Traditional Chinese Medicine discussion

May 4, 2009

Build Natural Immunity against the Swine Flu

Filed under: General TCM, Swine Flu — tcmpage @ 5:05 PM

(Source: NaturalNews)
There are many natural remedies that will raise your immunity to the Swine Flu and other viral and bacterial diseases. Many people do not have immunity to the current strain of Swine Flu. This is not unusual because most viruses alter as the virus season goes along. Most people will not become sick because the issue is not the virus but SUSEPTABILITY.
Viruses will not multiply in a healthy body. We constantly have Streptococcus in our throats, yet we rarely experience Strep Throat. The same is true of this Swine Flu and other viral strains. Exposure will lead to disease only if the immune system is suppressed and if the vitality of the person is weakened. Do NOT suppress mucus. It is important to let the body discharge toxins.

Most viruses become less aggressive over time because they want to spread and not to kill their hosts. If they kill their hosts, they die as well. The viruses that do survive –the ones in humans with strong immune systems– become less virulent so that their hosts, us humans, go to work, shake hands and sneeze on others to continue to spread the virus.

Using herbs, homeopathy, and vitamins will increase your health and reduce your susceptibility.

DIGESTION
Some say that the flu “begins in the gut and ends in the gut”. This means that if you have good digestion, you will increase your resistance to this and other flu strains. Take a probiotic daily. Live probiotics are available in natural food stores, and probiotics are now more widely available in grocery stores, in yogurt culture and even in chocolate.

HOMEOPATHY
The homeopathic remedy Anas Barbariae is made from the liver of migrating geese. Because they travel the world, they build immunity to many viruses years before humans do. Be sure to get the 2009 version by checking the expiration date. It has been found that the remedy Ferrum phos is effective in treating the early stages of the flu, when used in the first 24 hours. Also the remedy Influenzinum can be taken as a prophylaxis. This remedy is made from the same disease strain as the CDC uses to make each season’s flu vaccine.

LIFESTYLE ADVICE
1. Get Plenty of Sleep
To improve your resistance to any disease, the most important thing you can do is get enough rest. Your body knows how to heal, and it does this best when sleeping. Get adequate rest on a daily basis, and if you begin to feel fatigue during a time of increased stress to your immune system, take naps, get into bed earlier, relax and let your body do what it does best: restore and rebuild.

2. Hydrate
Our bodies are 80% water. Drink plenty of water each day to stay hydrated and to allow the body to flush toxins from the blood and the liver. Drink pure water, not soda or juice, for best results.

3. Exercise
Exercise increases your resistance to disease. It stimulates the cleansing blood flow and increases your natural stress reducing hormones. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous to be beneficial. Science has shown that walking daily is good for your health and well being.

4. Spend time outdoors
The healing benefits of nature are yours and all you need to do is step outside. The fresh air cleanses your lungs and the vitamin D from sunshine is great for general health. Even on a rainy day or at night, the fresh air is beneficial.

5. Exercise
Exposure to nature and the great outdoors helps healthy emotions.

HERBS TO BUILD PROTECTION AND NATURAL IMMUNITY

1.Echinaea–Echinacea is best taken in advance of getting sick.
2.Olive Leaf
3.Elderberries
4 Adaptogens
Adaptogens are plants that have the ability to resist chemical and biological stressors and to pass that ability on to humans. Eleutherococcus research has shown a 30% to 50% decrease in influenza in Russian workers. Shisandra has long been used in Chinese medicine to improve immune function through its healing action on the liver. In recent research, Shisandra proved curative to the viral hepatitis. Codonopsis is another adaptogen used in Chinese herbal medicine. It increases the red and white blood cell counts and strengthens the immune system.

VITAMINS
1. Vitamin A is one of the main components of the skin. To strengthen the skin’s protective ability, take vitamin A daily. Vitamin A also increases the white blood cells that fight disease.
2. Vitamin C –Research has shown that vitamin C improves resistance to disease and prevents flu symptoms when 1,000 mg doses are taken every six hours.
3. NAC is an amino acid that has been shown to raise immunity to the flu in clinical trials.
4.Probiotics. Healthy flora in the gut supports immune function.

By improving your lifestyle, your diet, and supplementing with natural herbs, homeopathy, and vitamins, you can improve your immune system and your overall vitality.

