The Journal of Chinese Medicine back issues from October 2006:
Not very traditional, nor exactly Chinese, so what kind of medicine is it? TCM's discourse on menopause and its implications for practice, teaching, and research.(Textbooks of contemporary Chinese medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract Textbooks of contemporary Chinese medicine regularly claim that the Chinese medical tradition makes available treatment strategies for biomedically defined disorders and that these treatment strategies are rooted in traditional doctrine and thousands of years of ...
Treatment of children in an acupuncture setting: a survey of clinical observations.(surveys)(Survey)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract This article examines the use of acupuncture, massage and herbal medicine for treating children, specifically highlighting diagnostic and treatment strategies that differ from those employed when treating adults. The case studies selected both demonstrate the relevance ...
Bird flu & Chinese medicine.(dosage and administration)(Disease/Disorder overview)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract This is a translation of a Chinese article discussing the Chinese medical pattern discrimination and treatment of highly contagious bird flu in humans. The Chinese original was created by a panel of experts in northern China with clinical experience in the treatment of ...
The treatment of alopecia with acupuncture and related techniques.(clinical practice)(Disease/Disorder overview)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract Alopecia is a common condition characterised by partial or complete hair loss of the scalp or other hair-rich areas. Forty million men and 20 million women are affected by hair loss in the United States and approximately two out of every three men are affected by hair ...
The 'egg factor': using Chinese herbal medicine to improve fertility in a 45-year old woman.(age factors decide the pregnancy outcomes)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract Advanced female age is an important factor in low pregnancy outcome. In the following case study, a course of Chinese herbal medicine improved ovarian and uterine function in a 45-year old woman who had a very low response rate during her two IVF cycles and who was ...
Needles, Herbs, Gods, and Ghosts: China, Healing, and the West to 1848.(origins of accupuncture)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... NEEDLES, HERBS, GODS, AND GHOSTS: CHINA, HEALING, AND THE WEST TO 1848 by Linda L Barnes Harvard University Press, hardback, 458 pages, 31.95 [pounds sterling] This is a fascinating, invaluable and frustrating book. I first came across it while completing a chapter on the ...
Treating different diseases with the point Ear Apex.(case studies)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract The function of the auricular point Ear Apex (Erjian M-HN-10) is discussed in this paper and case histories showing the effective treatment of herpes zoster, acute conjunctivitis, high fever, pharyngitis and aphonia by bleeding Ear Apex with a three-edged needle are ...
A bitter pill.(animal medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract At a recent TCM conference an animal welfare campaigner took the floor to give a presentation outlining details of the bear bile trade, including photographs of captive bears. Due to time constraints, the speaker was unfortunately rushed off stage with no time for ...
Cupping therapy.(treatment methods)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract Cupping therapy is a special treatment within traditional Chinese medicine. Due to its characteristics of being easy to learn and apply and having no side effects, cupping therapy is widely used all over the world. This article introduces cupping materials, methods and ...
Towards a standardised nomenclature in TCM.(Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract The World Health Organization (WHO) initiative towards the development of a standardised nomenclature in TCM is now in its final phases and the review process has been initiated. This paper aims to put forward a set of principles that should inform these efforts ....
Acupuncture & low back pain.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A landmark study has been published by the British Medical Journal on the treatment of lower back pain by acupuncture. 241 adults were randomly assigned to receive either standard care or ten acupuncture treatments and asked to record pain levels, use of pain medication and satisfaction ...
Acupuncture effective for neck pain.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A review of ten different trials has concluded that there is evidence that acupuncture can relieve chronic neck pain. Different trials found that i. Acupuncture offered better pain relief than sham Tens or sham laser or sham acupuncture (needles inserted in ...
Acupuncture effective for fibromyalgia.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Two studies have demonstrated benefit from acupuncture in the treatment of fibromyalgia. In the first, published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 21 patients completed the study. All received 16 treatments over eight weeks, alternating points on the back with points on the ...
Acupuncture & knee osteoarthritis.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Another German trial has shown a significant benefit for acupuncture treatment (in this case in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee), yet with no significant difference between true and sham acupuncture. In this large trial of 1007 patients (treated by 320 different practitioners ...
