Tongue diagnosis help to understand the totality of health and disease by observing the tongue size, shape, contour, surface, margins and color.
What is tongue diagnosis?
Tongue diagnosis is observing the tongue size, shape, contour, surface, margins and color to assess the present health.
Look your tongue and observe the size, shape, color, etc. Pale tongue color indicates an anemic condition or lack of blood in the body. Yellow colored tongue indicates excess bile in gallbladder or liver disorder. Blue colored tongue indicates heart defect. If you see tongue impressions along the margin of the tongue indicates poor intestinal absorption.
Tongue diagnosis - Shape
Vata individuals have small, short, thin, dry, cracked, and trembling. Indentations, sunken concave spots, scalloped and teeth mark indicating mal-absorption and low agni due to the erratic digestive power of visamagni. Cracked edges depressed at the back of the tongue indicating low ojas. Cracked in the front indicates lung dryness. Vata individuals are often anxious and difficult to extend their tongue. Extremely short tongue is a sign of low ojas. This reflects the dry, rough, mobile, light, and deficient qualities of vata.
Pitta individuals have long, narrow, pointed, inflamed, ulcerated, red small projections, swollen, and red edges. Pitta individuals often extend their tongue with force like an arrow. This reflects the sharp, penetrating, liquid, and hot qualities of pitta.
Kapha individuals have large, swollen, thick, soft, wet, and wet edges. Tongue with teeth marks indicating mandagni. The swollen tip indicates heart congestion. Swollen in the center indicates lung congestion. The kapha individuals often flops their tongue out of the mouth though it is too large. This reflect the unctuous, fluid, soft, slimy, smooth, and cold qualities of kapha.
Tongue diagnosis - Color
Vata individuals having pale tongue reflects poor nutrient metabolism due to a low nutrient absorption or blood deficiency. A purple-blue tongue reflects stagnation of circulating vyana vayu from cold.
Pitta individuals having red, reflecting high pitta in absorbed nutrient or blood. A orange tongue (especially sides) is due to high pitta consuming blood. A purple-red (in extreme causes black-red) is due to high pitta condensing absorbed nutrient and blood resulting in viscous and sluggish circulation.
Kapha individuals have pale tongue due to the cold that restrict circulation. A pale-blue color tongue indicates congestive heart disorders due to aggravated avalambaka kapha.
Tongue diagnosis - Coating
Diagnose tongue coatings their
Colors such as white, yellow, dirty yellow, pale yellow, or black
Depth such as thick, or thin
Textures such as dry, wet, or greasy
The tongue coating is an easily diagnosis of the treatment efficacy and the disease movement. If a coating propagates from thick to thin and from yellow to white, indicate beneficial sign and vice versa. If the tongue becomes dry, is a negative sign.
Vata individuals have dry, non-existent or thin, white coat.
Pitta individuals have yellow or dirty yellow coat. Greasy coating indicates the pitta mixed with ama (toxins). A yellow dry coating indicates the pitta and vata mixed together. Absence of coating with red, shiny tongue indicates heat of excess pitta; this causes weak and deficient metabolizing of available nutrients too quickly.
Kapha individuals have white (thick or thin), wet, or clear coating. A thick white greasy coating indicates kapha mixed with ama. A pale yellow coating indicates kapha mixed with pitta.
Bad breath shows low Agni (digestive ability) or toxic accumulation; check intestine points on the tongue for root problem.
Tongue diagnosis - Location
Vata dosha condition can normally observe at the back of the tongue associated with the state of the colon.
Pitta dosha condition can observe in the middle portion of the tongue associated with the stomach and small intestines. The sides of the tongue relate to the liver and many pitta imbalances can see here.
Kapha dosha condition can observe in the front portion associated with the lungs, chest and heart.
Much like reflexology, every organ in the body can locate on specific region in the tongue. We know tongue help enjoy the taste of various foods. Similarly, it is the mirror of the body's digestive system; the tongue can reflect the health of various organs in the body.
A discoloration and/or different sensation in a particular area of the tongue indicate organ disorder corresponding to that specific area.
Tongue to diagnose dosha imbalance
Tongue helps to diagnose how harmonized the dosha is or whether it is out of balance. Divide the tongue into three parts (33.3% each); the inner part near throat is vata, middle is pitta, and the outer tip is kapha. Excessive tongue coating in any of these specific areas shows imbalance of that dosha.
Tongue diagnosis - Crack
The central crack in the tongue indicates prana flow through the heart or spine. If the crack extends to the tongue tip indicates a congenital (born with) heart weakness. A deviated crack indicates spinal curvature. A tongue crack with swelling in the two sides is due to high kapha.
Keeping the tongue indirectly helps to keep every organ healthy. How do you keep your tongue clean? One of the best ways to keep the tongue clean is scraping once or twice it daily. Use tongue scraper to remove overnight and day buildup of bacteria and toxins in the tongue. Extend your tongue, place the tongue scraper as interior as confortable without nausea and gently press & pull forward to remove tongue coatings. Rinse the mouth with water. It is better to do tongue cleansing done in the morning, when you are in empty stomach. Scraping the tongue is the good way to start the day; as a result, it improves health of the internal organs by stimulating all the pranic nadis that terminate in the tongue.
Original article and pictures take healthy-ojas.com site
Ayurveda meets modern medicine, with a little help from genomics
Modern medicine is moving towards a more personalised approach. Genome sequencing is an effort in that direction. Genetic expression variations in an entire set of genes are compared between humans to identify links of diseases to particular genes. Based on these differences, it can be deduced, even in advance, what diseases a person might be susceptible to or what drug might be most suitable. In that case, treatment can even be predictive. At the same time, there is a growing interest in ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old system of traditional medicine.
Ayurveda is usually considered to be completely delinked from modern medicine. We at IGIB, however, have been working for the last 15 years to find the connections between ayurveda and modern science, using genomics. Our research has produced some very promising insights into how ayurveda can be integrated with modern medicine for a much more effective treatment. Ayurveda classifies healthy people on the basis of what it calls prakriti, that literally translates to nature, in English. Every person is supposed to have a fixed prakriti that is decided by three elements or tridosha. They are VPK: vata (V) that governs the kinetics of the human body; pitta (P), which is responsible for metabolism; and kapha (K) that is an indication of structure and stability of a person. Depending on the different proportions of these three elements found in people, ayurveda has seven classifications of prakriti.
Prakriti manifests itself in a person’s outer appearance, such as body frame, skin and hair type, metabolism, physical and mental activity, including response to environment etc. A disease is seen as vikriti, or perturbation of ‘VPK’ from its baseline pattern (prakriti). Ayurveda attempts to treat a person by removing the vikriti. In that way, it does not target the disease but the disturbance or distortion that led to a change in ‘VPK’ and restores a person’s prakriti. People of same prakriti often respond to similar treatment.
That being the case, in 2002, we started out by trying to see whether the classification of prakriti in ayurveda had any parallels with a person’s gene expression patterns. We wanted to see whether people of similar prakriti belonged to a similar gene pool. After a few years of work, we were able to show, in 2008, that this indeed was the case. People of same prakriti showed similar gene expression, and this was distinctly different from people of another prakriti.
A bigger breakthrough came two years later, when we were able to produce much stronger evidence of the link. We were observing differences in oxygen sensor gene among prakriti individuals that help human beings calibrate their bodily activities according to the amount of oxygen supply. This gene senses low oxygen levels and helps the body adapt accordingly by modulating its physiology. This sensory gene is very active in people who live in high altitudes. Pitta group are more like residents of high-altitude areas, whereas kapha group are more similar to those who develop pulmonary oedema in high altitudes.
