Chinese Medicine

Latchy

Hi ,just wish to know about anybodys expierence with using chinese medicine for various ailments .They seem to have a prescription for every type of complaint in the clinics they run .Any thoughts and opinions ?

Lil' Smiler

Hi,

I began to study Tuina, a form of Chinese Acupressure, think acupuncture without the needles. I did a few months of it but found it a bit difficult to grip and was studying 6 other therapies at the time so was rather difficult.

Is it something in particular you're looking to treat or something? I dont know anything about the clinics run where they prescribe herbs for healing but I have hard that they do work.

I like the principles of chinese medicine whereby they look at the person with an holistic approach, whereby they look at the person in relation to mind, body & soul. You know for something such as acne, they don't just decide, ok you've got too many hormones going on etc, they think what is going on in your life, look at your diet, your lifestyle, previous medical problems & how they were treated. I'm presuming you know about their theory of Yin & Yang & energy channels?

I am fascinated by it and from stories i've heard, i do believe it's true that it does work. I did hear a story from my tutor about a woman cured of cancer by chinese medicine.. but that is just something i'm fairly dodgy about! 2 of the girls i did the course with went over to China for the summer to work in th e hospitals and said it was amazing what can be done without the use of drugs & surgery etc.

beeno67

I was talking to a biochemist once who tested some "Chineese Medicines" especially the painkillers. He said that most of the remedies for pain that he tested contained paracetamol. Always beware of the advice someone is giving you if they expect you to pay for a product.

Chunky Monkey

I bought some tablets that would supposedly help me with concentration from a Chinese medicine shop in St Stephen's Green shopping centre last year. I wound up crying a lot which is kind of counter productive.

Funnily enough same thing happened with the Eye Q omega three and six tablets which I also got to help me with concentration some months before that. I wonder is there some connection in the brain between concentration and being overly emotional for no reason. Or maybe it's just my brain with faulty wiring.

Lil' Smiler

Chunky Monkey wrote: »

I bought some tablets that would supposedly help me with concentration from a Chinese medicine shop in St Stephen's Green shopping centre last year. I wound up crying a lot which is kind of counter productive.

Funnily enough same thing happened with the Eye Q omega three and six tablets which I also got to help me with concentration some months before that. I wonder is there some connection in the brain between concentration and being overly emotional for no reason. Or maybe it's just my brain with faulty wiring.

it seems to be that any therapy done with a holistic approach can leave you being quite emotional.

I began doing a reiki course and it sent me insane, i cried all the time, and i'm not just talking sobbing, i mean bawled my eyes out because you know the dog dug up a bit of the garden or i forgot to do something simple. Again it's all to do with the channeling of energy and the chinese medicine approach is to restore balances of energy in the body which have been disturbed and are manifesting in the form of something like acne or heartburn. I think it's just how the body deals with it and lets it out in emotion.

Latchy

Intresting opinions ,yeah lil' smiler i do know about the ying -yang affect like positive and negative I was asking for advice on a lil excema complaint of mine .I had tried all the usual treatments such as creams lotions etc with minimal effect so asked in the chinese herbal shop nearby and after looking at my back he gave me the once over and suggested that it was caused by dampness in my system (as opposed to living in dampness ) which i thought strange. He recommended some root type tincture which i had to boil and drink several times a day .I havent bought the stuff as i am a bit wary tbh .

Traumadoc

Had a patient with acute psychosis following taking chinese medication, (they were violently psycotic) but it can happen with western mediction also.

microgirl

latchyco wrote: »

Intresting opinions ,yeah lil' smiler i do know about the ying -yang affect like positive and negative I was asking for advice on a lil excema complaint of mine .I had tried all the usual treatments such as creams lotions etc with minimal effect so asked in the chinese herbal shop nearby and after looking at my back he gave me the once over and suggested that it was caused by dampness in my system (as opposed to living in dampness ) which i thought strange. He recommended some root type tincture which i had to boil and drink several times a day .I havent bought the stuff as i am a bit wary tbh .

I found the herbal concontion absolutely incredible for my depression. Well, it was either that or the acupuncture I was getting at the same time. Or maybe both

But I honest-to-God felt like a different person while I was undergoing that treatment. It didn't cure me completely, as when I stopped taking it I gradually reverted to "normal" over the course of 3-4 months (and am now on Western anti-depressants, as it's cheaper ) but my God, my positivity and ability to deal with minor, trivial problems without wanting to remove myself from the world - it was incredible.

I'd honestly say give it a go. I really don't believe it can do you any damage, and the worst that'll happen is you'll be down a couple of hundred quid for a month or so of herbs (you might not even need to take them that long). Might seem like a lot if it doesn't work, but if it does isn't it worth it?

