Traditional Chinese Medicine – a solution for Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a disorder in which the cells that form the lining of the uterus or endometrium grow outside the uterus. This abnormal cell growth is most commonly found on the ovaries, the lining of the pelvic cavity, and on the fallopian tubes but may also be found in the bladder, intestines, or some other parts of the body.

The incidence of this disease is 6-8% of the population, it affects approximately two million women in the UK, most of which are diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 40 years of age. About 40-60% of period pain and 20-30% of infertility are caused by endometriosis.

Each month the endometrium builds up in the uterus then breaks down and sheds off, resulting in vaginal bleeding or menstruation. It is speculated that this same cycle occurs when the endometrial tissue is located outside the uterus. However, endometrial tissue outside the uterus that sheds off and bleeds is trapped inside the body and is slowly absorbed. This process can create pain and inflammation and may lead to the development of local lesions, masses, and larger amounts of endometriosis.

Different location of endometriosis might cause different symptoms.  However, the most common symptoms include:

• Painful, heavy, or irregular periods
• Pain during or after sex
• Infertility
• Irritable bowels
• Fatigue and lower back pain

A young or middle age woman with one or more of the above symptoms may be suffering from endometriosis. In western medicine endometriosis is usually treated with hormones and surgery. Synthetic hormones always cause some side effects, such as liver and kidney damage. In some cases, the symptoms might come back again after both surgical and hormonal treatment.

Is there any better solution for endometriosis?

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including acupuncture and herbs, has been used successfully in treating endometriosis.

In TCM theory, endometriosis is caused by several pathology factors including blood stagnation, qi stagnation and deficiency, as well as cold and heat. Traditional Chinese medicine is able to understand endometriosis based on the differentiated clinical manifestations associated with each individual. It is important in TCM to diagnose the patient according to her own specific pattern. Some of the points and herbs are used to remove blood stasis, and release pain. Each point and herb selected has its own therapeutic importance in the treatment of endometriosis depending on the TCM diagnosis of the individual.

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a viable and effective treatment for this debilitating condition with acupuncture and herbs providing a safer, gentler and effective solution without any known side effects to the methods used. In a study published in the December 2002 issue of The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine researchers selected 67 women diagnosed with dysmenorrhoea due to endometriosis. It was reported that 81% of these women had less painful periods after receiving the acupuncture treatments.

Dr. Tiejun Tang MD PhD TCM MATCM
Asante Academy of Chinese Medicine

Helping Sciatica with Acupuncture

What is sciatica?

The main nerve in our legs is called the sciatic nerve. It is formed from several nerves leading from the lower back that travels through the buttock and down each leg.

When the sciatic nerve is inflamed, pain/numbness/weakness is felt in the buttock and upper thigh. In severe cases it can travel all the way down to the feet, where the pain is felt down the back of the leg or the outside of the leg depending on which part of the sciatic nerve is inflamed.

The pain may be constant or it may be a sudden pinching sensation.

What causes the sciatica?

There are thought to be many factors which lead to the development of sciatic pain.

These include having a weak back, poor posture and wearing high heeled shoes.

It is commonly seen in people who have jobs which involve a lot of heavy lifting, such as builders; those which involve long periods of sitting still, such as office work or taxi driving; those which involve long periods of standing such as a shop assistant.

Pregnancy is also a very common time for sciatica to develop where the mothers posture has to adjust to the additional weight it is carrying.

In severe cases of sciatic pain the cause may be a slipped vertebral disc which presses onto the nerve itself in the lower back (slipped disc),

How is sciatica commonly treated?

Sciatica is often treated with pain killers or anti inflammatory drugs. In some cases the doctor will recommend an epidural injection of an anaesthetic drug into the lower back. If the cause of the pain can be identified, such as a slipped disc, then surgery may be needed.

How does ACUPUNCTURE RELIEVES SCIATIC PAIN?

The acupuncture points used are mainly in the lower back and affected legs. The needles follow the path of the sciatic nerve and directly stimulate it. The body in response to the stimulation releases various natural pain relievers such as serotonin and opioid peptides and it is these that help to relive the pain felt.

The Chinese philosophy is to balance the energy flow in the leg and therefore relieve the pain.

It is common for an electro-acupuncture machine to be connected to the needles once they have been inserted into the body. This provides a continuous stimulation to the needles. Its works in a similar way to a tens machine.

