Chinese herbal formulas tend to be much gentler than western medicines. They work not only to help relieve symptoms but also to help return the body to balance and equilibrium. Unlike Western medications, herbal formulas can be customized for the individual and are often modified as treatment continues to meet the changing needs of the body.

Yes, in most instances. However, please tell us about all the medication (prescription and over the counter) that you are taking. Studies have shown that the use of acupuncture and herbs prior to IVF greatly increases the efficacy of IVF. Modern medical wisdom seems to suggest that we combine what is useful from each source. Indeed, this is the case in China today. In medical schools in China the students learn 60% Chinese and 40% Western medicine and can apply both after training.

Studying Chinese herbs along with Western herbs has many advantages. First of all, many of the Chinese herbs are the same herbs you’d use in Western herbalism such as mint, hawthorn, elecampane, dandelion, garlic, ginger, licorice, loquat, motherwort, mugwort, myrrh, raspberry, blackberry, rhubarb and safflower just as a few examples.

Chinese Medicine concentrates on the normalization of the body’s Qi. Therefore, the therapeutic focus is on “wellness.” It is traditionally applied to keep the individual healthy. If there are changes of the body energy which adversely affect a person’s health, the treatment consists of correcting underlying imbalances in this body energy. The goal of Chinese Medicine is to address the underlying energy imbalance that results in symptoms.

Western medicine is concerned with isolable disease categories or agents, which it focuses on,isolates, and tries to change,control or destroy. Western medicine starts with a symptom then reaches for an underlying mechanism-a precise cause for a specific disease. This disease may affect various other parts of the body but it is relatively self-contained. Precise diagnosis frames an exact, quantifiable description of a narrow area.

Absolutely. Using imagery to talk to the body, you can tap into the subconscious with powerful suggestions to accept any medication or surgical procedure with less stress and far less side effects. During this meditative process, science is proving that the heart rate slows down, the pulse is lowered, and the immune system is actually strengthened, affording quicker healing and reduced pain. However, it is not a substitute for proper medical attention.

Western Herbal Medicine tends to use one or two herbs to treat just a specific symptom. Chinese Herbal formula contain as many as 20 different herbs. Chinese herbs are selected to work synergistically to treat the whole person. In Chinese Medicine, we assess a person's entire constitution (the health of their whole body) and treat the root (or cause) of a health concern along with a branch (or the symptoms) of that health concern.

In contrast to herbs, homeopathic remedies are diluted so as to contain at most, infinitesimally small amounts of active substances. The remedies that rated as being of higher potency are often diluted to the point wherein no molecules of the original base substance remain. Herbs, particularly herbal extracts, contain measurable and in most cases concentrated levels of bioactive phytonutrients such as polysaccharides, terpenoids, glycocides, lipids and alkaloids, among others.

Western drug medicine relies primarily on chemistry to heal and control pain. Microcurrent electrical therapy (MET) is based on the concept that the biophysics underlying the chemistry also plays a significant role in regulating bodily processes. Using waveforms at a level of current similar to the body's own, MET bridges cellular communications helping reestablish the normal electrical flow.

Similar to conventional medicine, Naturopathic medicine utilizes comparable diagnostic methods including physical exams and labs. Where we differ is mainly in our treatment methods and our philosophies. In the state of New Hampshire Naturopaths have a formulary in which they can prescribe a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, however; our first choice is naturopathic modalities.

Most naturopaths and herbalists say yes. However, they also agree that you should always check with your healthcare professional before doing so, as many herbs have the same action as prescription drugs. For example, St. John's Wort & Kava Kava should not be combined with antidepressants; Ginkgo can act as a blood thinner, and is therefore not recommended for ones taking anti-clotting medications such as aspirin or coumadin.

Yes, empirical evidence has proven that Chinese herbal medicine works for Westerners just as well as for Chinese. Chinese herbal medicine has been used successfully in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and all throughout Asia.

For the most part you can continue your Western medications while taking Chinese herbs. It is crucial that your practitioner know about all of the medications (prescription and over-the-counter) that you are on, so that they change the herbal prescription if necessary.

Yes, you can. Acupuncture has no recorded interactions with western medications, with the exception of blood thinners. It is always a good idea to discuss your treatment with your doctor. Although there have been a few documented interactions with herbal medicine and western medications, herbal medicine has been used alongside western medicine in China for at least one hundred years, both in hospitals and at home. Research is continually being done in this area.

Western medical doctors have developed great interest in incorporating acupuncture, particularly as they have noticed its impact and success with addictions, AIDS, sports injuries, trauma, and pain relief. |top|

Yes. Modern medical wisdom suggests that we combine what is useful from each source. Because Chinese medicine addresses the underlying cause of a condition rather than just the symptoms, it is often helpful to treat conditions generally unresponsive to western drug-oriented treatment. Examples include PMS, headache, vertigo, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, etc. Conversely, some conditions, most notably bacterial infections and conditions with structural changes, e.g.

In short, Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been viewed as two distinct and divergent medicines. Their approaches to physiology and healing appear quite different in perspective. While Western medicine separates the various systems and organs of the body and delves deeper and deeper into the particles that comprise matter. Chinese medicine views the body and further, the whole person, as a unified organic whole.

Most herbs are safe to take alongside medicine from the doctor. However, some herbs should not be taken alongside orthodox medication or if you are pregnant or suffer from a serious medical condition. We are fully trained to prescribe safely and effectively in such cases, and to avoid any potential clashes.

Conventional medicine sees the symptoms as a direct cause of the illness while Homeopathy sees the symptoms as the body’s reaction against the illness as it seeks to overcome it and therefore a homeopathic prescription will stimulate and not suppress this reaction.

Most quality herbal stores have them, at a reasonable price. And you can find my recommended herbal stores I am always using in my ebook. Don't worry. Please send me an email to mercury21@intergate.com and I will send you the download link page.

Anti-aging medicine is a comprehensive practice of preventive medicine that incorporates components of holistic and wellness medicine but goes beyond them with board-certified physicians utilizing specific high-tech testing procedures and medical treatments. Wellness and holistic medicine don't generally deal in conventional therapies. Anti-aging is a new subspecialty just like emergency medicine and family practice were 20 to 30 years ago.

Acupuncture, herbs and acupressure treatment can be combined with Western internal medicine, osteopathic, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy or massage. However, it is advisable that patients who are undergoing herbs treatment take their herbal medicine at different times of the day than their conventional medicine.

Western herbalism focuses on symptoms and diseases like headache, sore throat, etc. Chinese herbal medicine is practiced as part of TCM, and is based on an individual's unique pattern diagnosis, as well as their disease diagnosis. This means that TCM patients receive individualized herbal prescriptions called formulas. These formulas can remain the same through treatment, or they can change with each treatment as the disease changes and resolves.

Yes! We have a great deal of respect for the knowledge, training, and responsibilities of your medical doctor, and have no desire to interfere with the care you receive from your MD. On the other hand we are pleased to offer TCM options where they seem well suited for our patients. We are happy to discuss our TCM treatments with your doctor so that they may be fully appraised of our treatment strategies.