Author
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Topic: IBS and traditional chinese herbal medicine.
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funkyaquarianpixie Knowflake Posts: 319 From: Registered: Aug 2005
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posted June 03, 2006 01:33 PM
On my way to the car park today, i was walking past the chinese herbalist in the mall after finishing my shopping, and looked at the IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) stuff.Having recently been off sick with depression i found it interesting that their rundown of symptoms for IBS include depression and lethargy. Anyway after the dude looked at my tounge, he told me to stop over thinking and chew my food properly, which seemed to make sense, and then my mum bought me £16 worth of these pill thingies. He also mentioned my poor circulation and my need to do some kind of detox. And my insomnia! all this from me poking my tounge out! Anyone else with IBS here? Anyone else tried stuff other than peppermint tea and diet alteration to help with it... And is trad chinese herbalism any cop? Ive had the first dose.. Will post an update in about a week, i have about a 2 week supply.. I also think i need to meditate more. IP: Logged |
Kim Rogers Knowflake Posts: 187 From: Watertown MN USA Registered: Apr 2006
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posted June 03, 2006 03:05 PM
Yes, I have used traditional Chinese medicine. They did more than just look at my touge. They took my pulse,which is different than American idea of a pulse. Asked a million, what seemed like wierd, questions & gave a diagnosis each time I was there. I got accupuncture & herbs, so the energies would change from visit to visit. It sounds like your Dr may not be one of the best. Just a guess from what you said.IP: Logged |
funkyaquarianpixie Knowflake Posts: 319 From: Registered: Aug 2005
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posted June 03, 2006 05:05 PM
ow i forgot the pulse thing he did that too,... and just got the herbs.. Im gonna give em a try, tho, and maybe try acupuncture. Pix IP: Logged |
Azalaksh Knowflake Posts: 2463 From: New Brighton, MN, USA Registered: Nov 2004
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posted June 03, 2006 05:30 PM
This is an article from the acupuncturist I'm seeing for my psoriasis: quote: "May I Read Your Pulse?" How Traditional Chinese Medicine Examines Patients. Dr. Zhuoling Ren, T.C.M.D., T.C. Wellness/June 99 Tuesday, June 01, 1999We all seem to know how an examination will go when visiting our Western medical doctor. But when you come to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic for treatment, what do you expect from the traditional Chinese medical doctor? What will she or he do? Generally, after asking several brief questions, I ask the patient, "May I check your pulse?" The most common answer I hear to this question is "Which one?" Then, when my answer is "Both." there is surprise. When I next position my three fingers on the patients wrist for more than what is usually experienced from a Western medical doctor, the patient is again surprised. Although their face expresses surprise, politeness keeps them from asking what I know they are thinking. "Why does it take so long?" Ocasionally, a patient will ask, "Are you reading something in addition to the rate of my heartbeat?" "Yes." *What I Can Tell from Your Pulse* The rate of beats and the rhythm of the heart is one basic piece of information we check. Generally, when doing this, we don't rely upon a watch to count. According to the classical Chinese medicine method of reading the pulse, we refer to one full unit of breathing, which consists of one inhale and one exhale, in which 5 - 7 beats per unit is considered normal. The important thing to be checked, however, is the energy of the pulse. "Mai yi hao qi" ("The pulse tells the energy") is an expression from a classic of Chinese medicine that is always used. In pulse diagnosis, the doctor will place three fingers along the artery of the patient's wrist, feeling for three special points. Each finger reflects the condition of one of the six vital organs. There are a total of nine positions on each wrist: each of the three fingers reading the pulse at the surface, a little deeper down, and finally at the deepest level. From a combination of these 9 positions and the description of 32 or more different sensations of the pulse's beating, we can detect the condition of each organ or system. These 32 descriptions are, for example, floating pulse, scattered pulse, slippery pulse, hesitant pulse, etc. Each one indicates certain changes in the body from which many things can be diagnosed. *Importance of Pulse Reading* We are all aware that Chinese medicine is an ancient medicine having developed long before the industrial revolution. 