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Internal Medicine

Checking for Possible Herb-Drug Interactions

By AOM Research, Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine

The issue of herb-drug interactions looms large over the practice of herbal medicine. Up to now there have been few incidents recorded of clinical herb-drug interactions. After the first such reports emerged in the 1990s, a concern has been raised: that we know so little about herbs and their potential for interaction with drugs that these incidents could be just the “tip of the iceberg.”. In actuality…

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Acupuncture in the Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome

By Acupuncture, Clinical Perspectives , Internal Medicine, Theory and Diagnosis, Women's Health

The intimate relationship between the Kidney and Liver in respect of gynaecology is reflected in the saying “The Kidney and Liver have the same source”, the statement by Ye Tian Shi “the Liver is the preheaven qi of woman” and the important concept that ministerial (i.e. mingmen) fire is entrusted by the Kidneys to the Liver…

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Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

By Acupuncture, Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine

The general treatment principle is “nourishing yin and extinguishing wind”.  Nourishing liver and kidney yin treats the root and extinguishing wind focuses on eliminating its manifestation…..the specific treatment plan will be different in different stages of the disease and with different patients.  Generally speaking, Parkinson’s…

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Jade Windscreen Powder

By Case Histories, Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine, Theory and Diagnosis

I’m one of those people. I had easily caught colds for most of my life. I wish it were not so. I remember reading about yù píng fëng sân (Jade Windscreen Powder) and thinking my troubles were over. But, after taking it for a week or so, I woke one winter night in a panic thinking the house was on fire. It was not, but I had this odd smell of burning paper in my nose. Which followed me around for a few days until I stopped…

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The Use of Acupuncture in the Management of Cancer

By Acupuncture, Clinical Perspectives , Internal Medicine, Theory and Diagnosis

I have heard it said by several people that cancer patients should not receive acupuncture, as it can “spread the cancer”. There is, as far as I can tell from a fairly extensive literature search, conversations with others, and many years of experience, absolutely no grounds for such an assertion. In my experience, cancer is far more likely to metastasise (spread) when the patient’s overall health deteriorates…

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The Prevention of Miscarriage using Chinese Herbal Medicine

By Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine, Women's Health

Female patients around 40 years old experience a miscarriage rate of nearly 50% with IVF. With the help of Chinese medicine, the rate of miscarriage can significantly be reduced and the pregnancy can be supported to reach full term. The most important rule to remember is not to move the qi too forcefully or quicken the blood…

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A Bitter Taste in the Mouth: A Case of Cholecystitis

By Case Histories, Classics, Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine

In the formulas used above, the essence of both Xiao Chai Hu Tang and its cousin Da Chai Hu Tang can be seen. Of these, Da Chai Hu Tang is more commonly indicated for the treatment of cholecystitis. In prescribing, however, I considered Xiao Chai Hu Tang as the core formula because the tongue coat was not yellow, the pulse wiry but not forceful, the stool was normal and there was no irritability. At the second visit, I added Bai Shao in order to soften the Liver and relax spasm, as well as to preserve the yin in the presence of so many draining herbs..

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Re-Establishing Optimal Health Postpartum

By Clinical Perspectives , Dietary Therapy, Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine, Women's Health

During pregnancy, a woman’s blood volume almost doubles in order to support the placenta and the developing fetus.  The “work” of labor and delivery and blood loss further depletes the mother’s qi and blood.  And because breast milk is formed from the same substrate as blood, breastfeeding is comparable to a constant loss of blood.  For all these reasons, women are often qi and blood deficient postpartum…

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All Disease Comes From the Heart: The Pivotal Role of the Emotions in Classical Chinese Medicine

By Classics, Clinical Perspectives , Emotion/Spirit, Internal Medicine, Theory and Diagnosis

While ancient Chinese philosophy considered emotional sensibility as our greatest assest in the process of fulfilling human destiny, it also regarded human temperaments as our greatest liability due to vast pathogenetic potential…It is no accident that the modern Chinese term for psychosomatic medicine is xingshen bingxue, literally the science of how (primary) physical form and (secondary) spirit relate in the disease forming process…

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Earth – Colorectal Disorders

By Clinical Perspectives , East/West Integration, Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine, Theory and Diagnosis

The colon and rectum constitute the distal end of the gastrointestinal tube. They are part of the fu aspect of the zang–fu. This hollow tube is within the body but its interior is actually outside of the body and acts as a conduit for the reception and extraction of nutrition from foods and water (outside). The lung and large intestine the only two organs in the body that have such an interaction between the outside and the inside…

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A Description of the Therapeutic Uses of Aconite by the Ming Dynasty Scholar-Physician Zhang Jingyue

By Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, History, Internal Medicine

Yu Bo once said: “Fuzi has the capacity to bestow a fundamental quality of invigorating vitality, and an effect that can break through all engrained blockages. It can draw all qi tonic herbs deep into the twelve channel networks, and thus restore severely dissipated original yang. It can draw blood tonic herbs deep into the blood layer….

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New Perspectives on the Treatment of Male Fertility

By AOM Research, Clinical Perspectives , Herbal Medicine, Internal Medicine

It is a common practitioner’s dilemma: many women show up in our clinics for fertility support, but getting male partners to come for treatment can be a challenge. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine reports that the male factor is responsible for one-third of fertility problems in this country, and male and female factors together are responsible for another third of fertility problems…

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