| Professional Edition Volume 1 Issue 5 May 9, 2007 |
Newsletter for Acupuncture Practitioners sponsored by Ashi Research |
Staying Healthy in Summer - By Kitty Bradshaw
Seasons change, and your body and mental outlook change with them. And because human beings are
a part of nature, our bodies react to the season in predictable ways. Oriental medicine combines knowledge
of seasonal characteristics with your unique health situation to balance your energy (chi) to help you adapt
and thrive during this season of luxurious growth. Here are some things to consider for staying healthy as you
enjoy summertime.
The Fire Element
Every season is associated with one of the Five Elements, and for summer, the element is 'Fire.' Summer weather is typically hot, and
relatively damp. For example, the muggy feeling you experience during summer comes from heat causing dampness to condense and
rise as it gets hotter. As on the outside, so on your inside: in summertime, there is a tendency for dampness to accumulate within your
body.
Summer Health Problems
During summer, some typical heat-related problems are: rashes, headaches and feelings of irritation. For example: Blood pressure may
rise from too much heat trapped in the body; damp-induced blister rashes, or boils can erupt on the skin; and if you have eczema, you may
experience more occurrences of it in the summer.
Summer Health Tips
It's important to drink enough water and eat the right foods to ensure you're meeting your body's summertime needs.
Drink more water. Because it's hot and you perspire a lot during the summer, the average amount of water you should drink in a 24-hour
period is 48 ounces — this includes all fluids, such as, juice, soda, and other beverages. (Note: 48 ounces is the equivalent of 6 eight
ounce glasses.) When you are sweating more than usual — as on some days in the summer — drinking more is advisable. It's important
to pay attention to how you feel, and drink more when you're thirsty.
Monitor your intake of salt. An imbalance of salt in your body — too much, or too little — can readily occur when temperatures are hot. You
will know you're getting too much salt if you find that rings you wear get tighter, and socks or shoes that fit you comfortably during cooler
weather, leave lines or wrinkles on your feet or ankles because of too much fluid in those areas.
Eat cooling foods. Cucumbers, mung beans, and watermelon are particularly good foods to eat in the summer. They help to keep your
body cool, and because of their diuretic properties, they also help to offset excess salt intake.
Stay Healthy
So enjoy your summer and help ensure your health by being conscious of a few simple things you can do for yourself and your family:
Drink enough water.
Monitor your salt intake.
Eat cooling foods.
Get Help If You Need It
If you experience any heat-related symptoms that don't clear up quickly, call a qualified Oriental medicine practitioner for an appointment
to get a prescribed formula of medical herbs to help alleviate your symptoms and address the problem — before it becomes more
advanced.
Kitty Bradshaw is a licensed acupuncturist, with an advanced clinical degree in Oriental Medicine. Studying and working with Oriental
Medicine since 1986, Kitty combines Traditional Oriental Medicine with Taoist healing methods to offer healing possibilities beyond the
level of standard health care. Her deep understanding of Chinese medical herbs, combined with her intuitive abilities to diagnose and treat
difficult problems, has helped many people regain and maintain their health.
For a FREE phone consultation to find out how Oriental Medicine can work for you, go to http://www.biom.net to contact Kitty and sign-up for
BIOM's complimentary newsletter.
Seasons change, and your body and mental outlook change with them. And because human beings are
a part of nature, our bodies react to the season in predictable ways. Oriental medicine combines knowledge
of seasonal characteristics with your unique health situation to balance your energy (chi) to help you adapt
and thrive during this season of luxurious growth. Here are some things to consider for staying healthy as you
enjoy summertime.
The Fire Element
Every season is associated with one of the Five Elements, and for summer, the element is 'Fire.' Summer weather is typically hot, and
relatively damp. For example, the muggy feeling you experience during summer comes from heat causing dampness to condense and
rise as it gets hotter. As on the outside, so on your inside: in summertime, there is a tendency for dampness to accumulate within your
body.
