A certain air of mystery has accompanied the introduction of Chinese herbs into the West, and many people have assumed that there is something especially potent about Chinese herbs. Chinese herb shops have strengthened this mystique by significantly displaying dried sea horses, woody funguses, gingko, and other plant and animal products foreign to America and Europe. Nonetheless, plant products such as mint, dandelion, rhubarb root, cattail pollen, fennel, and licorice root are included in the Chinese pharmacopeia, and yet each one of these plants is also common to North America and Europe. Black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger are all common table spices in the West, yet these herbs originally were introduced from Asia as they too are included in the Chinese pharmacopeia (Wicke, 2006).
Helpful medicinal plant products can be found throughout the world, and the Chinese were probably the first to actively seek out plant products from other countries. At different phases in China's history, myrrh and frankincense were imported from the Middle East, cinchona bark was imported from South America, and, recently, American ginseng has been imported from Wisconsin (Wicke, 2006).
If one looks more closely at the routine of a skilled herbalist, they will see several curious techniques that are considered essential by all properly trained TCM herbalists. While taking a person's pulse the herbalist will take an excessive amount of time. Palpation of the radial pulse is completed not just at one position, but at several positions and depths at both wrists. In addition to a straightforward count of the pulse rate, other pulse qualities are of interest. The TCM herbalist also carefully examines the tongue, preferably using a bright, full-spectrum lamp, noting the color, thickness and distribution of tongue coating, and color and texture of tongue tissue. They will ask about the person's complaints and symptoms, especially those which reveal the individual's metabolic and neuroendocrine characteristics, such as thirst, appetite, perception of body heat or coolness, general energy level, urination and bowels, moods and mental states (Wicke, 2006).
After looking at and evaluating all of this information, TCM herbalists develop herbal formulas that are tailored to each individual's total body characteristics, as well as the chief complaint and primary symptoms. They do not select herbs or herbal formulas based solely upon the chief complaint, nor do they choose formulas based on the medical condition that a physician may have diagnosed. This is the vital philosophical and scientific differences between the Chinese herbal sciences and Western medicine (Wicke, 2006).
Natural and herbal remedies have achieved vast popularity over the last 30 years. Many cultures, including early American's have used the earth's natural resources to treat, cure and alleviate a variety of ailments for generations. Herbology consist of the study of plants and their healing properties. As with the common classification of herbs, there are common methods for preparing herbs, such as pastes, juices, powders, poultices, salves, teas, whole herbs, extracts, pills, infusions, syrups and ointments. The technique chosen for preparing herbs and herbal remedies is closely related to the symptoms of the specific ailment that is to be treated. Each way utilized for preparing herbs can provide different healing components. Consequently, one herb can be used to treat a variety of ailments (Principles of Herbology, 1998).
Plants have been used both internally and externally to prevent and rejuvenate the body's systems for centuries. The medicinal application of plants can be extracted from flowers, stems, seeds, leafs, roots and bark. The understanding of these plants and what effect they may have upon the body is the practice of Herbology (Principles of Herbology, 1998).
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has relied on empirical evidence and traditional healing manuscripts. Prior to the wider utilization of TCM theory and medicines in other medical systems, particularly western biomedical medicine, research is required to understand the biochemical basis for TCM classification systems for drugs and the mechanism of action of these drugs (Liao, Banbury and Leach, 2007).
In TCM's long course of growth, it has absorbed the quintessence of classical Chinese philosophy, culture and science and summarized the experience of the Chinese people in fighting diseases. This observed evidence as a basis of TCM has resulted in a totally different medical theory compared with western conventional medicine. TCM thinks that the different characters of herbs are employed to treat diseases, rectify the hyperactivity or hypoactivity of yin or yang and help the body restore its normal physiologic functions. All herbs have four...
Modality and Public Health Naturopathic medicine is a system for primary healthcare described as a science, an art, philosophy and the practice of diagnosing, treating and preventing illnesses. This is usually practiced by registered or licensed naturopathic physicians (Meadows, 2013). Naturopathic medicine is a tradition which is science-based which promotes the wellness of patients through the identification of unique aspects of every patient and then employs natural therapies that are non-toxic
Traditional Healing Often in the healing arts them most simple and obvious cures lie right in front of us, exposed and waiting to be utilized. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the specific ailment of anxiety and review the traditional sources of knowledge that can specifically apply to the treatment of this condition. The use of the individual's own psycho-spiritual faculties will be highlighted as the method in
In contrast to other work in this field, this book views alternative health as a social movement, and shows commonalities between the cultural left and the religious right that can help form a new healthcare paradigm. National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine 2000 Expanding Horizons of Healthcare: Five-year Strategic Plan, 2001-2005. National Institute of Health Publication No. 01-5001. Gaithersburg, Maryland: National Institutes of Health. In this report, the National Center for Complementary and
Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) Systems Complementary and alternative medicine systems are health care approaches that are characterized by a history of use or origins that are external to mainstream medicine or health care practices. These health care systems or approaches have lasted for centuries since different kinds of complementary and alternative medicines have been reported. According to the World Health Organization, different types of complementary and alternative medicines have acted
When processed by a transglutaminase enzyme, it can interact with immunological cells and produce cytotoxic inflammation. In autism, it is believed that peptides from gluten and casein cross the intestinal microvillus barrier and enter the blood stream. They also cross the blood-brain barrier. In the brain, certain amino acid sequences of these peptides compete with natural peptides, which bind to opioid receptors. These receptors are G-protein receptors in cell
102). Christensen, a., & Jacobsen, N.S. (1996). Studying the effectiveness of psychotherapy: How well can clinical trials do the job? American Psychologist, 51(10), 1032. Authors emphasized that pain sufferers should not limit themselves to one approach, but should rather seek to identify a broad range of therapies that may result in appreciable gains for the healthcare consumer. Craig, K.D., & Hadjistavropoulos, T. (Eds.). Pain: Psychological perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. Authors
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