The Balance Point Blog » Oriental Medicine

Effective Healing

drbruce — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:25:16 +0000

When I was growing up during the 1950s & 1960s, I learned that whatever the doctor said must be correct.

I no longer think that’s true.

It probably sounds funny for a doctor to be saying that. Even so, I stand by it.

The reason is that the human body is extremely complex and each individual uniquely different. This fact means that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to health is destined to fail. At the very least such a standardized approach will miss things and won’t be effective for a significant portion of the population.

That’s not to say that there aren’t procedures and techniques that apply to pretty much everyone. For example, if someone gets a broken arm, the process of setting and casting the arm is consistently effective for everyone. It stabilizes the break and prevents further injury.

Of course how well someone heals from that treatment is another story.

A case in point is a woman I treated who had a broken arm. She came in with a cast on her lower right arm and asked me to help it heal faster.

I asked, “How long has that arm been in a cast?”

She replied, “Two years.”

Then she continued by saying, “About every six months I go back to the doctor. He x-rays the arm, and when he finds it hasn’t healed, he cuts the old cast off and puts a new one on. Then he sends me home for another six weeks.”

I was surprised by that and asked, “That’s been happening for two years?”

“Yes,” she replied.

If you know anything about the typical healing process for a broken bone, it usually takes between 6 and 8 weeks for a well-set bone to heal enough that a cast is no longer necessary. For the process to take 2 years is very unusual.

In this case, the doctor was doing what he knew how to do to fix the problem – putting on a cast. However what he didn’t know how to do was to support her body’s ability to heal the break.

He had recommended she take calcium, and she had done so faithfully. But the bone hadn’t healed. It was obvious to me that something else was the cause of the slow healing.

We took a two-step approach to solving the problem. The first step was getting the bone to heal. We accomplished that with acupuncture. Six weeks after starting acupuncture she had her next visit to the doctor. The x-ray showed the bone had healed. This time he removed the cast for good.

Although we were both very happy with this result, I was still concerned about the underlying imbalances that prevented the bone healing in the first place.

To uncover these factors, we started with a Metabolic Typing® assessment. It turned out that she was eating many foods that were wrong for her body. These wrong foods placed a long-term, low-grade stress on her system and set up a state of sub-clinical malnutrition. No wonder her arm didn’t heal!

By changing to eating the ideal foods for her body, she started seeing improvement in many areas of health. She lost weight, her energy level increased and she even mentioned that she was thinking more clearly.

She was so encouraged by this that she also wanted to correct some of the damage that eating the wrong foods had caused her over the years. One of the things we discovered was that her adrenals were in an advanced stage of fatigue.

Through testing and treatment, we were able to turn that around as well.

I mention this case to reinforce the idea that if we simply assume that our doctor knows everything there is to know, we could be missing out on other effective approaches to healing, especially if our body is giving us other signals.

And, if we don’t listen to what our body is telling us, we will be left with only the information our doctor or someone else gives us. Effective healing always means paying attention to the signals our body gives us.

Dr. Bruce

P.S. – The absolute best way to figure out the right foods for your unique requirements is with Metabolic Typing®. Learn the best ‘fuel’ for your body by contacting me to get started today.

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Cordyceps Sinensis: Miracle Mushroom from the Orient

drbruce — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:46:54 +0000

One of the most unusual of the Chinese traditional herbal medicines is a fungus called Cordyceps sinensis.

What’s so unusual about it?

Aside from it’s potent healing properties, which we’ll get to in a moment, it is also one of the most curious natural substances used in healing. It’s found in nature as a parasitic fungus growing on the bodies of caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet above 14,000 feet. That’s pretty unusual.

It’s such a powerful substance, and so rare, that Tibetan mushroom hunters can earn up to $900 an ounce for gathering it. Again, not something you can say about any other medicinal mushroom.