Summer Health Problems
During summer, some typical heat-related problems are: rashes, headaches and feelings of irritation. For example: Blood pressure may
rise from too much heat trapped in the body; damp-induced blister rashes, or boils can erupt on the skin; and if you have eczema, you may
experience more occurrences of it in the summer.
Summer Health Tips
It's important to drink enough water and eat the right foods to ensure you're meeting your body's summertime needs.
Drink more water. Because it's hot and you perspire a lot during the summer, the average amount of water you should drink in a 24-hour
period is 48 ounces — this includes all fluids, such as, juice, soda, and other beverages. (Note: 48 ounces is the equivalent of 6 eight
ounce glasses.) When you are sweating more than usual — as on some days in the summer — drinking more is advisable. It's important
to pay attention to how you feel, and drink more when you're thirsty.
Monitor your intake of salt. An imbalance of salt in your body — too much, or too little — can readily occur when temperatures are hot. You
will know you're getting too much salt if you find that rings you wear get tighter, and socks or shoes that fit you comfortably during cooler
weather, leave lines or wrinkles on your feet or ankles because of too much fluid in those areas.
Eat cooling foods. Cucumbers, mung beans, and watermelon are particularly good foods to eat in the summer. They help to keep your
body cool, and because of their diuretic properties, they also help to offset excess salt intake.
Stay Healthy
So enjoy your summer and help ensure your health by being conscious of a few simple things you can do for yourself and your family:
Drink enough water.
Monitor your salt intake.
Eat cooling foods.
Get Help If You Need It
If you experience any heat-related symptoms that don't clear up quickly, call a qualified Oriental medicine practitioner for an appointment
to get a prescribed formula of medical herbs to help alleviate your symptoms and address the problem — before it becomes more
advanced.
Kitty Bradshaw is a licensed acupuncturist, with an advanced clinical degree in Oriental Medicine. Studying and working with Oriental
Medicine since 1986, Kitty combines Traditional Oriental Medicine with Taoist healing methods to offer healing possibilities beyond the
level of standard health care. Her deep understanding of Chinese medical herbs, combined with her intuitive abilities to diagnose and treat
difficult problems, has helped many people regain and maintain their health.
For a FREE phone consultation to find out how Oriental Medicine can work for you, go to http://www.biom.net to contact Kitty and sign-up for
BIOM's complimentary newsletter.
“Is Ashi pain cream BW advisable on fingertips that have been damaged by foreign protein.
Very painful burning/stinging pain. Thank you”
- Barbara
Response from Ashi
Thank you for your inquiry. In the case described, the real cause of the damage and pain in the finger tips
might be tissue inflammation. Tissue inflammation can be triggered by many factors including foreign protein.
Prolonged tissue inflammation could cause subsequent nerve damage. You can use our Ashi Acute
Pain (AP-107) to suppress tissue inflammation and relieve pain if the condition is acute (<1 month).
However, if the pain condition has lasted for more than 1 month, use Ashi Pain UW (AP-103). Please feel
free to ask if you have further questions regarding pain conditions and/or the applicable Ashi Pain product.
Sincerely,
Ashi Research Team
http://www.ashi-research.com
Very painful burning/stinging pain. Thank you”
- Barbara
Response from Ashi
Thank you for your inquiry. In the case described, the real cause of the damage and pain in the finger tips
might be tissue inflammation. Tissue inflammation can be triggered by many factors including foreign protein.
Prolonged tissue inflammation could cause subsequent nerve damage. You can use our Ashi Acute
Pain (AP-107) to suppress tissue inflammation and relieve pain if the condition is acute (<1 month).
However, if the pain condition has lasted for more than 1 month, use Ashi Pain UW (AP-103). Please feel
free to ask if you have further questions regarding pain conditions and/or the applicable Ashi Pain product.
Sincerely,
Ashi Research Team
http://www.ashi-research.com
- Dahuang (Radix et rhizoma rhei or rhubarb), or "big yellow" in Chinese, was one of the first herbs imported from
China and is the most often used Chinese herbal medicine in the USA. Dahuang is commonly used for “purging
away pathogenic heat” in the gastrointestinal (GI) system for problems such as chronic constipation. Do you know
the biomedical basis of its use in GI disorders? Do you also know its other clinical implications?
