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Acupunture News on Health & Science

Acupuncture Helps Back Pain

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Acupuncture provided twice as many patients relief from lower back pain as did conventional drug and exercise therapy, which German researchers said on Monday might point to a “superplacebo” effect.

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In a study of 1,162 adults with chronic lower back pain, 48% of those in a group who underwent between 10 and 15 treatments with traditional Chinese “verum” acupuncture reported at least one-third less pain and an improvement in functional ability, with lasting benefits.

That compared to 27% of those reporting relief in the group undergoing drug and exercise therapy.

In verum acupuncture, 14 to 20 needles are inserted up to 1-1/2 inches deep at “medians” and other prescribed locations until the patient is said to experience a numbing sensation, called Qi.

A third group of patients underwent ‘sham’ acupuncture, where needles are inserted randomly and less deeply around the painful area while avoiding medians. Of these, 44% reported relief from their back pain — more patients than conventional therapy and only slightly fewer than traditional acupuncture. Between 70% and 85% of people complain of back pain at some point in their lives, according to the study

Source:The Times Of India

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Herbs & Plants

Euphorbia Hirta

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Botanical Name: Euphorbia Hirta
Family:    Euphorbiaceae
Genus:    Euphorbia
Species:E. hirta
Kingdom:Plantae
Order:Malpighiales

Synonym: Euphorbia pilulifera.

Common Names: Cats hair, asthma weed, basri dudhi, chara, malnommee, pill – bearing spurge, patikan kerbau, patikan kebo, fei yang cao, gelang susu, amampat chaiarisi, erva de santa luzia, fei-yang ts’ao, Dugudhika, snakeweed.
Vernacular Names::
English: pill-bearing spurge, asthma plant, hairy spurge, garden spurge, pillpod sandman [
Bengali: boro-keruie, barokhervi
Gujarati: dudeli
Hawaiian: Koko kahiki
Hindi: baridhudi, dudh ghas, dudhi
Luganda: kasandanda
Sanskrit: chara, amampatchairasi, barokheruie
Tagalog: tawa-tawa, gatas-gatas
Twi: Kaka wie adwie
Kinaray-a: tawa-tawa
Tamil: amampatchaiarisi
Telugu: reddivari nanabalu, reddinananbrolu, bidarie
Urdu: lal dodhak

Habitat: Euphorbia Hirta  is native to India. It is a hairy herb that grows in open grasslands, roadsides and pathways.
Description:
Euphorbia Hirta is an erect or prostrate annual herb which can get up to 60 cm long with a solid, hairy stem that produced an abundant white latex.[2] There are stipules present. The leaves are simple, elliptical, hairy (on both upper and lower surfaces but particularly on the veins on the lower leaf surface), with a finely dentate margin. Leaves occur in opposite pairs on the stem. The flowers are unisexual and found in axillary cymes at each leaf node. They lack petals and are generally on a stalk. The fruit is a capsules with three valves and produces tiny, oblong, four-sided red seeds. It has a white or brown taproot.

click to see the pictures....(01).....…(1)..…..…(2)..…....(3)

Cultivation :
Prefers a light well-drained moderately rich loam in an open sunny position. The plant is not very tolerant of frost, though it can probably be grown successfully in this country as a spring-sown annual. Hybridizes with other members of this genus. The ripe seed is released explosively from the seed capsules. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. This genus has been singled out as a potential source of latex (for making rubber) for the temperate zone, although no individual species has been singled out.
Propagation :
Seed – sow mid to late spring in situ. It might be best to sow the seed in a cool greenhouse in early March and plant out the seedlings in late May, this will give the plants longer to grow and mature.