Thus, adaptability to high altitudes might be predicted on the basis of the prakriti of a person. Our findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal in the US. We are now testing the effect of ayurveda-based phytopharmaceuticals in relevant disease conditions using the approach of ‘Ayurgenomics’ — integration of the knowledge of ayurveda and genomics. We have started a new unit at IGIB called ‘TRISUTRA’ dedicated to the study of Ayurgenomics and have established teams in five cities that have ayurveda hospitals. These hospitals are currently conducting prakriti screening in 20,000 people to further validate our results. Several doctors from AIIMS and other hospitals are also collaborating with us on this project.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
Ayurveda Herb Shatavari and Its Healing Powers for Women’s Reproductive Health
Women’s reproductive health issues are an essential part of both medical health and herbal care today. Herbal remedies have been used for centuries to help balance hormones and ease the symptoms. Hippocrates (455 BC), for instance, advised the use of Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) to ease undesirable symptoms that may occur during menstruation, and this herb is still very popular until today.
One of our birthright is definitely good health – strength, vitality, strong bones and resilient heart. For women, what we need are some simple, yet tried and proven ways to ease our discomfort, nourish ourselves and prevent serious, life-threatening illnesses. As a naturopath and a woman, I’ll be sharing with you the amazing health benefits of Shatavari to women’s reproductive health – one of the best gifts from Mother Nature to us.
What is Shatavari?
Shatavari(Asparagus racemosus) is an indigent medicinal plant that is widely used in homeopathy medicines and in Siddha. In India, it is estimated that over 500 tons of Shatavari roots are needed each year for different medicinal preparations.
The word in Sanskrit ‘shatavari’ means ‘the one who possesses hundred husbands’. This herb is actually a primary rejuvenating herb for women.
Background
The plant grows best in subtropical and tropical forest. The herb can be found throughout India, Sri Lanka, tropical Africa, Java and Southern China. This herb is an armed climber, with leaves that are green, uniform, small and like pine needles. Growing 1 to 2 meters high, it has a woody stem that are covered with spine. The roots are finger-like, tuberous and clustered while the fruits are round, pulpy berries that turn purplish black when ripe.
Active Components
The key bioactive components of Shatavari are a group of steroidal saponins called Shatvarin I to IV. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins A, B, C and E, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium and folic acid. Other beneficial components of Shatavari are essential oils, arginine, asparagine, flavonoids like quercetin, kaempferol and rutin, tyrosin, tannin and resin.
Shatavari in Ayurveda
In Ayurveda, Shatavari is considered a potent female tonic. Aside from being a rejuvenating herb beneficial in women’s fertility, it can also help reduce inflammation of sexual organs, increases libido and supports ovulation. It is also taken to prevent miscarriages, prepare the womb for pregnancy and ideal as post-partum tonic to increase lactation.
Shatavari is believed to be useful in menstrual disorders such as irregular bleeding, premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea and other situations after menopause. Shatavari contains saponins that can the block activity of oxytocin on the uterus, resulting in natural uterine motility and reduction of periods of dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation).
Based on animal study, the extract of Shatavari rhizome can block persistent uterine motility by inhibiting the spasmogenic effect of serotonin, acetylcholine and barium chloride on the uterus. This finding confirms its role in relieving dysmenorrhea. Its action against premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is believed to due to it imparting a feeling of well-being and boosting the immune system.
Health Issues Related to Female Infertility
Shatavari is believed to be useful for female infertility as it supports folliculogenesis, as well as ovulation. The female reproductive system is highly dependent on glycogen for the energy source. Estrogen increases the level of glycogen in the uterus so any decrease in its level would also reflect a decrease in estrogen level. The herb has been found to have a unique formulation that can increase uterine glycogen without affecting serum estrogen and progesterone level.
Health Issues Related to Menopause
Menopause naturally occurs in women’s life as they go through from reproductive to the non-reproductive stage. At this stage, many women experience menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, palpitations insomnia, night sweats, vaginal dryness, anxiety and irritability.
A very common practice to ease these menopausal symptoms is to undergo hormone replacement therapy. While this option is effective, it isn’t free from side effects. This is the reason more and more women are turning to natural medicine to have a safe option versus artificial hormones.
Shatavari is highly known as an excellent source of phytoestrogen that can be effective to help relieve menopausal systems. Menopausal symptoms are due to the body having withdrawal from estrogen. The action of phytoestrogens in Shatavari is to mimic estrogenic action without any harmful adverse effects.
A Potent Antioxidant
Antioxidants are very important in preventing cellular damage –the main culprit on many serious and chronic diseases such cancer, cardiovascular disease and many more. Shatavari possesses a natural antioxidant property. It acts by increasing the antioxidant defense – the enzyme catalase, superoxidase dismutase and ascorbic acid. The antioxidant property of Shatavari is coming from its isoflavons, particularly racemofuran, racemosol and asparagamine.
How to Use Shatavari
Shatavari has not been known to cause any toxic side effects with long term use. The most common ways it is use are:
Decoctions
Powder/granule form
Tinctures
The granule or powder form can easily be added to food and drinks such as milk, tea and a wide range of dishes. When buying Shatavari root powder, follow all the instructions and warnings in the label. Always consult your healthcare provider before trying out any herbal powder, especially for pregnant women or those under the care of a physician or even those with concerns regarding safety use of herbal powders.
Have you used Shatavari powder? What do you think about it? Share your thoughts, experiences and suggestions with us.
Original article and pictures take chihealth.co site
Rasayan, a Sanskrit word (with literal meaning: Path (ayana) of the Juice (rasa), or Elixir vitae), is used to describe chemistry and alchemy, and chemistry is generally called Rasayan Shastra in Sanskrit,Nepali, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada and several other languages. Ancient rasayan texts center around the use of prepared forms of mercury (see samskaras), as do occidental alchemical texts. However, there is also ample mention of the preparation of medical tinctures in the ancient science of rasayan; rasayan is in fact a part of Ayurveda.
Concept of Rasayana Therapy
Rasayana Tantra is one of the eight major divisions of Astang Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, one of the major methods of presentation of positive health has been described i.e. Rasayana.
Sushruta has defined a healthy man as one who has:-
• Equilibrium of the Doshas Sama dosha.
• Normal functioning of Agni Sama Agni
• Normal condition of 7 Dhatus Sam Dhatu
• Normal Excretion of waste products Sam Malkriya.
Beside this Atma (Soul), the Indriyas or sense organs and Mana or mind should be happy and cheerful Prasanatamendriya Mana (Su.Su.15/15). The current modern definition of health is also same “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely absence of disease. (W.H.O.)
Healthy state of mind and body can be achieved by Rasayana Therapy or Rejuvenation Therapy
Rasayana Stands as an answer to solve the problem of healthful longevity including mental development and resistance against disease. That is why; Rasayanatherapy has been included as one of the eight major divisions of Ashtang Ayurveda. Rasayana Chikitsa or rejuvenation therapy helps to promote and preserve health and longevity in the healthy, and to Cure disease in sick. We all want to look forever young and increase our life span by staying healthy, Rasayans or vitalizers, as they are called, do exactly the same. They replenish the vital fluids of our body, thus keeping us away from diseases. Rasayana refers to the nutrition and its transportation in the body. Such a state of improved nutrition is claimed to lead to a series of secondary attributes like longevity, immunity against diseases, mental competence and delaying of aging.
Rasayana is actually that which increases the essence of each Dhatu, starting from Rasa. Taking Rasayana is helpful to increase the immunity of person to keep him away from diseases. The person become healthy and strong .Literally the term Rasayana refers to the means of obtaining the optimum nourishment to the Dhatu.
Meaning of Rasayana
The word Rasayana is composed of two words Ras + Ayan. The means by which one gets the excellence of Rasa (The nourishing fluid which is produced immediately after digestion) is known as Rasayana. Apart from the excellence of Rasa, the individual is endowed with Psychic excellence like sharp memory, by virtue of rejuvenation therapy. The term Rasayana connotes a specific meaning. Drugs, diet and regimens which promote longevity by delaying aging and preventing diseases are called Rasayana. The term Rasa has different connotation. In the present context, it means the body fluid which is responsible for nourishment of entire physique. Impairment of circulation of this body fluid results in diseases and decay. This body fluid of good quality should not only be present in adequate quantity, but also it should be able to permeate (circulate) throughout the various cells of the body to provide the type of nourishment they need.