In fact, in 1993, three Chinese runners were tested for anabolic steroids after breaking five world records. No steroid use was discovered, but all three had been training using Cordyceps.

As interesting as these facts are, the most amazing properties of this mushroom come from its use in traditional herbal medicine. Here is a short list of the known research findings on Cordyceps:

Supports Cardiovascular Health – used to combat hypertension, abnormal blood clotting & hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
Supports Kidney Function and Detoxification – chronic kidney disease
Powerfully Strengthens the Immune System – inhibits several types of cancer, enhances NK lymphocytes (natural killer cells), useful for treating the autoimmune disease Lupus
Strengthens the Body in Numerous Ways – antioxidant, improves athletic performance, lowers high blood sugar, reduces cholesterol, protects the liver, increases energy production, alleviates fatigue, increases stamina
Regulates the Nervous System – alleviates depression & stress
Helps Lung Function – reduces asthma symptoms, bronchitis & tuberculosis
Helps Correct Infertility & Impotence – improves testosterone levels & sperm count, alleviates female menopause symptoms, improves performance

Impressed? I know I am.

Modern herbalists have developed a cultivated form of Cordyceps that can be grown on a culture of rice. It’s not nearly as expensive as the naturally found form, but works just as well.

The only caution for the use of Cordyceps is for those already on prescription anticoagulants. Because it decreases blood clotting time, it can increase the effectiveness of these drugs to dangerous levels.

When taken by itself, the most common dosage ranges from 750 mg to 3,000 mg. Because it can have a stimulating effect, most people take it in the morning and noon rather than later in the day. It can take a month or more to see results, although some people notice changes sooner.

References:

Hyperhealth Pro Database, In-Tele-Health, Hansville, WA, 2008.

Yamaguchi, Y., et al. Inhibitory effects of water extracts from fruiting bodies of cultured Cordyceps sinensis on raised serum lipid peroxide levels and aortic cholesterol deposition in atherosclerotic mice. Phytotherapy Research. 14(8):650-652, 2000.

English, J., et al. Treatment of mild to moderate hypertension with shark cartilage and Cordyceps sinensis. Vitamin Research News. 15(11), 2001.

Cordyceps Monograph. Institute for Natural Products Research.

Jones, K. Mushrooms: Sports supplements of tomorrow. Healthy & Natural Journal. February/March 1996:50-52.

Reversing Memory Loss

drbruce — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:41:55 +0000

You may never have heard of the herb, Acori graminei, but it’s definitely worth noticing.

In Chinese herbal medicine, Acori is called shi chang pu and is in the category “Open Orifices.” This is a category of herbs that help clear the mind and open the senses. It’s one of my favorite herbs for this.

Now, the ancient uses for this herb have been confirmed and expanded upon by modern researchers.

This research was reported in the Oxford Journals Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal (eCAM). It explored Acori’s effect on learning and memory in rats.

In the process they discovered that even when there is damage to parts of the brain associated with memory and learning, Acori was able to reverse this. The result was a return of the ability to recall past learning and an improved ability to learn new things.

This has amazing implications for brain health in human beings. The brain chemicals closely associated with learning and memory (acetyltransferase and acetylcholine esterase) were restored by administering this herb. In addition, the brain was protected from further damage.

And, because this herb has been used for treating humans for thousands of years, we know a lot about its safe usage. However, as with most supplements, there are cautions about who should take it.

For example, women experiencing hot flashes from menopause should avoid taking Acori without taking other herbs to counteract it’s warm qualities.

Also, there is the possibility that someone might not need the additional neurotransmitter support Acori provides. If this is the case, when they take it, they might experience irritability.

Obviously, if a person takes Acori (or any herb, drug or supplement) and they experience unwanted side effects, it’s best to stop taking the supplement immediately. To minimize this I recommend consulting with a practitioner knowledgeable about Chinese herbs before starting to take Acori.