Acupuncture & pelvic pain.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Acupuncture has previously been shown to be more effective than either standard or specialised exercises in relieving pelvic pain in pregnancy (BMJ 2005;330:761). Now a new study has compared subcutaneous needling without further stimulation and deep needling with deqi for the same ...
Prebirth acupuncture.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of prebirth acupuncture given in the practices of 14 New Zealand midwives over a four-month period found a 35% reduction in induction rates (43% for primigravidae), 31% reduction in epidurals, 32% reduction in emergency caesarean sections and 9% increase in normal vaginal ...
Acupuncture & low back pain: in a large study of the use of acupuncture for the treatment of around 10,000 patients with chronic low back pain, acupuncture was found to be more effective than a no-acupuncture control group and relatively cost-effective.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a large study of the use of acupuncture for the treatment of around 10,000 patients with chronic low back pain, acupuncture was found to be more effective than a no-acupuncture control group ...
High intensity acupuncture offers greater pain reduction.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared the efficacy of high-intensity and low-intensity (both 4Hz) electro-acupuncture, and control and placebo treatment (both using the Streitberger needle) in reducing pain-pressure threshold in 48 healthy adults. The high-intensity ...
Fake needles better than sugar for arm pain.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a trial led by Ted Kaptchuk, sham acupuncture (retracting non-penetrating needle) was compared to a placebo (sugar) pill in 270 patients with greater than three months arm pain. During the two-week treatment period both groups improved equally, but after six weeks the patients who had ...
Mushroom helps counter cancer.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Phellinus linteus, a mushroom used in Asian medicine (Sang-Hwang in Korean) can boost the effects of chemotherapy in destroying prostate cancer cells. The rare mushroom grows on ...
Ginseng & cancer.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of nearly 1,500 breast cancer patients in Shanghai found that having taken ginseng regularly before their diagnosis resulted in a significantly reduced chance of dying from the cancer or other causes, and that taking it before and after diagnosis was associated with improved ...
Herbs boost immunity.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a study on 16 healthy subjects it was found that Echinacea purpurea, Huang Qi (Astragali Radix) and Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix) were effective in boosting key blood lymphocytes, the basic building block of the immune system. Echinacea and Gan Cao stimulated proliferation of CD4 T ...
Kampo medicine for hypertension symptoms.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A kampo (traditional Japanese herbal medicine) made from four herbs: Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus) and Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) was found to be significantly more effective than placebo in controlling hypertension symptoms ...
Chinese herbal medicine & surgery.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... The results of a Hong Kong study have led the authors to propose that patients should stop prescribed Chinese herbal medicine before undergoing surgery. Of the 8% of 601 patients who were taking prescribed herbal medicine at the time of their surgery, the rate of complications such as ...
Chinese herbs in short supply.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... The annual demand for raw Chinese herbs is currently 600,000 tons, four times the amount it was ten years ago, with a steady 15% annual increase. At the same time the area of herbs under cultivation has dropped from 270,000 hectares in 2003 to less than 200,000 hectares in ...
Dark soy sauce is a powerful antioxidant.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study from the University of Singapore has shown that dark soy sauce may be more effective than red ...
Vegetables & non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of over 800 adults (466 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 391 without) has found that a high consumption of vegetables (20+ servings a week) is associated with a 42% reduced risk of developing disease compared with a low consumption (eight or less servings a week). Two ingredients in ...
Meditation moderates pain.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of 12 long-term (30 year) practitioners of transcendental meditation (TM) found a 40-50% reduced brain response to experimentally applied pain, compared to 12 healthy controls. When the 12 adults in the control group ...
NHS drug errors.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(National Health Service)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Over 40,000 medication errors a year are made in the UK's National Health Service, of which 2000 cause severe harm to patients. The figures, ...
Duration of antibiotic treatment.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Community acquired pneumonia is one of the most common diseases requiring antibiotic treatment in hospitals, with 7- 10 days of treatment recommended. This practice has now been challenged by a study which found that patients who had improved substantially ...
Tai Chi.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of 39 Chinese adults (average age 65.7 years), all of whom had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, found that three one-hour tai chi classes a week for 12 weeks resulted in significant improvements in balance, ...
