CATEGORY ARCHIVES: CHINESE MEDICINE Ginger as a Chinese Herb

September 3, 2012 Chinese Herb, Chinese Medicine No comments

Ginger is something we are all mostly familiar with- whether it is as the main ingredient in ginger ale, or as that fibrous root with the pale yellow color and spicy bite that lends its flavor to those delicious stir frys, Yum! Ginger makes a great additive to soy sauce or honey in marinades and can even be found as a sugary hard candy. But this root has a much deeper and richer history as a Chinese herbal remedy. Ginger is known as Sheng Jiang in Chinese herbal medicine and if youve ever put a piece of fresh ginger root in your mouth, you instantly recognize that its classification as a pungent, warm herb is spot on. In terms of what it treats, from a TCM point of view,it travels to the Lung, Spleen, and Stomach channels in the body and falls under the group of herbal medicines that are known to Release the Exterior in the case of a pattern or illness called Wind Cold Invasion. The Lung channel is the first port of call for invasion byWind.a Chinese term often equated with the bacteria or virus that cause the common cold. The Cold aspect of a Wind Cold Invasion indicates that the patient is suffering from a cold that doesnt involve sweating and usually has a tongue with a white coating. By opening the pores i.e. (Release the Exterior) and inducing sweating, which ginger certainly can do, you theoretically expel the pathogens and can decrease the amount of time a patient is struggling with the cold symptoms! Makes sense huh??. Ginger also travels to the Spleen and Stomach channels; two channels that have a great deal to do with digestion. This is where gingers Chinese herbal medicine actions correspond closely with how Western medicine might use this herb. Ginger is a great anti-nausea and anti-emetic, or anti-vomiting, supplement. It is typically prescribed for nausea and vomiting related to motion sickness, pregnancy, or chemotherapy. Several studies involving powdered ginger have shown promise for motion sickness and even for those that showed that ginger didnt perform significantly different from the anti-nausea medications, it is important to remember that ginger wont cause the drowsiness associated with those pharmacological meds. When prescribed for morning sickness in pregnancy, ginger performed well and women who took 1 gram a day for 4 days (short term use is recommended) felt less nauseous and didnt vomit as much as those that didnt. Of course, it is always recommended for pregnant women to speak with their doctor before starting any herbal therapy. Another potential medical usage is found in the relief of joint pain from osteoarthritis. This joint pain would most likely be dull and achy in nature and improve when warmth is applied to the area. This indicates that the joint pain is classified as Cold. Thus the warming nature of ginger would help decrease the pain when taken internally. It must be mentioned that despite the superior effects of ginger, too much of the spicy, warming herb can irritate the digestive tract. Perhaps this is why it is recommended that patients take it internally as a powdered pill or tea instead of as a raw herb and moderate its long term usage.

Luckily ginger is readily found. Many people that consume ginger regularly take a powdered preparation of the root. It can also be used freshly sliced and placed into a cup of hot water or tea. This is one of my favourites when Im feeling a cold coming on! Try it! Youll sweat, but stop the cold in its tracks!. It is a commonly used spice and if you dont already use it, go out and get some today! Its invaluable for so many things. Anybody got any good recipes out there?
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Pain Treatment
April 25, 2012 Acupuncture, Acupunture Treatments, Chinese Medicine 1 Comment

Article written by Mairead Fahy which appeared in ECHO newspaper February 2007 Lets face it. We all abuse our bodies abysmally! We eat and drink to excesses we cannot sustain, we heave and haul in the garden and in the house, and still assume that everything will go on working as normaljust because it always has! >What was normal behaviour for us in our twenties, we assume will still be functioning behaviour for us twenty years later. Unfortunately and the reality is, -our bodies are getting older! The scaffolding is getting rusty from lack of maintenance, and instead of firing on all cylinders the internal engine is starting to backfire! In essence, we take our hard working, uncomplaining bodies for granted so much so that we ignore the warning signals it gives us, and suddenly. PAIN Strikes! You can hardly get out of bed with back pain. You can barely put on your clothes because of shoulder / arm pain. Youre crippled due to pains in your knees or the nerve pain travelling down your leg You can barely use your hand because of the numbness and tingling caused by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and worse than anything else your golf swing is affected because of Tennis Elbow or Golfers Elbow! Red Alert! Action Stations! Sure you felt a slight twinge when you lifted that piano on your own or you felt a niggle when you were reaching for that goody on the top shelf! But you thought it would go away after all it always did before! But the symptoms persist, and your first port of call must always be your GP who will advocate the most appropriate treatment. More often than not, this entails medication of the anti inflammatory type, and sometimes something to relax the muscle spasm. and quite often this will do the trick. But sometimes the symptoms merit still more aggressive investigation. and your GP will refer you for the most appropriate therapy for you. If, however, despite medication, and despite the intensive conventional medical route, you are still suffering pain its time to think Alternatively and more specifically, the Chinese Medicine route, which has Acupuncture as one of its branches. Acupuncture is part of the ancient system of medicine called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has been in existence for over 3000 years. It is based on the theory that our bodies are made up of Meridians or Channels of energy or Qi (pronounced Chee), and when disease or injury occurs, these channels become blocked. In Chinese Medicine terms Qi and blood stagnation occurs and hence we get pain! Imagine you have a stream at the bottom of your garden, and theres a mudslide straight into it the stream cant flow as efficiently as it used to! Complicate this with dead leaves and rubbish -. and the stream stops flowing completely. The stream wants to proceed as normal but it cant . and trouble starts!

