Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Discussion

When Dr. Francis Yu started his acupuncture clinic in California in 1970s, most of his patients were Chinese. But now, half of his patients are non-Chinese.

“More non-Chinese Americans begin to accept the Chinese way of treatment, such as acupuncture, cupping and herbal medicine. Another truth is, at least in California, nearly half of those who have acupuncture licenses and operate acupuncture clinics are not Chinese but Americans who do not know Chinese,” said Yu who owns his two-storied TCM Healing Institute in Arcadia in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

Dr. Yu’s remarks echoed the recent press reports that alternative medicine is finding wider acceptance by doctors, insurers and hospitals in the US.

People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for everything from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to cancer and heart disease. They crave more “care” in their health care as more people distrust drug companies and the government.

California became the first US state to license qualified acupuncture practitioners as primary care providers in 1978. As of2004, California has licensed more than 9,000 acupuncturists. Now the figure is estimated to exceed 15,000. California constitutes nearly half of the licensed acupuncturists in the US.

Dr. Yu told Xinhua that in the early days, acupuncture was not accepted and respected by the mainstream. Most Americans did not regard acupuncture as alternative treatment. But as time goes by and when more US hospitals and research institutions set up acupuncture treatment centers, more Americans turned to the Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine to cure diseases conventional American doctors could not treat.

He said recently one American lady on her 40s came from Florida to treat her pain on the neck. But Dr. Yu told her she needed to remove her plaque in her artery. She received cupping treatment for several times and when she went back to Florida, her doctor told her the plaque was gone and she felt much better.

She then recommended her friend, a 47-year-woman, to see Dr. Yuin the hope she can get pregnant. Dr. Yu said the treatment was going on, and he was not sure whether the lady could get pregnant at her age. But those cases show that more Americans are willing to try the Chinese way in medical treatment.

In California and other states, when a doctor has an acupuncture license, the doctor can give herbal treatment to the patients. Although traditional Chinese medicine is not legal in California, doctors with acupuncture licenses can treat patients with cupping and herbal medicine.

The legal use of herbal medicine was made possible 15 years ago when the US Congress decided to allow dietary and herbal supplements to be sold without Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Since then the number of products soared, from about 4,000 then to well over 40,000 categories now.

The increasing acceptance of alternative treatment such as acupuncture and herbal medicine was also made possible by big healthcare insurances that cover expenses of patients who accept treatment of acupuncture, cupping and herbal medicine, Dr. Yu said.

Although Dr. Yu said the government regulation seemed ridiculous for doctors to have an acupuncture license first before they can practice other Chinese medicine such as cupping and herbal treatment, it legalizes the practice of acupuncture and other ways to treat patients in the Chinese way in the US.

Increasing numbers of big hospitals and institutions, including Johns Hopkins Hospital and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, have established integrative medicine units that bring together conventional and alternative approaches to care.

The alternative treatment includes stress reducers like meditation, yoga and massage besides acupuncture and cupping.

Studies show that the number of Americans willing to try alternative treatments continues to increase. A 2007 survey by the federal government found that more than one-third of adults and nearly 12 percent of children in the US used alternative therapies, including acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy and herbal supplements.

But many mainstream physicians continue to be skeptical of alternative therapies, alleging their efficacy has not been proven and their successes may be nothing more than variations of the placebo effect.

Concerns over the effectiveness and safety of herbal supplement have prompted the US FDA to issue its first guidelines for good manufacturing practices to improve supplement safety.

The US Federal Trade Commission is also filing more complaints about deceptive marketing in herbal supplements.

source: Xinhuanet

Five Chinese drug firms have so far received seed viruses of A/H1N1 influenza from the World Health Organization. These companies are striving to have the first batch of the vaccine ready to go by August.

Researchers at this biotechnology company in Beijing are busy duplicating the seed viruses of the A/H1N1 flu.

It’s a critical step before the vaccine can go into production.

Zou Yong, manager of Quality Supervision Department of Sinovac Bitotec, said, “In order to meet the demand of large-scale vaccine production, we need to duplicate the seed one thousand times. The production period is expected to last 40 to 50 days. So we estimate the first batch of vaccines will be produced as early as the end of July.”

