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Chinese healing herbs and Chinese medicines
have been used for over 3000 years to help people feel better.
It has been so successful that more and more health professional
have been using some of the oldest Chinese herbal formulas to
help their patients improve their vitality and live longer.
Chinese healing herbs have been used for treatment of various illnesses
and for the restoration of normal body function. These herbs
have proven to be both safe and cost effectiveness. Chinese
herbal medicine is very different from modern medicine, in that
it is based upon the treatment and promotion of health through
proven formulas. Modern medicine on the other hand uses patients
as experimental subject over and over again. On the whole most
medicines used today have less than a 40% success rate.
What is Chinese Medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the greatest herbal systems
of the world, with an unbroken tradition going back thousands
of years. I remember my teachers saying
Chinese medicine is good because we worked out the kinks many
many years ago. Even though we have a strong historical background
for excellence in herbal medicine, our formulas have continued
to change and improve over time.
Chinese herbal medicine is based on the concepts
of yin-yang, the five elements and the eight principles. It
aims have been to foster balance and harmony within the subject
by looking at both the individual and his environment. Chinese
medicine recognizes that health is more than just the absence
of pain or dysfunction. Health is a dynamic state in which
one lives at ease in his/her environment and at peace within
himself and his/ her relationships.
Are Chinese Herbal Remedies
Safe?
Chinese healing herbs are very safe especially when prescribed
by a trained practitioner. Sometimes side effects are possible
with certain herbal formulas. The most common problem is digestive
difficulties immediately upon beginning herbal therapy, for
the most part it will last for a few days. This can include
nausea and/or diarrhea and/or constipation. Usually it can be
due to too high a dosage for the individual. Simply reduce the
dosage and the symptoms change back to normal.
Yin and Yang
The ancient Chinese philosophers proported that every living
thing is sustained by a balance of two opposing forces. The
called these two forces Yin and Yang. Yin represents |
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the phenomena of things that are not exposed to the dynamic
force of direct sunlight, or the dark side of the mountain.
Whereas Yang is the opposite the sunny side of the mountain.
It is bright, hot, expansive, loud, it has upward movement,
it is active etc. Yin is the opposite of yang. he Yellow Emperor
said ''The principle of Yin and Yang is the foundation of
the entire universe". It underlies everything in creation.
It brings about the development of parenthood; it is the root
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source of life and death. It is found with the temples of
the gods, in order to treat and cure diseases one must search
for their origins.
The Eight Principle
Yin and Yang
can be further developed into the eight principles. Yin/ yang,
interior/exterior, cold/ hot, deficiency/ excess. When yin
and yang are out of balance this can cause blockage of the
life force in the body. The greatest cause of imbalance is
STRESS, followed by emotional upset, poor diet, unconventional
living and unhealthy living conditions which causes infections.
The Five Elements.
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Within
Chinese medicine we divide things into five categories. fire,
earth, metal, water and wood. That include the organs, sense
organs, emotions, taste, etc. The herbs are similarly classified
into the five tastes - sweet, salty, bitter, pungent and sour
- which correspond to the five elements, for example, since
the heart is a five element, it would be treated mainly with
a bitter herb. |
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Picture of Five Elements of Ying Yang |
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What Can Chinese Medicine Treat?
Chinese
healing herbs are successfully used for a very wide range of conditions.
Among the more commonly treated disorders are:
Addiction,
Asthma, Arthritis. Anxiety, Back Pain, Bronchitis, Colitis,
Constipation, Common Cold and Coughs, Chronic Fatigue, Depression,
Diabetes, Diarrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Ear Infection, Fibromyalgia,
Frequent Urination, Gall Bladder Inflammation, Gastro-intestinal
Disorders, Gynecological Conditions, Hay Fever, Headaches,
Hemorrhoids, High Cholesterol, Hypertension, Infertility,
Insomnia, Leucorrhea, Menopausal Problems, Nausea, Parasites,
PMS, Poor Memory, Postpartum Fatigue, Restless Legs Syndrome,
Sciatica, Skin disease, Sinuses, Urinary Tract Infections,
Vaginal Yeast Infections.
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