Antiviral Chinese herbs for flu prevention

Filed under: General TCM, Swine Flu — Tags: , — tcmpage @ 4:57 PM

Acubalance recommended some natural preventions against the swine flu. See below…

“…A few years ago when the SARS pandemic virus infection broke out across the world, hospitals in China developed some preventative herbal formulas for their hospital staff. According to the University of Hong Kong, School of Chinese Medicine, none of the staff at their clinics who had been taking these herbal teas for more than a month became infected. Many of the herbs in the formulas have broad anti-viral properties and, as well, immune enhancing abilities to protect the individual. (see updated post on hebs and prevention)

Below we have suggested some Chinese herbs that can be used in a formula as preventative measures for any form of flu.

Flu Prevention formula for general use: If you are already seeing a practitioner of Chinese Medicine they may
modify the formula, or give you a different one, according to
your individual constitution (the true strength of Chinese Medicine!).

Huang Qi (Astragalus) 10-15g
Isatis root (banlangen) 12 g
Lonicera (jinyinhua) 15 g
Forsythia (lianqiao) 15 g
Coix (yiyiren) 15 g
Pseudostellaria (taizishen) 15 g
Atractylodes (baizhu) 15 g
Licorice (gancao) 9 g

For those with a weaker constitution and/ or digestion complaints add the following two ingredients:
Pogostemon, Hou Xiong 15 g
Eupatorium, Pei Lan 9

For a preventative dietary method try:

Dice one 6 inch piece of white radish (Daikon) diced in small bits.
Chop up a small bunch of scallions (including roots).
Add to a pot with 4-5 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes to make a soup and drink a half cup of it. (You can eat the radish and scallions as well!)
This preparation is enough for 5 people for a day. You can also store it in the fridge and warm when needed.”
source: http://www.acubalance.ca/immune-boosting-and-antiviral-chinese-herbs-flu-prevention

Stay Safe From The H1N1 Mexican Swine Flu: Traditional Chinese Medicine

Filed under: Swine Flu — tcmpage @ 3:30 PM

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) categorizes the internal organs into various different categories. The five solid or Zang organs are considered the most important from a functional standpoint. The Zang organs are: Heart; Kidneys; Lungs; Liver; and Spleen. Then there are six hollow or Fu organs and they are closely connected to the aforementioned Zang organs.

Each Zang organ is paired with a Fu organ, the function of one directly affecting the other: Gall bladder; Large intestine; Small intestine; Stomach; and Urinary bladder. There is the sixth Fu which is the Sanjiao (triple energiser) which is a nomenclature for three chambers within the body.

The sanjiao is not specifically an organ in itself, but rather a functional unit consisting of three segments. The upper jiao of the chest contains the heart and lung. The middle jiao of the upper abdomen holds the spleen and stomach. The lower jiao of the lower abdomen has the kidney and bladder. The sanjiao acts as a distributor and circulator of Qi (pronounced Chee) energy and blood as well as regulating the amount of bodily fluids, directing the excess to the bladder to be excreted. The pericardium (the covering of the heart) is also recognized in this system.

In the TCM model, the internal organs play a vital role in the production, maintenance, replenishment, transformation and transport of the Vital Substances: Qi; Blood; Essence; and Body fluids (sweat, saliva, urine, stomach and intestinal secretions, and all of the other fluids in the body).

The Vital Substances are only forms of Qi in differing stages of energy being transmutated into matter. Qi can be termed as energy which forms the basis of the universe. Everything that exists is composed of Qi or energy. TCM holds that neither Qi nor energy can be destroyed, only transformed, in a theory established millennia before the Second Law of Thermodynamics was postulated.

TCM maintains that the flow of Qi energy determines the health of an individual. If there is abundant, smoothly flowing Qi they are in good health. If they are ill, it is because of a blockage or interruption in the Qi flow.

Some of the compounds which have been used for centuries in TCM to fight the effects of colds and flu, (and again without personal recommendation) include:

Gan Mao Ling: This is definitely one of the most widely utilized Chinese patents to treat flu related fatigue, headaches, sore throats, swollen lymph glands, high fever, chills, and back and neck aches.
Yin Chiao: In a very similar fashion to Gan Mao Ling, Yin Chiao is generally prescribed for the same set of flu symptoms.
Zhong Gan Ling: This medicine is indicated for more severe conditions such as sudden, high fevers with sore throats and coughing, swollen lymph nodes, aching limbs and headaches.
Zhong Gan Ling is usually prescribed if Yin Chiao or Gan Mao Ling have been ineffective.
Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Wan: Primarily prescribed for stomach flus with digestive difficulties of diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, nausea and for chills, fever and headaches.
Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao Wan: This medicine is intended for headaches resulting from a cold accompanied by chills especially at back of neck or top of the skull, nasal congestion, sinusitis and rhinitis.
Yu Ping Feng San: This medicine is prescribed primarily for insufficient immune system in the presence of frequent colds and flu, sore throat, swollen face, sinus congestion and inflammation, and sinus pain headaches.

