Frequently Asked Questions
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- Why turn to Chinese Medicine when we have a highly developed western medical
system in place, with a strong regulatory agency, the Food and Drug Administration;
numerous facilities, hospitals, clinics, and private offices; and insurance coverage
available privately, through employment, or public assistance that covers the major part
of expenses? Why turn to Chinese medicine as an alternative, when we already have
nutritional supplements, Western herbs, massage, chiropractic, homeopathy, and a
dozen other health care options that were primarily developed in the U.S.and Europe?
It is because no one health care system has a one hundred percent perfect tract record
in treating all ailments. All the modern health care aids mentioned above are only
approximately 250 years old. Chinese medicine has been around for more than 2,700
years. Despite the progress made in modern western and other alternative medicines,
there are substantial deficiencies in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, AIDS,
arthritis and other auto-immune diseases, as well as diabetes and other metabolic
diseases. That is, there exists a deficiency compared to what is believed to be the
ultimate possible outcome – namely to cure most people with the disease, or at least
reduce the manifestation of the disease to a relatively mild problem. Modern medicine
and the alternatives that developed here make a contribution to this goal, but additional
assistance is sometimes needed.
2. WHAT IS CHINESE MEDICINE?
- The term “Chinese Medicine” makes reference to a number of practices, especially the
use of acupuncture and herbal formulas and their theoretical basis that has developed
in China during a period of about 2,500 years. In China, a theory of nature, health and
disease gradually developed. Some of these basic concepts of two essential forces—
yin and yang; the three essences; the five elements; the six climatic influences; the seven
emotional factors; eight principles of therapy; the fourteen meridians and other notions
are named and numbered as an aid to memorizing the information. These concepts
have continued to evolve in relative isolation until in the nineteenth century, then a
collision of Chinese and Western culture ensued. Today, Chinese medicine represents
a growing amalgam of the traditional Chinese ideas and methods combining with
modern western traditions research methods, chemical analysis, pharmacological
testing and clinical trials. This amalgam is the major health care system for the People’s
Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and
Indonesia. Its apparent success in these countries has led to a gradual adoption by
western countries.
3. WHAT CAN CHINESE MEDICINE DO FOR ME?
- At the very least it can make you feel more energetic, yet more relaxed, and it can
alleviate some disease symptoms; at its best Chinese medicine can improve the
symptoms of chronic and incurable conditions. Sometimes treating these symptoms
with fewer side effects than western medicine.
As in most medical protocols the benefits of Chinese medicine depends on several
factors, including the nature of the problem being addressed, the competence of the
practitioner, and the willingness of the individual to follow through with various aspect
of the proposed treatment plan.
4. FOR WHICH CONDITIONS DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK BEST?
- Acupuncture therapy has various applications, but its use might best be summarized as
treating conditions of discomfort. These conditions include pain and muscle spasm,
difficulty breathing, emotional stress and distress from chemotherapy. The World
Health Organization has publicly announced that acupuncture is suitable for treating the
following:
a. Ear, nose and throat disorders
b. Toothaches, pain after tooth extraction, gingivitis, acute or chronic otitis, sinusitis,
acute rhinitis, nasal catarrh, and acute tonsillitis;
c. Respiratory disorders; bronchial asthma in children or adults when the cases are
uncomplicated;
d. Gastrointestinal disorders, esophageal and cardio spasm, hiccup, gastroptosis, acute
or chronic gastritis, sour stomach, chronic duodenal ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, and
paralyticileus;
e. Neurological and Muscular Disorders, headaches, migraines, trigeminal neuralgia,
facial paralysis(within the first 3-6 months), post stroke paralysis, peripheral neuritis,
neurological bladder dysfunction, bed wetting, intercostal neuralgia, cervical syndrome,
frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, sciatica, low back pain, and osteoarthritis.
- It is not uncommon for a high degree of relief to be achieved immediately upon
treatment. The persistence of the relief is variable. In some cases, one or a few
treatments can alleviate the discomfort that has been a nagging problem for many
months. In some cases, the relief may last a day, though the results may persist over a
longer period of time upon receipt of repeated treatments. Like most medical
procedures it is difficult to know the response until it has been tried.
5. HOW DEEP DO THE NEEDLES GO?
- That depends upon the nature of the problem, the underlying anatomy of the points
selected, the patient’s size, age, and constitution, and upon the style of the
Acupuncturist’s training. In general, needles are inserted from ¼ to 1 inch in depth.
6. DOES IT HURT?
- In Chinese, acupuncture is bu tong, painless. However, if the correct stimulus of the
needle has been obtained, the patient should feel some cramping, heaviness, distention,
tingling, or electric sensations either around the needle or traveling up or down the
meridian pathway. These sensations may be categorized by some people as types of
pain. If there is any discomfort, it is usually mild.
