. It manifests as alternating chills and fever, chest and
costal discomfort, reluctant to speak and eat with restlessness and
nausea. Its therapeutic principle is to harmonise using the chief
formula Xiao Caihu Tang/Minor Bupleurum Decoction.
Chief Formulas
in Shaoyang Disease
Xiao Caihu
Tang/Minor Bupleurum Decoction
Ingredients:
- Caihu/Radix Bupleuri, half jin/15g
- Huangqin/Radix Scutellariae, 3Liang/9 g
- Renshen/Radix Ginseng, 3 Liang/9g
- Banxia/Rhizoma Pinelliae, half Sheng/9g
- Zhigancao/Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparatae 3 Liang/9g
- Shengjiang/Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 3 Liang/9g
- Dazao/Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae, 12pcs/4 pcs.
[more info]
Maximizing the Clinical Efficacy of Granule Preparations: Understanding
Dosage, Regional Trends and Unforeseen Challenges
by Eric Brand
Introduction
The development
of concentrated herbal extract powders, commonly known as 'granules',
has had a major impact on the field of Chinese medicine. The consistent
and easily quantifiable nature of granule extracts makes them well
suited to evidence-based medical research, while the portability and
convenience of granules dramatically increases patient compliance.
Granule formulas can be extensively customized and deliver a comparable
level of potency to raw herb decoctions, but granules have a longer
shelf life and require less space and preparation than their raw counterparts.
Most practitioners appreciate the degree to which these important
factors affect our day-to-day clinical practice, but few practitioners
are aware of the larger trends surrounding the use of granules in
Asia. While granule use has produced a number of new approaches to
prescription formulation and dosage in Asia, these clinically essential
developments are only just now beginning to be appreciated in Western
countries.
The Development
of Granule Extracts
The technology
for producing the granule extracts in use today was originally pioneered
in Japan. From Japan, the technology spread initially to Taiwan, Hong
Kong, and South Korea; in recent years, the use and production of
granules has taken off in mainland China as well. Although the technology
used in manufacturing is similar in each locale, regional medical
styles have given rise to distinct patterns of use in each country.
In particular, Taiwan has been greatly impacted by the arrival of
granule extracts; arguably, the most distinctive regional characteristic
of Chinese medicine in Taiwan is the extremely sophisticated and unique
method of granule use seen there. [more info]
Effective use of Mild Acting Herbs IX. Perilla
by Subhuti Dharmananda
Perilla is a mint
plant (Laminaceae Family), Perilla frutescens, growing in the hills
and mountains of East Asia (mainly India, China, Japan and Korea).
It has been spread around the globe during the previous century; initially
it was desired as a decorative garden plant, but then it escaped cultivation;
as an example, it now grows in spots throughout the Eastern and Midwestern
United States, described as an invasive weed. The plant has long been
used as a source of herb materials for Chinese medicine; it is known
in China as zisu. The character zi refers to the distinctive purple
colour of the stem; in some varieties or under certain growing conditions,
the leaves also display a red-purple coloration; green leaves are
more commonly found, while some varieties have one side of the leaf
being green and one side red-purple. The character su means comfort
and refers to the comforting effect of perilla leaves when taken as
a tea. Two parts of the plant are commonly used in Chinese medicine:
the leaf (ye) and the seed (zi), respectively called zisuye and zisuzi
(or Zi Su Ye and Zi Su Zi); some herbalists use the stem separately
or mixed with the leaves. Jiao Shude has a good description of the
different plant parts (Jiao SD, 2001):
"Perilla leaf
is used to resolve the exterior and dissipate cold; perilla stem (sugeng)
has the effect of rectifying the qi and quieting the foetus and is
often used for vomiting or for abdominal distension in pregnancy;
perilla stem and leaf together is used to downbear qi and disperse
phlegm. Perilla leaf, which has aromatic qi, aromatically repels foulness,
dispels summerheat and transforms turbidity, and resolves the toxins
of fish and crabs; therefore, it is often used for summerheat-damp
foul turbidity or poisoning from fish and craps that results in oppression
in the chest, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Perilla seed has a strong
qi-precipitating and phlegm-dispersing action and is effective in
treating panting counterflow and phlegm cough."
[more info]
Diabetes Mellitus
by Stephen Gascoigne
When I first qualified
in medicine in 1976, my first job was to work on a diabetic ward.
My understanding of diabetes was extremely limited at that time and
large gaps in my medical knowledge soon became evident. I will be
eternally grateful to the senior nurse, Frank, who guided this inexperienced
and mildly dangerous doctor through the twists and turns of managing
acutely ill diabetic patients. This experience, for me at least, was
immensely valuable and gives me a very good basis on which to treat
diabetics in my Chinese medicine clinic.
Diabetes mellitus
is becoming commoner with over 1.5 million people in the UK being
diagnosed. Cases of diabetes in childhood have increased three times
in the past 30 years.
There are 2 types
of diabetes mellitus. Type 2 is the commonest and is the one which
is frequently seen in our clinics. Although people may not come specifically
for their diabetes to be treated, it may be the background of their
case when presenting with something else. Type 2 diabetes is characterised
by a relative lack of insulin. Although the pancreas does produce
some insulin, it is not in sufficient quantities for the person's
needs. Conventionally, management through diet and exercise may need
to be supplemented by oral medication. Insulin is rarely required.
The presentation is chronic in nature with a gradual development of
symptoms over weeks and months. [more info]
News & What's New?
News
Acupuncture
'boosts IVF chances'
Acupuncture may
increase the success rates of fertility treatment, according to a
study. The Dutch and US research, published in the British Medical
Journal, found for every 10 IVF cycles with acupuncture, there would
be one extra pregnancy. Click
here to read more.
Acupuncture
may be effective for menstrual pain
Acupuncture can
help relieve menstrual pain and improve the quality of life for some
women, a new study from Germany shows. Click
here to read more.
TCM
applauded for leukemia treatment
Traditional Chinese
medicine (TCM) leapt into the international limelight on Monday after
research on its effectiveness in treating leukemia was published in
the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),
one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific serials.
Click
here to read more.
Chinese
researchers claim Comoros malaria success
A Chinese herbal
medicine has slashed malaria cases on Comoros' tiny Moheli island,
to less than 2 percent of the population from 23 percent last year,
Chinese researchers said on Tuesday. Click
here to read more.
Chinese
herbs may ease eczema in children
A study by the
Chinese University of Hong Kong evaluated the effects of 'pentaherbs
formulation' on 85 patients aged between five and 21 with atopic eczema.
Half were given the herbs and half placebo. Click
here to read more.
What's
New?
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