Traditional Chinese Medicine

[so lucky]

After numerous bouts with medical doctors who have only made DH's problems worse by prescribing scarey medicines, and my 7 years of pretty much constant pain, DH and I went to see a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner yesterday. She is also a chiropractor and accupuncturist, so it's not like she got a license by ordering it from the back of Grit. Anyway, It was a new experience for me. She has to concoct the right formula for my particular issues, she says, and I will be sent the herbal capsules in the mail. While I was there, she noticed that I have a cold coming on, and asked if I wanted something to shorten the duration and feel better. Well, Yes! So I have these two bitter tasting tinctures to take 4 times a day in water.
Sooooo, we'll see what happens. She told me to taper off caffeine, and stop taking my SAM-e, which I will be lost without. But she assures me I will have plenty of more natural energy once I start taking the preparation I am getting. OK.
Anybody else been to a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor? What were your results?

 

[canesisters]

Well, I've never tried it myself but I have always been skeptical of 'modern' medicine. I hope that yall will find some relief with her and I'll be following this thread.

 

[digitS']

My MD is of Chinese ancestry. I don't suppose that counts, tho'. I once told him I was using oil of wintergreen in an Asian liniment instead of methyl salicylate. He didn't bonk me on the head or anything.

I have been to an Asian herbalist but with someone else; I was not the patient. This was years ago. The herbalist was from Vietnam but I was told that he was an ethnic Chinese.

Result - continuing loss of function leading to organ failure.

Steve
who has just returned from the hospital where SIL underwent an unplanned appendectomy.

 

[897tgigvib]

Some doctors it just seems like they are in cahoots with the pharmaceutical companies and or own stock in them.

I find one of the best ways to tell a great doctor is to see if she or he is working to reduce the medicines. I was extremely lucky to have had the world's top eye doctor come all the way from England to see my eyes.

There is a whole lot to say about herbs. Tinctures and extracts are the actual plant material. They now have ways that reduces what is in it to a concentrate of just the desired mixes and to allow any alcohol used to derive it to evaporate off. They are even now using special bacteria to predigest the tinctures so what is left is even more usable by the body.

The coop organic food store in Ukiah has a pretty good array of these, and their workers in that section are herbalists who have specialists come and give private, member, and public seminars and lectures.

 

[so lucky]

Well, Steve, let's just hope your friend's experience was the exception, not the rule, for oriental medicine. I would think there are varying levels of experience in diagnosis, just as in our western medicine. My virus/cold/sinus infection is much better today, btw.

 

[catjac1975]

I don't know if doctors are in cahoots with the drug companies. These companies do create good products that save lives. They also market money makers with questionable benefits and some that cause death. Drug companies support universities where the one way of teaching how to provide medical care is with western medicine i.e.. drugs. Doctors get there info on new drugs from the drug companies.
No medicine will keep us alive forever. What alternative medicine does for me is provide a gentler effective remedy for what ails me. But, if I need an antibiotic I will take one. My homeopath helps me with the common miseries of cold and flu along with a host of other problems. I have had great luck with acupuncture too. I had carpal tunnel so bad I was researching the surgery. 2 acupuncture treatments and I have no symptoms for several years now.

 

[digitS']

So Lucky, there are some problems that are inevitable.

The World Factbook, CIA shows us that there isn't 40 months difference between the life expectancy of an American and a citizen of China.

Hong Kong has the US beat by nearly that much.



Steve

 

[joz]

I personally have experienced improvement with TCM techniques.

Jin Shin Jyutsu - Manipulation of energy in the body through contact (no needles, no pressure) - Improvement in sports related injuries, rapid healing time

Acupuncture - LOVE IT. Don't understand it, but love it. Went in for menstrual cramping issues, was treated once weekly for 12 weeks. Didn't notice a difference with that (tho it did affect my cyclic schedule, so SOMETHING was happening, but I know how bad my cramps are and any wee twinge sent me running for the Naproxen, so I didn't really test whether it was working or not.) Did, however, experience overall greater energy levels, improved sleep (didn't know I had a problem with sleep until I started doing this... slept straight through the night for probably the first time ever.), and a reduction in stress and anxiety.

My friend has been seeing the same acupuncturist for her back, and has noticed improvement in that and in her anxiety levels. She's still trying to sort out her insomnia with herbs, which are all "too effective"... I think if she just goes for more sessions (she's only a few weeks in) her insomnia will sort itself.

Chinese Herbs - I took a pre-mixed marketed formula known as "Free and Easy Wanderer" to cleanse my liver chi, or somesuch (liver chi blockage is the root cause of menstrual cramping, I'm told). My metabolism perked up, my hair grew faster, my fingernails got superstrong, I felt much more clear. I don't know how much of that is the herbs and how much the needles, but there it all is.

I don't understand how any of it works, but it seems to do so. Whether it's placebo or not... the end effect is what matters, no? And I have to say, I've always appreciated the Eastern medical philosophy much moreso than the Western... Chinese medical practitioners get paid to maintain patient wellness. Western medicine gets paid when people are sick/broken and need fixed.

I've been wanting to go back and start treatments again with the acupuncturist (my work schedule and the clinic schedule didn't jive for a while).

Full disclosure: None of the practitioners listed above is actually Chinese. My friend with the Jin Shin is an old barefoot hippie, and the acupuncturist is a wee white girl.

 

[so lucky]

Ha! The lady I went to is as Caucasian as I am, as well. I just figure that if these methods have been used for thousands of years, there must be something to it. My sinus/cold/virus seems to be completely gone now, about like one would be after a week or 10 days of usual cold virus. And my energy is very high today, with no SAM-e.
And I don't want to live any longer than I already have scheduled, in my genes. My dad lived to 92, and my mom is nearly 88. My goal is to be as un-miserable as possible while I am alive. My mom is alive, but she is truly miserable. She takes about 16 different scripts daily.
I am getting to the point where I truly understand what is meant by the phrase "food is medicine." I have spent the day making fermented kraut and cooking beef bones for broth.

 

[catjac1975]

The training and licensing to be an acupuncturist is a very long and difficult course of study. I get great results from it. My sister is an RN. She had acupuncture for insomnia, and menopausal symptoms, and general aches and pains and had great results.