The use of dahuang for constipation is based on its strong laxative effects. Studies have shown
that the laxative effects of dahuang (raw herb or prepared slightly) are due to its direct stimulation of
intestinal nerves to promote intestinal smooth muscle contraction as well as its inhibition of
sodium-potassium-ATP pump on intestinal epithelia to reduce water absorption. The latter action
softens stool and the former effect helps bowel movement. A number of active ingredients have
been identified in dahuang and they are generally classified into two categories based on their
laxative effects: those that have strong laxative effects and those that have
emodin monoglucoside; ingredients that have no laxative effects include rhein, emodin, and chrysophanol. Laxative
ingredients such as rhein-monoglucoside and emodin monoglucoside are heat sensitive and they break down into
rhein and emodine, the two non-laxative compounds, when dahuang decoction is prepared with prolong boiling.
Therefore, for the use of constipation, dahuang should be used as a raw herb or slightly prepared, i.e. boiled less
than 15 min. The non-conjugated ingredients, e.g. rhein and emodine, have effects for disorders in GI system and
other tissues cause by pathogenic heat. Pathogenic heat in the GI system is mainly due to the infections from
bacteria and viruses. The infections from these pathogens often result in GI inflammation, abdominal fullness
and pain. Dahuang extract has been found to have a broad spectrum of anti-bacterial effects. For example, dahuang processed by various
methods has inhibitory effects on the following bacteria: staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus albus, shigella flexneri, shigella sonnei,
typhoid bacillus, bacillus paratyphosus, beta hemolytic streptococcus, neisseria cararrhalis, and anaerobic bacteria. Dahuang extract has
a significant antiviral effect on different viruses such as hela, herpes simplex virus, varicellu-zoster virus, and rubella virus. More recently, it
has been shown that dahuang extract can inhibit hepatitis B virus and HIV.
Pathogen infections, tissue injury, and many other disease conditions can result in the release of inflammatory mediators such as PGE2
(prostaglandin E2), NF(tumor necrosis factor), IL-1(interleukin-1), and IL-6 (interleukin-6). These inflammatory mediators stimulate nerves
to cause pain. Studies have shown that dahuang extracts can significantly suppress the generation of these inflammatory mediators. This
effect is likely to be one of the mechanisms by which dahuang can be used for pain relief. All Ashi Research topical pain relief products
contain dahuang for suppressing tissue inflammation.
In TCM, one of the most famous formulas for treating skin infections and burns is called golden-yellow powder (Jin-Huang San). In this
topical formula, dahuang is a main ingredient used to clear heat, inhibit pathogens, and reduce inflammation.
For oral applications a commonly prescribed dahuang-containing formula is called Xiao Cheng Qi Tang. The formula contains:
Da Huang (radix et rhizome rhei)…9-12g
Hou Po (cortex magnoliae officinalis)…4.5-6g
Zhi Shi (fructus immaturus citri aurantii)…6-9g
Clinical indications of Xiao Chen Qi Tang include: constipation, food poisoning, abdominal fullness and pain that does not increase with
pressure, early stage dysenteric disorders. It is also used for hypertension and obesity. Xiao Chen Qi Tang and dahuang containing
formulas should be given cautiously to or prohibited for women during pregnancy, menstruation, or when they are breast feeding.
Herbs may help beat chemo pain (Metro, UK - April 17, 2007)
The agony of side-effects caused by breast cancer drugs could be overcome with Chinese herbal remedies,
experts believe. They say medicinal herbs may protect immune systems from the effects of chemotherapy.
About 60 per cent of women having chemotherapy for the disease experience side-effects ranging from
nausea, vomiting and fatigue to inflammation of the gut lining, a lower blood cell count and a weaker immune
system.
