TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

[Sunday]

I agree with you on that - and I actually liked the first paragraph, it's a very interesting way of looking at the art and science of medicine. Western culture does seem to have fads or phases; the idea of moving from physiological to psychological to immunological concepts of ourselves is very thought-provoking. Maybe I like it because I think in some ways people like us are forerunners - not of disease, but of a new way of looking at the world and how we relate to the humans in it. I've certainly changed a lot of what were once my basic values; that one about self-reliance, particularly, is going through a major overhaul.

 

[zoe.a.m.]

I agree with you on that - and I actually liked the first paragraph, it's a very interesting way of looking at the art and science of medicine. Western culture does seem to have fads or phases; the idea of moving from physiological to psychological to immunological concepts of ourselves is very thought-provoking. Maybe I like it because I think in some ways people like us are forerunners - not of disease, but of a new way of looking at the world and how we relate to the humans in it. I've certainly changed a lot of what were once my basic values; that one about self-reliance, particularly, is going through a major overhaul.

Great to get some feedback on this since it's only been myself and my practitioner and the book! The author really manages to say a lot without writing a true text. It was like he knew exactly what he wanted to say; I admire that quality in authors. ITA that we are the forerunners--sometimes called the canary in the mine--but that's a slightly different metaphor. We, and many others with immune dysfunction and deficiencies (and just think about how that number rises each year...!) are becoming a larger and larger part of the population, and could, conceivably, become the majority.

In other TCM news, just found an excellent explanation of the insomnia/sleep/fatigue issue (if only a Western doc had a framework like this so they could actually see what's right in front of them):

"TRADITIONAL THEORY OF INSOMNIA DUE TO FATIGUE
While there are many causes of insomnia, serious fatigue is seen as both a cause and result of insomnia. As relayed by the modern physician Jiao Shu De (10):

According to ancient teaching, the liver is the root of extreme fatigue. A high degree of exhaustion causes serious overnight insomnia, irascibility, dizziness of head and eyes: all indicating the extreme glowing of liver yang, imbalance of yin and yang, and an inability of yang to return to yin....Also, inability of blood to nourish the heart with exhaustion of the heart (mental fatigue) leads to wandering of the heart spirit from its shelter, causing insomnia with heart palpitations." [excerpted from the Seven Forests site] (bold: mine).

 

[Sunday]

That sounds a lot more like what I've got than any Western version of insomnia I've heard! Although, thankfully, less of that these days.

My acupuncturist MD gave me a "prescription"; I'm eating sprouted barley and goji berries as my staple grain. (You only have to soak the barley in water for a day, not actually sprout it with screens and everything, so it's doable.) Cinnamon and milk in the morning, veg and meat at night. She says it's known as a medicinal food in China. I know that goji berries are good for kidneys (among many other things) and barley used to be used in European medicine for strengthening ill people. And I suppose the enzymes from the sprouting help, too. I'm curious to see if I notice a difference; it's supposed to break through that stubborn block in my stomach meridian!

 

[slayadragon]

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008 Feb 27. [Epub ahead of print]
Traditional Chinese Medicine for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Chen R, Moriya J, Yamakawa JI, Takahashi T, Kanda T.

Department of General Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, 1-1 Daigaku, Uchinada-machi, Kahoku-gun, Ishikawa 920-0293, Japan. kandat@kanazawa-med.ac.jp.
Abstract

More and more patients have been diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in recent years. Western drug use for this syndrome is often associated with many side-effects and little clinical benefit. As an alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has provided some evidences based upon ancient texts and recent studies, not only to offer clinical benefit but also offer insights into their mechanisms of action. It has perceived advantages such as being natural, effective and safe to ameliorate symptoms of CFS such as fatigue, disordered sleep, cognitive handicaps and other complex complaints, although there are some limitations regarding the diagnostic standards and methodology in related clinical or experimental studies. Modern mechanisms of TCM on CFS mainly focus on adjusting immune dysfunction, regulating abnormal activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and serving as an antioxidant. It is vitally important for the further development to establish standards for 'zheng' of CFS, i.e. the different types of CFS pathogenesis in TCM, to perform randomized and controlled trials of TCM on CFS and to make full use of the latest biological, biochemical, molecular and immunological approaches in the experimental design.

PMID: 18955323 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]PMCID: PMC2816380Free PMC Article

 

[Jody]

I'm finding this a really interesting thread.

My naturopath uses acupuncture on me and her treatments are a mixture of naturopathic, homeopathic and TCM I would say. Maybe others that I don't know about as well. No help ever came from a western doctor. Everything that has helped me has been from alternative medicine of one type or another.

I have been writing some articles on Kidney and Traditional Chinese Medicine for empowher lately and am really such a novice at this, it is hard to even know what to research, or to be sure that what I am connecting in an article is actually connected.

Love this thread.

 

[Jody]

Can anyone tell me what are treatments for kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, in a way that I can understand?

 

[Dreambirdie]

Can anyone tell me what are treatments for kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, in a way that I can understand?