Rasayana is a specialized type of treatment influencing the fundamental aspect of body viz. Dhatus, Agni and Srotansi and ojus etc. Rasayana Chikitsa boosts theojus and immune system. The adjective Ojaswiis used to describe those people who keep good health in all seasons and all stages of life. It is like obtaining a high rank in a physical or mental fitness. Ojus gives a bright look, sharp memory, high performance and every expected pleasure.
Historic Consideration of Rasayana
Rasayana therapy is as old as the Vedas because many references on Rasayana therapy are available in the Atharva Veda (atharvaveda 8/7/4). Extensive descriptions of divine Rasayana agents like Soma are available in classics. References about Achara Rasayna and Sadvrita are also available in the vedic texts similar to Charakadescription (Rig-Veda 5/1/7 and Atharvaveda 16/2/2)
Besides extensive references is available regarding the superiority of certain other common Rasayana drugs like Pippali, Jivanti and Punarnava etc. Similarly a concept of Ajasrika Rasayana also appears in vedic literature.
Vedas have seriously considered the problems of aging and its delaying. It has been the cherished wish of human race to achieve long life and to live at least 100 years in perfect health. “Jivema Sharadah Shatam” (Rigveda 10/39/8).
Probably all these ideas at a later stage necessitated the development of a full-fledged clinical discipline like Rasayana therapy to deal with the problem of aging, its delaying.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
Ayurveda is a holistic science of health, focusing on maintaining a physically and emotionally balanced state. Ayurveda began about 5,000 - 6,000 years ago when Indian monks were looking for new ways to be healthy. Revering their bodies like temples, the monks believed that preserving their health would help them meditate and develop spiritually. Over thousands of years of observations, they gathered all their conclusions and advice and preserved it for future generations. This collection of knowledge came to be known as the "science or knowledge of life" -- Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is based on the principles of three doshas. Doshas are the energies that make up every individual, which perform different physiological functions in the body:
1. Vata Dosha -- Energy that controls bodily functions associated with motion, including blood circulation, breathing, blinking, and your heartbeat.
2. Pitta Dosha -- Energy that controls the body's metabolic systems, including digestion, absorption, nutrition, and your body's temperature.
3. Kapha Dosha -- Energy that controls growth in the body. It supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system.
Each person has all three Doshas, but usually one or two dominate. Various Dosha proportions determine one's physiological and personality traits, as well as general likes and dislikes. For example Vata types will prefer hot weather to cold and Kapha types are more likely to crave spicy foods than other types.
Vata Predominant Types: Creative; Quick to learn and grasp new knowledge, but also quick to forget, Slender; Tall and a fast-walker; Tendency toward cold hands and feet, discomfort in cold climates; Excitable, lively, fun personality; Changeable moods; Irregular daily routine; High energy in short bursts; Tendency to tire easily and to overexert; Full of joy and enthusiasm when in balance; Responds to stress with fear, worry, and anxiety, especially when out of balance; Tendency to act on impulse; Often have racing, disjointed thoughts; Generally have dry skin and dry hair and don't perspire much.
Pitta Predominant Types: Medium physique, strong, well-built; Sharp mind, good concentration powers; Orderly, focused; Assertive, self-confident, and entrepreneurial at their best; Aggressive, demanding, pushy when out of balance; Competitive, enjoy challenges; Passionate and romantic; Strong digestion, strong appetite, get irritated if they have to miss or wait for a meal; When under stress, Pittas become irritated and angry; Skin fair or reddish, often with freckles; sunburns easily; Uncomfortable in sun or hot weather, heat makes them very tired; Perspire a lot; Good public speakers; Generally good management and leadership ability, but can become authoritarian; Subject to temper tantrums, impatience, and anger; Typical physical problems include rashes or inflammations of the skin, acne, boils, skin cancer, ulcers, heartburn, acid stomach, insomnia, dry or burning eyes.
Kapha Predominant Types: Easygoing, relaxed, slow-paced; Affectionate and loving; Forgiving, compassionate, nonjudgmental nature; Stable and reliable; faithful; Physically strong and with a sturdy, heavier build; Have the most energy of all constitutions, but it is steady and enduring; Slow speech, reflecting a deliberate thought process; Slower to learn, but outstanding long-term memory; Soft hair and skin; tendency to have large "soft" eyes and a low, soft voice; Tend toward being overweight; may also suffer from sluggish digestion; Prone to depression; More self-sufficient; Gentle, and essentially undemanding approach to life; Excellent health, good immune system; Very calm; strive to maintain harmony and peace in their surroundings; Not easily upset and can be a point of stability for others; Tend to be possessive and hold on to things. Don't like cold, damp weather; Physical problems include colds and congestion, sinus headaches, respiratory problems including asthma, allergies, and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Most books and websites on Ayurveda will offer questionnaires that can be used to determine your mind/body constitution. My favorite one is offered by Holistic Online, which is very detailed and thorough. Most questionnaires are very similar and will provide similar results. Please keep in mind that shorter questionnaires will give a more generalized and approximate result. Also, your body changes with age, seasons, and life situations so the results will change as well. Taking a few different questionnaires will give you a more definite result for your Dosha type.
Now you should try to follow the diet and lifestyle routine that fits your mind/body constitution. For example, if you are predominantly Vata, you should include more cooked, warm foods, stay away from icy drinks, and add more warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger to your food. This will prevent any digestion issues that Vata types tend to get, as well, as anxiety, dry skin, or insomnia. Here are some general guidelines for each type:
General Health Tips for Vata Types: Maintain regular habits, try to eat and sleep at the same time every night. Get enough rest and choose foods that are warm, cooked, nourishing, and easy to digest. Sweet berries, fruits, small beans, rice, and all nuts and dairy products are good choices for Vata types. Exercise intensity should be moderate. A more meditative yoga, Tai chi, walking, and swimming are all good. Avoid strenuous and frantic activities. General Health Tips for Pitta Types: It's important for Pittas to keep cool by avoiding overexposure to direct sunlight and fried and spicy foods. Avoid alcohol and tobacco, overworking, and overheating. When aggravated, susceptible to feeling negative emotions like hostility, hatred, intolerance, and jealousy. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits that are watery and sweet, especially cherries, mangoes, cucumbers, water melon, and avocado. Have lots of salads with dark greens such as arugula, dandelions, and kale. Avoid conflicts. Cultivate the virtues of honesty, morality, kindness, generosity, and self-control.
It's important to be active on a daily basis as Kapha types are prone to sluggishness, depression, and being overweight. Getting out of the house and actively seeking new experiences is also recommended. Be receptive to useful change, be intentional in implementing life-enhancing actions. Choose foods that are light, warm, and spicy. Tea with dried ginger and lemon is a great pick-me-up for Kaphas. Avoid heavy oily and processed sugars, which are detrimental to Kaphas. Use lots of spices such as black pepper, ginger, cumin, chili and lots of bitter dark greens.
Ayurveda is an ancient system of life (ayur) knowledge (veda) arising in India thousands of years ago. Ayurveda theory evolved from a deep understanding of creation. The great rishis or seers of ancient India came to understand creation through deep meditation and other spiritual practices. The rishis sought to reveal the deepest truths of human physiology and health. They observed the fundamentals of life, organized them into an elaborate system, and compiled India’s philosophical and spiritual texts, called Veda of knowledge.
Ayurveda was first recorded in the Veda, the world’s oldest existing literature. The three most important Veda texts containing the original and complete knowledge of Ayurveda, believed to be over 1200 years old, is still in use today. These Ayurvedic teachings were customarily passed on orally from teacher to student for over 1000 years. The wisdom of Ayurveda is recorded in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India that reflects the philosophy behind Ayurveda and the depth within it.
Ayurveda greatly influenced health care practices in the east and the west. By 400 AD Ayurvedic works were translated into Chinese; by 700 AD Chinese scholars were studying medicine in India at Nalanda University. Chinese medicine, herbology and Buddhist philosophy were also impacted by Ayurvedic knowledge. Having passed the test of experience it remains essentially the same now as at its inception, although numerous commentators over the centuries have added insight with their analyses.
The philosophy of Ayurveda teaches a series of conceptual systems characterized by balance and disorder, health and disease. Disease/health results from the interconnectedness between the self, personality, and everything that occurs in the mental, emotional, and spiritual being. To be healthy, harmony must exist between the purpose for healing, thoughts, feelings and physical action.