7. ARE ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLES FREE OF GERMS
- There are two types of needles in use today: one type is packed sterile, and completely
disposable; these will be used once and disposed of in a medical sharps container to
be destroyed. The other is reusable and is sterilized before each use by autoclave; a
high-temperature, high-pressure treatment that destroys all organisms. In both cases,
the needles are germ-free. It is unlikely that the patient can get a disease via insertion of
acupuncture needles.
8. HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK?
- That’s a big question. Traditionally, acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese theories
of the flow of Qi (energy) and Xue (blood) through discrete channels or meridians
which traverse the body similar but not identical to the nervous and blood circulatory
systems.
According to this theory, acupuncture regulates this flow of Qi shunting it to those
areas where it is Deficient and draining it from areas where it is Excess. The goal of
acupuncture is to regulate and restore the harmonious energetic balance of the pain.
When the energy flows freely there is no pain or distress in the organs; if the energy is
blocked then there will be pain or metabolic dysfunction.
- Herbal therapies are best for functional disorders, hormonal imbalances, and “organic
problems” which are changes in the tissue structures. Herbal therapy can be applied
for weak digestive disorders, estrogen deficiency, cysts and tumors. The effects of
herbs are usually, but not always, seen within a several days of regular use. The herb’s
concentration must build up in the system before it will work. Once the herb has
become concentrated enough in the system their effects often persist for long periods
of time. Combining acupuncture and/or other physical therapies with herbal therapies
often produces dramatic results.
10. CAN MODERN AND CHINESE MEDICINE BE COMBINED?
- The combination of Chinese medicine and modern Western medical techniques can be
very symbiotic; one enhances the effects of the other. Sometimes properly
administered Chinese herbs can help lower the dosages of western medical
pharmaceuticals. Sometimes Chinese herbs can be used to reduce the side effects of
western pharmaceuticals. Modern western pharmaceuticals can often be used to treat
emergency or serious conditions. Chinese herbal medicine can be used for long term
chronic conditions with fewer side effects. It is advised that if the patient is taking
western pharmaceuticals as well as Chinese herbs that the two should be taken at
different times. The preferred time is of separation should be no closer than one hour
apart. This timing reduces the chances of an adverse drug interaction. Acupuncture is
compatible with virtually all modern medical techniques.
11. ARE CHINESE HERBS CONTAMINATED WITH CHEMICALS?
- The vast majority of Chinese herbs are collected from the wild or cultivated with little
or no pesticides. However, there are a few herbs that are grown with pesticides. Due
to care taken at the applications and harvest of these few herbs, the pesticide residue
in the finished herbal product is undetectable by laboratory testing run by the major U.
S. importers. In general Chinese herbs are not fumigated at the ports where they arrive
in the United States because of the cleanliness of the shipment. Deer antlers are
irradiated after arrival in order to assure no transference of germs to the local deer
population or other local animal populations. Some deer antlers are steamed with sulfur
to keep them moist and preserve their color and freshness. This does leave a small
residue of sulfur. The FDA has issued some warnings about heavy metal contamination
in some products from the Far East. Generally, these are patent herbs manufactured at
unlicensed herb factories and contained banned herbs such as cinnabar, or a batch of
patent herbs made at a licensed factory that got contaminated. There are some
Chinese companies that have combined Chinese herbs and Western medications.
These combinations tend to be illegal since the new combinations have not gone
through efficacy FDA testing. Some of these combinations have been proven to be
dangerous. It is advisable to avoid these products, or to look for American produced
herbal and drug combinations as their production will have been FDA supervised and
tested.
12. ARE ENDANGERED SPECIES USED IN MODERN HERBAL
FORMULAS?
- The use of materials from endangered species for health impact is well publicized.
Although rhino horn is mistakenly described as being used primarily an aphrodisiac, it
has mainly been used to treat high fevers, paralysis, and convulsions. It is true such
materials have been in Chinese medicine in the past; however, today they are banned
in most countries. Substitute materials are generally used. If you are concerned about
the use of such products you may check the ingredients on the box or bottle.
13. WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL DANGERS?
- Chinese medicine is well known for its lack of side effects. Minor problems can arise:
a) Acupuncture can cause minor and temporary bleeding or bruising at the sit of needle
insertion. The only potentially dangerous result of acupuncture would be if a needle is
inserted in the area of the chest and penetrates the lung causing loss of lung pressure.