Chinese Medicine Against Swine Flu

Filed under: Swine Flu — tcmpage @ 3:21 PM

Already, panic is breaking out in various parts of the world after recent reports of swine flu in Mexico. People in Hong Kong and Taiwan are already preparing for the arrival of this virus, and here in Mainland China, media coverage is gaining ground.

It is already recognized that, especially in the treatment of viral illnesses, the use of Chinese Medicine has certain advantages. If you look at the tomes of books covering the pharmacological properties of herbs, you’ll realize that many of them have anti-viral action. Without going into the specifics, we can make a broad assertion that:

Most times, because concentration is not high, the action of many of the active ingredients are weaker than if extracted or mass-manufacture for one particular phamocologic action e.g. in the case of neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir (tamiflu) or zanamivir.
There are many ingredient in one herb, and many more newly created constituents with pharmacologic action that are formed after decocting or after the initial decoction is metabolized in the body. That is much we don’t know.
But we do know that certain group of herbs especially have anti-viral properties. Many of these herbs appear in some formulas used to tackle this group of disease called warm diseases (温病). While it is considered improper by the TCM community to label this whole set of diseases as “infectious diseases,” most of the diseases discussed here fall under the “infectious” category.

For those interested, just within the damp-heat category of formulas, we use the relative dominace of damp and heat to decide on the use of a group of herbs, mainly aromatics (化湿药) and diuretics (利湿药). For those interested, check out formulas like san ren tang (三仁汤), ganlu xiaodu dan (甘露消毒丹) and even qingwen baidu yin (清瘟败毒饮). These formulas are useful to look into and even use, of course with the caveat - pattern differentiation, pattern differentiation, pattern differentiation.

Even a simple formula like huoxiang zhengqi san (藿香正气散) is very useful, not just in treating stomach flu and the pathologic manifestation of a rotavirus, but also as a prophylactic when your body needs an immune boost. I use it and it works.

Note: In the herbal textbooks, many of the herbs are classified in categories - our initial acquaintance with them as neophytes. But we often see these herbs used very differently. Take for example danggui (当归): did you know that it was used to treat cough? Or the very famous women’s decoction siwu tang (四物汤): did you know it was used to treat external trauma?

The interesting thing about herbs is that they are natural and are not isolated constituents. Viruses may have a harder time building up resistance against a broad attack of “natural” ingredient than a compound more defined as ribavirin or zanamivir. That’s the strength of Chinese herbs against viruses.

Chinese government quarantines Mexican travelers

Filed under: News, Swine Flu — tcmpage @ 3:15 PM

Monday May 4, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) –A new controversy is arising as a result of the swine flu outbreak as China is quarantining groups of Mexican travelers, numerous news sources report. The travelers, only one of whom has been reported as sick, have complained about unfair treatment and sub par living conditions. China maintains that their actions are justified.

Many of the quarantined travelers shared an AeroMexico flight with the infected individual, who was twenty-five. The Mexican travelers are being held in various hotels throughout China, though the largest concentration is in Hong Kong’s Metropark hotel. The quarantined travelers, among other complaints, cite poor medical treatment as one of many grievances.
The Chinese maintain that the Mexicans are not receiving any unfair treatment, citing their own quarantined travelers as justification. Yet, the travelers noted that they were met at the gate by Chinese camera crews. “We felt like we were in a zoo,” one traveler, a 27 year old business student, told the Wall Street Journal.

A World Health Organization spokesman, Peter Cordingley, said that the WHO has no official policy on the type of treatment the Mexican travelers are receiving. Though, in a statement, he said that “in general [the WHO] supports any legal measures that reduce the risk of community transmission.”

Mexican Ambassador Jorge Guajardo stated that “[Mexico is] objecting to the fact that they are holding Mexicans in isolation for fear that they might have the flu virus, even though they have no signs of having the flu virus.” Guajardo was blocked by the Chinese government when trying to visit 10 travelers who were being quarantined in Bejing’s Guo Men hotel.

The foreign minister of Mexico, Patricia Espinosa, criticized China, Peru, Argentina, Cuba and Ecuador for cutting flights to Mexico. She instructed Mexican citizens to avoid traveling to China. The Mexican travelers are being discriminated against by the Chinese government, Espinosa believes.

Mao Qunan, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Health, said that the Chinese government was merely protecting against a potential spread of the virus to Hong Kong. He stated that “the confirmation of this case clearly raised the risks of A-H1N1 flu entering our country.”