Ayurveda is a careful integration of six important Indian philosophical systems, many physical/behavioral sciences, and the medical arts. One verse from an ancient authority says Ayurveda deals with what is good life and bad life, happiness and misery, that which supports or destroys, and the measurement of life. It works to heal the sick, to maintain health in the healthy, and to prevent disease in order to promote quality of life and long life. Health is defined as an experience of bliss/happiness in the soul, mind, and senses and balance of the body’s three governing principles, seven tissues, three wastes, digestion, and other processes such as immune functioning. Health is not the absence of symptoms. Ayurveda has objective ways to assess each of these, pulse assessment being the primary means.
Its central tenet is that life is a combination of body, mind, senses, and spirit (more than a mind-body system). Nothing exists but for the pre-existence of and working of a Supreme Intelligence/Consciousness – an elemental, all-powerful, all-pervading spirit-energy that expresses Itself through and in the creation. Ayurveda seeks to know this aspect of life, the subjective (internal) as well as the objective (outer).
It is central to Ayurveda that the functioning of all creation, the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms, can be understood as the interactions of three fundamental energy complexes (erroneously called doshas). The three energies are vata, pitta and kapha – signifying the dynamic or mobile, energetic, nonmaterial aspect of nature; the transformative, intelligence aspect; and the structural, physical aspect respectively. Vata governs respiration, circulation, elimination, locomotion, movement, speech, creativity, enthusiasm, and the entire nervous system. Pitta governs transformations such as digestion and metabolism, vision, complexion, body temperature, courage, cheerfulness, intellection and discrimination. Kapha governs growth (anabolic processes), lubrication, fluid secretions, binding, potency, patience, heaviness, fluid balance, compassion, and understanding in the organism. All have physical expressions in the body.
In the human physiology these three energies tend to interact in a harmonious and compensatory way to govern and sustain life. Their relative expression in an individual implies a unique ratio of functioning of these governing principles according to each person’s unique DNA (vta-pitta-kapha ratio) determined at conception. This is body or constitutional typing, called prakruti. There are seven types – vata type, pitta type, kapha type and combinations thereof.
Prakruti yields two important understandings. A person has a permanent or stable nature for the entire life and efforts to maintain or change physiology must keep this balance point in mind. In addition each type will suggest an area tending to go out of balance, a disease tendency, requiring lifelong attention to maintain balance. A vata type naturally tends to constipation, arthritis, anxiety; a pitta type tends towards inflammations, infections, ulcers; and kapha types tend to overweight, diabetes, congestive disorders, etc. The implication of pakruti is that it helps explain why people react differently to the same things. The medical implication for this is that certain people will have a natural predisposition or sensitivity to certain medicines and this can be predicted.
Why does imbalance occur? It occurs because one or more of the energies or elements described above gets increased quantitatively or altered qualitatively. There is no human experience, whether a thought, an emotion, the climate, food, lifestyle, etc. that does not have at least one of the twenty qualities which, by its action, yields an effect in the physiology.
Classically, the nature of the causative factors are the result of mistakes of intellection (failure to perceive things as they are), inappropriate use of the sense organs, and mistakes of time (doing even proper things at the wrong time). While DNA gives the body one set of instructions, the life experiences at every moment are giving the governing principles perhaps another message. Since these three governing principles are nothing but energy themselves, they can be influenced –increased or decreased – by like or opposite energies. Heat increases pitta, dryness increases vata, and liquid increases kapha, etc. Thus imbalance is the continued experience of some stimulus – mental, emotional, or physical, real or imagined – that overwhelms the body’s ability to maintain its identity, its prakruti or vata-pitta-kahpa ratio. When a stimulus and a system have the same energy the stimulus promotes more of its value in the system. Like increases like which can lead to imbalance even though they are not necessarily unhealthy influences in themselves – properly cooked organic food when taken in excess or at the wrong time promotes imbalance. With time and chronicity and some defective space in the organism (from genes, prior disease, trauma, congenital defect, etc.), disease can develop and manifest in the weak organ or tissue. When disease begins to manifest the governing principles are called doshas, meaning impurities, which can pollute or contaminate the physiology.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
Auricular acupuncture found effective for weight loss
Reduce your BMI with Ear Acupuncture
In a 2013 study, researchers found a 5-point acupuncture prescription using the ear alone was able to reduce both participants’ waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI). The five points included Shen Men (Spirit Gate), Stomach, Spleen, Hunger and Endocrine. The points were stimulated using leave-in ear tacks (2 mm in length acupuncture needles adhered to the ear with a miniature band-aid) for eight weeks, yielding a 6.1% reduction in BMI.
Chinese Medicine on Weight Loss
Sustainable Change
What I appreciate about Chinese medicine is that it is a medicine that helps the body help itself. If you notice, this point prescription is not only helping to curb excessive appetites (Hunger Point) and calm our anxieties (Spirit Gate), but also focuses on regulating the endocrine hormones (Endocrine) and the organs directly involved in digestion and energy production (Stomach and Spleen). It’s not a cure-all, and it’s not a fix. It’s support working towards sustainable change.
Multi-Tiered Approach
Acupuncture is just one method of many within Chinese medicine designed to help the body help itself. We East Asian Medicine Practitioners also regularly prescribe Chinese herbs, dietary therapy and physical exercises. One book I like to recommend my patients interested in learning more about Chinese medicine approaches to weight loss is, “TCM: A Natural Guide to Weight Loss That Lasts” by Dr. Nan Lu. The book features quizzes to help you figure out which [Chinese medicine] organs are out of balance and what foods can help. As well, it features qi gong exercises specific to weight loss. For recipes from his program, visit: The Dragon’s Way Recipes for Self-healing.
About Auricular Acupuncture
Traditionally, acupuncture refers to the needling of [points along the meridians of] the body, as documented in written records dating back 2000 years. However, as the specialty developed over time, practitioners started finding that certain parts of the body, such as the hands and the ears, were actually homunculi that could treat conditions *anywhere* in the body. (A homunculi is a full-body map or “miniature adult.”) Auricular acupuncture, therefore, is the treatment of the whole body by stimulating points along the homunculus found on the ear. Pretty cool, huh?
If you are looking to restore your energy, look younger, and reverse disease then ashwagandha may be the herb you’re looking for. As you’re about to see, ashwagandha benefits are impressive.
Ashwagandha, is an adaptogenic herb popular in Ayurvedic medicine that has shown incredible results for lowering cortisol and balancing thyroid hormones.
In India, ashwagandha is known as the “strength of the stallion” since it has traditionally been used to strengthen the immune system after illness.
Ashwagandha has also been referred to as Indian ginseng because of its ability to enhance stamina and has extraordinary stress relieving properties.
There have been over 200 studies on Ashwagandha’s ability to:
Reduce anxiety and depression
Combat effects of stress
Increase stamina and endurance
Prevent and treat cancer
Reduce brain cell degeneration
Stabilize blood sugar
Lower cholesterol
Boost immunity
In this article I’m going to discuss the benefits of ashwagandha in healing your thyroid, adrenal glands, improving mood and energy, preventing cancer, and supporting brain health.
Ashwagandha Thyroid Benefits
Ashwagandha is a superstar when it comes to improving the health of your thyroid. Scientists don’t completely understand how adaptogens work, but we know that they can be extremely effective especially at balancing hormones.
One of the most incredible aspects about adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha is that it can help people with both hypo and hyper thyroid issues. It has been shown to support a sluggish thyroid for people diagnosed with Hashimotos, and has been shown to improve the health of those with an overactive thyroid or Graves disease.
Adaptogenic herbs work with your body to bring you back into balance whether your levels are high or low.
Animal studies reveal ashwagandha has a thyroid hormone balancing effect. In a 20 days study mice were give ashwagandha and their T3 and T4 levels were analyzed along with lipid peroxidation (anti-oxidant protection). Significant increases in serum T4 were found which indicates this herb has a stimulatory effect on a sluggish thyroid.
