Dr. Ting Hung-Leung, Hong Kong’s deputy director for Traditional Chinese Medicine, commented: “The problem in 1997 was we had over 7,000 practitioners of herbal and Traditional Chinese Medicine and anyone could call themselves TCM practitioners.” Now rigid licensing and educational standards have made the study more acceptable to Western standards.

As a result, Chinese herbal medicine and clinics offering acupuncture treatment are opening up in many American medical schools and the ancient treatments are being tested in laboratories for effectiveness. Researchers and patients alike are surprised at the results.

Did you know that emphysema can even be treated by Chinese herbal therapy? First, patients should consider what their diets include. Do’s include: protein (fish, eggs, lean meats), nuts, seeds, legumes, fiber-rich vegetables and soy. Don’ts include: complex carbohydrates, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, simple sugars and things ending in “-ose.”

Never skip meals, but rather eat small meals throughout the day and have a small snack before bed. The most important Chinese herbal remedy is brewer’s yeast, which stabilizes blood sugar levels.

Chromium picolinate is also necessary for optimal insulin activity. Pacreatin and proteolytic enzymes aid in digestion. Zinc helps control appropriate insulin release. Glutamine will reduce sugar cravings. Many people with hypoglycemia are found to be lacking certain essentials: manganese and vitamin C with bioflavonoids.

Doctors also recommend herbal teas with burdock, dandelion or licorice to stabilize blood sugar levels. Ohiopogon is a powerful tonic that strengthens the lungs and heart and should be taken twice daily, 6 grams at a time. Check with a specialist to see what options are best for you.

“I think acceptance by the mainstream medicine is getting better and better,”said Che Chun Tao, professor and director of the School of Chinese Medicine at Chinese University. “I can tell you, before 1997 there were no doctors in hospitals who were willing to touch any herbal materials in clinical trials, but now there’s quite a number of clinical trials going on and there’s better acceptance from medical doctors.

I believe a combination of traditional Chinese medicine together with western medicine is needed for treating serious diseases and it’s important to offer a choice for patients and the general public,” he said. Currently, clinical trials for Chinese herbal extracts are being tested all around the world to cure some of the world’s most serious diseases.

“If you are taking herbs without experiencing any results after a week or two, then perhaps your formula needs to be changed, unhealthy foods eliminated from your diet, or other changes made,” says Jiang Wind Xiao, one Chinese herbal exhibitor.

“If you are being told to take herbs for long periods of time without seeing any benefits, or are experiencing side effects, then perhaps you need to see another practitioner.” Pharmaceuticals should still be used for emergencies, but for long term care Chinese herbal remedies work best.

Many individuals now are turning to alternative medicine and one of the best known of these is the traditional Chinese medicines and treatments. They are well known for only using natural ingredients and natural techniques when applying there treatments. This is what the San Francisco Gua Sha treatments have to offer.

This is a very new treatment being offered to the western world and many individuals are beginning to take an interest in this.

It is basically the application of pressure to specific spots on the body with a special tool that is flat and this scraped along the skin. This is repeated until small red spots begin to appear. This is not bruising and is part of the treatment routine this is the result that the technician applying the treatment is looking for. The San Francisco gua sha technicians are professionals at this.

The concept here is that an opening is being made for the escape of whatever is troubling the body. This particular treatment is becoming quite prominent in the treatment of both acute and chronic pain.

Many individuals are really becoming weary about using drugs that are commonly known in the prescriptions because of the chemicals that they can contain. In addition to this there is the high risk factor of becoming addicted to many of the traditional pain killers that are used in the western world.

There was a point in time when not much emphasis was put on the various treatments that came under the traditional Chinese medicine. Over the last several years however this has begun to change. A good example of this is acupuncture. Another good indicator that there are some better treatments waiting is the San Franciso gua sha treatments being offeren.

This is a treatment that has been in the Chinese medicine for centuries. It is a technique that will help to deal with all types of pain and it is a technique that should be carried out is an individual that has been trained to do so.

It will basically be applied to the same area that acupuncture would be. The basic way that gua sha works is because it stimulates the circulation which helps to remove the toxins from the body and also balances the metabolism. Some have related it to being as a type of special massage.

Although there is a little bit of uncomfortable feeling with it it is certainly not painful. It requires a fair amount of pressure although not too much where it could cause damage and then quick scraping motions are done until the red spots totally form on the skin. Once this is done the treatment is complete and the red rash will stay pleasant for a few days but will disappear quickly after this point. Many individuals that have had this treatment report very favorable results. The San Franciso gua sha technicians are currently accepting new clients that wish to experience this most effective treatment.

For our ancestors, Nature was the supermarket, pharmacy and school. By observing Nature and making experiments with items found in Nature, our ancestors were able to find medicinal herbs to help cure their ailments. Unfortunately, most of these ancient medicine herbal systems have been lost to time or are being associated with black magic. Fortunately, a couple of the systems have survived and adapted to modern times. One of these systems is called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Wisdom Proven Over Time

In TCM, the knowledge of how to use ancient medicine is what is old - not the age of the medicines themselves! TCM practitioners usually are schooled in acupuncture and the ancient medicine of herbs. Although it is true that animal parts are used in TCM, including parts of endangered animals, this practice is being stamped out. TCM now concentrates on acupuncture, herbs and exercise systems like tai chi. TCM is used to treat the whole person, not just a one body part.

One of the Western doctors who champions a synthesis of ancient medicine with modern medicine is bestselling author Dr. Andrew Weil. He says in many of his writings that the human body has self healing potential untapped in the West. Although he urges people to go to an allopathic (conventional) doctor right away if they develop any sudden or drastic symptom, he also recommends holistic ancient medicine such as TCM to help get you healthy and keep you healthy.

What Is Holistic Medicine?

Holistic medicine is a drastically different method of healing than the allopathic way of healing that most Westerners are familiar with. With allopathic healing, you only go to the doctor when something is wrong and depend entirely on the doctor’s bag of tricks to get you better.

In holistic healing, a patient is seen as not a set of symptoms that need curing, but as an entire person. Yes, the symptoms still need relief, but maybe they could be prevented from recurring through lifestyle changes. A holistic doctor, such as a TCM practitioner, spends a lot more time getting to know their patients than an allopathic doctor. What you eat, how you exercise and how you handle stress are all taken into account to help you get better.

In old China, doctors were only paid when you were feeling well, and weren’t paid when you were sick. That was because doctors wee seen as those who could prevent illness rather than cure illness.