Several Chinese medicinal herbal mixtures and compounds are prescribed to counteract the nastier effects of 'chemo'. Data from seven
studies involving 542 breast cancer patients was examined by Chinese scientists at the Cochrane Collaboration, a British charity that
specializes in reviewing scientific data.
In three studies, women given herbal remedies saw a noticeable improvement in their number of white blood cells, a key element of the
immune system, made in bone marrow. Two herbal compounds appeared to have had a general positive effect on quality of life.
One study also found possible evidence of reduced toxicity in the liver and kidneys.
The team said more research was needed but concluded: 'The results suggest that using Chinese herbs in conjunction with
chemotherapy or Chinese herbal medicines alone may be beneficial in terms of improvements in bone marrow suppression and immune
system, and may improve overall quality of life.
The agony of side-effects caused by breast cancer drugs could be overcome with Chinese herbal remedies,
experts believe. They say medicinal herbs may protect immune systems from the effects of chemotherapy.
About 60 per cent of women having chemotherapy for the disease experience side-effects ranging from
nausea, vomiting and fatigue to inflammation of the gut lining, a lower blood cell count and a weaker immune
system.
Several Chinese medicinal herbal mixtures and compounds are prescribed to counteract the nastier effects of 'chemo'. Data from seven
studies involving 542 breast cancer patients was examined by Chinese scientists at the Cochrane Collaboration, a British charity that
specializes in reviewing scientific data.
In three studies, women given herbal remedies saw a noticeable improvement in their number of white blood cells, a key element of the
immune system, made in bone marrow. Two herbal compounds appeared to have had a general positive effect on quality of life.
One study also found possible evidence of reduced toxicity in the liver and kidneys.
The team said more research was needed but concluded: 'The results suggest that using Chinese herbs in conjunction with
chemotherapy or Chinese herbal medicines alone may be beneficial in terms of improvements in bone marrow suppression and immune
system, and may improve overall quality of life.
| Ashi Pain Relief Products New Solution for Practitioners! Click here to order |
CONTENTS
May 2nd, 2007, from Vasanthi Vanniasingham, Dipl. OM (NCCAOM), Ph.D. (vasacupuncture@gmail.com)
One of my patients, a retired doctor, loved the way Ashi Pain UM helped his neck. He also tried it for some neuritis on his arm (pain worse
than shingles…and it took the pain away. He gave some to his wife for pain she was experiencing with ligaments/tendons in her hand and
she got relief.
I had also wonderful reports from another patient, woman aged 74, who uses Ashi Pain UW on her hand
(same area as the above lady) and she gets relief.
A fibromyalgia patient with shoulder and upper arm ache has also had great success with Ashi Pain UW.
Just thought I'd let you know…Vasanthi
Dr. Vasanthi Vanniasingham is a certified oriental medical doctor and acupuncture practitioner. She also has a Ph.D. degree in
molecular biology. She is currently practicing Chinese medicine in Chiefland and Gainesville, Florida. Many of her clients are chronic pain
patients. Dr. Vanniasingham has recommended Ashi productsto her patients since last October.
One of my patients, a retired doctor, loved the way Ashi Pain UM helped his neck. He also tried it for some neuritis on his arm (pain worse
than shingles…and it took the pain away. He gave some to his wife for pain she was experiencing with ligaments/tendons in her hand and
she got relief.
I had also wonderful reports from another patient, woman aged 74, who uses Ashi Pain UW on her hand
(same area as the above lady) and she gets relief.
A fibromyalgia patient with shoulder and upper arm ache has also had great success with Ashi Pain UW.
Just thought I'd let you know…Vasanthi
Dr. Vasanthi Vanniasingham is a certified oriental medical doctor and acupuncture practitioner. She also has a Ph.D. degree in
molecular biology. She is currently practicing Chinese medicine in Chiefland and Gainesville, Florida. Many of her clients are chronic pain
patients. Dr. Vanniasingham has recommended Ashi productsto her patients since last October.
Rhein
Emodin
Emodin
Ashi Home | Products and Orders | Contact Us | ©2006 Ashi Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dahuang
