Archive for December, 2009

The Wise Man’s Gift

Herbal Medicine, News, Research | Posted by Philip
Dec 30 2009

The Three Wise Men of Biblical fame gave the infant Jesus presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  (Well, strictly speaking there was no mention of the number of wise men who visited but the number three was inferred from the number of gifts – go figure.)  Gold is obvious – fit for a king.  Frankincense is used by priests in temples.  Myrrh?  Apparently for burial.  Traditional catholic theology (okay, I’m catholic) deduces that the three gifts represent Jesus’ royalty, priestly character, and eventual death.

However, it shall be seen that myrrh is more than meets the eye.  I’m rushing a bit today because I still have many holiday obligations, so I’ll just link to and quote this article: (http://www.hc2d.co.uk/content.php?contentId=13588)

‘Gloomy’ myrrh good for heart

22nd December 2009

Myrrh, the Middle Eastern tree resin, may contain powerful heart-healthy compounds, according to new Saudi research.

Nadia Saleh Al-Amoudi from King Abd Al-Aziz University in Saudi Arabia said that myrrh resin could be used along with other plants to give a big boost to heart health.

She said, however, that more research would be needed before scientists could find a safe way of administering it to people.

Raw myrrh resin can be toxic and should not be eaten.

Though the substance has many sources in Africa, India, and the Middle East, myrrh comes primarily from the dried sap of a number of trees native to Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Jordan.

Though the name of the resin entered English from Ancient Greek, it is thought to have originally come from a language source located in the Middle East or East Africa, where it has been used as a traditional remedy for sore throat, congestion, bad breath, cuts, and burns.

For the purposes of the study, Al-Amoudi fed a cocktail of myrrh resin and other plant materials to albino rats, and found that it increased their blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as “good” cholesterol.

Myrrh is known in the west as one of the three gifts of the Magi and is part of the Christian story of Christmas, and it has other medicinal associations for various cultures around the world.

Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medicinal system of India, has its own uses for myrrh.

Chemists working with Ayurvedic medicine have found that Indian myrrh contains compounds which lower blood lipids.

The compound found in Indian myrrh inhibited a gene in the livers of test animals that affects cholesterol absorption.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), myrrh is used to treat menstrual problems, as well as problems affecting the heart, liver, and spleen.

TCM also employs myrrh and used along with frankincense for treating arthritis.

Okay, time for a few side notes:  myrrh appears to be a blood stagnation remover (will have to research more) and it affects three zang fu organs associated with Blood: the Heart generates (moves) Blood, the Liver stores Blood and the Spleen controls/holds Blood.

Frankincense too eh?  Those wise men were truly wise!  Note that gold compounds were also used in western medicine for arthritis.  Perhaps the wise men were thinking that Jesus, being the son of a carpenter, would have arthritic joints from woodwork?

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Cordyceps for Cancer?

Herbal Medicine, Research | Posted by Philip
Dec 26 2009

A few weeks ago, there was a news story about smugglers arrested for bringing in Cordyceps sinesis specimens into India. (http://qi-spot.com/2009/11/26/cordyceps-smugglers-arrested/).  Cordyceps is traditionally used for strengthening the Lung, and thus, immunity.  Apparently it is also useful for cancer.

An episode of “House, MD” (season 4 episode 6, “Whatever It Takes”) has Dr. Greg House mentioning that Cordyceps sinesis has been used experimentally to treat cancer in monkeys.  I applauded this recognition of Cordyceps in the ordinarily traditional medicine-hostile program (see season 1 episode 20, “Love Hurts”) but let’s get the facts out in the open:

First, the article with comments:

New Insights Into Mushroom-Derived Drug Promising for Cancer Treatment (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223094729.htm)

ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — A promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, could be made more effective thanks to researchers who have discovered how the drug works. The research is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and was carried out at The University of Nottingham.

Ho ho, no evil sheriff?  I’m just wondering how knowing how it works makes it “more” effective.