According to the State Food and Drug Administration, or SFDA, there are a total of 11 flu vaccine manufacturers in China.

Between them, they can produce 360 million doses a year. And of those 11, five have already received seed viruses from the WHO. The rest are scheduled to receive them by Saturday.

Meanwhile, China is waiting for the WHO to decide on whether the A/H1N1 flu should be categorized as seasonal or pandemic.

The SFDA says the scale and pace of the production will be decided by the spread and development of the virus.

Source: CCTV

What to drink green tea benefits? First of all, necessary to understand the composition of green tea, confirmed by modern scientific research, green tea contains more than 450 kinds of organic compounds, more than 15 kinds of inorganic minerals, most of these components are health care, disease prevention, such as effectiveness. Therefore, green tea is known as the protector of rare.

(A) of the efficacy of green tea have a radiation protection
Who regularly drink green tea to use computers to supplement the specific plant nutrients, the elimination of computer black eye caused by radiation. By the concentration of green tea contain polyphenols, can inhibit the free radicals on the skin to support the fiber damage is recognized the most effective anti-free radical factor. Low-caffeine drink green tea not only removes the black eye, which contains catechins, which help the body fat metabolism, but also help to sleep, sleep quality can not only stability, but also make people less likely to have the feeling of fatigue.

(B) beauty detoxification effect of tea
Whether foreign, tea has proved to be a healthy drink, compared to coffee, but also by the size of welcome young and old, although a cup of tea every day, but not everyone is a tea expert, it is necessary to have a healthy drink tea, in fact, will also contribute greatly to knowledge , especially in Western-style tea, you may be most frequently in touch with more than tea bags. However, leisure time, may wish to stress that serious red tea pot, tea detoxification beauty at the same time more effective, than any building even more drinks.

(C) can beautify a person with more green tea
Green tea can even more beautify a person, no doubt! Because it is not only rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, of which vitamin C can enhance the efficacy of the antioxidant, which is also a valuable nutritional flavonoids … the main ingredients of propolis, so it is the maintenance of skin whitening, the young can be said to have rare-class results.

(D) the efficacy of green tea has weight loss
The caffeine in tea, inositol, folic acid, pantothenic acid and aromatic compounds and other substances to regulate fat metabolism, especially the tea on the protein and fat have a very good role in the decomposition. Tea polyphenols and vitamin C can reduce cholesterol and blood fat, so drink to lose weight.

(E) green tea to cancer prevention
The ingredients contained in green tea polyphenols and caffeine, both arising from the combined effects, in addition to play a pick-me-up, the effect of repose, but also have the ability to enhance the body’s immune and anti-cancer effect. In recent years, the Federation of American Chemical Society found that tea not only to the digestive system have inhibited the effectiveness of cancer, but also skin and lung, liver cancer is also inhibited. After scientific research confirms that the organic tea anti-cancer substances are mainly tea polyphenols, theophylline, vitamin C and vitamin E; tea anti-cancer elements in the main inorganic selenium, molybdenum, manganese, germanium, etc.. Chinese, Japanese scientists believe that the catechin polyphenols in the best anti-cancer effect

Tui na is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, fire cupping, Chinese herbalism, tai chi and qigong.

Tui na is a hands-on-body treatment using acupressure that is a modality of Chinese medicine whose purpose is to bring the body into balance. The principles being balanced are the eight principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.The practitioner may brush, knead, roll/press and rub the areas between each of the joints to open the body’s defensive chi and get the energy moving in both the meridians and the muscles. The practitioner can then use range of motion, traction, massage, with the stimulation of acupressure points and to treat both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, as well as many non-musculoskeletal conditions. Tui na is an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is taught in TCM schools as part of formal training in Oriental medicine. Many East Asian martial arts schools also teach tui na to their advanced students for the treatment and management of injury and pain due to training. As with many other traditional Chinese medical practices, there are several different schools with greater or lesser differences in their approach to the discipline. It is related also to Chinese massage or anma.