CONTAINS: Glycoside, alkaloids, sterols, tannins, phorbic acid. Camphol, leucocyanidol, quercitol, quercitrin and a quercitol derivative containing rhamnose and a chlorophenolic acid. Though reported to contain HCN, the plants have been generally negative cyanogenetic in testing. The irritating latex contains euphorbon.
The dry herb yields gallic acid, a phenol-like substance, an alcohol euphosterol and a trace of alkaloid (upto 2% xanthorhamnin).
Whole herb yields taraxerol and taraxerone. Also: resin, calcium, wax, calcium malate, lignin, basorin, volatile oil.

Most spurges contain diterpene esters which are carcinogenic, highly irritant and purgative. E. hirta, however, is ester-free and considered a safe remedy in Traditonal Chinese Medicine (TCM). This plant was listed in the NF 1916-47 as having some reputation as an anti-asthmatic.
An annual plant which is common to all tropical countries. Slender, hairy stem and lanceolate opposite toothed leaves; small yellow flowers that occur in dense clusters in the leaf axils, producing small reddish wrinkled seeds; the plant produces a milk latex which is irritating to mucous membranes.

MEDICINAL  Uses:
It  has lactogenic properties.
Used against asthma, bronchitis, worm infestation, conjunctivitis and dysentery. The latex of the plant is used for warts and cuts. It also has lactogenic properties.
NB: A test done in China using a 20% preparation of the neutral saponins from this herb were injected intramuscularly for the treatment of cancer of the esophagus. More than half of the 64 patients studied either were completely cured or markedly improved. Results whose esophageal tumors remained unreduced in size were able to swallow food more easily. It is believed that the tumors may have been softened by the saponins in the herb.

Acrid, bitter, cool, slightly toxic, antiseptic that expels phlegm and relieves spasms; extracts are spasmolytic and antihistaminic. Also, anti-inflammatory. Affects colon, spleen, lung, large intestine.
Specific in Traditional Chinese Medicine for destroying the organism which causes amoebic dysentery.
Decoction has been used for asthmatic conditions, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema; the tincture is used in coryza and hay fever.
Has been used internally for asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, nervous cough (for relaxing the larynx), excess mucous, hay fever, and amoebic dysentery; combined with Grindelia camporum (gumplant) for asthma and bronchitis.
Juice has been used externally for warts; whole plant is used externally for burns.
Has been used in Chinese medicine: the stem is utilized for asthma and bronchitis; whole plant is decocted for athlete’s foot, dysentery, enteritis, fever, gas, itch and skin conditions.
Other medical disciplines regard it as anodyne, depuritive, diuretic, lactagogue, purgative and vermifuge. It is used for asthma, bronchitis, calculus, colic, cough, dysentery, dyspnea, eruptions, excrescences, eyelids, fever, flu, fractures, gonorrhea, headache, hypertension, itch, measles, nausea, opthalmia, skin ailments, sores, splinters, stomach ache, tumors, urogenital ailments, warts and wounds.

DOSE = TRADITIONAL DOSAGES FOR PROFESSIONAL NOTE ONLY
!All others buy commercial preparations and follow directions carefully!
DRIED HERB = 0.1 to 1/3 gram 3 times per day
INFUSION = 1 cup boiling water over 1/2 to 1 tsp dried leaves and steeped for 10 to 15 minutes; taken 3 times daily.
DECOCTION = Please note, decoction is made in a 1 to 40 ratio and taken 1 Tbsp at a time.
FLUID EXTRACT = 1/2 to 1 drachm
TINCTURE = 1 to 2 ml taken 3 times daily.

HOMEOPATHIC:
Used for Humid asthma, cardiac dyspnea, hay fever, bronchitis, urethritis with intense pain on urinating and with much urging. Acrid leucorrhea. Hemorrhages from sunstroke and traumatism.
DOSE is 3rd to 6th potency.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

References:
http://earthnotes.tripod.com/asthmaweed.htm
http://www.tropilab.com/astmaweed.html
http://www.gardenbed.com/E/1582.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_hirta

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Therapetic treatment

Alternative Methods for Pain Reduction

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Alternative medicine and complementary therapy are no longer terms used solely by the granola-eating crowd. The search for alternatives to conventional medicine, especially within the realm of pain relief, has been gaining momentum. Whatever the reason  from the health-threatening side effects of popular pain medicines like Vioxx , to a desire to use only natural remedies  the chase is on for new therapies to alleviate the pain of chronic illness.