According to my acupuncturist, I have had at different times (and still have) both kidney yang and kidney yin deficiency. These concepts are really hard to grasp in western terms. TCM is so holistic, and incredibly poetic in its descriptions of bodily functions, compared to western allopathic medicine. From my understanding, and 30 years of experience with TCM, I think it's fair to say they both describe imbalances and deficiencies in the endocrine system, both due to and caused by imbalances in the functioning btwn the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system... In the case of the kidney yang, in my personal experience, this has a lot to do with adrenal exhaustion, what they call kidney FIRE. In the case of the kidney yin, it is much more complicated, and is associated with body fluids in general.

Here's a couple good articles, which I hope will be helpful for you. The first one especially is well written.

http://www.mybodywisdom.net/pdf/Nutrition_for_Kidney_Yin.pdf
http://www.eastmountain.ca/4kidneyyang.pdf

 

[Dreambirdie]

Hey Jody, here's what has helped me over the years with building both kidney YANG (adrenal energy) and subsequently kidney YIN.

1) Get to bed BEFORE 10 PM, and sleep as much as possible
2) ALWAYS start your daily activity AFTER eating a hardy breakfast that includes PROTEIN
3) ALWAYS eat PROTEIN at EACH MEAL and have PROTEIN SNACKS 2X/day
4) NEVER let yourself run on empty, regarding both food and energy--take time to EAT and RECHARGE
5) AVOID toxic pollutants in your environment and diet
6) AVOID toxic people, who eat your energy
7) AVOID emotionally stressful draining threads on this forum
8) AVOID sexual exhaustion
9) include some these adaptogens and supplements for adrenals in your routine:
siberian ginseng, ashwaghanda, schizandra (try one at a time and see which you like)
B 50 complex, with an extra 3-5 grams of B5 (pantothenic acid) each day and 50 mg P5P (B6),
3-5 grams Vitamin C, about 400 mg of magnesium

10) USE MOXA on Kidney 1, Stomach 36, and Spleen 6--for a few minutes on each point.
I have used these during exhaustion crises, like after being struck by lightning. Very effective on me.

KIDNEY 1--actually on the BOTTOM OF THE FOOT (this drawing doesn't make that clear)
http://www.acuxo.com/meridianPictures.asp?point=KI1

STOMACH 36
http://www.acuxo.com/meridianPicture...ridian=Stomach

SPLEEN 6
http://www.acuxo.com/meridianPicture...eridian=Spleen

 

[glenp]

Congee- white rice, lots of water, and salt - the asians make it for those that are ill. I find it really helps me. When i am really ill thats all I consume for a few days

Vials of ginseng and royal jelly. I find it takes about 3 weeks of taking it daily to start to notice an effect

glen

 

[Jody]

Thanks dreambirdie and glen,

Your posts helped me write my article the other day.:Retro smile: And dreambirdie, I used a link for one of your articles as one of my handful of references at the bottom of my article.

Thanks you guys. I had had company earlier that day and just couldn't get on top of the brain fog that followed. You got me over the hump.:Retro smile:

I'll start a thread with a link to my article here in Alternative therapies, since you were my collaboraters.

 

[Jody]

Today I have to write 400 words on Kidney Yang Deficiency.

Wish me luck.:Retro tongue:

 

[Sunday]

DB, thanks for the tips. I will say for myself that moxa is too strong for me, at least at this point, but there are other ways to stimulate the points you mentioned, and the other tips sound good too.

Glenp, I've read about congee in books but never knew what it was. Useful recipe for those down times! I imagine the salt is part of what helps.

About taking ginseng and royal jelly: I'd be a little cautious about that. They are powerful stimulants, especially the ginseng; royal jelly is more yin and might be the better bet if you can find it by itself. In TCM, herbs are always in a formula. Taking a lot of ginseng without balancing herbs isn't a great idea for most people with depletion, as it is very yang and can burn you out. (My acupuncturist and I were discussing this in our last session, so it isn't just my mostly-uneducated opinion here.) Dr. Chang has a formula called "Body Buiding" which works on all the meridians equally, strengthening them. It's recommended for, among other things, athletic exhaustion and cancer.

You know your own body best, and this is a screwy disease so people's reactions really vary. But taking stimulants to get over depletion is a very western notion. My understanding is that TCM would first build up the yin, which is much more fragile, before doing too much about stimulating the yang. My acupuncturist says that if we have no yin energy, the yang has nothing to draw on, so it dies out like a fire without fuel.

 

[Sunday]

Good luck, Jody!:tear::sofa::victory:

(this is an emoticon depiction of your writing process)

 

[Jody]

Good luck, Jody!:tear::sofa::victory:

(this is an emoticon depiction of your writing process)

LOL

Maybe a couch on the very end too ...
:sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa:

 

[glenp]

Geinseng

Congee- white rice, lots of water, and salt - the asians make it for those that are ill. I find it really helps me. When i am really ill thats all I consume for a few days

Vials of ginseng and royal jelly. I find it takes about 3 weeks of taking it daily to start to notice an effect

glen

Here is more information on Ginseng

http://www.jact-fff.or.jp/product/theories/pdf/jinsang/d-04IMMUNOSTIMULATING.pdf

http://www.tamingthemonkeymind.com/...Stuff/Herbs/Pharmacology of Panax Ginseng.pdf