What conditions can be treated wih Chinese herbal medicine?
As the major part of a complete medical system, Chinese Herbal Medicine is capable of treating a wide range of diseases, by re-establishing balance and harmony in the body, leading to a more long-lasting benefit. It can be used on its own or along side with acupuncture.
Practitioners prescribe a custom made formula designed to treat both the symptoms and the underlying cause of the imbalance. When it is practised in a rigorous way it produces extraordinary results, such as treating cancer, skin conditions, autoimmune disorders etc.
In Autoimmune disorders, the body's defense, the immune system, wrongly attacks parts of the body. It can be triggered by infections, enviromental factors, stress, hormonal changes, etc. Convential treatments involve "turning down/supressing"immune system activity, which bring side effects, especailly long term use. Some commonly seen conditions that are considered autoimmune include Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis ((MS), alopecia areata, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimotos's thyroiditis, lupus, Sjogren's, Vasculitis.
I did 3 years post-graduate study in rheumatism/autoimmune disorders. My dissertation was a clinical and experimental study on the treatment of SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus). The conclusion was that Chinese herbal medicine, when used synergistically with conventional medication, can minimize the use of corticosteroid and disease-modifying drugs, hence side effect from long term use; it can help with steroid withdrawal too. This has been proved by now my ongoing clinical work; the combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs (with or without minimal medication) works well in keep the condition in remission and allow the patients the quality of life.
Case history
Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE), Raynauld’s phenomenon, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Hepatitis C
D, 31, female. D had been diagnosed with Lupus 10 years ago. She had lost almost all her hair over the years, the worst was after she gave birth. When she first came, scarring (white patches due to loss of pigment and skin atrophy due to tissue loss) on her cheeks, nose and chin, as well as some old hyperpigmented lesions on the edge of face. From time to time she developed new red itchy patches on her cheeks. She was having low grade fever, joint and muscle pain, lower back pain. Her hands/fingers were swollen and painful like sausages, pus on some badly affected fingers. She was fatigued and depressed.
D had persevered with the treatment (acupuncture and herbs) for 3 years. Despite she smokes on and off which is not helping her condition at all, her aches and pains and fever went very quickly after starting treatments. The skin on her face had improved dramatically; now she can go out without worrying about people starring at her face. Her fingers had gradually improved each year, they were not painful or swollen at all now. Her painful heavy periods had improved too, as well as the low mood. Her hair still hadn’t grown back unfortunately. She hadn’t needed to take any medication including Methotrexate and Prednilosone apart from 200my of Hydroxychloroquine the last 3 years since she started treatments. The last 3 months she had even stopped the Hydroxychloroquine due to the concern of long term risk of retinopathy and she had been fine and noticed her vision was not as blurry.
Her Hashimoto has also much improved. She gradually reduced her Thyroixine to 25mcg. Another good news was that her hepatitis C treatment had worked last year.
D moved away to the north and I wish her all the best.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Osteoarthritis, Menopause
S, 59, female. S’s SLE was diagnosed 12 years ago. She previously had discoid rash, mouth and nasal ulcers, inflammatory joint pains and weak positive ANA. She also had Osteoarthritis on her knees, fibromyalgia and she was suffering from visual migraine attacks. S had premature menopause in her 30s and had been on HRT for over 20 years. S has been coming to see me for six months now. Her hot flushes and night sweats have much improved, she had lost weight in the past year and still keeping active and eating well. She has only had a few migraines. With the permission of her rheumatologist S gradually came off her 200mg of Hydroxychloroquine and remains sysmptom free. The treatment is still ongoing.