In research to be published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Dr Cornelia de Moor of The University of Nottingham and her team have investigated a drug called cordycepin, which was originally extracted from a rare kind of wild mushroom called cordyceps and is now prepared from a cultivated form.

Dr de Moor said: “Our discovery will open up the possibility of investigating the range of different cancers that could be treated with cordycepin. We have also developed a very effective method that can be used to test new, more efficient or more stable versions of the drug in the Petri dish. This is a great advantage as it will allow us to rule out any non-runners before anyone considers testing them in animals.â€

Oh no, once again western medicine wants to concentrate on a leaf instead of the whole tree… on one plant instead of the whole forest.  They want to isolate one ingredient from the whole package in the cordyceps plant.  Instinctively one might say, “what’s wrong with that?”  Well, the concept is similar to macrobiotics: you go for the whole food instead of the individual nutrient.  Tamiflu is derived partly from the shikimic acid found in star anise, and it is known for toxicity (even if rarely).  On the other hand, star anise is ALSO used for flu and is so much more relatively safe that it is used as a flavoring spice in everyday dishes.  The difference? Perhaps the whole package is more well balanced than just taking an individual isolated component!

Cordyceps is a strange parasitic mushroom that grows on caterpillars (see image). Properties attributed to cordyceps mushroom in Chinese medicine made it interesting to investigate and it has been studied for some time. In fact, the first scientific publication on cordycepin was in 1950. The problem was that although cordycepin was a promising drug, it was quickly degraded in the body. It can now be given with another drug to help combat this, but the side effects of the second drug are a limit to its potential use.

Sweet Mother of God.  This is precisely my point.  Can’t we just use the whole herb itself? Unlike Ganoderma, it is easier to grow in culture.

As we can see here, the typical ugly head of western pharmacology peeks from the shadows.  Instead of taking the herb as a whole, they isolate the ingredient cordycepin.  Unfortunately Cordycepin doesn’t last long in the body.  But obviously, it does so when in original cordyceps form!  Kinda like eating only the seaweed wrapper in sushi.  But instead of admitting to the wonderful balance in mother nature, we try to screw things up by manipulating the medicine even more.  So western pharma does what it does best: add another drug.  Then side effects… then add another drug… and another… and another…

Dr de Moor continued: “Because of technical obstacles and people moving on to other subjects, it’s taken a long time to figure out exactly how cordycepin works on cells. With this knowledge, it will be possible to predict what types of cancers might be sensitive and what other cancer drugs it may effectively combine with. It could also lay the groundwork for the design of new cancer drugs that work on the same principle.â€

The team has observed two effects on the cells: at a low dose cordycepin inhibits the uncontrolled growth and division of the cells and at high doses it stops cells from sticking together, which also inhibits growth. Both of these effects probably have the same underlying mechanism, which is that cordycepin interferes with how cells make proteins. At low doses cordycepin interferes with the production of mRNA, the molecule that gives instructions on how to assemble a protein. And at higher doses it has a direct impact on the making of proteins.

On the other hand, I applaud the fact that this research is being taken seriously.  Once more understanding is gleaned as to how these things work, it will be less easy for blind skeptics to dismiss the power of Chinese medicine.

Article:

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. “New Insights Into Mushroom-Derived Drug Promising for Cancer Treatment.” ScienceDaily 24 December 2009. 26 December 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/12/091223094729.htm>.

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True Acupuncture Better than Sham for Eczema Itch

Acupuncture, Research | Posted by Philip
Dec 25 2009

In several previous posts, I have often lambasted the self-induced blindness of skeptics who love to “point out” that real acupuncture seems to be no better than sham acupuncture (http://qi-spot.com/2009/11/15/news-bias-a-pain-in-the-neck/, http://qi-spot.com/2009/11/11/associated-press-needs-new-glasses/, http://qi-spot.com/2009/10/17/lend-me-your-ears-ear-acupuncture-for-back-pain-in-pregnant-women/).  Well now comes another article (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BL3J320091222) this time talking about Acupuncture in relieving itch.

