TCM Health Promotion Exercises

We have been conducting a series of studies, sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, on TCM health promotion by teaching the general public to do some Tao-yin exercises. This photo was taken yesterday when we had a wrap-up presentation for all the participants.

Please refer to these three Youtube videos filmed by the Taiwan Society of Health Promotion, where I now serve as Deputy Secretary-General, for the details:

1. 上壽導引法   Longivity Tao-yin

2. 調氣和神法   Regulate the Qi and Harmonize the Spirit

3. 醫學八段錦  Medical Baduanjin Qigong (Eight Pieces of Brocade)

After practicing each of these Tao-yin exercises for two months, the result all show that the blood pressure and the quality of life, the quality of sleep are statistically significantly better. What's more, when we use BCQ (Body Constitution Questionaire, including BCQ+, BCQ-) to evaluate the body constitution of the participants, the result also shows that the Yin-deficiency, Yang-deficiency and Stasis can be corrected to normal body constitution by practicing these Tao-yin exercises for two months.

As prevention is more important than treatment, we believe it is our first priority for TCM doctors to educate general public/family & friends/patients to avoid being sick. And it works!

Want to stay healthy? These exercises are not so complicated and can be practiced at home at all weather conditions.

Why not join us and give it a try?

Treating Pediatric Digestive Disorders with Herbal Medicine

We had one of our residents presented this journal this morning: PDF

JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Jun 4;172(6):e180315. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0315. Epub 2018 Jun 4.

Association Between Use of Acid-Suppressive Medications and Antibiotics During Infancy and Allergic Diseases in Early Childhood.

Mitre E, Susi A, Kropp LE, Schwartz DJ, Gorman GH, Nylund CM.

Conclusion: "This study found associations between the use of acid-suppressive medications and antibiotics during the first 6 months of infancy and subsequent development of allergic disease."

This paper brought us a chance to review the physiology of pediatric digestive system in the TCM theory. 

When it comes to treating pediatric digestive disorders, herbal medicine can be very helpful. Parents bring their kids with all kinds of digestive problems to us, such as loss of appetite, abdominal pain/distension, diarrhea, constipation, nausea/vomiting, and low body weight and/or height, etc. These symptoms can usually be controlled or improved by taking herbal medicine for 1-2 weeks.

My kids start taking herbal medicine when indicated at around 1-2 years old. I would prescribe herbal medicine and make the flavor enjoyable for them. Some of my little patients LOVE the taste of herbal medicine. My kids hardly take any western medicine since TCM works perfectly for them.  

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Treated with TCM 中醫治療火燒心

I wrote something about heartburn/acid reflux treated with TCM in Mandarin recently. Take a look!

中醫治療火燒心      三軍總醫院中醫部  謝宗運醫師 撰文

在現代人忙碌的生活中，您是否也曾感受過「火燒心」一般的胸口灼熱或胸悶感？嚴重時甚在至會嘔吐酸水？

其實不是有火在燒，而是您的胃酸從胃向上逆流，刺激食道所引起的！這就是門診常見的「胃食道逆流」(Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)、或稱「泛酸」。

根據統計，每四個台灣人就有一個會發生這樣的症狀，好發因子包括男性、抽菸、喝酒、肥胖等等，且近年有年輕化趨勢。主要源自於生活上的壓力與不良的飲食習慣所導致。胃食道逆流的診斷，從患者的臨床表現就能確診，然而仍須排除感染或藥物引起的食道炎、食道運動功能障礙、消化道潰瘍與冠狀動脈疾病等等。

中醫認為胃氣在正常的情況應該要往下降，但當胃受到其他臟腑或外來的刺激而使得胃氣不降反升，此時就會出現胃食道逆流的症狀，如果沒有適當調理，許多人會出現長期乾咳的症狀，甚至是部分食道癌的成因。在確診為胃食道逆流的病人中有三分之一接受胃鏡檢查會查出食道潰瘍，且許多沒有症狀的人在定期健檢接受胃鏡檢查時也會發現程度不等的食道潰瘍。

中醫除了使用「和胃降氣」的中藥來調理，也會教導患者做「健胃功」來幫助腸胃氣機的條暢。患者本身也可以藉由飲食習慣的調整：先喝湯再吃固體食物、少吃油膩食物、每餐只吃七分飽、睡前兩個小時不進食、戒菸、戒酒、維持正常體重、適度調節生活與工作的壓力，來減緩症狀。

試試看這些方法，胃氣就可以順利和降喔！

Fibromyalgia Treated with Acupuncture

Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(9):1862-1871. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnx322

Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for Women with Fibromyalgia: Group Acupuncture with Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis-Based Point Selection.

Mist SD1, Jones KD1.

Full article here

Although the number of patients included in this study is not very big, it uses not some specific acupoints for all patients but chooses acupoints according to each patient's TCM diagnosis. I would highly recommend this kind of treatment since no two patients are the same in the eyes of TCM doctors.

For FM treatment, the combination of herbal medicine and acupuncture is usually more effective.