Qi Spot

I am a big fan of sleep.  I believe that good sleep is the best medicine, not just laughter.  I would like to write about a patient of mine, a fifty-something male, with complaints of hypertension and insomnia.

I was not the first TCM physician who the patient saw.  He had been given herbs before but his hypertension was still unabated.  When I saw him for the first time, history revealed that he had severe insomnia.  Logic dictates that his hypertension could be due to the lack of sleep.

Acupuncture, however, did not work at all.  I tried the patent remedy Zao Ren An Shen Ye, which helped a bit, but not so much.  Also, his blood pressure was still in the 180/100 range.  Not acceptable to me.

I brought out the heavy artillery.  I decided to use Suan Zao Ren Tang (Sour Jujube decoction).

After three days of taking the formula, the patient followed up.  He is sleeping better and his blood pressure is down to 140/90.  Talk about treating the branch by treating the root!

So what’s so special about Sour Jujube?

Wild Chinese Jujube, courtesy foodsnherbs.com

A lot of people know about Da Zao (jujube or red dates) but what about Suan Zao Ren or sour jujube seeds?

Suan Zao Ren is sweet and sour in flavor, meaning it tonifies and preserves yin and fluids.  It’s nature is neutral so it will neither promote nor modulate physiology and inflammation.  It enters the Heart and Liver meridians so it affects the Mind through the Heart and the Qi through the Liver.  Great Chief herb.

Anyway that’s enough for now.  In a few days we will present an analysis of Suan Zao Ren Tang – the formula itself!

Granted, I haven’t been posting as frequently since coming back from China (more on my busy 2nd week of August later), but I am glad that my humble little nook in cyberspace is being noticed.

30 Best Blogs to Learn More About Acupuncture/ was a blog post dated August 9 that listed (obviously) 30 websites.  The author had divided his 30 blogs into three types – General Alternative Medicine, Acupuncture Specific, and Health Centers.  This blog you’re reading fell into the second category.

Not only did the author post a link to the main site itself, but he/she also posted a link to some articles he/she thought were the best posts.  So my posts are worth rating now! Ha ha.

Unfortunately my name got spelled wrong… as usual.

I know it’s been a week since I came back from Beijing.  However, I needed some time to get used to Manila weather again and to catch up with some paperwork.  At the moment I have a conference to attend tomorrow, a lecture on wednesday and another on thursday.  And I’m not quite prepared yet ha ha.

My first thoughts after Beijing include these though:  acupuncture is like a baby brother to herbal medicine.  Second, there has to be a better name for herbal medicine, since not all are plants, and therefore, not all are herbs.  And third, a lot of these materia medica are common spices and vegetables in China.  It’s just how much are used, and in what combination.

I find myself liking pugongyin (dandelion) already…

Just a short blurb before I go to the airport. There has been a LOT of news lately about acupuncture research – good news – and I haven’t had time to blog about them, much less sort through them, because I have a lecture to give at the Philippine Neurologic Association Midyear Convention in Naga City today. It is about Acupuncture and Movement Disorders.

I am glad that the PNA is open to the idea of using acupuncture as a complementary treatment, particularly in x-linked dystonia. We are actually working on a study concerning this topic.

Updates soon, I hope!

In recent news clippings, especially in the UK, we’ve seen many an article putting acupuncture down.  Here is a refreshing change of pace:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/health/08patient.html

I leave it to the reader to click the link above (opens in a separate window).

Acupuncture is a useful modality worth getting

I know that it focuses on the lack of insurance coverage for acupuncture, but the mere fact that it comments on the costs of getting treatment implies that it is worth getting.

Yes, I am lazy and tired today (ha).