This condition is easily treated and resolved, but must be attended to immediately. The
event is so rare among well-trained professionals that it does not enter into general
consideration.
b) Herbal therapies can cause gastro-intestinal reactions such as nausea, diarrhea, and
vomiting. They can also cause skin rashes or anaphylaxis shock. Anaphylaxis shock
has been reported in China where herbal injections and much more reactive herbal
substances are used. It is very rare. At this time ITM knows of no U.S. cases of this
form of severe allergic shock.
c) Medical authorities point out, that in the west, Chinese Medicine is an unproven
therapy modality. By choosing Chinese medicine over more conventional western
modalities the patient may miss out on a more effective treatment protocol, or they may
rely on Chinese medicine until the disease has progressed to an unrecoverable stage. It
is therefore important that the patient research the options for modern western and
Chinese medicine, so that they have a good understanding of each protocol’s
effectiveness.
14. DOES HERBAL THERAPY REALLY WORK?
- With regards to herbal medicine, there are three strong pieces of evidence suggesting
that it is a viable treatment:
a) During this past century, modern pharmaceutical drugs derived from crude Chinese
herbs have been produced, tested, and put into use as modern western drugs. The
best known example ma haung, has given the west ephedrine and pseudoephedrine
used originally for the treatment of asthma. Modern studies show that these drugs can
effectively treat asthma and sinus congestion. In Europe, an active component of gan
cao (licorice) has been made into a drug that treats gastric ulcers. Polysaccharides
from the Chinese herbs astragalus and ganoderma have been made into drugs that
enhance immune functions. In China, an active component of wu wei zi, schizandra has
been pharmaceutically altered to yield a highly effective treatment for hepatitis. For
several decades in China, the yew tree has been used as an anti-cancer plant, it is also
used as a source of a drug in the U.S. to treat ovarian cancer. A species of Artemisia
widely used in Chinese medicine has yield a drug that cures malaria and is now widely
used throughout southeast Asia.
b) Pharmacological testing - giving herb extracts to laboratory animals or applying
them to cell cultures—has been carried out on hundreds of Chinese herbs during the
last forty years. These test have demonstrated that most of the herbs have significant
physiological activity and often this activity correlates well with the traditional use of the
herb.
c) In China large scale in hospital clinical studies on both single herb and multi-herb
formulas have been completed. The initial results of these studies clearly indicate that
recalcitrant diseases which have failed to respond to more traditional western treatment
protocols; often do respond well to Chinese herbal and acupuncture therapy. More
studies are ongoing.
15. WHAT IF THE TREATMENT I GET HAS NO APPARENT EFFECT?
- No medical system, technique, or material is 100% effective. Both patient and
practitioner should monitor the progress or lack there of a treatment protocol. If the
treatment modality is not working then try another. If it might be improved by
combining it with another modality this should be done. If the modality has the same
effectiveness as other modalities then the patient should decide.
16. WHERE DO I FIND THESE PRACTITIONERS AND HOW MUCH
TRAININGS DO THEY HAVE?
- Since Chinese medicine was introduced to in America in late 1972, about 6,000 health
care practitioners have been licensed to add acupuncture and oriental herbology to
their medical practices. The largest group of practitioners practice acupuncture or
acupuncture and oriental herbology alone. They are degreed by schools usually for two
to six years and licensed by the state and by national associations. One of the largest
associations is the NCCA. Not all states license Acupuncturist; in those you should
look for a person who has completed an acupuncture and oriental medical degree and
has received a national certification. In some states the license for acupuncture and
herbology are combined; in some states they are separate. A smaller number of
acupuncture practitioners are also MD, CD, OCD, NP and DC. These medical
professionals take additional training to become proficient in acupuncture or
acupuncture and herbs (usually between 100and 300 hours). They too, must take a
board or set of boards to add acupuncture or acupuncture and herbs to their degree.
You may check the phone book or with your state’s board of health for a listing of
professionals in your area.
A listing of practitioners who are familiar with Chinese herbal medicine is available on
request from ITM, free of charge. Their address is ITM, S.E. Hawthorne, Portland,
Oregon 97214. A listing of practitioners who are familiar with acupuncture may be
obtained from the NCCA, 1424 16th street, NW # 501, Washington, D.C. 20036.
17. HOW MUCH DOES CHINESE MEDICINE COST?
- Clearly, the exact cost would depend on the nature of the condition being treated, how
extensively the method would be pursued, and what the particular practitioner charges.
Recently, a rough cost/benefit analysis was conducted by ITM. It revealed that a
typical three-month treatment program for a chronic ailment that employed
acupuncture and herbs as the main mode of therapy would have a average cost of
about $1,000. This amount is comparable to a one night stay in a metropolitan
hospital. It is also comparable to a six month course of standard drug therapy for a
serious illness.