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Our Best Ingredient: Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine is a major aspect of traditional Chinese medicine, which focuses on restoring a balance of energy, body, and spirit to maintain health rather than treating a particular disease or medical condition. Herbs are used with the goal of restoring balance by nourishing the body. Chinese herbal medicine treats patients’ main complaints or the patterns of their symptoms rather than the underlying causes. Practitioners attempt to prevent and treat imbalances, such as those caused by cancer and other diseases, with complex combinations of herbs, minerals, and plant extracts. Chinese herbal medicine uses a variety of herbs, in different combinations, to restore balance to the body. Some of the most common herbs include: Astragalus, Ginkgo, Ginseng, Green Tea, and Siberian Ginseng. Herbal preparations are said to prevent and treat hormone disturbances, infections, breathing disorders, and a vast number of other ailments and diseases. Some practitioners claim herbs have the power to prevent and treat a variety of cancers.

However, most Chinese herbalists do not claim to cure cancer. Instead, they use herbal medicine along with conventional treatment prescribed by oncologists, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy because herbal remedies can help ease the side effects of conventional cancer therapies, control pain, improve quality of life, strengthen the immune system, and in some cases, stop tumor growth and spread. In China, there are over 3,200 herbs, 300 mineral and animal extracts, and over 400 formulas used. Herbal formulations may consist of 4 to 12 different ingredients, to be taken in the form of teas, powders, pills, tinctures, or syrups.

Chinese herbal remedies are made up of one or two herbs that are said to have the greatest effect on major aspects of the problem being treated. The other herbs in the formula treat minor aspects of the problem, direct the formula to specific parts of the body, and help the other herbs work more efficiently. With the increase in popularity of herbal use, many Chinese herbs are sold individually and in formulas. In the United States, Chinese herbs and herbal formulas may be purchased in health food stores, some pharmacies, and from herbal medicine practitioners. Before choosing a mixture of herbs for a patient, the traditional Chinese practitioner will typically ask about symptoms and examine the patient, often focusing on the skin, hair, tongue, eyes, pulses, and voice, in order to detect imbalances in the body.

Acupuncture Might Help Ease High Blood Pressure

Acupuncture Might Help Ease High Blood Pressure

Chronic Pain Management workshop

Jan. 7, 2016 Thursday 5:00PM at our clinic

Chronic Pain Management Workshop
The workshop is a 30 to 40 minus course that focuses specifically on pain management. Participants have the chance to learn new information and skills, discuss ideas and share experiences with others that have chronic pain or care about people who live with chronic pain.

How can this workshop help me?
The main objective of the workshop is to improve your understanding of chronic pain management, introduce different coping methods, and encourage you to take an active role in your pain management. The program’s intention is to help those with chronic pain, as well as to teach family members, partners and friends how to support people with chronic pain.

Who facilitates workshop?
The class is led by trained volunteer massage therapist and class size ranges from approximately 10-14 participants. This program is not designed to override treatment programs provided by health care professionals but rather to complement them.