Chunky Monkey

My dad took chromium tablets for a while to help with his depression (due to his understandable lack of faith in the mental health care system here, he refuses to see anyone about it). They really seemed to work. Then he heard that they can damage your DNA (not sure how that works) and he stopped. The change was significant.

Lil' Smiler

latchyco wrote: »

Intresting opinions ,yeah lil' smiler i do know about the ying -yang affect like positive and negative I was asking for advice on a lil excema complaint of mine .I had tried all the usual treatments such as creams lotions etc with minimal effect so asked in the chinese herbal shop nearby and after looking at my back he gave me the once over and suggested that it was caused by dampness in my system (as opposed to living in dampness ) which i thought strange. He recommended some root type tincture which i had to boil and drink several times a day .I havent bought the stuff as i am a bit wary tbh .

I've heard it works well for skin conditions. I didn't try it myself for my acne but did go into one of the clinics before but was waiting for too long & was pushed for time. If they are prescribing something for you, they must give you a list of side effects for the herbs anyway.

I find all of their theories really interesting and I do wish I'd had the time ad patience to keep the Tuina course up, it was very intense and would have loved to go to China @ the end of it to see everything being done and how it works!! Like even something as simple as the area between your thumb & first finger (the thenar eminence) can tell if you are feeling run down or have been fighting a cold & such. I was in college one day & my tutor felt it and said "yeah you're a bit puffy there, maybe take a bit if vitamin c" coz he felt my immune system was low. I kinda just ignored it but within 3 days i developed a bad cold.

At the same time, i think that for the stuff to work, you have to believe in it and give it a chance! And when they prescribe you stuff, you can always look it up and see what's in it!

DrIndy

Traumadoc wrote: »

Had a patient with acute psychosis following taking chinese medication, (they were violently psycotic) but it can happen with western mediction also.

did you do a stint in psychiatry before finally ending up in orthopaedics?

UrbanFox

Not a medic.

I reckon that the old rule applies here - if it does you no harm and you get something out of it that is fine.

I suspect that Chinese and other "alternatives" may clash with conventional Western medicine in a number of ways not least of all drug interactions or potentiations and/or aggravation of existing or underlying medical conditions e.g a person with hypertension taking ginseng which can raise it further.

If you are going to look at alternative medicine regimes be sure that you have a very accurate picture of your own medical history first....

Traumadoc

DrIndy wrote: »

did you do a stint in psychiatry before finally ending up in orthopaedics?

LOL, it would be an interesting career pathway! Was working in a casulty department as part of my BST.

tofueater

Hi Latchyco,

Chinese medicine can be helpful for a wide range of conditions.

Some disharmonies are treated with acupuncture alone and some require herbs. Skin conditions for example will usually treated using herbal medicine as "internal dampness" (a specific term used to describe a a disharmony which can include the stomach and spleen) tends to be difficult to resolve otherwise. Each person is treated differently as no two people will present with excatly the same set of symptoms.

A good practitioner will take note of any other medication that you're currently taking and factor this into your prescription. If you do experiance side effects and they seem to be persistant i.e. uncontrollable weeping as someone here experianced, it's important to bring this to the attention of your practitioner so they can alter the formula.

All the best!

goldenmaverick

Please stay well clear of Chinese Medicine products, In the UK several deaths have occured because patients took Chinese medicine products which were found to contain toxic substances.
There is a complete lack of proper regulation in this area, don't put yourself at risk, products have been found to contain Mercury and Human Placenta among other things. I am not scaremongering here but you have to ask yourself the Question,
What comback do I have if something goes wrong?

A particular hobby horse of mine is to question those shops who Proclaim "Cure for Psoriasis" - there is no cure for Psoriasis!

http://www.pjonline.com/editorial/20040911/news/news_tcm.html

tallaght01

Chunky Monkey wrote: »

I bought some tablets that would supposedly help me with concentration from a Chinese medicine shop in St Stephen's Green shopping centre last year. I wound up crying a lot which is kind of counter productive.
.

Bear in mind that some alternative medicines have hormonal components in them, so there could be a link.

If I recall, mexican yams were linked to breast cancer, and they were found to contain some kind of oestrogen. When my aunt had breast cancer, she told her oncologist she'd been taking them for years, and he had a "quick, stop taking them right now and don't ever take them again" moment. I think they're still on sale!