Mexico has 506 confirmed cases of swine flu, with 19 fatalities. Still, Reuters reports that Mexico believes the disease to be stabilizing. Michael Ryan, WHO director of Global Alert and Response,, said on May 2, 2009 that “[he] would still propose that a pandemic is imminent because we are seeing the disease spread.”

Chinese consumers voice mixed feelings toward pork as swine flu spreads

Filed under: News — Tags: , — tcmpage @ 3:09 PM

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) — To eat pork or not to eat pork, that’s the question for many Chinese consumers as swine flu, or the H1N1 influenza epidemic, spreads globally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its level of pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5, indicating that a pandemic is “imminent.” The virus is suspected of killing more than 150 people in North America.

Although the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), as well as Chinese health officials, have said there is no proof the flu virus is found in pigs or can be contracted through eating pig meat or other pork products, the disease has nevertheless cast shadows over China’s pork market.

MIXED FEELINGS

In central Henan Province, one of the country’s leading swine exporters, vendors have felt the chill.

“Normally, I sell about 130 kg pork everyday at this time of year,” said Feng Jianwei, in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan. “But business has slumped.”

Feng’s daily sales average 100 kg pork. “I believe it was affected by the swine flu,” he said.

The H1N1 influenza epidemic also threatens the economy of the southwestern Sichuan Province, which is recovering from the devastating earthquake in May last year.

When survivor Wang Jiawen borrowed money from his neighbors to buy two piglets to raise in May, the farmer never expected flu could dash his hopes of a new beginning.

“Now I just hope that I can break even,” Wang said.

“The pork price has fallen amid the global financial crisis and pig raisers in Sichuan cannot afford another hit,” said Lan Jianming, vice head of the Sichuan Provincial Animal Husbandry and Food Administration.

“With the possible further development of the H1N1 influenza epidemic, the fortunes of Sichuan’s pig industry may worsen,” he said.

A similar situation could be seen in the market of Nanchang, capital of the eastern Jiangxi Province.

Pork prices have dropped by about 10 percent at the city’s Bayiqiao market, but that still failed to lure cautious consumers, vendor Deng Shen said.

However, fish and chicken are gaining popularity at the market.

“I won’t consider buying pork in the near future, though no swine flu cases have been reported in our country,” shopper Wu Qinghua told Xinhua.

“After all, it won’t affect my health even if I don’t eat pork. I can choose chicken or fish,” he said.

But not all consumers are pessimistic.

At the Yongchang market in Changchun, capital of northeastern Jilin Province, residents were seen thronging the pork stands Thursday afternoon.

“It sells very well today, better than normal,” vendor Jiang Lihui told Xinhua. “I think it’s because the May Day holiday is coming and people need more pork for celebrations.”

Shopper Guan Shaoshan said he had no special feeling about swine flu.

“Of course I will cook the pork before eating it in case of infection. On the other hand, I know the government is taking preventive measures,” he said.

Nationwide, the swine flu outbreak has not affected pork markets significantly, according to a Xinhua-operated monitoring system on prices of the country’s farm and sideline products.

The supply and sale of pork were normal, and pork prices showed no big fluctuations despite a slight fall Thursday.

The sales volume in some provinces dropped to different extents, but the upcoming May Day holiday again spurred pork sales, the monitoring system shows.

In Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong Province, most consumers interviewed by Xinhua expressed optimism and confidence.

“Pork is a daily necessity for my family. We won’t eat less pork just because of the swine flu outbreak in other countries,” resident Guan Jian said.

“But for the sake of safety, I only go to supermarkets to buy pork now instead of crowded outdoor markets,” he said.

GOV’T MOVE

Although China has no reported human-infected H1N1 cases, Health Minister Chen Zhu told reporters Thursday that the possibility of the virus entering the country could not be ruled out.

He said China had developed an effective method for the instant diagnosis of possible H1N1 infection, and the new detection method would be available at disease control and prevention offices across the country.

The Health Ministry has issued and distributed a guideline for diagnosis for H1N1 and its variants to health departments nationwide, mandating local authorities to train medical personnel as soon as possible.

It has also published a self-protection manual on its website for the public, who are expected to participate in group activities in the upcoming May Day holiday.

The manual, in Chinese, details the basic preparations people must take before joining tours and urges them to maintain good personal hygiene.

The State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine also asked all local health authorities to involve traditional Chinese medicine experts in the health emergency responding teams in order to take full advantage of traditional remedies.

Customs posts across the country have been told to conduct strict checks of imported pigs and pork products, especially those from countries and regions affected by swine flu, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced Thursday.

Products without valid quality certification will be banned from coming into China. At the same time, the GAC urged customs at all levels to crack down on the smuggling of pork products.

Meanwhile, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) has ordered greater market supervision of domestic pork markets.

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