Also, ashwagandha may benefit thyroid function because it greatly reduced lipid peroxidation by promoting scavenging of free radicals that cause cellular damage. These results prove ashwagandha can be useful in treating hypothyroidism.
There are currently millions of people who struggle with thyroid problems (many who don’t even know it) and ashwagandha may just be the solution they are searching for.
Ashwagandha Adrenal Rejuvenation
Ashwagandha has also been proven effective in supporting adrenal function helping you overcome adrenal fatigue and chronic stress.
Your adrenal glands are endocrine glands that are responsible for releasing hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) in response to stress on your body.
If your adrenals are overtaxed due to an overabundance of emotional, physical and mental stress, it can lead to a condition known as adrenal fatigue. As you can see from this chart below, if your adrenals become exhausted it can also disrupt your other hormones, including progesterone, which can cause infertility and lower DHEA — which can cause you to age faster.
Medical studies have shown that ashwagandha improves cortisol levels, improves insulin sensitivity and naturally balances hormones. A case study reported a case of a 57-year-old woman with non-classical adrenal hyperplasia. She was treated with ashwagandha for six months, and after her treatment she saw improvements in four adrenal hormone markers, including corticoosterone and 11-deoxycortisol, which decreased by 69 percent and 55 percent respectively — a major improvement!
This hormonal improvement was also accompanied by a noticeable reduction in hair loss.
Benefits Brain Health
Emotional, physical, and chemical stress can all have damaging effects to the brain and nervous system. Recent research has proven ashwagandha is more than a stress reliever, it also protects the brain from degeneration and improves symptoms of alzheimer’s, depression, and anxiety.
One of the main reasons ashwagandha is so effective at healing the brain has to do with its powerful antioxidants that destroy free radicals that cause aging. A study published in Phytotherapy Research explains these benefits:
“Several studies have revealed that natural antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene, may help in scavenging free radicals generated during the initiation and progression of this [Alzheimer’s] disease. But we found Ashwagandha afforded lipid peroxidation inhibitory effects more potent than commercial antioxidants.”
Researchers at the National Brain Research Centre found that mice with Alzheimer’s were unable to retain what they learned, but after 20 days of supplementing with ashwagandha, this improved significantly. The results of the study found a reduction in amyloid plaques (these cause degradation of the brain).
Improves Mood
There is also now evidence that ashwagandha is effective at treating both anxiety and depression. In fact, in a recent study its results were comparable to common pharmaceutical drugs lorazepam and imipramine without the side effects.
In the 12-week controlled study, 87 participants with anxiety were given 300mg of ashwagandha two times a day or two placebo pills two times per day. The group treated with ashwagandha resulted in much greater improvements in anxiety as well as focus, reduced stress, and decreased fatigue than the placebo group.
The other major benefit of ashwagandha is that there are no adverse reactions by taking it compared to anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications which can have terrible side effects.
Helps Prevent and Treat Cancer
Ashwagandha extract has been shown in studies to have very promising benefits when it comes to helping with preventing and treating cancer. In certain studies, researchers have found that ashwagandha extract has a powerful anti-tumor effect. (1)
The extract has been shown to help inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells – specifically breast, lung, stomach, and colon cancer cells which are among some of the leading types of cancers in the world. It’s believed that ashwagandha helps to prevent the growth of cancer cells mostly due to its immune boosting and antioxidant abilities. Supplementing with ashwagandha is correlated with an increase in white blood cells within the body, which indicate that the immune system is better able to protect the body from disease and harmful invaders (2). Another way that ashwagnadha helps prevent cancer is due to its ability to stop blood vessels around cancer cells from feeding into the growth of cancerous tumors.
In addition to preventing cancer cells from growing, studies have shown that ashwagandha can be a very useful addition to chemotherapy in treating existing cancer. Taking the extract seems to be effective in halting the immune system from becoming suppressed during chemotherapy.
Ashawagandha is able to counteract one of the biggest concerns with chemotherapy- the count of white blood cells in the body becoming lowered, which puts cancer patients as much higher risk for things like infection. Many cancer experts are now recommending ashwagandha extract be both a cancer prevention method as well as an addition to typical cancer treatments. In fact some studies have shown that some patients are even able to reverse signs of cancer using ashwagandha alone over other standard treatment methods (3).
Increases Stamina and Endurance
Studies have shown that ahswagandha can boost endurance during physical activity by sharpening brain function and reducing bodily pain. Due to its positive calming, yet energizing, effects on the brain and ability to lower stress hormones, ashwaganha showed improvements in concentration, motivation, and stamina in conducted studies.
One particular study found that when lab rats were given ashwagandha, they actually were able to swim twice as long compared to the same type of rats that were not given the supplements (4). Researchers believe that similar effects take place in humans due to the extract’s ability to balance adrenal hormones that are involved in physical activity. The extract was also shown to reduce bodily pain in the muscles and joints while at the same time keeping energy levels more steady, which is another reason why it could be a promising supplement for athletes, or for those who find it difficult to be physically active due to pain.
Ashwagandha Dosage
As you can see, ashwagandha is an adaptogenic superstar that can have some tremendous health benefits. I recommend supplementing with 500mg 1-2x daily along with following a diet high in healthy fats, protein, and fiber as well as removing grains and sugars from your diet.
These dietary changes along with supplementing with ashwagandha can help you see great results in aging slower, reducing stress, balancing hormones, boosting energy, and improving neurological health.
References
Puri, Harbans Singh. Rasayana: ayurvedic herbs for longevity and rejuvenation – Volume 2 of Traditional herbal medicines for modern times. s.l.: CRC Press, 2002. ISBN 0415284899, 9780415284899.
Panda S, Kar A. Withania somnifera and Bauhinia purpurea in the regulation of circulating thyroid hormone concentrations in female mice. Journal Ethnopharmacology 1999, 67(2):233-9.
Panda S, Kar A. Changes in thyroid hormone concentrations after administration of ashwaganda root extract to adult male mice. Journal of Pharmacology 1998, 50:1065-1068.
Kalani A, Bahtiyar G, Sacerdote A. Ashwagandha root in the treatment of non-classical adrenal hyperplasia. British Medical Journal Case Reports 2012, 10(1136).
Gupta SK, Dua A, Vohra BP. Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) attenuates antioxidant defense in aged spinal cord and inhibits copper induced lipid peroxidation and protein oxidative modifications. Drug Metabolism Drug Interactions. 2003;19(3):211-22
Jayaprakasam B, Padmanabhan K, Nair MG. Withanamides in Withania somnifera fruit protect PC-12 cells from beta-amyloid responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. Phytotherapy Research. 2010, 24(6):859-63
Cooley K, Szczurko O, Mills Edward, Bernhardt B, Seely D (2009). Naturopathic Care for Anxiety. www.plosone.org
From the sound of it, you might think leaky gut only affects the digestive system, but in reality it can affect more. Because Leaky Gut is so common, and such an enigma, I’m offering a free webinar on all things leaky gut. Click here to learn more about the webinar.
Aristolochic Acid – History and use in Chinese Herbal Medicines
Aristolochic acid is not a medicine; it is rather a chemical compound found in eighteen herbs, seven of which have been traditionally used in Chinese Medicine.
Since Aristolochic acid was classified in the 20th century as carcinogenic, herbs containing it have been the focus of research, and all herbal medicines containing Aristolochic acid (even in trace amounts) have been banned in the United States since 2001 – what’s the history of this compound in TCM?
TCM and other medical systems have been using herbs containing Aristolochic acid for thousands of years. For example, numerous societies all over the world have used an herb called “birthwort” (Aristolochia clematitis), which contains Aristolochic Acid, to assist in childbirth.
Of the approximately 5,000 herbs and other natural substances used in TCM, seven plants contain Aristolochic acid. It is a minor component, existing in trace amounts, in five of these seven.
The two herbs that contain a high proportion of Aristolochic acid are Guang Fang Ji (Radix Aristolochiae Fangchi) and Guan Mu Tong (Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis).
Most TCM physicians prescribe these herbs very rarely. In their comprehensive work, Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology (2001), Chen and Chen strongly recommend avoiding Guang Fang Ji (Radix Aristolochiae Fangchi) and Guan Mu Tong (Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis) altogether.