The Facts
According to the American Pain Foundation, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is growing at a rate of 15% each year, with more than $24 billion spent on therapies outside conventional medicine. In large part because of this growth, the government established the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 1991, an organization whose charge is to investigate promising unconventional medical practices.

It’s important to note that while complementary medicine and alternative medicine can often refer to the same types of treatment, they are employed differently. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that are combined with conventional medicine, while alternative medicine replaces conventional medicine.

Chronic pain  pain lasting longer than six month   can be brought on by many conditions, but the major contributors are arthritis, cancer, back pain, migraines, and neurogenic pain (nerve pain). Various CAM therapies have been used to alleviate pain, including acupuncture, magnet therapy, chiropractic therapy, local electrical stimulation, brain stimulation, relaxation therapy, certain herbs, hypnosis, and biofeedback.

Acupuncture
Despite the fact that acupuncture is thousands of years old, only recently has its effectiveness in relieving pain been studied. Acupuncture works on the premise that the body is made up of twelve main meridians, or energy pathways, and that disease develops when there is an internal imbalance of the body’s energy. In acupuncture, hair-thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific areas to increase the flow of energy throughout the body.

In a recent study, researchers led by Jorge Vas from the Pain Treatment Unit in Dos Hermanas, Spain, analyzed the efficacy of acupuncture in treating osteoarthritis. Ninety-seven patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly split into two groups. Half received acupuncture and diclofenac (a prescription NSAID), while the rest received diclofenac and placebo acupuncture. Placebo acupuncture was given by using retractable needles that didn’t puncture the skin. The researchers found that acupuncture, as a complementary therapy, was more effective than just pharmacological treatment in reducing pain and rigidity, as well as improving physical functioning, in osteoarthritis sufferers.

In another, smaller study, Kenneth D. Phillips, PhD and colleagues studied the effect of acupuncture in relieving peripheral neuropathy pain in 21 HIV-infected individuals. Acupuncture was performed on the subjects a total of ten times over five weeks. The needles were inserted according to individual symptoms. The results showed significant reduction in pain, and reduced symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. The researchers concluded that acupuncture can successfully treat the symptoms of pain and neuropathy in HIV-infected individuals, and that further research is warranted.

Magnet Therapy
Magnet therapy can be traced back to the third century A.D. when Greek physicians prescribed magnetized rings to treat arthritis. Theories about how magnets work range far and wide, yet research has not conclusively proven their efficacy. Still, the popularity of magnet therapy persists  in the form of magnetic bracelets, shoe insoles, belts, and bandages, with one survey ranking it second in CAM therapies used by arthritis and fibromyalgia patients.

Scientific research has produced some promising, if not conclusive results. In a study led by Candace S. Brown, PharmD, 32 patients with chronic pelvic pain were given either active or placebo magnets attached to their abdomens. Changes in pain relief and disability were calculated using three pain measurement tools. The patients who received active magnets for four weeks experienced less pain. The researchers point out, however, that the active group was more likely to identify their treatment, affecting the blinding efficacy of the study.

In a study out of Harvard Medical School, researchers enrolled 29 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee to see if magnet therapy could relieve their pain. Subjects received a sleeve equipped with either an active or a placebo magnet initially to be worn for four hours in a hospital setting. Patients were also instructed to wear their sleeves for six hours a day for the next six weeks. In this study, the researchers found improvement in pain among the magnet-wearers at four hours, but the relief was not sustained at weeks one or six.