Acupuncture may ease the itch of eczema
Amy Norton
Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:22pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An acupuncture session may bring some itch relief to people with the allergic skin condition known as atopic eczema, a preliminary study suggests.

Eczema is a general term for conditions marked by inflammation and dry, red, itchy patches on the skin. The most common form, atopic eczema, is seen in people with a predisposition to allergies, like hay fever or asthma.

In other words, skin wheals in people with Lungs that are deficient in Defensive Qi.

In the new study, German researchers looked at the short-term effects of acupuncture on skin inflammation and itching in 30 people with atopic eczema.

They found that the therapy, when done minutes after patients’ skin was exposed to an allergen (either pollen or dust mites), appeared to soothe subjective feelings of itchiness.

In addition, when patients were exposed to the allergen for a second time shortly after the acupuncture session, they tended to have a less-severe skin reaction, the researchers report in the journal Allergy.

Allergy.  Not just some two bit journal that can be bashed.  Also, note the effect on subsequent attacks.  Of course, it would be better if it works weeks after treatment.  Wait, it does.

The findings show that in this “experimental setting,” acupuncture seems to ease the itch of atopic eczema, lead researcher Dr. Florian Pfab, of the Technical University of Munich, told Reuters Health in an email.

The study does not, however, answer the question of whether acupuncture as practiced in the real world would have similar benefits.

For the study, Pfab and his colleagues looked at all 30 patients under three different test conditions.

In one, patients had their skin exposed to either pollen or dust-mite allergens, then received true, or “point-specific,” acupuncture — in which needles were placed in traditional acupuncture points that, according to Chinese medicine, are related to itchy skin.

In another condition, the allergen exposure was followed by “placebo-point” acupuncture, where the needles were inserted into skin areas not used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the third condition, patients received no treatment.

Again, needles were inserted in true points, non points and in a third group, nothing.  According to the skeptics, inserting a needle anywhere activates the placebo effect – the patient THINKS they’ll feel better – and so they do.

Overall, Pfab’s team found, patients’ itchiness ratings were lower after they received true acupuncture, compared with both no treatment and placebo acupuncture.

Then, when the researchers exposed patients’ skin to the allergens a second time, skin flare-ups tended to be less-severe following the point-specific acupuncture. As for itchiness, however, both the true and placebo therapies had similar benefits compared with no treatment.

Again, effects that are explained by meridian theory: putting needles anywhere activates the meridian system, but it is most efficient when used in actual acupuncture points.  Why is this so hard for some to understand?  Oh I know, because they refuse to.  Kind of like what Saint Augustine once answered when asked if God is good why are not all men saved?  Augustine answered, “because they do not wish to be saved.”  (my paraphrasing).

People sometimes do not see the evidence because they refuse to see it.
Acupuncture has been used for more than 2,000 years in Chinese medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments. According to traditional medicine, specific acupuncture points on the skin are connected to internal pathways that conduct energy, or qi (“chee”), and stimulating these points with a fine needle promotes the healthy flow of qi.

Modern research has suggested that acupuncture may help ease pain by altering signals among nerve cells or affecting the release of various chemicals of the central nervous system.

Pfab explained that pain and itchiness have similarities in their underlying mechanisms, so acupuncture’s effects on pain mechanisms may also account for the benefits seen in this study.

The researcher pointed out, however, that more research is needed to see whether and why acupuncture might be helpful for people with eczema.

SOURCE: Allergy, online December 11, 2009.

Oh, and Merry Christmas to all! Happy Chanukah!

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MORE Chinese Herbs vs Swine Flu!

Herbal Medicine, News | Posted by Philip
Dec 22 2009

Sigh, another day, another herbal remedy for Swine Flu.  The difference is I believe in this one – the herbal remedy that is.

Medical Practitioners Develop A Herbal Remedy For Swine Flu via Xinhua

CHINESE medical specialists announced yesterday they had developed a herbal medication to treat swine flu.

Seven months of scientific and clinical studies showed Jin Hua Qing Gan Fang was effective in treating H1N1 flu patients, said Wang Chen, president of Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing.