Tui na has fewer side effects than modern drug-based and chemical-based treatments. It has been used to treat or complement the treatment of many conditions; musculo-skeletal disorders and chronic stress-related disorders of the digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems.

The words Tui Na translate into ‘push-grasp’ or ‘poke-pinch’ in Chinese. Physically, it is a series of pressing, tapping, and kneading with palms, fingertips, knuckles or implements that help the body to remove blockages along the meridians of the body and stimulates the flow of qi and blood to promote healing, similar to principles of acupuncture, moxibustion, and acupressure. Tui na’s massage-like techniques range from light stroking to deep-tissue work which would be considered too vigorous or too painful for a recreational or relaxing massage. Clinical practitioners often use liniment, plasters, herbal compresses and packs to aid in the healing process, which should be used with caution on sensitive skin. Tui na is not used for conditions involving compound fractures, external wounds, open sores or lesions, phlebitis, or with infectious conditions such as hepatitis. Tui na should not be performed on the abdominal portion of a woman in menstrual or pregnant periods, and it is not used for treatment of malignant tumors or tuberculosis.

In a typical adult tui na session, the patient wears loose clothing and lies on a massage table or floor pad. After answering some brief questions about the nature and location of the health problem as well as basic questions about general health, allergies and other existing conditions, the practitioner will concentrate on specific acupressure points, energy trigger points, muscles and joints surrounding the affected area. Occasionally, clothing is removed or repositioned to expose a particular spot that requires direct skin contact. The patient should always be informed before this act, and no inappropriate or unexpected contact should ever be made in a professional session. Treatment sessions last from 10 minutes to over an hour. Patients often return for additional treatments for chronic conditions.

Giving prevention the priority means to take measures to prevent the occurrence of disease. Since the occurrence of disease is related to insufficiency of healthy qi and attack of pathogenic factors, the preventive measures taken should focus on reinforcing healthy qi and preventing the invasion of pathogenic factors by means of regulating psychological state, diet and living habit as well as doing physical exercise. Besides, cares should be taken to avoid attack of pathogenic factors.

Regulating psychological state
Regulating psychological state covers three aspects: avoiding direct damage of the viscera and disturbance of qi and blood; avoiding invasion of pathogenic factors due to deficiency of healthy qi caused by psychological factors; protecting and cultivating healthy qi to further strengthen Constitution. There are various ways to regulate psychological state, the general principle is to be free from avarice. If one keeps the mind tranquil, qi and blood will flow normally, yin and yang in the body can communicate freely with that in the natural world, which can not only prevent the invasion of pathogenic factors but also strengthen constitution.

Proper diet
Diet provides necessary nutrients for the body, but unhealthy eating habits and improper food (such as intemperance or starvation, unhygienic food and food partiality) impair the viscera and damage harmonious state of qi and blood. To cultivate health through regulating diet can supplement essence, adjust the state of yin and yang, improve constitution and strengthen body resistance. There are various ways to cultivate health through regulation of diet, these methods should be applied according to individual conditions. The general principle is to eat regularly at the right time in proper proportions with hygienic eating habits.

Proper living habits
Proper living habits include regular work and rest, temperance in sexual activity and proper clothing in different seasons. Proper living habits are effective in abiding by the variations of yin and yang in the natural world, protecting the viscera, qi, blood and body fluid, and preventing invasion of pathogenic factors.

Exercising the body
Exercising the body can promote the flow of qi and blood, reinforce the functions of the viscera and prevent retention of pathogenic factors. There are various ways to exercise the body. However traditional ways to exercise the body are more effective for strengthening constitution, eliminating disease and prolonging life, such as Wuqinxi (five-animals frolics), Baduanjin (eight-sections exercise), Yijinjing (tendon-relaxing exercise) and Taijiquan (taiji box), etc. These traditional exercises are slow in action and general in relaxation, very effective for directing the flow of qi and blood. They combine static actions with dynamic activities, effective for regulating both yin and yang without damaging tendons and exhausting qi and blood. People with different constitution should select different exercise.

Avoiding attack of pathogenic factors
ince pathogenic factors are the key elements in causing disease, measures have to be taken to avoid the attack of pathogenic factors in the cultivation of healthy qi. Some pathogenic factors are very toxic, even strong constitution cannot resist them. Thus the avoidance of these pathogenic factors is the only way to prevent the occurrence of disease.