The following chart, based on this work, lists the seven herbs used in TCM that contain Aristolochic acid, the amount of the chemical that they contain, and their estimated toxicity:
Shay Ravid, TCM practitioner and lecturer at the Tao College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Israel), told Decoded Science that, of the 5,000 herbs, minerals and animal substances employed in TCM, only about 500-600 are used on a regular basis. The rest –including six of the seven herbs containing Aristolochic acid – are used infrequently, for very specific purposes. Xi Xin, the one herb of the seven which contains negligible amounts of the substance, is the only one prescribed more frequently.
Almost all herbal formulae used in TCM comprise mixtures of dried herbs, which are chopped into a fine powder. Either whole or powdered, the herbs are cooked in hot-to-boiling water before they are consumed. TCM practitioners perform this process, called decoction, in order to reduce the potential toxicity of their chemical components. According to Ravid, failure to decoct Chinese herbs might result in unpleasant side effects but is not likely to be lethal.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
Many years ago, an Indian sage named Patanjali wrote a now famous treatise called The Yoga Sutras. This document offers a blueprint for living a life filled with joy, peace, and satisfaction. Who doesn’t want more of these in their life?
Many years ago, an Indian sage named Patanjali wrote a now famous treatise called The Yoga Sutras. This document offers a blueprint for living a life filled with joy, peace, and satisfaction. Who doesn’t want more of these in their life?
Many years ago, an Indian sage named Patanjali wrote a now famous treatise called The Yoga Sutras. This document offers a blueprint for living a life filled with joy, peace, and satisfaction. Who doesn’t want more of these in their life?
Applebee's Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser to Benefit Santa's Special Kids
Events you might like:
Sat, Feb 24 4:00 PM Mon, Apr 9 9:00 AM Sat, Apr 21 6:00 PM Sat, Apr 7 11:00 AM Aftermath Riders 11th Annual Sat, Feb 17 8:00 PM Thu, Jan 18 6:00 PM Original article and pictures take cdn.evbstatic.com site
Anti-inflammatory Acupuncture Protects From Adhesions
Acupuncture exerts post-operative anti-inflammatory responses thereby preventing abdominal adhesions. Published in the Journal of Surgical Research, investigators have discovered a major biological mechanism that may be responsible for these beneficial effects. The research team concludes, “EA (electroacupuncture) ST36 might reduce the postoperative local inflammatory response, attenuate the angiogenesis and alleviate the adhesion formation partly via activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory mechanism.”
The team’s findings build on earlier research proving that electroacupuncture prevents post-operative abdominal adhesions. In looking for clues as to how acupuncture exerts its anti-inflammatory effects, they discovered that electroacupuncture at acupoint ST36 “reduced TNF-α and VEGF levels in adhesive tissue homogenates 7 days after surgery….” Even more interesting, only true acupuncture points used in the study exhibited these effects. Electroacupuncture at “non-channel acupoints...had no suppressive effects on TNF-α and VEGF levels. TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) is a cytokine that is involved in various biological functions including septic shock and wasting syndrome. VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) is a signal protein produced by cells that engage vasculogenesis and angiogenesis.
Histopathological and macroscopic evaluations confirm that electroacupuncture at ST36 reduces post-operative adhesion formation. In addition, the researchers note that electroacupuncture at ST36 “significantly decreased angiogenesis evidenced by reduced CD31 positive microvessel density (MVD) in adhesive tissue.” CD31 (Cluster of Differentiation) is a protein that regulates neutrophil removal and expresses in vascular tumors, sarcomas and carcinomas.
Related research confirms the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture. Another recent study reveals that acupuncture at acupoints GV20 and GB7 regulates the cascade of endogenous inflammatory chemicals released after a stroke. These acupuncture points prevent inflammation by inhibiting IL-1beta in the brain tissue region of a hematoma. IL-1beta is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, a cell-signaling protein molecule used in intercellular communication.
Scalp acupuncture causes a rapid decrease of IL-6 (Interleukin-6), another cytokine involved in the inflammatory response. Left unchecked, IL-6’s pro-inflammatory effects are pathological. IL-6 mediates fevers, crosses the blood-brain barrier and is found in high levels in patients with metastatic cancer.
The researchers note that acupuncture at GV20 and Taiyang has an “inhibitory effect on the immune-inflammatory reaction mediated by TNF-(alpha) expression….” Additionally, acupuncture at GV20 and GB7 “promoted heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA expression in brain tissue….” HSP70 helps cells fold proteins and have the ability to protect cells from stress. Other scalp acupuncture research shows “improved mitochondrial energy metabolism in (the) brain….”
Neuro-electrophysiology scalp acupuncture studies show that acupuncture at GV20 and Taiyang improves “coordination and compensation functions among cortical functional areas” in ICH patients.
Scalp acupuncture has also been shown to beneficially affect the electrical activity of pain reaction neurons. Also noted, GV20 and GB7 promote the expression of glial cell neurotrophic factor GDNF, a protein that promotes the survival of neurons.
References:
Du, Ming-Hua, Hong-Min Luo, Yi-Jun Tian, Li-Jian Zhang, Zeng-Kai Zhao, Yi Lv, Rui-Jiang Xu, and Sen Hu. "EA ST36 prevents postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions formation." Journal of Surgical Research (2014).
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineVolume 2012 (2012), Article ID 895032, 9 pages. doi:10.1155/2012/895032.
History and Mechanism for Treatment of Intracerebral Hemorrhage with Scalp Acupuncture. Zhe Liu, Ling Guan, Yan Wang, Cheng-Long Xie, Xian-Ming Lin and Guo-Qing Zheng. The Third Clinical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou. Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, General Hospital, Beijing. Center of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou.
Original article and pictures take www.healthcmi.com site
In the early 1980’s, scientists in China began to study the medical benefits claimed for qigong. Since then, research on hundreds of medical applications of qigong have been reported in the Chinese literature. Of special interest for the present article are clinical reports of the medical benefits of qigong that claim to retard or reverse some diseases associated with aging.
Most of the original research was reported in Chinese, but access in English to most of this material is possible by reference to the proceedings of international conferences of qigong. Since 1986, ten such proceedings contain about 840 abstracts of talks given at the conferences, more than half of which are in English. These abstracts, along with about 160 abstracts of articles in the scientific literature, have been organized as a computerized database. The database enables searches and development of bibliographies across this entire body of information by using any key word. The clinical outcomes reported in this article are partly based on material in the database and partly on the author’s person contacts with researchers.
The word qigong is a combination of two ideas: qi the vital energy of the body, and gong the skill of working of the qi. Medical qigong for health and healing consists primarily of meditation, physical movements, and breathing exercises. Qigong practitioners develop an awareness of qi sensations in their bodies and use their mind, i.e., intention, to guide the qi in the body. The benefits of qigong are said to extend beyond health and healing to enhance spiritual life and even special abilities, such as psychic powers.
Medical qigong is divided into two parts: internal and external. Internal qi is developed by individual practice of qigong exercises. When qigong practitioners have sufficiently mastered the skill, they can “emit” qi (external qi or waiqi in Chinese) for the purpose of healing another person. There are many scientific reports of the medical existence and efficacy of emitted qi. The present article focuses mainly on internal qi because almost everyone can learn qigong exercises for maintaining health and for self-healing, whereas, there are a limited number of skilled qigong masters available for healing.
There are numerous reports of the effects of emitted qi on living systems and the functions and organs of the human body. The present author reviewed some examples of medical applications of qigong and emitted qi on humans, animals, cell cultures, and plants, and he also published some of his experimental research on physiological effects of qigong. He discussed some clinical and experimental evidence showing that qigong exercise and external qi affects various functions and organs of the body. A short list of some of the functions and organs affected by qigong, and the measurement techniques employed (in parentheses), include: the brain (EEG and magnetometer); blood flow (thermography, sphygmography, and rheoencephalography); heart functions (blood pressure, EKG, and UCG); kidney (urinary albumin assay); biophysical (enzyme activity, immune function, sex hormone levels (laboratory analysis); eyesight (clinical); and tumor size in mice.
