Chinese Medicine

[hayuesen]

Hey all,

 

I know one of the biggest differences between myself and my SO was our conception of illness and how it comes about. Even though my Chinese is pretty good, I have never really been clear on the Chinese thinking towards the body and how it works.

 

I know in Hainan, in the middle of August when I was ready to melt into a puddle of Laowai hanshui, my SO would tell me I would get sick if I had the fan blow on me or drink cold water. Nothing like a hot cup of tea when its 40 degrees Celsius!

 

On the other hand, I have been treated for various ailments with Chinese medicine and 1. They did work and 2. They were usually less toxic than their Western counterparts.

 

One remedy I am a true believer in is Ban Lan Gen. I dont even know what it is in English, but I have used it for strep throat and other things (infections or "fayan" in Chinese) and it always kicked some pigu (butt).

 

Anyone else have experience with this?

[Dan R]

Your post is making me chuckle. I am a holistic practioner of massage and aromatherapy. I have studied Qi Gong, Tuina, Cupping and Xiao Er Tuina in China. Our situation is the opposite. She believes in the quick western medicine fix and I look for the holistic and herbal approach. By the way, Ginseng and Deer Antler really kicks butt on pnuemonia but tastes horrible.

 

This will be one of our cross culture problems but the opposite of what would be expected.

[Guest aosnow]

i tried several chinese cold remedies...worked great...then read they were full of american over the counter cold medicines.

[david_dawei]

Anyone read, "The Yellow Emperors classic of medicine"? I have had it for some time and never read it.. Supposedly this will explain a lot (?)

 

I got really drunk sick on day (I'll share the story), and so my SO the next morning comes to the bed with acupuncture needles... and informs me that she must help me ! I thought that the two bottles of IV the night before were enough .. As she opened a few books and scanned the pages... then searched my body for a certain point.. went back to the book, and then adjusted her spot saying "sorry".. all I could think was that I was the one about to be sorry...

 

Anyone's SO 'claim' to do acupuncture? (BTW: I was her fourth)

[hayuesen]

Havent had the pleasure of acupuncture. My mom swears by it though. She had back surgery and acupuncture cut her recovery time in half.

 

As far as the ban lan gen, it was a root that was brewed like a tea. A lot of people in Hainan were using it during the SARS scare.

[Dan R]

Careful David she might get arrested for practicing witthout a license. It isn't really something to play around with. Only licensed practicioners can do accupuncture in China and the U.S. Is she actually styudying it or just reading out of couriousity? Ask if she knows Xiao Er Tuina for children. Very interesting way to treat all childhood ailments. I believe it is only practiced in the northeast. There is differing opinion on whether parents or TCM doctors should be able to do this. Actually doing it wrong with any of the meridian therapies can worsen the condition.

[maiyademama]

Anyone read, "The Yellow Emperors classic of medicine"?    I have had it for some time and never read it..  Supposedly this will explain a lot (?)

 

I got really drunk sick on day (I'll share the story), and so my SO the next morning comes to the bed with acupuncture needles...    and informs me that she must help me !    I thought that the two bottles of IV the night before were enough ..   As she opened a few books and scanned the pages...   then searched my body for a certain point.. went back to the book, and then adjusted her spot saying "sorry".. all I could think was that I was the one about to be sorry...

 

Anyone's SO 'claim' to do acupuncture?    (BTW:  I was her fourth)

You should try The Web that has no Weaver

 

It will help you understand the many concepts of Chinese Medicine.

 

Cute Story. Your SO sounds like a regular Wang Feihong

[awch]

From what I understand of Chinese medicine the main purpose is to find a balance between hot and cold (or yin and yang).

 

If you have a "hot" illness you should take something to cool down your body. Opposite if you have a "cold" illness. That's why Chinese doctors take your pulse- to see if you are "hot" or "cold".

 

That's also why Chinese medicine is herbal- they want to work to naturally bring your body back into balance.

 

Hope I got that right.

[frank1538]

From a previous post:

 

I caught a cold while I was in China, and Jingwen made all these concoctions that did little other than make HER feel better about taking care of her husband.  I wanted to go to the drug store and look for the good old American cold medicines.  No way.  We had to go to the hospital and have the doctor take a look.  He wrote a prescription for an anit-cold medicine.  Of course, Jingwen had to go get it since I couldn't read a word.

 

Well, we got home, and she made me take the capsules.  I'm looking at the box, written in Chinese, not understanding a word, but then I turn the box and see "Bufferin - Cold and Flu".   I felt better in a day or so, and Jingwen was so happy that the "Chinese" medicine worked.  I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise.

 

I've had many Chinese remedies, including snake bile, creosote pills, and an assortment of of teas and herbs.  Some seem to work.  Others encourage you to feel better more quickly just so you don't have to take the stuff any longer.