Chiropractic Therapy
Chiropractic therapy is a hands-on therapy that uses manipulations to the spine to help the body function better. Neck and back pain are the most common reasons for chiropractor visits. While adjustments or manipulations are the major therapies used by chiropractors, other mediums such as heat and ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, magnetic therapy, and exercise may be used to supplement the treatment plan.

As for pain relief, back pain has been the most studied in terms of chiropractic therapy. In a randomized clinical trial conducted by Hurwitz et al, 652 patients with low-back pain received either conventional medical care or chiropractic care. At the end of six months, the researchers found that conventional medical care and chiropractic regimens were comparably effective in reducing pain intensity and disability.

Combining Therapies
Medicine, whether conventional, alternative, or complementary, is not an exact science. As our understanding of CAM therapies grows, so does our ability to employ additional alternatives to treating chronic pain. Perhaps a combination approach based on the individual patient will prove to be the most effective medicine. For now it is always wise to  talk to your physician and decide together what’s best for you.

By:Patricia Griffin Kellicker, BSN

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RESOURCES:

American Pain Foundation
http://www.painfoundation.org

American Pain Society

Ampainsoc – Amplified Performance, Alleviate Injury & Network Socially

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov

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News on Health & Science

Alleviating and treating ailments Through recommend supplements

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Many practitioners of complementary medicine recommend supplements for a wide range of health problems affecting virtually every body system. For most of these conditions, conventional physicians would be more likely to prescribe drugs, though they might treat some disorders with supplements. For example, iron may be prescribed for some types of anemia, vitamin A (in the drug isotretinoin, or Accutane) for severe acne, and high doses of the B vitamin niacin for reducing high cholesterol levels.

In this tool, certain vitamins and minerals are suggested for the treatment of specific ailments. However, the use of nutritional supplements as remedies, especially for serious conditions, is controversial. Most doctors practicing conventional medicine are skeptical of their efficacy and believe it is sometimes dangerous to rely on them. But based on published data and their clinical observations, nutritionally oriented physicians and practitioners think the use of these supplements is justified — and that to wait years for unequivocal proof to appear would be wasting valuable time. Until there is clearer, more consistent evidence available, you should be careful about depending on nutritional supplements alone to treat an ailment or injury.

For thousands of years, however, various cultures have employed herbs for soothing, relieving, or even curing many common health problems, a fact not ignored by medical science. The pharmaceutical industry, after all, arose as a consequence of people using herbs as medicine. Recent studies suggest that a number of the claims made for herbs have validity, and the pharmacological actions of the herbs covered in this book are often well documented by clinical studies as well as historical practice. In Europe, a number of herbal remedies, including

St. John’s wort, ginkgo biloba, and saw palmetto, now are accepted and prescribed as medications for treating disorders such as allergies, depression, impotence, and even heart disease. Of course, even herbs and other supplements with proven therapeutic effects should be used judiciously for treating an ailment.

What supplements won’t do
Despite the many promising benefits that supplements offer, it’s important to note their limits — and to question some of the extravagant claims currently being made for them.

As the word itself suggests, supplements are not meant to replace the nutrients available from foods. Supplements will never make up for a poor diet: They can’t counteract a high intake of saturated fat (which is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer), and they can’t replace every nutrient found in food groups that you ignore. Also, although scientists have isolated and extracted a number of disease-fighting phytochemical compounds from fruits, vegetables, and other foods, there may be many others that are undiscovered — and ones you can get only from foods. In addition, some of the known compounds may work only in combination with others in various foods, rather than as single isolated ingredients in supplement form.

Supplements won’t compensate for habits known to contribute to ill health, such as smoking or a lack of exercise. Optimal health requires a wholesome lifestyle — particularly if, as people get older, they are intent on aging well.

Although some of the benefits ascribed to supplements are unproved but plausible, other claims are far-fetched. Weight-loss preparations are the leading example. Though they’re extremely popular, it’s questionable whether any of them can help you shed pounds without the right food choices and regular exercise. Products that claim to “burn fat” won’t burn enough on their own for significant weight loss.