That being said, the potential benefits from taking Acori to reverse memory loss are profound. For use as a single herb, the typical dosage is 2 to 6 grams twice daily. It is available in granular form as well as in raw herbal form. You may also find it in Chinese herbal formulas designed to support brain health.

References:

Hyperhealth Pro Database, In-Tele-Health, Hansville, WA, 2008.

Acori graminei rhizoma Ameliorated Ibotenic Acid-Induced Amnesia in Rats, Ji Hyun Kim, et al, eCAM 2009;6(4)457–464

The Reno Alternative Medicine Online Herbal Database

Multiple Benefits From Green Tea

drbruce — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:31:32 +0000

It turns out that green tea, enjoyed by millions worldwide every day, is more than just a pleasant warm drink. Researchers uncover new benefits practically every week.

And they’re finding that it isn’t even necessary to drink the tea to gain these advantages. Taking green tea extract can be just as effective.

A quick review of research illustrates the numerous health-giving properties of green tea. These include:

Slowing the aging process
Improving memory & learning
Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease
Reducing anxiety
Supporting heart health
Preventing oxidative damage to cells
Reducing inflammation
Preventing kidney stones & gall stones
Stopping the formation of cataracts
Treating or even preventing some forms of cancer
Killing bacteria
Treating chronic fatigue
Protecting the liver from cirrhosis & fatty liver congestion
Preventing insulin resistance (Syndrome X)
Helping weight loss
Lowering elevated cholesterol
Increasing the health of gums and teeth

And those are just the highlights.

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More Details
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The components of green tea that contribute to this amazing list of advantages (and more) include 18 different polyphenols, including the well-studied ECGC (Epigallocatechin-3-gallate).

It also contains a relatively uncommon amino acid, L-Theanine. This unusual substance has the quality of both increasing alertness and calming the mind. It is so effective at balancing the mind this way that one company, Pure Encapsulations, sells this single amino acid as a supplement under the name, “Zen in a Bottle.”

Like black tea and oolong tea, green tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, unlike these other forms, green tea is not oxidized while being processed. This may explain why it has six times more therapeutic activity than the more highly processed black tea.

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The Most Recent Research
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Just this month two new studies have been released on green tea.

In one, researchers at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China published their results showing that green tea extract caused a dramatic transformation in the shape of calcium oxalate kidney stones. These stones are usually sharp, razor-like masses that rip through the urinary tract causing intense, stabbing pain.

However, when exposed to green tea extract, they never took on the razor-edged crystalline structure and never grew to a large size. They also became much less stable, meaning they broke apart more easily.

In another study, published in the print edition of the journal, Cancer Prevention Research, green tea slowed the growth of oral cancer in human subjects.

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How To Take It
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Obviously, the most common way people get the green tea advantage is by enjoying a few cups during the day. But this isn’t always convenient if you have a busy life.

If that’s the case for you, then you’ll be happy to know that extracts of green tea are available in pill or capsule form.

These extracts have several advantages. In addition to being as convenient as taking any vitamin or supplement, they usually have a standardized amount of EGCG, L-Theanine and other active components. That means you don’t have to wonder if the tea you’re brewing is potent enough to give you maximum benefit.

The most common dosage of extract is 500 mg, taken once a day, usually in the morning. This will provide enough of the useful properties for normal use. For more specific uses, such as when addressing cancer, etc., larger doses are used. If you’re using it this way please consult with a knowledgeable herbalist or alternative medicine practitioner for guidance.

The main caution about drinking green tea or taking the extract is that it contains small amounts of caffeine. So if you are sensitive to caffeine, you should avoid it or at least monitor how it affects you to be sure your experience is a good one. Fortunately, most people don’t seem to have this issue.

References:

Hyperhealth Pro Database, In-Tele-Health, Hansville, WA, 2008.

The National Institutes of Health PubMed Website.

Green Tea Prevents Kidney Stones, published November 13, 2009 in Highlights in Chemical Science .