Cannabis & cancer.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... The largest study yet conducted into the relationship between smoking cannabis and developing cancer has found that there is no apparent increase in risk for cancers of the lung, neck, tongue, mouth, throat and oesophagus, indeed cannabis may confer some protection against these cancers ....
Passive smoking & diabetes.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Passive exposure to tobacco smoke could increase the risk of developing diabetes. A 15-year study of over 4,500 adults indicated that glucose intolerance was highest among smokers, next highest ...
Younger men die more frequently than younger women.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... More men than women under the age of 44 die prematurely in all the 44 countries a new study looked at, according to an analysis of a World Health Organization ...
Frequent drinking better for men than women.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... It appears that daily drinking of alcohol benefits men but not women. A Danish study of over 50,000 middle-aged adults suggests that while drinking once a week lowers the risk of coronary heart disease in men by ...
Cannabis & infertility.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Research on mice suggest that cannabis use could contribute to early pregnancy failure. Naturally-occurring cannabis-like compounds are produced in various parts of the body, including sperm, eggs and newly-formed embryos. When tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was given to mice it swamped one ...
Low testosterone & earlier death.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a five-year study, low testosterone levels in men over 40 were found to be associated with an up to 88% increased rate of mortality (prostate cancer excluded). Low serum testosterone is associated with reduced ...
Fruit & vegetable juice for Alzheimer's.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A ten-year study of 2000 adults has found that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease was reduced by 76% among those who drank fruit or vegetable juice more than three times a week, with a lesser ...
Obesity affects male infertility.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Men with a higher body mass index (BMI) are up to twice as likely to be infertile as men of normal weight. The study data was drawn from the Agricultural Health Study, a large project that ...
The secret of male happiness.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... While some of us have been told the answer is "naked women carrying food", it appears that for older, retired men the secret of happiness is in fact a long and satisfying marriage and an enjoyable retirement (with time to enjoy their children and take part in hobbies and community ...
Poor results in breech baby examinations.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study to assess the accuracy of manual examination to determine breech babies in late pregnancy has found that only 70% were correctly ...
Older fathers more autism.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... The rate of autism spectrum disorder in children born to men who were aged more than 40 when they fathered them was found in an Israeli study to be ...
Many are called, few come.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a study designed to find out how many Americans follow the four guidelines for good health (not smoking, maintaining a normal weight, eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, taking 30 minutes of exercise five times a week), researchers assessed data from over 153,000 adults ...
Assisted reproduction & placenta previa.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Assisted reproduction techniques (ART) such as IVF have been found to be linked to a higher risk of placenta previa, according to a study of over 800,000 Norwegian pregnancies between 1988 and 2002. The risk of placenta previa was found to be more than five times greater in women who ...
Anger is bad for the lungs.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of 670 men aged between 45 and 86 has found a direct relationship between hostility levels and lung function, and the more hostile they were or became, the more rapid the decline in the lungs. Every ...
Prostate cancer & lifestyle change.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after surgery or radiotherapy for prostate cancer is an indicator of recurrent cancer. Hormonal therapy at this stage can probably only extend survival time slightly and has significant side effects. A study of a small group of men with ...
Keep moving, keep on living.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study of 302 physically functioning older adults (70-82 years) was designed to compare daily activity and rate of mortality over a six-year period. Apart from climbing stairs and walking for fitness, self-reported activities showed no effect on mortality rate. However when an objective ...
Childhood asthma & swimming pools.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... The steady rise in childhood asthma has been something of a mystery since it does not seem to be related to measurable variations in pollution. For example Scotland, with relatively low levels of air pollution, has rates equivalent to some of the most polluted areas of the UK. Now a study ...
Coffee, the liver & the heart.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Drinking one cup of coffee a day reduces the risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver by 22%, rising to around 80% reduction if four or more cups a day were drunk. It is not known which component of coffee (or even the accompanying milk or sugar) is responsible. No similar effect was ...
Tea, the miracle drink.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a study of over 40,000 Japanese adults enrolled in the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study initiated in 1994, it was found that those who drank five or more cups of green tea a day had a death rate that was 26% lower than non tea drinkers at seven years into the study, and 16% ...