Clinical studies indicating the anti-aging benefits of qigong
Several clinical studies will be described to illustrate the scope of research on medical applications of qigong to treat chronic medical conditions that may affect the aging process. Some details may be omitted because of space limitations. The critical evaluation of the research studies will be left to medical specialists.
1) Therapeutic balancing of the meridians and functions of the body by qigong
The profound effect that internal qigong practice may have on balancing the energies of the organs and functions of the body is illustrated by measurements using Electroacupuncture According to Voll (EAV). In EAV the electrical conductance of the skin above individual acupuncture points is measured using low voltage and low current. Diagnosis depends on measuring the relative electrical conductance and its time dependence. An important diagnostic criterion of degeneration of an organ is an “indicator drop” that may occur during the measurement when the conductance reaches an apparent maximum value but then decreases before leveling off.
Measurements were made at 24 acupuncture points at the ends of the 12 meridians in the fingers and toes of subjects and were made by the same operator and equipment. The subjects were asked to perform a qigong exercise of their choosing for 10 to 15 minutes, for example, sitting or standing meditation or moving qigong. Two series of EAV measurements were made before and after healthy subjects practiced qigong.
In the first series, four subjects were examined by EAV before and after they practiced qigong. Qigong exercise decreased the average of the EAV measured values of the four subjects in the range of -19 to -31% (p<0.004). Qigong eliminated almost all the indicator drops.
In the second series, each of seven subjects was examined by EAV three times in a blind protocol so that the operator did not know whether a subject had practiced qigong before the second or third examination. The results showed that qigong exercise changed the average EAV measured values in the range of -17 to -35% for four subjects and in the range of 4 to 15% for three subjects. Indicator drops again were markedly decreased.
These preliminary results show that internal qigong practice can make significant changes in the therapeutic balancing of the meridian and organ systems.
In a similar type of study, the electric current at acupuncture points on 14 meridians was measured using a single square wave voltage pulse technique. Both a qigong master, who emitted qi, and a qi-receiver were measured simultaneously and continuously. The results show that internal and external qigong produce different values in some measurement parameters, and also some synchronous behavior was observed between the sender and receiver.
2) Clinical studies of effects of qigong on hypertensive patients
Several groups in China have investigated the effects of qigong on hypertension (i.e., high blood pressure). The research of Wang, Xu and coworkers of the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension was selected for discussion because it serves as a model for the many different effects that qigong may have on organs and functions of the body. For these studies, the patients practiced “Yan Jing Yi Shen Gong” for 30 minutes twice a day. This qigong is claimed to be especially valuable for therapeutic purposes and delaying senility. The qigong exercise consists of a combination of sitting meditation and gentle physical movements that emphasizes a calm mind, relaxed body, and regular respiration.
In 1991, the Shanghai group reported a 20-year controlled study of the anti-aging effects of qigong on 204 hypertensive patients. Subsequently, they reported a 30-year follow-up on 242 hypertensive patients, and more recently, the researchers reported an 18-22 year study of 536 patients. The patients were randomly assigned to the two groups. To control blood pressure, the patients were given the same hypotensive drug and in the same hospital. None of the patients smoked.
a. Blood Pressure
The effect of qigong exercise on blood pressure is shown graphically in Fig. 1. The blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) in millimeters mercury is plotted as a function of time over 20 years for the group consisting of 242 patients, 122 in the qigong group and 120 in the control group. During the first two months, the blood pressure of all patients dropped in response to the hypotensive drug. Subsequently, and over the period of 20 years, the blood pressures of the qigong group stabilized while that of the control group increased. Remarkably, during this period the drug dosage for the qigong group could be decreased, while the dosage for the control group had to be increased.
Fig. 1. Effect of qigong on blood pressure of hypertensive patients over 20 years. Qigong group (n=104) practiced 30 min/day twice/day, control group (n=100).
b. Mortality and Stroke
The incidences of mortality and stroke for the 30-year study are shown in Fig. 2. These results show that qigong exercise decreased by about 50 percent the incidence of total mortality, mortality due to stroke, and morbidity due to stroke. At the end of 30 years, 86 patients survived in the qigong group and 68 in the control group. These results clearly show that qigong has significant potential for preventing strokes and extending life.
c. Improvements in heart function and mircrocirculation
Aged hypertensive patients usually are found to have a deficiency of Heart-energy, which often leads to a weakened function of the left ventricle and a disturbance of microcirculation. The researchers evaluated the effects of qigong for120 aged patients by using ultrasonic cardiography (UCG) and indices of microcirculation.
Experiments showed that the left ventricular function (LVF) in the hypertensive aged group (80 cases) was lower than that in the aged normal blood pressure group (40 cases), while the LVF in the deficiency of Heart-energy hypertensive patients (46 cases) was lower than in the non-deficiency Heart-energy hypertensive patients (34 cases).
After practicing qigong for one year, cardiac output was increased, the total peripheral resistance decreased, and the ejection fraction mitral valve diastolic closing velocity and the mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening tended to be increased. Significant changes did not occur in the group without Heart-energy deficiency.
Quantitative evaluation of nailfold disturbances in microcirculation was made on the above groups by observing 10 indices of abnormal conditions: configuration of micrangium, micrangium tension, condition of blood flow, slowdown of blood flow, thinner afferent limb, efferent limb and afferent limb ratio, color of blood, hemorrhage, and petechia. The results showed that hypertension had an accelerating effect on the disturbance of microcirculation. The incidence of disturbance of microcirculation disturbance was 73.9% in the deficiency of Heart-energy hypertensive patients. After a year of qigong practice, the incident of disturbance was 39.1% (p<0.01).
The results suggest that qigong exercise has beneficial effects on Heart-energy and regulation of the blood channel, and qigong seems to have improved abnormal conditions of blood circulation.
d. Improvement in sex hormone levels
One consequence of aging is that the levels of sex hormones change in unfavorable directions. For example, female sex hormone (estrogen) levels tend to increase in men and decrease in women. Three studies indicate that qigong exercise can reverse this trend. The effect of qigong exercise on plasma sex hormone levels was determine for hypertensive men and women. The sex hormones levels were measured before and after qigong practice for one year.
Seventy male patients with essential hypertension (ages 40 to 69; disease stage II) were divided into two groups. For the qigong group (n=42), which practice qigong for one year, the estradiol level (E2) decreased from 70.1 to 47.7 pg/ml, a decrease of 32% (p<0.01), while no significant changes occurred in the control group (n=20). The testosterone levels (T) of both groups decreased about 7%. The value of E2 for the qigong group (47.7 pg/ml) approached that of healthy men (42.2±5.8 pg/ml) of the same age but without hypertension or cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, or endocrine diseases (p<0.05).
For women (ages 51 to 67, the number in the group is not available), the aging process was associated with failure of ovarian function manifested by decreased E2 and increased T levels. Qigong practiced one year resulted in an increase of E2 from 40.9±.3.5 to 51.6±3.5 pg/ml, a value about equal to that of normal menopausal controls without hypertension or cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, or endocrine diseases. The value of T was also increased by qigong from 25.5±2.2 to 37.2±2.2 ng/dl.
The favorable changes in estradiol levels, E2, brought about by qigong are summarized in Fig. 3 for both men and women.
In an auxiliary study, the 24-hour urinary estradiol levels were determined in 30 men ages 50 to 69. Qigong for one year resulted in a decrease of 31% in E2 and a decrease of 54% in the estradiol/testosterone ratio (E2/T). These changes were accompanied by improvements in symptoms associated with Kidney deficiency hypertension, such as soreness, dizziness, insomnia, hair loss, impotence, and incontinence. The average score for these symptoms was changed favorably by qigong from 5.5±2.3 to 2.8±1.3 (p<0.001).
Ye Ming and co-workers reported similar favorable changes in plasma sex hormone levels E2 in 77 male and female qigong exercisers after 2 months qigong compared with 27 controls. They did not observe significant changes in testosterone.
