ninapricelac

I agree that Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is best taken with the guidance of a trained practitioner, however the benefits of using this approach far outweigh the negatives you mention. I don't think your article is especially balanced which does a disservice to this excellent and still relevant medicine which has incredibly good, inexpensive and highly effective solutions for most health problems that modern humans have.

See my other posts on this site for more insights on how to use Chinese herbal medicine or ask questions, I'm always happy to answer herbal medicine questions.

I want to comment that there are a number of online directories for acupuncturists. One that is quite popular is Acufinder http://www.acufinder.com Some states have an online directory of acupuncturists. In California our acupuncture board allows you to search and see the licensure status of all licensed practitioners. The NCCAOM which is the national board provider for acupuncturists also has an online directory of all its diplomates.

Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine is incredibly effective solution for many illnesses. From the common cold to hepatitis C to depression and beyond. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has had clinical trials of several thousand years and over a billion people have benefited from its excellent solutions. This is a proven, ancient medicine that is still as relevant today and it ever was.

The common cold is a simple example of the power of Chinese herbal medicine to kill viruses and bacteria in a way that Western medicine just doesn't. When you go to a traditional Chinese herbal medicine practitioner he/she will ask you some questions, look at your tongue, feel your pulses and determine which of a series of patterns your symptoms match. Once your diagnosis has been established, your practitioner can choose from a variety of herbal formulas to find the very best one for you. Because the diagnosis is so precise to your unique situation the herbal formula can be customized to best suit you. This is best done when your practitioner develops a custom formula for you using single herbs which you can decoct (cook) into a tea or soup. Most Americans prefer herbal formulas in pill form for their convenience, even though a pill will be a bit less custom than a tea where the practitioner can adjust the dosage of each ingredient.

Before I went to Acupuncture school myself I had only had experience with herbal formulas in pill form. These had worked very well for me both in preventing illness and in resolving infections. When I was in school the Chinese teachers often prescribed teas for us which they customized. These were even more powerful. I remember having bronchitis for 4 weeks when one of my teachers made me a tea so powerful that in 2 days I felt significantly better.

I've had similar experiences with herbal formulas I've prescribed for my patients. I've seen my patients be on the mend and back in action within 24 to 48 hours after being very sick with a bad cold or more serious infection for example. I've also seen very dramatic changes in my women clients who've had severe pain from menstrual cramps or endometriosis where a Chinese herbal formula completely got rid of pain. In addition to killing infections or eliminating pain Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is really effective at building up what's deficient in your body whether it's tonifying your immune system to help you fight off disease preventitively, or building up a very depleted system as in the case of a person dealing with chemotherapy or radiation, or a chronic illness (e.g. cancer, AIDS, HIV, hepatitis).

If you've never tried Traditional Chinese herbal medicine but are curious about it, find a practitioner you feel comfortable working with and ask questions. Many of us speak English very well and are happy to answer your questions. In California the herbs we sell have to meet very high quality standards. I tend to purchase the herbal formulas I sell from California companies I trust because I know the quality will be excellent.

I would like to comment on training and certification for Chinese Herbal Medicine in the United States. In California in order to be a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) you must pass a California state exam which requires you to be proficient in Chinese Herbal medicine. You must know over 300 single herbs by heart and about 100 herbal formulas by heart in order to pass this test. If your practitioner is licensed to practice in California they are most likely quite proficient in Chinese herbal medicine.

The national board exams also have rigorous herbal requirements but not all states require acupuncturists to pass the herbal components of the exam. As a person who has passed both the California and national herbal exams I can attest to their rigorousness. Ask your practitioner whether they have passed a board exam in Chinese herbal medicine. If they have, they most likely are quite comfortable with herbal formulas, unless they choose not to practice herbal medicine.

For those of us who love to practice Chinese herbal medicine, we love finding herbal solutions to health problems. I think of myself as an "herb geek". I feel especially happy when a patient comes back excited by the excellent results they've had.

Andrographis (known in the Chinese Materia Medica as Chuan Xin Lian) is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. It is a wonderful herb to have in your medicine chest when a family member gets sick.

If you have a cold that persists or a viral infection (which won't respond to antibiotics) try some Andrographis to kill off a persistent infection (cold, UTI, yeast infection, ear infection etc.)

People don't believe me until they try it themselves and then they're totally thrilled with the results. Best of all this a low cost highly effective solution.

Nina Price, L.Ac.

When You Start to Sneeze Think Chinese (Medicine… that is)

I’m always amazed at what my clients believe about coughs, colds and flus. A number of my clients have called to cancel appointments saying, “I’m sick today I need to reschedule.” My answer is that when you’re sick, especially with a cough, cold or flu is the best time to see me.

The biggest secret in Western society about coughs, colds and flus is that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is usually the best solution. In the West we say “I’ve got a cold”. A cold could be a wide variety of different symptoms. A cold could have: a fever, chills, a cough, a sore throat, head, neck and back achiness, nasal congestion, an upset stomach, phlegm of varying colors or other symptoms. Each of us catches a cold our own way. But to listen to Western medicine “a cold” is a generic bundle of symptoms.

In Chinese Medicine we have a far more specific taxonomy of colds. Once your practitioner knows which type of cold you have, they can treat you for that specific cold with acupuncture and herbal formulas. Because Chinese Medicine is more specific it can address the underlying cause of what’s wrong with you and fix it quickly.

One of my clients came into my office the other day with a cold. She felt achy, she had chills and nasal congestion. I checked her tongue and her pulses, asked a few questions to find out which cold she had. I gave her an acupuncture treatment and an herbal formula with specific instructions. She needed to go home, take the formula (which could be a tea or a soup, but most often it is most convenient in pill form). I encouraged her to make a pot of porridge, eat some and go to bed. I asked her to stay in bed until her fever broke. I called to check in on her two days later and she said “Oh I’m back at work. I did exactly what you suggested. Once my fever broke I felt so much better that I was ready to go back to work.” She continued to take the formula until she felt 100% better and had no relapse.

Another client called to say that he was starting to have a sore throat. He knows that when he lets me know at the first sign of a sore throat, I’ll prescribe the right herbal formula for him. He dropped by to pick up the formula and started taking it immediately. He got plenty of rest and kept taking the formula for the next few days. He never got a fever, cough, nasal congestion or any other cold symptoms. Best of all he was able to continue to work while fighting the cold because he had a significant deadline he had to meet. Because he addressed his cold at the earliest stage, he was able to stay in action and recover quickly.

To recover quickly from a “cold”, pay attention to what’s happening in your body and get help early. The earlier you treat a cold the faster you can typically get rid of it. The longer you wait to get help the further the cold can progress, once you’ve waited and the cold has progressed it can take longer to bounce back. Of course I’ve got herbal formulas for colds that have progressed into bronchitis and worse, but ideally you don’t need to have that experience if you notice your symptoms early and immediately take action to get help.

Wishing you a cold free winter! Nina Price, L.Ac. http://www.midlifewithoutcrisis.com

I've had a magnetic mattress and mattress pads for years. I also really like the magnetic pillows. There are comforters that have magnets in them too. If you're concerned about the price of the mattress perhaps it makes sense to invest in a pillow or mattress pad first to try it out.

My evidence is empirical. I feel rebalanced and refreshed after sleeping with magnetic products. The magnets help to promote relaxation, rebalance and sleep that is refreshing.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is very effective for insomnia. TCM draws the distinction between trouble falling asleep and trouble staying asleep. It is possible to treat each of these two conditions specifically. I also find that some people sleep plenty of hours but don't get refreshing sleep. This is also a problem we can treat.