May/June 2001
Articles on the theme "Health Care vs. Disease Care"
Rewards of Good Health
by Dr. Kathryn Price M.D.
A doctor comments on what we can do
to improve our health.
Temple of the Soul
by Rijuta Tooker
The benefits of meditation and a healthy
lifestye. How they help each other.
Glamorizing Prescription Drugs
by Lela Lilyquist
How America is being sold an expensive
and often deadly evil.
Mental Health and Disease
by Charles Larsen
Of mental health care as both a treatment
of mental disorders and as a preventative approach to dis-ease.
Mental Health Care
by Dolores T. Puterbaugh
Approaches to mental health care rather
than mental disease care.]
Chinese Herbal Therapy
by Linda Nash Stevenson
What Chinese Herbal Therapy is and
how it can be used both preventively and to treat disease.
Back to Basics
by AnneMarie Dyer
A trip to the country leads to some
insights into the causes of disease and true health care.]
A Healthy Lifestyle
by Patrick Plaskett
The changing attitudes to health care
even on the part of insurance companies.
Who's Responsible?
by Maria Moraca
Who is responsible for our health?
Our doctor or we ourselves? What can we do to prevent disease?
Care!
by Janet Kato
The importance of Care in Health Care
and Disease Care.
Other Feature Articles
What's Newz?
by Dee J. Findlay
Holistic Health Q & A
by Donald R. Papon
Of cystic breasts, toxic metals, candida,
smoking, computers and tantrums.
What is... Organic?
by Robert Roman
Background to the new USDA Organic
Rules; their effect on us as consumers?
PeopleTalk
Readers' Open Forum
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Features stones for May & June.
Celestite and Chrysocolla.
Your Astro Guide
by Weiss Kelly
NEW SECTION!
COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS!
David Findlay
Chinese Herbal Therapy
by Linda Nash Stevenson
Today, more than ever, people have access to information that previously was not always readily available, let alone globally available. This is true in all realms, and certainly is the trend in health care. Alternative health care has blossomed in the U.S. and people want to make informed decisions about their health. In short they want choices so that they can do that. They simply do not want to mask their ill health, and instead seek to build on good health at the root level. They not only have access to this information, they are more educated about herbs and want to find ways to balance their health without depleting it.
Chinese Herbal Therapy, one of the modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is several thousand years old and is now gaining the respect of the West. Typically, more than two herbs are used together in a formula to create the optimal effectiveness to treat a disharmony or disease in the body. This is called compound herbal therapy. Herbs are but one of several branches in Chinese Medicine, the other main modalities are acupuncture and Tuina massage. Chinese herbs have a very important role in the overall treatment response. They are plentiful, inexpensive and offer alternatives to drug therapies which may present a whole separate health issue of side effects.
There are over ten thousand TCM herbal formulas which have been established over the course of history. Today, about two thousand are currently in use. According to the earliest known TCM texts, called The Yellow Emperors Classics of Internal Medicine, in TCM formulas the primary herb is called the king. Then other herbs are used to build a specific prescriptive for each individual's condition. These are assistant herbs and play different roles in helping the primary herb and harmonizing the effects of the herbs in their unique combination. Herbs also have a life force and constitution. Some are cool or cold and others are neutral, warm or hot. The patient's basic constitution is analyzed and the appropriate herbs are then selected.
My love for herbs began far before I became an acupuncture physician and Chinese herbalist. I have always been fascinated by herbs and the simple grace they can possess in restoring balance in our bodies. As I began to raise children and look for natural approaches and remedies to use for common ailments for my family and my own health, it was the gentle effectiveness of herbs that had the most to offer me. In our country alone, we have a rich history in Native American culture and, while we were mostly rural, people used to pass this information down from one generation to the next. Chances are that your grandparents knew a good amount about herbal cures. Midwifes have also used them here for two centuries as effective remedies for women's health issues. In Asia, they are used by the great majority of the population for prevention, in acute and chronic cases and after surgery.
A variety of influences factor into the mature harvesting of herbal plants and their healing properties. The amount of sunshine that the plant receives; the conditions of the soil; the time of year that the plant is harvested; the part of the plant used; the age of the plant at the time of harvest and processing procedures. A good example of the variance of conditions on an herb's specific healing qualities is ginseng. American ginseng is prized for its specific qualities. Yet its qualities are different from Chinese or Korean ginseng. All the above factors are a consideration. Because of these factors, Chinese herbs have a reputation of being effective, strong acting and without side effects in treating disease.
I must preface this by saying that it is very important that you consult with a trained herbalist, as herbal formulas are medicinal and much is taken into consideration before recommending which combinations would benefit you the most. The patient's pulse and tongue is considered and many times a patient's symptoms will change, creating the need for quick modifications in the herbal formula for the best result. Chinese herbs are used in accordance with the meridians in acupuncture and each herb has a direct link to specific meridian channels. This is one reason that I believe it is so important to use TCM herbals along with acupuncture treatments.
Herbs are processed in a variety of ways and are available in a variety of forms. Many Chinese herbalists use herbs in their 'raw' or 'crude' state. These are decocted (cooked) into a tea and are the most readily absorbed. They are prepared this way in the Orient. Here in the U.S. the taste often can be quite bitter or pungent. There are five flavors in TCM herbals: pungent, sweet, sour, bitter or salty. Some patients may find them hard to drink. They can take some getting used to. Some find that a specific tea made for their condition tastes good and welcome the medicinal tea-time in their day. Herbs are also prepared as pills, made into tinctures or extracts, granulated for use as tea and applied as topicals. The method of ingestion depends on each individual's preference and the practitioner's recommendations.
Many herbs are safe to use with babies, children and adults of all ages. They can be used for detox situations, to tonify deficiencies, to quell fever, stop pain, settle down, to dry or to moisten. They are a wonderful alternative to help in living a more natural state of health, being used preventively and when disorders arise.
Linda Nash Stevenson, A.P., Dipl. Ac., is an Acupuncture
Physician and a Chinese Herbalist. Integrative Medicine Healing Center,
Clearwater,FL (727) 524-0900.
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