The three studies above show that qigong exercise can help restore the sex hormone levels that had deteriorated because of aging.
e. Changes in blood chemistry in hypertensive patients
Wang, Xu and co-workers made a series of determinations indicating the profound effects that qigong exercise may have on blood chemistry of hypertensive subjects. Improvements were noted in plasma coagulation firbrinolysis indices, blood viscosity, erythrocyte deformation index, levels of plasma tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), VIII factor related antigen (VIII R:AG), and anti-thrombin (AT-III). In another study, they reported that qigong exercise beneficially changed the activities of two messenger cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP).
Reversing symptoms of senility
To study the mechanism of keeping fit by qigong, a controlled study was made of 100 subjects classified either as presenile or with senile impaired cerebral function. The subjects were divided into two groups of 50 people each with a mean age of 63 years and with a similar distribution of age and sex. The qigong group practiced a combination of static and moving qigong. The control group exercised by walking, walking fast, or running slow. According to TCM method of classifying the vital energy, more than 80% of the patients in each group were classified as deficient in vital function and vital essence of the Kidney. Criteria for judging outcome were based on measuring clinical signs and symptoms including cerebral function, sexual function, serum lipid levels, and function of endocrine glands.
After six months, 8 of the 14 main clinical signs and symptoms in the qigong group were improved above 80%, whereas none of the symptoms in the control group were improved above 45%. These results suggest that qigong can reverse some symptoms of aging and senility. In this regard, qigong exercise is superior to walking or running exercises.
Enhanced activity of anti-aging enzyme SOD
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is produced naturally by the body but its activity declines with age. SOD is often called an anti-aging enzyme because it is believed to destroy free radicals that may cause aging. The effects of qigong exercise to treat disorders of retired workers were studied by Xu Hefen and coworkers and included determinations of plasma SOD.
For their study, 200 retired workers,100 males and 100 females, ranging in age from 52 to 76 were divided into 2 groups: the qigong exercise group and the control group, and each group consisted of 50 males and 50 females. The main qigong exercise was Emei Nei Gong (one kind of qigong exercises of the Emei School), and was practiced at least 30 minutes a day.
The result showed that the mean level of SOD was increased by qigong exercise. For example, the SOD level was larger in the qigong group (about 2700 µ/g Hb) and than in the control group (1700 µ/g Hb), and this difference was significant (p<0.001). This study shows that qigong exercise can stimulate physical metabolism, promote the circulation of meridians and regulate the flowing of qi and blood, thus preventing and treating disorders of aging and promoting longevity.
Cardiovascular function
Several studies reveal the potential benefits that qigong may have for improving the cardiovascular function of those with heart disease as well as old people. This conclusion is based on three studies reporting that qigong exercise can protect healthy pilots from altitude stress when they flew rapidly from a low altitude to the high altitude of the Tibetan highlands.
Before entering the Tibetan highland, 66 healthy young men were divided into two groups: a qigong group of 32 men who did Qiyuan Qigong exercise for 4 weeks, and a control group of 34 men who exercised to radio music. The two groups of men rapidly entered the highlands from a lower altitude. Before and after entering the highland, measurements were made of symptoms of altitude sickness and physiological changes. The qigong group suffered less altitude stress than the control group as measured by blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, microcirculation on the epex of tongue and the nail fold, and the temperature at the Laogong point of the left hand (p<0.01). The researchers suggest that qigong can prevent stress from altitude changes.
In another study of changes in altitude, healthy young men were divided into three groups. Forty males were in the qigong group and practiced Qiyuan qigong for 4 weeks prior to entering the highlands; 40 men were in the control group and exercised to radio music for 4 weeks prior to entering the highlands; and 40 males were residents living at high altitudes. The results show that the integral value of symptoms of acute mountain sickness was lower in the qigong than in control group (p<0.01 to 0.05). Pulmonary ventilation of the qigong group was significantly improved compared with the control group (p<0.01 to 0.05), and nearly equal to the resident group.
In another study, air force pilots were randomly divided into two groups: a qigong group of 22 men who had practiced Qiyuan Qigong exercise for eight weeks, and a control group of 18 men who did physical exercise for eight weeks before entering the Tibetan highlands. Microcirculation was measured at tongue apex and the nail fold, and also from the temperature at the Laogong point in palm of the left hand. When the men entered the high altitude, abnormal blood pressure and microcirculation of tongue apex and nail fold occurred in both groups. The abnormalities were statistically less in the qigong group than in the control group (p<0.01). The temperature at Laogong kept steady in the qigong group, but was reduced in the control group (p<0.05).
The results of these three studies with healthy subjects lead to the conclusion that qigong also should be effective in improving the health of people with cardiovascular conditions including the aged. In fact several research studies have reported such beneficial effects of qigong on cardiovascular diseases. The three studies also provide evidence that qigong exercise is superior to physical exercise such as calisthenics.
Blood flow to the brain
Qigong exercise has been shown by rheoencephalography to increase blood flow to the brain. For 158 subjects with cerebral arteriosclerosis who practiced qigong for 1 to 6 months, improvements were noted in symptoms such as memory, dizziness, insomnia, tinnitus, numbness of limbs, and vertigo headache. During these studies, a decrease in plasma cholesterol was also noted. These results may offer hope to people with cerebral arteriosclerosis.
Cancer
Feng Lida pioneered in research showing that emitted qi from qigong masters produced marked changes in cell cultures of cancer cells from mice. Several studies reported the effects of emitted qi on tumors in animals. For example, emitted qi was reported to inhibit the growth of implanted malignant tumors in mice but did not destroy the tumors. Encouraged by the results with animals, researchers carried out clinical research on the effects of qigong on human subjects with cancer.
In a clinical study of qigong as a therapeutic aid for patients with advanced cancer, 127 patients with medically diagnosed malignant cancer were divided into a qigong group of 97 patients and a control group of 30 patients. All patients received drugs, and the qigong group practiced qigong for more than 2 hours a day over a period from 3 to 6 months. The results summarized in Fig. 4 show that both groups improved, but the qigong group showed improvements four to nine times greater than the control group in strength, appetite, diarrhea free, and weight gain of 3 kg. The phagocytic rate, which is a measure of the immune function, increased in the qigong group but decreased in the control group. There are claims that qigong can cure cancer. Researchers, who seem to be more conservative, generally express the opinion to the author that qigong can at least slow the growth of cancerous tumors and reduce their size.
Combination therapy of qigong & drugs is superior to drug therapy alone
There is ample evidence in the literature that therapy by a combination of qigong exercise and drugs is superior to that of drugs alone. The advantages of a combination therapy of qigong and drugs over drugs alone were discussed earlier in this paper for hypertension and cancer.
The mechanism of this apparent synergism is not entirely understood, but undoubtedly relates to the fundamental mechanism of qigong. Qigong is believed to remove blocks to the ready flow of the qi (energy), blood, oxygen and nutrients to all cells of the body as well as to promote removal of waste products from cells of the body. Blocks to energy (qi) flow may result from injury, disease or stress.
Increases in qi flow and blood circulation help
nourish diseased or stressed tissue, providing a means for the body to heal itself. This mechanism suggests that qigong also could promote drug uptake to tissue and cells via increased blood circulation. Omura’s research shows that drug uptake was increased by using qigongized paper (i.e., paper to which emitted qi was sent) applied to afflicted area of the body.
Conclusions
This review deals with a small fraction of the large collection of clinical research on medical applications of qigong. The information presented is intended to illustrate the potential of qigong exercise for restoring normal body functions in people with chronic conditions, many of which accelerate the aging process. The main conclusion from many studies is that qigong exercise helps the body to heal itself. In this sense, qigong is a natural anti-aging medicine. Two studies indicate that qigong exercise is superior to some physical exercises.
Qigong can complement Western medicine in many ways to provide better healthcare. For example, qigong has special value for treating chronic conditions and as a preventive medicine, whereas Western medicine has special value for treating acute conditions. There are many medical applications of qigong that can complement Western medicine to improve health care. Some examples include chronic problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, aging, asthma, allergies, neuromuscular problems, and cancer. These areas of public health deserve consideration by the Western medical establishment.
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