Does treatment hurt?

No, acupuncture does not hurt although during a good treatment a dull ache or travelling sensation down the leg will be felt. This is a normal feeling of the acupuncture points being activated and will pass within several minutes of the needle being inserted. The needles are usually left in between 20-30 minutes.

How many sessions are needed?

This depends on the individual but usually 5-10 treatments are needed. Top up sessions thereafter help to prevent reoccurrence of the pain.

Are there any side effects from the acupuncture?

No, acupuncture for sciatica is very safe. Some patients may experience some drowsiness or slight bruising. It is also safe and very effective for pregnant woman with sciatica.

Lorena Molossi BSc (Hons) BM MBAcC Dip Tuina ITEC Dip Reflexology ITEC Dip Holistic Massage
Asante Academy of Chinese Medicine

ITEC Dip Holistic Massage

TREATING CANCER with Chinese medicine

Cancer is one of the most fearful of diseases,  and causes pain, suffering and death all over the world. To treat and prevent cancer is one of the most common research subjects for science and doctors. We all hope that one day we can conquer this fatal illness and make human life better and longer. And although Western medicine has advanced a great deal in treating cancer, there is still a long way to go in achieving this goal.

So how has Chinese Medicine treated cancer for the past thousands of years? And how does it work?  How can we prevent the cancer? Can people in the west use Chinese medicine at the same time asreceiving normal hospital treatment?

In order to answer these questions we have to firstly explain how Chinese Medicine  sees cancer, or to put it more explicitly, WHAT exactly is CANCER according to Chinese medicine?

So what are cancers? That depends on how you look at them. According to western medicine cancers are body cells growing or reproducing incorrectly, which causes them to be faulty cells. These faulty cells often form lumps or tumours which continue to grow at the expense of healthy body tissue. Eventually the lumps or tumours can destroy body organs and cause death.  Since the problem is caused by these malfunctioning cells, the focus of western medicine is on targeting these cells and eradicating them.  This is done by removal(i.e. Surgical operation), or burning them off (i.e. Radiotherapy), or killing or poisoning them (i.e. Chemotherapy).  This makes sense in some ways. But there is one major problem and that is often these faulty cells return again after the treatment. The problem is simply that western medicine is only dealing with the existing or tangible malfunctioning cells and is not addressing whatever is causing these cells to malfunction.  Just like when we cut the grass or burn the grass in the field and next year it grows back again. This is because the roots of the grass are still alive beneath the surface, in the same way that the root of the problem the cancerous cells is also still there.  So from this angle,  these treatments do not make sense or at least not very good sense.

In Chinese medicine we think of cancer not as a single disease, but as a illness of the  whole body, or at least a system breakdown. We look at cancer cells as part of a manifestation of whole body being ill. To treat the whole body is far more important than just to treat the cancer cells. In fact, in Chinese Medicine we even don’t have a universal name “CANCER”. There are about over 50 different diseases described as similar to the cancer.

The forming of cancer is always the result of various weaknesses of the body, mostly the vital QI (or energy) depletion. This could be the kidney qi, liver qi or spleen qi etc in Chinese medicine. Cancer patients will also invariably have various degrees of stagnation of the Qi and blood, and also often have excessive toxins such as phlegm and mucus in the body.

In short, the real problem of cancer is not the specific change of the body’s cells, but a system wide malfunctioning within the body. These systems include various types of qi and blood as well as organs. This is equivalent to the immune system, blood circulation and malfunction of some organs such as kidney and liver or spleen in western medicine.

Chinese Medicine doctors have been treating cancer for thousands of years not by targeting the cancerous cells but by treating the whole of the body.  We strengthen the patient’s qi and blood to help the body clear the cancer itself.  People often ask us “if you do not physically remove the tumour how can you clear the cancer or where does it go?”

Because of this theory, for thousands of years to treat cancers with Chinese medicine we focus on the body rather than bad cells. We strengthen the patient’s qi and blood to help the body to clear the cancer itself. People often ask us if you do not physically remove the tumour how you can clear them or where can they go. The answer is simple. They come from nowhere and go nowhere, or they go where they come from.

In Chinese medicine strengthening  a patients’ body  will involve a comprehensive regime including herbal medicines, acupuncture, diet, and special exercises. All of these therapies must be based on Chinese medicine philosophy and diagnosis. Of couse the experiences of individual doctors can also be vital.