This is the same for the blockage of Qi within the body. Due to accident or injury the stream cant flow freely, and Pain results! By inserting sterile disposable small needles in points along this stream, the channel is freed, and the flow is restored! In effect, just like you unblock a stream with a spade, your Acupuncturist is unblocking the Channel with needles. And no the needles dont hurt! In Chinese Medicine, this blockage may often be complicated by Damp, Cold or Heat you will often hear these terms in the Acupuncture clinic. and your treatment will be modified according to these findings. Acupuncture can treat all types of pain, but the most common musculoskeletal pains it can treat include:

neck pain and related headaches, shoulder pain including Frozen shoulder, lower back pain and related nerve pain, (often called sciatica), hip pain, knee pain, ankle injury, arthritis, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, all sports injuries, and many many more pains and aches. So the moral of the story is maintain the scaffolding, or you may have to visit your Acupuncturist!
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Migraine Relief
April 25, 2012 Acupuncture, Acupunture Treatments, Chinese Medicine 2 Comments

Article written by Mairead Fahy which appeared in ECHO newspaper March 2007
Question when is a headache not a headache?
Answerwhen its a migraine!

Most of us at one time or another has suffered a headache! It may be the result of a nagging wife, hot-headed husband, fractious children or cantankerous boss. and all the associated stresses and strains that go along with them! We women subject to hormonal influences as we are may get them whenever it suits us! It may be an excuse it may be genuinebut until you know differentlyits a headache guys! It may even be the result of a bad pint for all you guys and gals out there who indulge but of coursenever the result of the nine good pints AND THEN SOME that went along with that! (Thats dehydration by the way but thats another story for another day)!

Anyway the point is.. that for most of us the headache eventually goes! Two Panadol, a hot shower, a change of scene and some peace and quiet ..(and lots of water!)and your life continues as normal!

Not so however for the poor Migraine sufferer! What may start as a mere headache for them inevitably develops into an insufferable debilitating pain which may last for two days or more.. despite medication! Add to that.the symptoms of nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light, and life becomes intolerable for the victim of a Migraine attack! Work, home and family life all suffers! Sometimes the only thing that will help (not relieve) the pain is to lie down in a dark room and try to sleep not always possible however! And worse than this. It could happen more than once a week! And it doesnt even end there.when the pain eventually goes.. the migraine victim is left with a dull heavy head similar to a hangoverbut the problem is they havent actually enjoyed the getting of it! Ok so what can be done? Conventional medicine will tell you nothing! Your GP will prescribe medication and may even have to give an injection and hopefully this will minimise the pain. However this may or may not work! So when all conventional avenues for pain relief have been exhausted look to the East and to acupuncture! What makes Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) different in so many ways to conventional or Western medicine.. is that it looks to the CAUSE of the problemnot just the symptoms! And again because we are dealing with such an ancient system of medicine a diagnosis for the CAUSE may tend to sound a bit abstract almost nonsensical to those of you grounded in the theories of the West! In the case of Migraine the CAUSE is determined by the theories upon which all of life and nature is based. The theories of Yin and Yang! Ok I hear you say Thats Chinese stuff and indeed it is! But let me explain a little about Yin and Yang! Not only are they good names for dogs and cats The Yin and Yang theory of opposites, despite being a concept more than three thousand years old, is actually the principle upon which all modern Physics is founded! Everything whether material or abstract has an opposite. If it didnt, it wouldnt exist! Confused yet? More than two thousand years ago, the Chinese philosopher Lao Tse used a cup to demonstrate the principle the material of the cup was Yang, the inside of it Yin. Although there was nothing inside the cup but space, if the space wasnt there it would have no use as a cup! The original meanings of Yin and Yang, referred to the sunny and shaded sides of a hill, Yang being the sunny side and Yin being the shady side. Also, because in Ancient China, men worked in the fields and in the sun, and women worked indoors and in the shade the terms also came to mean Male and Female! However apart from being a theory of opposites it also encompasses the theory of co dependence for a harmonious life! This means for example, Daytime MUST flow into Night time and vice versa (Yang into Yin), otherwise natural law would be affected. Hot must have its opposite cold and not a dominance of one over the other but a balance between the two, otherwise again, natural law is

interrupted. Likewise Man MUST have Woman. Apologies to all you feminists out there but again, it is natural law! The Yin Yang theory can even explain why men are from Mars and women are from Venus! BasicallyYin and Yang nurture each other and depend on each other! So what has this got to do with a Migraine attack? Well, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine most organs of the body also have a Yin and Yang aspect to them and when this goes out of balance due to stress, diet and numerous other factors, pain can be the result. In the case of Migraine, it is the Yang energy of the Liver organ, which goes into excess and rises to the head causing pain! This does NOT mean however that there is something functionally wrong with your Liverno need to go racing off to your GP saying that Acupuncturist down the road says theres something wrong with my liver no Im talking purely from a Chinese Medicine perspective! It is the excess of Yang in the head which causes the pain and it is this which over time the acupuncturist can bring back into balance and allow it to become anchored once more by the Yin. Quite often acupuncture can relieve an ongoing Migraine attack and it will certainly minimise the frequency and intensity of subsequent ones!