“It can reduce the duration of fever and improve patients’ respiratory systems. Doctors have found no negative side effects,” he said.

“It is also very cheap, only about a quarter of the cost of Tamiflu,” Wang said at a press conference held by the Beijing Municipal Government.

Tamiflu, a product of Swiss drug maker Roche Holding, is recommended by the World Health Organization in the treatment of H1N1 flu.

“The municipal government has gathered the top medical experts in the Chinese capital to develop the medication,” said Zhao Jing, director of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Over the past seven months, more than 120 medical specialists, led by academicians Wang Yongyan and Li Lianda from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, had participated in the research, Zhao said.

The municipal government earmarked 10 million yuan (US$1.47 million) for the project, she said.

“Medical experts proved the effectiveness of the remedy in treating H1N1 flu from both basic scientific and clinical studies,” she said.

The basic scientific studies lasted almost five months and were conducted by experts from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Beijing University of Technology.

“In vivo and in vitro, experiments on mice and rabbits show Jin Hua can bring down a fever and resist the H1N1 virus,” said Huang Luqi, vice president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

Yesterday’s Beijing Daily hailed the herbal medication as the “world’s first traditional Chinese medicine to treat H1N1.”

Zhao said plans are underway to present the medicine around the world as an alternative H1N1 flu treatment.

The Chinese mainland has reported almost 108,000 swine flu cases, including 442 deaths.

Read more: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200912/20091218/article_423064.htm#ixzz0aLBZ02Uc

Comment: This is like, the fourth “first” remedy for H1N1 that I’ve read.

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Acupuncture Treats Heartburn in Pregnant Women

Acupuncture, News, Research | Posted by Philip
Dec 19 2009

A PA News article reports that a Brazilian study of 36 pregnant women showed that acupuncture provided “significant improvements” in digestive symptoms.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/health/acupuncture+helps+pregnancy+symptoms/3201367

Digestive disorders are one of the most frequent complaints in pregnancy, with 45% to 80% of women reporting things like heartburn, pain or discomfort, regurgitation, belching and bloating. Such symptoms tend to get worse as a pregnancy progresses, said researchers from Sao Paulo University in Brazil.

Their study, published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, included women aged 15 to 39 who were 15 to 30 weeks into their pregnancy. All were suffering from symptoms of indigestion and none had had acupuncture in the previous year.

None of the women had an underlying condition that could have caused the symptoms and none had a history of similar problems before they fell pregnant.

Acupuncture in Medicine.  I never heard of that one before, but I’m going to look for it now.  And the good thing about this is that they already are trying to rule out pre-existing conditions.

The researchers used heartburn as a measure of indigestion and asked women to rank the severity and frequency of their symptoms from one to 10, with 10 being the greatest imaginable. Their ability to eat and sleep due to their discomfort was also measured.

The women were split into two groups – with one group receiving acupuncture and the other receiving conventional treatment, including counselling on dietary changes and indigestion remedies.

The acupuncture group underwent treatment once a week, or twice a week if necessary, over an eight-week period. The women had a minimum of eight and a maximum of 12 sessions each. On average, 12 needles were used and were left in the body for about 25 minutes per session.

My problem with this is that there is no control using sham acupuncture, which the skeptics will always look for.  On the other hand, the article says 12 needles were used “on average”, meaning that it wasn’t a set formula used for each one.  I hope that proper syndrome differentiation to treat the underlying root instead of just the symptoms was used.

The study found that average heartburn intensity fell by at least a half in 15 out of 20 (75%) women receiving acupuncture compared with seven out of 16 (44%) women not receiving it.

The authors added: “After treatment 15/20 (75%) of the members of the study group reported an improvement of at least 50% in respect to eating compared to only 5/16 (31%) of the control group. In respect to sleeping, 14/20 in the study group and 4/16 in the control group also reported improvements of 50%. In our cohort, acupuncture proved to exert a great influence in minimising the heartburn in pregnancy during treatment.” They called for the research to be replicated in a larger study group.

If only there was a way to quantifying heartburn.

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