Massage with aromatherapy oils is used for a variety of conditions and is generally extremely safe.  Turkish researchers reporting in the International Journal of Nursing Practice, recently looked at the effects of lavender oil massage on infantile colic.

The acupuncture point LI 4 is one of a handful that also works well as an acupressure point - which makes it useful for home/self-treatment.  Researchers in this months Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health conducted a study evaluating this commonly used point for pain in a specific application of limiting pain in the first stage of labor.

As anyone who has been to my clinic or my teachers or other colleagues clinics around the world they will know we do a fair amount of deep tuina (Chinese Medical Massage).  While some people absolutely love the techniques, others only put up with it since it seems to help them.  We use it because it is a crucial part of our overall healing system.  It is hard to explain all the details of why, but the following study by researchers from Nanjing University in China helps to illustrate one aspect of why we perform these techniques.

As we have written about before in our article, Vitamins and Supplements - More Harm Than Good, more is most often not better and this appears to be particularly true with unnecessary supplementation.  Yet another large-scale study has been performed which shows that supplementation (with the exception of calcium) appears to lead to an increased risk of mortality in older women.

Before we get into details the crux of this article can be summed up in one statement...  Chinese Medicine treats patterns of illness that can contain any number of symptoms/western conditions whereas generally western medicine is symptomatic/condition based.  This is an important distinction to have in mind when you are are considering using Chinese Medicine (acupuncture, herbal medicine, tuina massage, etc.) for your ailments.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, and other associated symptoms/syndromes are commonly seen clinical in acupuncture practices around the world.  Generally speaking they are treatable conditions with good clinical results, yet the underlying mechanisms of aid are not well understood.  Furthermore there are a host of acupuncture treatment protocols and associated Chinese Medicine techniques used so an idea of how quickly cases should resolve and what techniques lead to the best results is not clear.

Bell's palsy is a commonly treated condition with acupuncture/Chinese Medicine as most western treatment options do not lead to very consistent results.  As it is generally accepted that acupuncture helps clinically with bell's palsy, researchers now are looking at ways to get the best most efficient results.  Within this study, researchers from the People's Hospital of Beijing University, compared laser irraditation with plum blossom needling with cupping.

The acupuncture point, LV 3, is a widely used point for a number of conditions in the human body.  The effects of that point when combined with others within a proper treatment aids conditions as varied as insomnia, anxiety, menstrual issues, digestive issues, and eye swelling among many others.  LV 3 is a very important acupuncture point overall - also one of the more commonly used acupressure points. 

Chinese herbal medicines are offered in a variety of formats.  Traditionally teas comprised of carefully measured amounts of individual herbs were used more often and are common today.  In part to ease storage and patient administration many formulas are now available in granules and pill form (tablets (pian), balls (wan), capsules, etc.).  One might assume that using the formulas in a tea form would better preserve many of the oils and other substances in the herbs that would lead to better results.  Also the teas are assumed by some to avoid the granules/pills not bein

Tai Chi has been shown time and time again in both clinical studies and in real world applications to provide a myriad of health benefits.  One very common aspect to study is to improve balance and coordination in large part to avoid falls in the elderly which is a significant problem.  Researchers from the Oregon Research Institute recently conducted a study looking at the effects of Tai Chi on stability in patients with Parkinson's Disease specifically.

There once was an ancient time when man had no need for speech as we know it. Communication and life was less complex. As we advanced as a race, so did our technology and our communications. We developed our own complex languages and eventually came into the digital age where we communicate by computers, cell phones, and all sorts of devices. We go to big universities and get doctorates in language itself, communication, and speaking itself is a requirement no matter what career path you choose.

Anxiety before and during dental treatments is quite common with some people requiring sedation for relatively simple procedures such as a general cleaning.  Austrian researchers from the Medical University of Vienna recently conducted a study evaluating the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture to help control this pre-dental treatment anxiety.

Glucosamine Hydrochloride (HCL) is often recommended for the management of joint pain by many western and alternative practitioners from various disciplines.  Glucosamine has shown somewhat mixed results clinically and within studies but is generally considered safe and at least somewhat effective.

Chinese Medicine properly applied involves a range of techniques including acupuncture, herbal medicine, tuina massage, cupping, moxibustion, etc..  Used together these tools are used to treat a range of pain related conditions including osteo and rheumatoid arthritis.  Moxibustion (see What is Moxibustion?) is a technique that can be used both within a clinical setting but is often prescribed as a home treatment that is relatively easy to perform once the patient is shown which points to use and the general technique.  The

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As we often mention on this website, Chinese Medicine treats "patterns" not individual symptoms/conditions.  A very common set of diagnostic patterns to have, particularly in westerners, is liver qi stagnation combined with spleen qi deficiency ("LSSD" in this study).  Symptoms-wise this often arises a

Tai Chi is shown repeatedly in clinical studies and in real world examples to produce a broad array of health benefits in participants.  Researchers from the University of Missouri recently conducted a small pilot study evaluating these benefits in women who had recently had treatment for cancer.

Dermatitis and other associated skin conditions are often treated with acupuncture and/or herbal medicine with good success.  Researchers from the department of dermatology at Northwestern University in Chicago recently conducted a study evaluating a simply acupressure point to help eliminate itching (pruritus) and skin changes (lichenification) from atopic dermatitis.

ALS or "Lou Gehrig's Disease" is a quickly debilitating and near exclusively fatal neuro-degenerative disease with no known cure.  Chinese Medicine including herbal medicine, acupuncture, Tong Ren Therapy, Tuina and other aspects has been used to help slow the progression of the disease, but has of yet to reverse it.  A small US study recently used acupoint injection therapy using enercel (an herbal preparation described below) to look for neurological improvement.

Acupuncture and related Chinese Medicine techniques are commonly used to treat a wide range of digestive and bowel related medical conditions.  Irritable bowel syndromes is a commonly treated condition within many acupuncture clinics around the world as western treatments are often limited or undesirable due to side effects.  Because of the wide range of related symptoms and causes from a Chinese diagnostic perspective there are many options for treating IBS.  Within this study, researchers from Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing conducted

Taiwanese researchers from Kuang Tien General Hospital recently conducted a study comparing acupuncture versus the western medication Topamax (topiramate, topiragen) for people with chronic migraines. 

While the science behind the reasoning for removing a women's ovaries (oophorectomy, or ovariectomy) is very debatable and the risks, particularly of hormone therapy, are high it is nonetheless a surgery that is performed to around 1/2 million women in the US each year.  As more women understand the range of aid that is available through Chinese medicinal herbal formulas and techniques such as acupuncture hopefully the number of women who undergo this surgery will drop.