Stress & fertility.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Women who had not ovulated for six months or longer (due to functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea consequent to raised cortisol levels) were offered 20 weeks of cognitive behaviour therapy to identify and resolve sources of stress in their lives. Extraordinarily, 80% of the women started to ...
Premature births.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Over the last 20 years, the rate of preterm births has increased in the United States by over 30% with one in eight babies now born at least three weeks early and one in twelve having a low birth weight. The cost of caring for these premature babies is $26 billion a year. Although the ...
Migraines & sexual desire.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Despite the "sorry I've got a headache" stereotype, it appears that young migraine sufferers have a higher sexual drive--at least than similarly-aged people who suffer tension headaches, ...
The Mediterranean diet again shows its value.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A study which compared the short-term effects of a low-fat diet and two kinds of Mediterranean diet (one high in olive oil, the other high in nuts, especially walnuts) found that adults who consumed either Mediterranean diet (especially the walnut based diet) had reduced blood pressure, ...
Morning sickness & diet.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... A comparison of the rates of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy across 21 countries has indicated that it is commonly associated with a diet with a high intake of macronutrients (kilocalories, protein, fat, carbohydrate), as well as sugars, alcohol, stimulants, meat, milk and eggs, and with ...
X-ray risk for breast cancer.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... For women who have a genetic mutation known to cause breast cancer, having a chest X-ray can increase the risk of developing breast cancer up to threefold. (Effect of Chest X-Rays on the Risk of ...
Psilocybin induces mystical experiences.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... In a study partly funded by the US federal government, 36 volunteers were given a single dose of psilocybin in one of the few pieces of research into hallucinogenic drugs to take place over the last 40 years. While one third of participants found the experience frightening, despite the ...
Younger siblings wittier.(News from The Journal of Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Younger siblings tend to be funnier, according to a study of 1000 children for Ocean Village Laughter Lines by Professor Richard Wiseman. He suggests that younger children in a family tend to have to compete for parental attention and being ...
Acupuncture treatment of Bell's palsy, a randomised control trial.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Although the use of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of Bell's palsy is already well known, this randomised control trial provides confirmation of its effectiveness. Bell's palsy is defined as peripheral facial paralysis induced by non-specific inflammation of the facial nerves ...
Forty cases of simple obesity treated by acupuncture.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Obesity is a major health problem in modern society. It is associated with angiocardiopathy, hyperlipaemia, diabetes, hypertension and fatty liver, and its prevention and treatment is of worldwide concern. Because it is cost-effective, simple and lacks side-effects, acupuncture has become ...
Dr Zhang Ren's experience in the acupuncture treatment of intractable eye diseases.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Dr Zhang is an expert in intractable eye diseases with over 30 years of experience in their treatment with acupuncture. The author summarises his teachings under four headings: i. the selection of new and extra points, ii. modifying prescriptions, iii. applying deep and threading needle ...
The effects of cupping on lung function in asthmatic children.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... The authors report briefly on a study in which cupping was performed on a group of children suffering from acute asthma attack and the changes observed in lung function. Out of the 75 children in the study, 33 were diagnosed with mild asthma, 28 with moderate asthma and 14 with severe ...
A clinical study of wrist-ankle acupuncture for 30 cases of diabetic peripheral neuritis.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes and one of the main causative factors in diabetic disablement. It involves pathological change mainly to the peripheral vascular system with disturbance of the nerve cells, but can also affect the cranial and spinal nerves. Symptoms ...
Acupuncture treatment of acute cerebral infarction using the 'three step needling' method.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Oct 01, 2006; ... The author reports on his 'three step needling' method in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction, in which disturbance of the cerebral blood supply and a lack of oxygen to surrounding tissue results in pathological changes to structure and function. Sixty-eight hospital inpatients with ...
Ginger moxibustion for the treatment of cervical vertigo--a report of 40 cases.(Abstracts: The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Cervical vertigo is mainly caused by poor blood supply in the basal arteries due to instability of the vertebrae from soft tissue disorders. It is characterised by rotatory, floating or shaking vertigo, which is both induced and aggravated by cervical movement. In this report the author ...