Preventing transmission and change

When disease has occurred, it may transmit from a local area to the viscera and other regions. In this case, measures have to be taken to stop such transmission and change.

Early treatment
At the early stage, disease is easy to treat because it is still light and healthy qi has not declined yet. However, delayed treatment may worsen the disease and make it difficult to treat due to transmission of pathogenic factors from the external to the internal and damage of healthy qi. If healthy qi is seriously impaired and pathogenic factors become more and more predominant, the disease is hard to treat and tends to become aggravated. So early treatment is very important.

Controlling the transmission and change
Transmission and change refer to movement and change of disease in the external and the internal, the upper and the lower, the zang-organs and the fu-organs, the meridians and the collaterals, wei, qi, ying and blood phases. The transmission and change of disease follow certain rules and routes. Measures can be taken according to these rules and routes to prevent the transmission and change of disease in advance.

The method for controlling the transmission and change of disease is to regulate and nourish the organs or areas that the disease is liable to transmit to by means of reinforcing healthy qi to prevent the transmission of the disease. For example, it is said in Jingui Yaoliie “measures must be taken to strengthen the spleen in the treatment of liver disease because liver disease tends to transmit to the spleen.” That means to invigorate spleen-qi to prevent liver disease from transmitting to the spleen. Take febrile disease for another example. Since pathogenic heat damages yin, the impairment of stomach-yin can damage kidney-yin. Under such a condition, the prescription composed herbs sweet in taste and cold in nature for nourishing the stomach can be added with some herbs salty in taste and cold in nature for nourishing kidney-yin in order to prevent pathogenic heat from impairing the kidney.

By John Chen, PhD, PharmD, OMD, LAc

(Editor’s Note: Dr. Chen’s article is particularly timely in light of the current concern over swine flu.)

The first reference to infectious disease appeared in Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic), compiled in the first or second century CE. This text discussed re bing (hot disease), which refers to the various types of infectious disease.1
The understanding of infectious disease progressed further during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Many doctors recognized that these patterns of illness were significantly different from shang han (cold damage) patterns, so must be diagnosed and treated differently. Three of the most influential doctors during that era contributed to a new school of thought, namely wen bing (warm disease).2-4

According to this new theory, warm and hot disease plagued everyone, starting “from one person to the entire household, from one household to the entire street, and from one street to the entire village.” The disease first affects the exterior of the body and progresses to the interior, following the patterns of wei (defensive), qi (energy), ying (nutritive) and xue (blood) levels.5 Furthermore, the cause of these warm and hot disease have “no sound nor smell, and no shape nor shadow.” In addition, the warm and hot disease may be transmitted from one person to another via “heaven [air-borne]” or “earth [direct contact],” and affect individuals with low immunity.6

Many of the bitter and cold herbs and formulas used to treat these warm and hot diseases are recognized today to have remarkable antibiotic effects.7 Wen bing theories accurately described the origins and transmission of epidemic disease and the importance of the immune system in relationship to the pathogens. One of the fundamental concepts in traditional Chinese medicine is that “superior medicine prevents disease, and inferior medicine treats disease.”8 Prevention of infectious disease is certainly no exception since bacteria and virus tend to adversely affect those who have weakened immune systems. Many herbs and formulas that tonify wei qi can boost the immune system. Examples include:

Classic formulas with immuno-stimulant effect10
Shi Quan Da Bu Tang (All-Inclusive Great Tonifying Decoction)11
Ren Shen Yang Ying Tang (Ginseng Decoction to Nourish the Nutritive Qi)12
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction)13
Si Jun Zi Tang (Four-Gentlemen Decoction)14
Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Windscreen Powder)15

Herbs with immuno-stimulant effect16
dong chong xia cao (Cordyceps)17
ren shen (Radix et rhizoma ginseng)18
dang shen (Radix codonopsis)19
huang qi (Radix astragali)20
bai zhu (Rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae)21