Similarly, claims of boosting performance, whether physical or mental, are difficult to prove — and any “enhancement” will be a limited one at best in a healthy person. Though a supplement may improve mental functioning in someone experiencing mild to severe episodes of memory loss, it may have a negligible effect on the memory or concentration of most adults. Likewise, a supplement shown to combat fatigue isn’t going to turn the average jogger into an endurance athlete. Nor is it clear that “aphrodisiac” supplements are effective for enhancing sexual performance if you aren’t suffering from some form of sexual dysfunction.

No supplements have been found to cure any serious diseases — including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or AIDS. The right supplement, however, may help improve a chronic condition and relieve symptoms such as pain or inflammation. But first you need to consult a health professional for treatment.

Source:Your Guide to
Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

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Ailmemts & Remedies

Fibrocystic Breasts

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Most doctors no longer call the pain and lumpiness of fibrocystic breasts a disease because this condition affects virtually half of all women under age 50. Selected supplements and a shift in diet may help diminish the symptoms of this disorder.

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Symptoms
Breast lumps or nodules that may be tender or not painful at all.
An increase in the size of lumps or in breast discomfort a week or so before a menstrual period.

When to Call Your Doctor
If a new lump develops, especially if you have not always had lumpy breasts.
If a lump grows larger, hardens, or does not diminish after your menstrual period ends.
If you have any discharge from either nipple.
If your breast pain is severe.
Reminder: If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before taking supplements.
What It Is
Such premenstrual changes have long been labeled fibrocystic breast disease. But this condition is not a disease, and it doesn’t increase your risk of breast cancer (though having lumpy breasts may make identifying a cancerous growth more difficult if one develops). Normal lumps can usually be distinguished from cancerous ones because they move freely in the breast, changing with the menstrual cycle.

What Causes It
Fibrocystic changes in the breast are linked to the rise and fall of hormones associated with the menstrual cycle. Women who produce a particularly high level of estrogen in conjunction with a low level of progesterone after ovulation may suffer more. This combination can cause the body to produce too much prolactin, a hormone that triggers milk production in new mothers but increases breast tenderness in women who are not breast-feeding. Many experts think caffeine stimulates the growth of lumps or fluid-filled breast cysts (and some women showed improvement when they eliminate caffeine), but other researchers maintain there’s no firm evidence of any connection between caffeine and breast tenderness.

How Supplements Can Help
All the supplements listed can be used together and as needed; you should see improvement in a month or two. Many women report relief from breast pain after taking vitamin E. Just how it works is unknown, but some experts believe this vitamin blocks the changes in breast tissue possibly caused by caffeine.

What Else You Can Do
Eliminate caffeine and see if that helps. Besides coffee and tea, caffeine is found in chocolate, colas, and some over-the-counter medications. Be patient: Six months may pass before you notice any improvement.
Wear a bra with good support when your breasts are tender.

Supplement Recommendations
Vitamin E
Chasteberry
Essential Fatty Acids
Magnesium
Vitamin B6

Vitamin E
Dosage: 400 IU twice a day.
Comments: Check with your doctor if taking anticoagulant drugs.

Chasteberry
Dosage: 225 mg standardized extract each morning.
Comments: Also called vitex. Should contain 0.5% agnuside.

Essential Fatty Acids
Dosage: 1,000 mg evening primrose oil 3 times a day; 1 tbsp. (14 grams) flaxseed oil a day.
Comments: Or use 1,000 mg borage oil once a day for primrose oil.

Magnesium
Dosage: 600 mg a day.
Comments: Take with food; reduce dose if diarrhea develops.

Vitamin B6
Dosage: 100 mg twice a day for 1 week.
Comments: Take this amount only the week before menstruation; this dose can cause nerve damage if taken daily over the long term.

Source:Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs(Reader’s Digest)

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.

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