2,000 years ago there were no devices or technology for detecting the human internal body condition. Through observation and experience in connecting a condition with a pulse sensation, traditional Chinese medical doctors developed a reliance upon their fingers. Subtle changes in the pulse are related to subtle changes in the internal condition. The pulse can give us the general condition of the energy: whether it is strong, weak or stagnant. It can also give us the condition of each individual system. This pulse-energy is an objective reality; it can be felt. Because of this, pulse reading takes on a very important role in traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis. There are so many times when, after reading their pulse, I tell a patient about their body condition and possible symptoms, that I find them surprised. "How did you know?" they will ask. "Your pulse told me." *It's Easy to Talk About, but Not Easy to Feel* Everyone who has studied traditional Chinese medicine knows that pulse reading is one of the most difficult aspects to learn and master. In traditional Chinese medicine there is a classic idiom, "Xin xia yi jie, zi xia nan ming," which means, "Clear in your mind but confused under your finger." It's easy to explain the various pulse sensations, but it takes experience to be able to distinguish the subtle differences between one pulse type and another. The 32 pulse sensations can be explained on the blackboard but when you go to check a patient's pulse, most of the sensations are about the same. How do you then differentiate? Practice and experience. In China, people say that they can tell how good the doctor is by how much she/he can tell from reading the pulse. *The Pulse Is Not the Only Reference* When teaching, I tell my students not to panic if they cannot feel anything from a pulse reading. Pulse reading is an important diagnostic method, but it isn't the only one. Tongue examination and inquiry of the patient also play a very important role in traditional Chinese medicine examination. It's the comprehensive gathering and analyzing of information that is the real skill. Western medical knowledge is also a helpful diagnostic tool. When I was working in the hospital, in China, I liked to refer to all the information I could get. This included comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine examination, along with necessary laboratory tests and physical examinations. That, to me, is the advantage of the modern Chinese medical hospital. We can do both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. There is much research that can be done between pulse reading and modern examination. Anyway, "Let me check your pulse."
I'm taking some TCM herbs that boost my immune system, and also some herbs that have helped my allergies!! This alternative medicine is just as valid as Western medicine.....Zala IP: Logged |
Kim Rogers Knowflake Posts: 187 From: Watertown MN USA Registered: Apr 2006
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posted June 03, 2006 06:56 PM
Zala,There is a college in Bloomington on 84th & Penn. That's where I had my TCM treatments. The only problem is with some students, I had to tell them when they hit the qi (chi). IP: Logged |
Joanna Knowflake Posts: 13 From: Shenzhen/HK,China Registered: Jun 2006
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posted June 20, 2006 03:32 AM
There're lots people use acupuncture to fix their problems. but the most popular about the acupuncture right now. its helping you loose your weight. and it does work well. IP: Logged |
~nae Knowflake Posts: 38 From: Vic, Australia Registered: Nov 2004
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posted June 20, 2006 07:26 AM
Hey guys, I was diagnosed with IBS recently. Had it for years... constipation, diarrhoa, and usually both at the same time...painful but bearable. But then recently I was having acid reflux, I was really bloated, felt faint and/or dizzy all the time - I was physically exhausted and miserable, and no idea what was wrong with me! (I thought I must have been having morning sickness, I even looked pregnant...took a pregnancy test and was happy to find it was negative, but then I was even more paranoid that I still didn't know what was wrong! lol!) The doctor put me on Somac (proton-pump inhibitor) and Aloe Vera juice for two weeks, and I cut all gluten and dairy from my diet (and already a vegetarian so there wasn't much left to eat!) - none of it helped and by then I thought I'd rather just die! Then my mum saw a naturopath and bought me these herbal drops, called Iberogast. They're made in Germany and prescribed over there for medically-diagnosed IBS. You're meant to take 20 drops 3 times a day in warm water, and I tell you what, I took half that dose and within a week my IBS had completely gone. I haven't even needed to finish the bottle, it's that good. I didn't believe ANYTHING could help me I was so ill, but unless my IBS spontaneously resolved itself, it was definately the Iberogast that healed me.
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Gooberzlostlovefound Knowflake Posts: 807 From: and the embers never fade in your city by the lake Registered: Jan 2002
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posted June 20, 2006 10:49 AM
Hi nae....question.. I looked up Iberogast online....I find that it's discontinued? Is there any way to get it that you know of? IP: Logged |
Kim Rogers Knowflake Posts: 187 From: Watertown MN USA Registered: Apr 2006
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posted June 22, 2006 05:08 PM
Well of course it's discontinued-anything that works can't be good. IP: Logged |
Nebel Knowflake Posts: 258 From: Australia Registered: Aug 2002
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posted June 23, 2006 08:28 PM
OK, here's some food for thought: I tried the western naturopathic approach (i.e. diet, exercise, herbs) for six years to try and get rid of my menstural problems and acne. After seeing an acupuncturist (no herbs) for three months I not only had no pimples but my periods are now pain free and my PMS has gone You may already know, but acupuncture moves the energy blocks that create illness (simply speaking). All the diets and exercise and herbs help, but if you have a mental block that is stopping you from getting well, acupuncture will move it Good luck - and stick with it Nebel IP: Logged | |