Nowadays many patients are already receiving western medical treatment before starting Chinese medicine and worry if they can work together. In fact this is a very normal practice in China. The patients receive both therapies together in hospital from the very beginning. Particularly some of the side effects from the chemotherapy and radiotherapy such as low white blood cell account or sickness can be very much reduced by some herbs or diet. For example the herb called Astragalus is proven to raise the white blood cell count by many studies both in China and the west.

In Chinese Medicine herbs are often used to tackle the cancer directly. Sometimes TCM doctors have to use very strong remedies which can cause drastic effects such as vomiting, diarrhea or others. Doctors should always inform the patient of this beforehand. Normally these herbs are safe and the side effects not long lasting.

Even if we have the best medicines, from the east or west, to treat cancer, it is still not good, because we prefer not to have cancer in the first place. So prevention is more important than treatment. The theory and knowledge and wisdom about life style, food and emotions, in Chinese medicine, has so much to offer. Many herbal supplements have been proven to be very good for the  immune system and are becoming a part of the daily intake for millions people around the world. For example the herb called Linzhi is Chinese people’s first choice for helping and protecting the liver.

Professor Song Ke
TCM Consultant & Principal Asante Academy

For more information on Chinese Medicine visit the Asante website
http://www.asante-academy.com/

Treating Infertility with Chinese Medicine – Professor Ke explains

Professor Song Ke is a leading expert in treating infertility with Chinese Medicine.  Professor Ke is the Principal of Asante Academy of Chinese Medicine and treats patients from all over the globe at his practice in Harley Street.  In this article, Professor Ke explains how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help with infertility.

Introduction

Despite the fact that conventional medicine can perform near miracles for some childless couples, infertility remains a very common problem in Britain and the Western world, affecting as many as one in four women, and about the same number of men.  The causes of infertility in most cases are not clear, or are unexplained. The modern therapies such as IVF or IUI over all have a little success, as low as about 20% of success rate. In order to solve this problem, we have to ask why their success rate is so low. The answer is not that the modern therapies are not technologically sound, but that the philosophy underlying the treatment is lacking of proper thought and incorrect, in my opinion, or is simply too mechanical. Too much attention is put on producing the eggs and fertilizing them artificially. No work, or very little work, is done in preparing the patient’s body, or the quality of the eggs. This may result in the failure of the fertilized egg to survive, or the rejection of the embryo by the body.  Just as you cannot scatter seeds on rocky ground and hope for a successful harvest, so one must also prepare the body by making the person healthier both physically and mentally. This, achieving the so called harmony of yin and yang, qi and blood, is one of the main aims of Chinese Medicine. So by examining the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) treatment of infertility, it may be possible to tackle this world-wide problem. Over the centuries TCM has certainly played a very important role in maintaining a high population in China. For the past 20 years my personal experience in treating infertility in the West and the tangible results from many thousands of patients have been very encouraging. Therefore I will try to briefly discuss the details of how infertility is treated in TCM.

The basic theory of fertility in TCM

What makes us fertile?
According to TCM theory the reproductive systems of human beings are mainly controlled by kidneys. The quality and quantity of the eggs and sperms are dominated by the kidney essence which is called JING or JING QI. The better the Jing the better the eggs and sperms.
Apart from the Jing’s production of the eggs and sperms, equally important are the planting and carrying of the fertilized eggs. These are the responsibilities of the kidney qi, blood and uterus. The quality of them will determine the whole pregnancy will be successful or not… How can we judge the quality of the kidney, blood and uterus?  We will discuss this in the TCM diagnosis section.

What causes infertility?
Anything affecting or weakening the kidney, blood and uterus will cause infertility. The following are the most common causes:
Genetic defects or weakness, such as inherited weak genes.
Over consuming of our qi, blood and jing. Such as working to hard and too long without enough rest; too heavy menstrual bleeding; or too much sexual intercourse.
Emotional stagnation. Such as long term worries or depression.
Improper diet. Such as not eating enough food or lacking a wide range of the food.
Wrong medicine. Many medicines can damage the kidneys.
Directly weakening the reproductive system. The contraceptive pill, if used for too long, will also cause fertility problems. Simply they shut down the ovary (like an engine) If this happens over a long period this will cause the ovaries to shrink because of lack of use.
Wrong (or unnecessary) treatment e.g. D&C performed for too many young girls for unnecessary purpose. It can sometimes damage the lining of the uterus.

