International Links for November, 2008
A recent Italian study reported in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine compared the effect of acupuncture for headaches versus conventional pain killer therapy. One of the most interesting features of this study is that each patient was given a complete examination prior to the start of the test. This allowed the acupuncture therapy to be tailored to the individual causation of each patient’s condition.
acupuncture.fitnessinfoguru.com
There are several days every month to which members of the Academic Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Kuala Lumpur and Selangor look forward. These are the times when the members travel out of their clinics to provide free medical treatment to residents at specific locations.
thestar.com.my
The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has found that more people are turning to traditional acupuncture to alleviate symptoms caused by the emotional strains of everyday life. A recent survey reveals that the tolls of the 21st century are affecting younger people with under-40s seeking traditional acupuncture treatment for emotional issues such as depression, stress and anxiety. 57% of those citing emotional issues are under 40 - a third of who are men - with Londoners representing the highest proportion of sufferers than elsewhere in the UK.
pharma-news.moviesmusic.biz
Several rare herbal plants aboard the recent Shenzhou-7 space mission have now been transferred to a Chinese nanobiotechnology lab for study. The plants, including rauwolfia and salvia miltiorrhiza (red sage, dan shen), were used to produce nanomedicines to treat cancerous tumors, Professor Zhang Yangde with China's Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology at the Central South University told the Changsha Daily newspaper in Hunnan Province on Thursday.
news.xinhuanet.com
Practitioners and patients of traditional Chinese medicine rue the fact that it is being swallowed up by Western medicine. But perhaps the best TCM doctor in Shanghai is determined not to let that happen, writes Zhang Qian.
www.shanghaidaily.com
Early October is the time of year when mountains of mottled green and brown fresh jujubes (or Chinese dates, zao) can be found piled up in the green grocers. Jujubes have been cultivated in China for more than 4,000 years with around 40 different cultivars. Unsurprisingly they are a frequent feature of traditional Chinese medicine, used in treatments for sore throats (possibly due to their mucilaginous nature), stress, and constipation (perhaps due to the laxative effect of the fiber) amongst other things.
www.chinadaily.com.cn
Pelvic girdle pain causes a stabbing or dull pain in the buttocks and pelvis, which may radiate down the leg. It is experienced by about one in five pregnant women and can last beyond pregnancy, leading to long-term sick leave and incapacity.
Dr Helen Elden and her team at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Goteborg, Sweden, investigated the use of acupuncture. They gave 58 women with PGP a course of 12 acupuncture treatments plus standard medical care. A further 57 patients received non-penetrating sham acupuncture plus standard medical care.
www.staffnurse.com
Move over Prozac: Mother Nature has her own brand of antidepressant. It's an herb known as St. John's wort, and it works. Extracts of the herb are effective in the treatment of mild to moderate depression, according to a recent Cochrane Review, part of a database that provides summaries and interpretations of high-quality medical research.
Scientists at the Center for Complementary Medicine in Munich, Germany, analyzed findings from 29 clinical trials that included more than 5,000 participants from several countries. Based on the results of these trials, the German researchers concluded that extracts of St. John's wort are not only superior to placebo, they are just as effective as many commonly prescribed prescription drugs in the treatment of depression.
www.paramuspost.com
TWO traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals will be built in Shenzhen to further promote traditional healing practices. One of the hospitals will specialize in acupuncture and massage and the other in treating liver disease.
To date, 95% of the more than 1,700 hospitals and outpatient departments in the city are providing TCM services while half of the more than 600 community clinics are offering these services for their patients
www.visitchn.com
Larimar, a four-star spa hotel sitting atop a small hill in the southern Austrian town of Stegerbach, has been very popular since it started operation more than one year ago. The hotel does not owe its success to luxury, comfort, nor competitive prices, for it can hardly compete with nearby rival five-star hotels, villa spa hotels or the cheaper public spahotels in these regards. Yet, Larimar has managed to achieve almost daily full booking since September. Its secret, said manager Johann Haberl, lies in introducing traditional Chinese medical therapy to its services.
news.xinhuanet.com
Gaofang is a condensed tonic of herbs and animal ingredients in a paste that reinforces energy, both yang and yin, as needed. It is many people's favorite winter tonic, but it's potent and care is advised since many people dose themselves incorrectly.
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners prescribe it according to one's constitution, and many kinds with different ingredients and properties are commercially available. A prescription can also be compounded by a TCM pharmacy though some people do it at home.
www.shanghaidaily.com
Wang Yu decided to give acupuncture a try. According to Chinese traditional medicine, the needles help the body regain its balance. In the case of obesity, this results in weight loss. Another advantage is that all the patient needs to do is just to lie down. But Doctor Pan Shanying says acupuncture is a lot of work. It will only be effective if the patient is willing to maintain a healthy diet.
www.cctv.com
Wild animals are climbing back onto Chinese plates after the deadly SARS virus made some diners wary, and booming demand for traditional medicine is also threatening some plants, environmentalists said on Wednesday. The demand for medicine could also be as destructive to natural vegetation and habitats as the quest for food, in a country where traditional medicine is widely used and has also yielded valuable compounds for use in Western treatments.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
A rising star in the field of genome research has been lured back to Canada from the U.S. to carry out the world's largest plant DNA project at the University of Alberta. Plants used in some cultures as herbal medicines will be among those tested and there's already a lot of excitement about the possibility of new medicines emerging from this research.
www.google.com