|
||
        
|
Incredible, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that approximately 50% of antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily. Why should we be concerned? According to the CDC, “Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world’s most pressing public health problems.” In response to this serious overuse, the CDC launched a program to educate MDs and the [...] Another reason to keep the ginger coming: A new study shows ginger to be an effective pain reliever for sore muscles caused by exercise. Both raw ginger and dried supplements showed “moderate-to-large reductions in muscle pain.” More commonly recommended for upset stomach, ginger is a proven anti-inflammatory. If you suffer from heartburn, here are some easy suggestions for effective food therapies. 1. Avoid tomatoes, dark chocolate, raw onions, fried food, mint teas, and red wine. This month’s spotlight on Chinese herbs focuses on freshwater pearl, or zhen zhu (Margarita). Pearl has been used for centuries to create a smooth, radiant complexion. Not only is it a valuable source of minerals — including calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, strontium, copper, and selenium — it contains dozens of amino acids and antioxidants that [...] Eczema (or atopic dermatitis) is a particularly uncomfortable condition, with itchy, inflamed red patches on the skin that often don’t respond well to Western drugs and ointments and can get worse in cold, dry climates. Oolong tea, which is made from partially fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, has been shown to markedly decrease [...] Astragalus, or huang qi, is to Chinese medicine what echinacea is to the North American materia medica. It is the Chinese herbal practitioner’s number-one herb to boost Qi (pronounced “chee” and translated as “energy flow” or “breath”), in people who are frequently sidelined by colds and the flu. In Chinese medicine, when someone gets sick [...] The use of herbs, whether animal, vegetable or mineral, is an essential part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and generally produces zero side effects. Most often, we combine herbs in a formula of 4-15 ingredients customized to the individual. You might be familiar with many of the following herbs used in TCM. I’ve listed [...] Corydalis, or yan hu suo, is to the Chinese what aspirin is to Westerners. This potent painkiller is widely used for all types of pain, especially headaches and menstrual cramps. It is particularly beneficial for people who cannot take aspirin or other pain medications due to ulcers or stomach upset. Studies show that it works [...] Does your child ever complain of a tummy ache? Try fennel (xiao hui xiang), a Chinese medicinal used to treat stomachache and colic. Make a tea by pouring boiling water over 2 tsp. of crushed fennel seeds, let cool and then drink. You can also get fennel extract from an herbal practitioner.
American and Chinese researchers recently found that a combination of three traditional Chinese herbs could be as effective as conventional medicines at relieving asthma, but without such severe side effects seen with steroids like oral prednisone. The study, a collaboration between Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the Waifeng [...] |
|
|
Copyright © 2012 Kristin Ebbert's Acupuncture Blog - All Rights Reserved |
||