How do we diagnose infertility ?
In TCM we pay a lot of attention to women’s menstruation patterns, including the regularity, duration, length of the bleeding, quality and quantity of the blood (i.e. the color, the thickness, the texture, the smell, presence of any clots, and how big these are, etc.), and any complications with menstruation. We also check the whole body, as well as reading the pulse and tongue. From this information we can then assess the quality of the kidney Jing qi, blood and uterus.

According to the patients’ clinical data, particularly the information about the menstrual cycle, we usually divide infertility into the following 5 categories:

Kidney deficiency: scanty menstrual bleeding, thin blood, weak back, tiredness. Feeling too cold or too hot, especially at night.
Liver qi stagnation: painful and irregular menstruation, lots of PMT.
Dampness and phlegm blockage: lacking of menstrual bleeding, but more discharges or mucus, often over weight, and feeling of heaviness of the body.
Blood deficiency: scanty menstrual bleeding with pale blood. Tiredness and sallow complexion.
Blood stagnation: very painful menstruation, with dark clots

How do we treat infertility?

We treat the above 5 categories as follows:

1.Kidney deficiency

Herbal prescription—SU LING ZHU(ren shen, bai zhu, fu ling, bai shao yao, gan cao, dang gui, shu di huang, tu si zi, du zhong, lu jiao, chuan jiao)
Acupuncture—BL23, CV4, SP6, ST36, KI2, KI13.

2. Liver qi stagnation
Herbal prescription—KAI YU ZHONG YU TANG (gang gui, bai zhu, bai shao yao, fu ling, dan pi, xiang fu, tian hua feng)
Acupuncture—CV3,KI14, LR3, KI13, GB34, SP6.

3. Dampness and phlegm stagnation.
Herbal prescription—QI GONG WAN (fa ben xia, cang zhu, xiang fu, sheng qu, fu ling, chen pi, chuang xiong)
Acupuncture—CV3, ST30, ST40,SP6, SP9.

4. Blood deficiency
Herbal prescription—-SI WU TANG (dang gui, chuan xiong, shao yao, shu di huang)
Acupuncture—ST36,CV6,SP6,SP9, BT20

5. Blood stagnation
Herbal prescription—XUE FU ZHU YU TANG (dang gui, sheng di huang, tao ren, hong hua, zhi ke, chi shao yao, chai hu, gang cao, jie geng, chuan xiong, niu xi)
Acupuncture—CV3,ST29, SP6, KI13.

Can TCM work together with modern therapies such as IVF, IUI?

The answer is yes. Nowadays many patients try to have an IVF or IUI treatment together with the TCM treatment. TCM focuses on the body, preparing the body. This includes improving the quality of the eggs and sperms, helping the lining of the uterus, while modern therapies focus on insemination. This kind of “one plus one work” may result in “equals three”.  From my personal experience of treating thousands of patients, the following procedures should be followed:

Before the IVF we should tonify the kidney, nourish and move the blood. This will help the body produce better eggs and produce a better lining of the uterus.

During the IVF we should cool the heat and balance liver. This will synchronize the body and the uterus; the internal and external hormones.

After insemination we should nourish and warm the blood, tonify the spleen and kidney. This will assist the embedding and development of the embryo – preventing miscarriages

Furthermore, many clinical trials recently carried out in the West have  showed a positive effect in acupuncture treatment with IVF. For example,  Dutch and American researchers analysed results from seven clinical trials (selected as eligible from a total of 108), all published since 2002 and carried out in four Western countries. They included data on 1366 women and compared acupuncture given within one day of embryo transfer, with sham acupuncture, or no additional treatment. All except one used a similar acupuncture protocol (based on Paulus et al). The analysis showed that combining real acupuncture with embryo transfer was associated with significant and clinically relevant improvements in clinical pregnancy rate. Women who underwent acupuncture were 65% more likely to have a successful embryo transfer procedure and 91% more likely to have a live birth. (Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2008 Mar 8;336(7643):545-9.)

For more information about Chinese Medicine and Professor Song Ke please visit Asante Academy website at http://www.asante-academy.com/