Migraine Relief
April 25, 2012 Acupuncture, Acupunture Treatments, Chinese Medicine 2 Comments

Article written by Mairead Fahy which appeared in ECHO newspaper March 2007
Question when is a headache not a headache?
Answerwhen its a migraine!

Most of us at one time or another has suffered a headache! It may be the result of a nagging wife, hot-headed husband, fractious children or cantankerous boss. and all the associated stresses and strains that go along with them! We women subject to hormonal influences as we are may get them whenever it suits us! It may be an excuse it may be genuinebut until you know differentlyits a hea dache guys! It may even be the result of a bad pint for all you guys and gals out there who indulge but of coursenever the result of the nine good pints AND THEN SOME that went along with that! (Thats dehydration by the way but thats another story for another day)! Anyway the point is.. that for most of us the headache eventually goes! Two Panadol, a hot shower, a change of scene and some peace and quiet ..(and lots of water!)and your life continues as normal!

Not so however for the poor Migraine sufferer! What may start as a mere headache for them inevitably develops into an insufferable debilitating pain which may last for two days or more.. despite medication! Add to that.the symptoms of nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light,

and life becomes intolerable for the victim of a Migraine attack! Work, home and family life all suffers! Sometimes the only thing that will help (not relieve) the pain is to lie down in a dark room and try to sleep not always possible however! And worse than this. It could happen more than once a week! And it doesnt even end there.when the pain eventually goes.. the migraine victim is left with a dull heavy head similar to a hangoverbut the problem is they havent actually enjoyed the getting of it! Ok so what can be done? Conventional medicine will tell you nothing! Your GP will prescribe medication and may even have to give an injection and hopefully this will minimise the pain. However this may or may not work! So when all conventional avenues for pain relief have been exhausted look to the East and to acupuncture! What makes Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) different in so many ways to conventional or Western medicine.. is that it looks to the CAUSE of the problemnot just the symptoms! And again because we are dealing with such an ancient system of medicine a diagnosis for the CAUSE may tend to sound a bit abstract almost nonsensical to those of you grounded in the theories of the West! In the case of Migraine the CAUSE is determined by the theories upon which all of life and nature is based. The theories of Yin and Yang! Ok I hear you say Thats Chinese stuff and indeed it is! But let me explain a little about Yin and Yang! Not only are they good names for dogs and cats The Yin and Yang theory of opposites, despite being a concept more than three thousand years old, is actually the principle upon which all modern Physics is founded! Everything whether material or abstract has an opposite. If it didnt, it wouldnt exist! Confused yet? More than two thousand years ago, the Chinese philosopher Lao Tse used a cup to demonstrate the principle the material of the cup was Yang, the inside of it Yin. Although there was nothing inside the cup but space, if the space wasnt there it would have no use as a cup! The original meanings of Yin and Yang, referred to the sunny and shaded sides of a hill, Yang being the sunny side and Yin being the shady side. Also, because in Ancient China, men worked in the fields and in the sun, and women worked indoors and in the shade the terms also came to mean Male and Female! However apart from being a theory of opposites it also encompasses the theory of co dependence for a harmonious life! This means for example, Daytime MUST flow into Night time and vice versa (Yang into Yin), otherwise natural law would be affected. Hot must have its opposite cold and not a dominance of one over the other but a balance between the two, otherwise again, natural law is interrupted. Likewise Man MUST have Woman. Apologies to all you feminists out there but again, it is natural law! The Yin Yang theory can even explain why men are from Mars and women are from Venus! BasicallyYin and Yang nurture each other and depend on each other!

So what has this got to do with a Migraine attack? Well, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine most organs of the body also have a Yin and Yang aspect to them and when this goes out of balance due to stress, diet and numerous other factors, pain can be the result. In the case of Migraine, it is the Yang energy of the Liver organ, which goes into excess and rises to the head causing pain! This does NOT mean however that there is something functionally wrong with your Liverno need to go racing off to your GP saying that Acupuncturist down the road says theres something wrong with my liver no Im talking purely from a Chinese Medicine perspective! It is the excess of Yang in the head which causes the pain and it is this which over time the acupuncturist can bring back into balance and allow it to become anchored once more by the Yin. Quite often acupuncture can relieve an ongoing Migraine attack and it will certainly minimise the frequency and intensity of subsequent ones! Source: http://bodymatters.ie/category/chinese-medicine/