Traditional Chinese medicine treats wen bing with heat-clearing herbs. Many of these herbs have remarkable antibiotic effects, including antibacterial and antiviral. In addition to traditional diagnosis and treatment, the following herbs and formulas more precisely target and treat infectious disease:

Classic formulas with antibiotic effect23
Yin Qiao San (Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder)24
Huang Lian Jie Du Tang (Coptis Decoction to Relieve Toxicity)25
Long Dan Xie Gan Tang (Gentiana Decoction to Drain the Liver)26
Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin (Universal Benefit Decoction to Eliminate Toxin)27
Ba Zheng San (Eight-Herb Powder for Rectification)28

Herbs with antibacterial effect29
bai tou weng (Radix pulsatillae)30
chuan xin lian (Herba andrographis)31
huang lian (Rhizoma coptidis)32,33
hu zhang (Rhizoma et radix polygoni cuspidati)34
huang bo (Cortex phellodendri chinensis)35
huang qin (Radix scutellariae)36
ku shen (Radix sophorae flavescentis)37
pu gong ying (Herba taraxaci)38
shan dou gen (Radix et rhizoma sophorae tonkinensis)39

Herbs with antiviral effect
ban lan gen (Radix isatidis)40
da qing ye (Folium isatidis)41
jin yin hua (Flos lonicerae japonicae)42
lian qiao (Fructus forsythiae)43
ye ju hua (Flos chrysanthemi Indici)44

In Western medicine, the discovery of antibiotic drugs is one of the major breakthroughs in modern medicine. It enables doctors to effectively treat many different types of infections. Unfortunately, decades of abuse and misuse have led to growing problems of bacterial mutation and resistance. Many of these “super bugs” can only be treated with the newest and most potent antibiotic drugs. Unfortunately, many of them have potent side effects as well. The key points are to select the correct antibiotic drug with least potential side effects and make sure the patient finishes the entire course of therapy.

In traditional Chinese medicine, herbs and herbal formulas are also extremely effective for treatment of various infections. In fact, most modern pharmaceutical drugs were originally derived from natural sources, including penicillin (the oldest antibiotic) and gentimicin (one of the most potent). One of the main benefits of using herbs is their wide spectrum of antibiotic effect, with indications for bacterial and viral infections. Furthermore, most of these herbs are extremely safe, and do not have the same harsh side effects as drugs.

In summary, both drugs and herbs are effective to treat mild to moderate cases of bacterial infections. However, because drugs are more immediately potent and can be prescribed with more laboratory precision (via cultures and sensitivity tests), they are more appropriate for life-threatening infections, such as meningitis or encephalitis, or mutant strains of bacteria, such as beta-lactam-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). On the other hand, use of herbs is far more effective than drugs for treating certain viral infections, such as the common cold and influenza. Most importantly, herbs are much gentler to the body and safer than drugs. In other words, herbs treat infection without damaging the patient’s underlying constitution. This allows the patient to recover faster and become more resistant to secondary or re-current infections.