[david_dawei]

Careful David she might get arrested for practicing witthout a license. It isn't really something to play around with. Only licensed practicioners can do accupuncture in China and the U.S. Is she actually styudying it or just reading out of couriousity?  Ask if she knows Xiao Er Tuina for children. Very interesting way to treat all childhood ailments. I believe it is only practiced in the northeast. There is differing opinion on whether parents or TCM doctors should be able to do this. Actually doing it wrong with any of the meridian therapies can worsen the condition.

I believe the 'first three' were part of the study program she had done.. I've seen some of her videos as well from the course...

 

She does not practice it at all.. only for personal use.

[david_dawei]

Cute Story. Your SO sounds like a regular Wang Feihong

minus the martial arts !!

[david_dawei]

From what I understand of Chinese medicine the main purpose is to find a balance between hot and cold (or yin and yang).

 

If you have a "hot" illness you should take something to cool down your body. Opposite if you have a "cold" illness. That's why Chinese doctors take your pulse- to see if you are "hot" or "cold".

 

That's also why Chinese medicine is herbal- they want to work to naturally bring your body back into balance.

 

Hope I got that right.

I've heard some of this too.. would be nice to hear more from those who know...

 

I thought they take your pulse as a matter of routine.. They truly experts at this.

 

When I went on my first trip, Zixuan took me to a 'friend'... he worked at a massage room of three workers... he was blind.

 

He asked to read my pulse... as he was, he lowered his head and fell into what looked like a trance.. I suddenly wondered if he was watching me steal that 50 cents in first grade; or could see how I lied to my mom about where I was when 10....

 

Finally, he said, my health is very good (true, since I play and coach soccer).. that I don't get enough rest (true, I never get that afternoon nap), and sensed something in my shoulder or neck !! (true, I just had neck problems). There you go!! He knows about the 50 cents too !!

[jingutierrez]

I got tympanitis when I was 2 or 3 years old, without my mom doing xiao er tui na to me, I probably would be deaf now~

[Dan R]

TCM is made up of several disciplines (just as there are specialists in Scientific Medicine [don't like western medicine as the term seems to overlook traditional medicines still practiced in the West]). Herbals is one of the disciplines and is not limited to herbals since both flora and fauna are used as ingredients. It is effective or "Scientific Medicine" would not use herbals and aromattherapy as sources to develop new drugs. Over 200 currently widely used drugs were developed from traditional Native American herbal treatments. Herbals are used worldwide by all indigenous peoples.

 

Hot and cold is way over simplified to the point of being useless for diagnosis. At least you would need to determine Hot-Wet, Hot-Dry, Cold-Dry, Cold-Wet and whether the condition was a deficiency or excess. This means a possibility of 8 times the 6 pulses being checked (three fingers on seperate pulses feeling at three depths). As you see diagnosis is not that simple and it does find the entire body condition. The less knowledgable the person checking the less accurate the treatment to the point that it becomes just hit or miss used by an untrained person.

 

Pulse reading is thought to have originated in eastern Iran and the energy theory of meridians in northern India or Pakistan. Pulse reading was popular among the Greeks and Romans and taught in all Medical Colleges around the time of Hippocrates who himself was an expert in massage herbals and baths.

 

The disciplines taught in TCM Universities include Tuina, Herbals and Qi Gong (currently prohibited to be taught because of the prohibition in China but absorbed into other curriculum). Within each is a variety of specialized modalities or specializations.

 

Chinese Medicine was greatly advanced under the Yuan Dynasty (primarily the area of herbals) as in the 1200's to 1400's the Mongols were regarded as the most knowledgable doctors in the world. They greatly influenced medicine everywhere they ruled. Even in Tibet until the 19th century all court doctors were Mongolian.

 

This is still greatly generalized but should give you a rough idea of the subject. By the way Cornell University has traced the meridians using new technology. They found the Chinese charts to be accurate with a plus minus of 1.5%. Since they still have no means of testing what they actually do and the interrelations only the existence of "energy lines in the body is now science.

[Guest blsqueaky]

My wife swears by chinese meds, but lately she is starting to warm up to some of ours, claiming that they work better then what she brought back, but then there are others that she make, certain soups and teas.

 

When I was there, came down with a very nasty cold. She got me some liquid, black stuff to also take with a very small pill. Told me that I have to drink it all down, after one swallow, almost puked, she says no, real good, then her mother makes me something different, supposed to be sweet, yeah right.

 

As far as the accupunture, I remember years ago a friend bought me this do it yourself type. If I remember, it was like a suction bulb that had a small needle on the end, about the size of a ball point pen, , and I guess that what it was really used for was not to stick, but more of a pressure point. My wife has it now, and now and then, when she remembers will use on me. It is all in chinese, and right now I can not even find it, but it was a neat little device. It even came with a chart, if pain here, then use this place. After speaking of this, wonder how many here, when in China, has had the traditional full massage, I mean fingers, toes, scalp,