Chinese herbalists have been using bark, roots, seeds, and flowers to treat serious medical conditions for over 2,000 years. In modern times, pharmaceutical companies have made big money by isolating certain compounds from plants and replicating them synthetically. It is within this context that I want to highlight a new study from Harvard School of Dental Medicine that has isolated molecular properties in the Chinese herb Chang Shan, and found a use for it in treating auto-immune disorders like Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Read moreSix Habits of Happiness
6 habits of happiness
Chinese Medicine teaches us that stuck emotions affect our health just as much as unhealthy food or lack of exercise. Here's a good reminder of how to cultivate happiness and get unstuck, from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley:
You Don't Have To Run A Marathon
Whether you have low back, neck, or shoulder pain from sitting at the computer, or acute knee pain from pounding the pavement too hard, Tai Chi and Qi Gong are two systems of exercise that get your Qi and blood moving, with great benefits for physical and mental health and recovery from pain.
Read moreImagine Your Body As A City
Australia's RMIT University has made a short video explaining the basics of acupuncture theory.
Read morePut Out The Welcome Mat: A Buddhist Approach to Pain for When You Can't Get to the Acupuncturist
Acupuncture can do wonders for pain - both acute and chronic. It both eases the pain and helps you bring greater awareness to your body as a whole entity. Your acupuncturist can't be there in the middle of the night, however, or at your desk at work, or at your dinner table. This approach has helped many people deal with pain in a healthy way, no pills required!
Read moreAcupuncture Reduces Protein Linked To Stress
Acupuncture reduces protein linked to stress in first of its kind animal study.
More news on the possible mechanisms of acupuncture! A researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center has found molecular evidence of acupuncture's ability to reduce stress by lowering the blood levels of a protein called neuropeptide Y. This protein is secreted by the sympathetic nervous system during stressful periods and constricts blood flow to many parts of the body. Although this is a preliminary animal study, it follows that by reducing this protein, acupuncture can help return blood flow to the extremities and digestive organs so people may feel less pain and more relaxed overall. This experiment will need to be replicated in humans before we can say for sure, but this finding may prove to be one more piece of the mechanism puzzle!