References

1. Gilbert D, Moellering R, Sande M. The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy. 29th Edition. Hyde Park, Vt.: Antimicrobial Therapy, Inc., 1999.
2. Wu You-Xing, also known as Wu You-Ko, circa 1580-1660.
3. Ye Gui, also known as Ye Tian-Shi, 1666-1745.
4. Wu Tang, also known as Wu Ju-Tong, 1758-1836.
5. Wen Re Lun (Discussion of Warm and Hot Disorders) by the apprentices of Ye Gui, 1745-1766.
6. Wen Yi Lun (Discussion of Epidemic Warm Disease) by Wu You-Xing, 1642.
7. Wen Bing Tiao Bian (Systematic Differentiation of Warm Disease) by Wu Tang, 1798.
8. Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang (Thousands of Golden Prescriptions for Emergencies) by Sun Si-Miao.
9. Chen J, Chen T. Clinical Manual of Oriental Medicine 2nd Edition. City of Industry, Calif.: Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine.
10. Chen J. Chen T. Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. City of Industry, Calif.: Art of Medicine Press, 2009.
11. Zhong Yi Fang Ji Xian Dai Yan Jiu (Modern Study of Medical Formulae in Traditional Chinese Medicine), 1997;652-4.
12. Guo Wai Yi Xue Zhong Yi Zhong Yao Fen Ce (Monograph of Chinese Herbology from Foreign Medicine), 1992;14(2):52.
13. Zhong Yi Fang Ji Xian Dai Yan Jiu (Modern Study of Medical Formulae in Traditional Chinese Medicine), 1997;520-1.
14. Zhong Cheng Yao Yan Jiu (Research of Chinese Patent Medicine), 1981;12:28.
15. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi (Journal of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine), 1990;12:22.
16. Chen J, Chen T. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. City of Industry, Calif.: Art of Medicine Press, 2004.
17. Shang Hai Yi Yao Za Zhi (Shanghai Journal of Medicine and Herbology), 1988;1:48.
18. Zhong Yao Xue (Chinese Herbology), 1998;729:736.
19. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi (Journal of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine), 1985;5(8):487.
20. Biol Pharm Bull, 1977;20(11):1178-82.
21. Xin Yi Yao Xue Za Zhi (New Journal of Medicine and Herbology), 1979;6:60.
22. Chen J, Chen T. Clinical Manual of Oriental Medicine 2nd Edition. City of Industry, Calif.: Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine.
23. Chen J, Chen T. Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. City of Industry, Calif.: Art of Medicine Press, 2009.
24. Zhong Cheng Yao (Study of Chinese Patent Medicine), 1990;12(1):22.
25. Hu Bei Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Hubei Journal of Chinese Medicine), 1981;4:30.
26. Zhong Yao Yao Li Du Li Yu Lin Chuang (Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Applications of Chinese Herbs), 1991;1:5.
27. Chen J, Chen T. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. City of Industry, Calif.: Art of Medicine Press, 2004.
28. Zhong Yi Yao Xin Xi (Information on Chinese Medicine and Herbology), 1987;6:31.
29. Chen J, Chen T. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. City of Industry, Calif.: Art of Medicine Press, 2004.
30. CA, 1948;42:4228a.
31. Zhong Yao Xue (Chinese Herbology), 1998;178:179.
32. Zhong Hua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Chinese Journal of Medicine), 1958;44(9):888.
33. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi (Journal of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine), 1989;9(8):494.
34. Zhong Yao Xue (Chinese Herbology), 1998;556-8
35. Zhong Yao Da Ci Dian (Dictionary of Chinese Herbs), 1977:2032.
36. Zhong Yao Xue (Chinese Herbology), 1988;137:140.
37. Zhong Yao Xue (Chinese Herbology), 1998;148:151.
38. Zhong Yi Yao Xue Bao (Report of Chinese Medicine and Herbology), 1991;1:41.
39. Xian Dai Shi Yong Yao Xue (Practical Applications of Modern Herbal Medicine), 1988;5(1):7.
40. Zhong Cheng Yao Yan Jiu (Research of Chinese Patent Medicine), 1987;12:9.
41. Zhong Yao Xue (Chinese Herbology), 1998;174:75.
42. Shan Xi Xin Yi Yao (New Medicine and Herbology of Shanxi), 1980;9(11):51.
43. Shan Xi Xin Yi Yao (New Medicine and Herbology of Shanxi), 1980;9(11):51.
44. Zhong Hua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Chinese Journal of Medicine), 1962;48(3):188.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a new prescription for health as medical institutions will now be required to bolster their TCM departments.

A circular released yesterday by the State Council ordered local governments to include hospitals for traditional medicine in their health service networks.

It also requires health institutions to improve TCM training, facilities and medicines.

“Every community health service station and village health clinic should be able to offer TCM services,” the circular said.

Governments at various levels will increase investment in public hospitals for traditional medicine to improve facilities, support research and train doctors.

“The guideline plays an important part in playing up the use of TCM in the recent medical reform,” Wang Guoqiang, director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said yesterday in a written reply to China Daily.

“It will boost TCM development with concrete support from governments at all levels.”

One of the highlights is that “the circular positions TCM equally with western medicines in legal status, academic development and in practice,” said Wang, who is also vice-minister of health.