Or alternatively, chunkymonkey could just be a nutcase

I don't really buy into "alternative" and "natural" medicines. They're mostly made in factories by companies out to make a buck. Stuff works in your body because it has a pharmacological effect. Just because it come from a plant, doesn't make it safe. Digitalis comes from the foxglove plant, and that can be a highly toxic drug. There are many more examples.

The difference is that, when you take a "drug", you can find out what's in it, and usually how it works. And they're tested for safety.

I'm not anti- anything that works. I just regard taking alternative medicines as more pot luck than taking the evil poisonous toxic drugs than the fat cat in-the-pocket-of-big-pharma doctor prescribes me

Traumadoc

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/10/031020055155.htm

I also remember a case where natural medication , supposed to calm people afraid of flying, caused anxiety and agitation in the end 1500 remidies had to be recalled. (pan pharmacuticals, Australia2004?)

Latchy

Lil' Smiler wrote: »

I've heard it works well for skin conditions. I didn't try it myself for my acne but did go into one of the clinics before but was waiting for too long & was pushed for time. If they are prescribing something for you, they must give you a list of side effects for the herbs anyway.

I find all of their theories really interesting and I do wish I'd had the time ad patience to keep the Tuina course up, it was very intense and would have loved to go to China @ the end of it to see everything being done and how it works!! Like even something as simple as the area between your thumb & first finger (the thenar eminence) can tell if you are feeling run down or have been fighting a cold & such. I was in college one day & my tutor felt it and said "yeah you're a bit puffy there, maybe take a bit if vitamin c" coz he felt my immune system was low. I kinda just ignored it but within 3 days i developed a bad cold.

At the same time, i think that for the stuff to work, you have to believe in it and give it a chance! And when they prescribe you stuff, you can always look it up and see what's in it!

Yeah belief in the medicine is part of the healing process .A bit like homopathic medicine and the placebo effect.

tofueater wrote: »

Hi Latchyco,

Chinese medicine can be helpful for a wide range of conditions.

Some disharmonies are treated with acupuncture alone and some require herbs. Skin conditions for example will usually treated using herbal medicine as "internal dampness" (a specific term used to describe a a disharmony which can include the stomach and spleen) tends to be difficult to resolve otherwise. Each person is treated differently as no two people will present with excatly the same set of symptoms.

A good practitioner will take note of any other medication that you're currently taking and factor this into your prescription. If you do experiance side effects and they seem to be persistant i.e. uncontrollable weeping as someone here experianced, it's important to bring this to the attention of your practitioner so they can alter the formula.

All the best!

Cheers for that ..

Goldenmaverick Please stay well clear of Chinese Medicine products, In the UK several deaths have occured because patients took Chinese medicine products which were found to contain toxic substances.
There is a complete lack of proper regulation in this area, don't put yourself at risk, products have been found to contain Mercury and Human Placenta among other things. I am not scaremongering here but you have to ask yourself the Question,
What comback do I have if something goes wrong?

A particular hobby horse of mine is to question those shops who Proclaim "Cure for Psoriasis" - there is no cure for Psoriasis!

I have read in the press about a year ago were some people reported serious side affects and in some cases deaths were also reported after people took chinese medicine

Latchy

Update - from Daily mail 16/3/08


A cocktail of herbs used by the Chinese for thousands of years could combat the painful skin condition eczema, scientists claim.


They say a potion containing five raw herbs reduced sufferers' need for conventional medicines and improved the quality of life for those being treated for atopic eczema.


It is the most common form of the skin condition, affecting 10 per cent of children and around 3 per cent of adults.

Scroll down for more ...


Itchy skin? Chinese herbal cures could help


Dermatologists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong found the mixture - which contained Japanese honeysuckle, peppermint, root bark of tree peony, underground stem of the atractylodes herb and bark from an Amur cork tree - had a dramatic improvement on eczema sufferers aged five to 21.


During the study, 85 patients were given either a tablet containing the herbs or a placebo.


Those who took the traditional Chinese medicine said their quality of life improved by a third, while those taking the placebo reported no improvement, the British Journal of Dermatology reports.


Researchers also revealed the herbal remedy reduced patients' need of conventional treatments, such as steroids, by an average of four days a month.


It is thought the herbs reduced the effects of four proteins and cytokines believed to cause eczema, they added.


Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists, welcomed the findings but warned against using the herbs without first consulting a doctor.


"Some retailers may not be reputable and the product may be of a low standard," she added.

Chunky Monkey

Or alternatively, chunkymonkey could just be a nutcase

Not a chance, I'm boringly normal I blame the pills.

Just thought it was weird, the first lot I took weren't Chinese: http://www.netpharmacy.co.nz/eye-q.html but had the same effect. Does fish oil come under the alternative medicines heading?