“Traditional medicines have outstanding advantages. They cost much less than western medicines,” Professor Ha Xiaoxian from Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

“They will fit in with the health service in rural areas and communities.”

In the circular, the State Council said traditional medicines will be included with the State’s basic medicines and traditional medicine hospitals will be in the list of designated hospitals under the country’s basic health insurance programs for both rural and urban residents.

The government will welcome private investors to invest in hospitals or pharmacies for traditional medicine.

It also encourages veteran doctors to open their own clinics and allows doctors to work at dispensing shops that sell traditional medicines.

According to the circular, the government plans to register ancient medical books, develop a catalog and set up a digital database for them.

The government also encourages apprenticeships for training doctors as an alternative to medical schools, especially in rural areas.

Traditional Chinese medicine has unique theories and practices such as herbal medicines, acupuncture, massage and dietary therapy, independent from western medicine.

For some time, it was pushed to the side as many of its theories could not be explained by modern medicine, but it has recently become popular among Chinese as an alternative way to keep fit.

“Traditional medicine performs well in treating chronic diseases and its theories help people develop healthy life styles,” Ha said.

(NaturalNews) If you read the stories on H1N1 influenza written by the mainstream media, you might incorrectly think there’s only one anti-viral drug in the world. It’s name is Tamiflu and it’s in short supply.

That’s astonishing to hear because the world is full of anti-viral medicine found in tens of thousands of different plants. Culinary herbs like thyme, sage and rosemary are anti-viral. Berries and sprouts are anti-viral. Garlic, ginger and onions are anti-viral. You can’t walk through a grocery store without walking past a hundred or more anti-viral medicines made by Mother Nature.

And yet how many does the mainstream media mention? Zero.

The totality of influenza preparedness is defined by the mainstream media as the number of doses of Tamiflu a nation has stockpiled. You see it in stories like this one at the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124…

Tamiflu comes from an herb
To live in a world that’s saturated with natural anti-viral medicine and then not even acknowledge it in the media is beyond bizarre. It’s Twilight Zone-like. It’s like we’ve been teleported to an alternate universe where anti-viral plants have disappeared… or at least everyone is pretending they have.

Where do you think Tamiflu comes from, by the way?

It’s extracted from the Traditional Chinese Medicine herb called Star Anise. It’s one of hundreds of different anti-viral herbs found in Chinese Medicine, not to even mention anti-viral herbs from South America, North America, Australia, Africa and other regions.

I find it downright comedic that Big Pharma and the world’s health authorities extract their “champion” anti-viral drug Tamiflu from a Chinese Medicine herb, and then they go out of their way to announce to people that herbs and natural remedies are useless against influenza. If that’s the case then why are they using herbs to make their own medicine?

How many stories have you read that bother to tell you Tamiflu is made from the star anise herb that’s been used for over 5,000 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine? Virtually none. The powers that be don’t want anybody to know they could actually grow their own medicine in a garden or a windowsill. If you can grow cilantro, you can grow medicine. If everybody figured that out, Big Pharma wouldn’t be reaping the enormous profits it’s making right now from Tamiflu sales, and the governments of the world wouldn’t be able to scare and control people by promising to distribute Tamiflu (but only if you behave).

The Tamiflu scam is global
H1N1 influenza is not a hoax. But the way it’s being reported by health authorities and the mainstream media certainly is. The scam in all this is what they leave out of the stories — the fact that human beings live among a huge natural medicine chest of anti-viral drugs found in every city park, every forest, every swamp and every open field.

You cannot walk across any patch of natural land in America and NOT find anti-viral medicine. It’s everywhere! It’s in the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalks; it’s in weeds on the side of the stream; and it’s growing in the small patch of dirt left remaining in the median between highway lanes.

In the deserts of the American Southwest, you can’t even drive to work without passing mile after mile of abundant anti-viral medicine grown by Mother Nature and just waiting for humans to wake up and be smart enough to recognize it.

I have a sobering prediction about H1N1 influenza (formerly “swine flu”): If it does become a global pandemic, many of those people who refuse to recognize the anti-viral medicine provided by Mother Nature will die. Their misplaced faith in Big Pharma will literally cost them their lives. In contrast, those who have the wisdom to get their medicine from Mother Nature will not only survive the pandemic, they’ll thrive even as others around them are dying. It is those who embrace Mother Nature’s powerful, synergistic and living medicines who will weather any pandemic storm, and they will emerge as the DNA holders of the future of human civilization.
source: http://www.naturalnews.com/026185.html

Dr. Mehmet Oz on Oprah called qigong “the secret to anti-aging.” It’s the “miracle exercise” for people seeking to avoid drugs, surgery, and expensive doctor bills. Medical Tai Chi, known in China as Qigong, may eventually replace health insurance for many Americans. Qigong (‘chee gong’, or chi kung) retreats are growing in popularity in the USA as a low-cost, self-care health system.

Medical Qigong looks similar to martial Tai Chi, but its slow movements are medically designed to boost the immune system and open acupuncture “chi” channels — without using needles. Qigong is self-applied Chinese medicine, used to heal chronic illness for over 2500 years.

“Medical Qigong is the mother of Tai Chi, but simpler to learn,” says Michael Winn, National Qigong Association ex-president. “It’s the intelligent man’s way to exercise. Qigong is relaxing. Paradoxically, the less effort you make, the more powerful the healing energy it generates. You feel peaceful afterwards. For most, sweaty exercise at the gym is a job. But people love their qigong. Yoga and martial tai chi styles are also healthy alternatives, but qigong is medically far more effective. Qigong can be targeted to heal specific mental or physical illnesses. I’ve witnessed countless healings in people abandoned by the medical system.”

Winn, a 30-year Qigong practitioner, dropped his own health insurance decades ago, and claims to rarely get sick. Attendance at his low-cost non-profit summer retreats at Heavenly Mountain (www.HealingTaoRetreats.com) near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, is growing as the economy gets worse. “Rising health insurance is forcing many people to shift to low-cost prevention vs. expensive ‘cure-it-later’ hospital solutions. Even swine flu is waking people up. They realize a strong immune system is your only true insurance. That is who survived earlier pandemics.”

Dr. Brian Lewis, an integrative medicine expert, notes: “Studies in the United States and in other countries have shown numerous benefits from Qi Gong. It is an effective, accessible, and empowering form of self care that I have found to be deeply healing for myself and my patients. Through the simple practices of Qi Gong patients of many religious and cultural backgrounds have discovered the innate healing capacities and spiritual depths within themselves. I believe that preventive and self-care methods such as Qi Gong will be an essential part of a sustainable health care system.”

Dr. Bryan Lewis, integrative healthcare expert MD, notes a similar trend. “I’m seeing more aging baby-boomers choosing to invest $1,000 on a week-long ‘health vacation-training’ instead of $25,000. in yearly insurance premiums. Others are turning to cheap alternatives like qigong because they simply cannot afford insurance. The NIH knows that greater reliance on prevention and self-care is the only long term solution our national health system can afford. If 200 million Chinese rely upon medical qigong for good health — why can’t Americans?”

The hard science behind qigong is impressive. (http://www.healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode2&articleid=40) There are over 3500 studies proving regular Qigong practice is highly effective in preventing and healing chronic illness. A 20 year qigong study showed a 50% reduction in mortality from stroke.

Tina Zhang was once a travel agent in New York City. “I felt so stressed working two jobs to pay health premiums — it was making me sick!” She began exploring Chinese healing arts. “I realized Qi Gong and Tai Chi are much better medical investments than pouring money down a bottomless insurance hole. I don’t trust Medicare to take care of me — it may go broke when 75 million baby boomers start to age. I prefer to take care of my own health”.

Tina now teaches women how to regulate hormones and ease menstrual cycles with Women’s Qigong. She’s become one of the 20 Qigong masters teaching Healing Tao summer retreats at Heavenly Mountain, the largest program of its kind in America. Other types of medical qigong retreats include natural weight loss Qigong Breathing, deep organ massage, Qi energy healing, Taoist medical sexology, and Tao-Yin (Chinese yoga).(www.HealingTaoRetreats.com).

(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.