Gua Sha and Immunity

A  press-stroke treatment of the skin, boosts the immune response to intradermal vaccination.

Photo by Shutterstock 101865523. Image of a large bone scraper tool being used sourced from Shutterstock. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/large-bone-scraper-tool-being-used-101865523

RTC Supports Fenugreek's Menopausal Benefits

A standardized extract of Fenugreek, may reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women, and improve their quality of life, a new study says.

The Plant Based Solution to Antibiotic Resistance

With resistance to antibiotics rising, ancient remedies are getting a second look. Could plant-based drugs save us?

Ginkgo, or maidenhair tree, has a long history of use documented in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It has been used in supplements to support cognitive function and also as a food. Photo by Cassandra Quave. Image sourced from WBUR. Available at: https://media.wbur.org/wp/2016/09/plant2.jpg

Treatment of Frozen Shoulder Using Chinese Medicine

The first description of frozen shoulder was provided by the French physician E.S. Duplay in 1872. During the 20th century a corresponding Chinese term arose: "50-years shoulder" (wushi jian), referring to the typical age of onset of the disorder; the term frozen shoulder (jianning) is also used in China. While there are numerous references to traditional style Chinese medical treatments for problems of the shoulder area, investigations into the use of the therapies specifically aimed at frozen shoulder have only been described in the last few years.

Image sourced from ITM Online. Available at: http://www.itmonline.org/image/frozenshoulder1.jpg

Acupuncture reduces hot flashes for half of women, study finds

We would suggest the half that did not experience resolution of symptoms, would do well with the addition of herbal therapy.

Photo by Shutterstock 160707833. Image of infrared radiation hardening sourced from Shutterstock. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/infrared-radiation-hardening-160707833

Lost Posture: Why Some Indigenous Cultures May Not Have Back Pain

An acupuncturist in Palo Alto, Calif., thinks she has figured out why. She has traveled around the world studying cultures with low rates of back pain — how they stand, sit and walk. Now she's sharing their secrets with back pain sufferers across the U.S.

Primal posture: Ubong tribesmen in Borneo (right) display the perfect J-shaped spines. A woman in Burkina Faso (left) holds her baby so that his spine stays straight. The center image shows the S-shaped spine drawn in a modern anatomy book (Fig. I) and the J-shaped spine (Fig. II) drawn in the 1897 anatomy book Traite d'Anatomie Humaine. Courtesy of Esther Gokhale and Ian Mackenzie/Nomads of the Dawn. Image sourced from NPR. Available at: https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/06/05/back-pain-promo2_custom-830b68bd64b28412f6c67c55c3250b9b57e0980a.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp

Lawmakers urge DEA to reconsider ‘hasty’ ban of opioid-like kratom

When the Drug Enforcement Administration announced in late August that it would outlaw an opioid-like plant called kratom, the reaction was immediate. Kratom sellers threatened legal action. Over 130,000 people signed a petition to stop the ban. Some 400 users marched in front of the White House, with kids wearing shirts that said, “Kratom saved my mom.”

A bipartisan group in Congress has signed a letter asking the DEA to delay a ban on kratom. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images. Image sourced from STAT News. Available at: https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Kratom_GettyImages-530276388-645x645.jpg

Did the Herbs Cause That?

It is important for practitioners to become more familiar with the nature of the herbs they prescribe and the expected responses to them, so as to be able to respond to concerns about and allegations of adverse reactions. 

Photo by Shutterstock 290658917. Image of a variety of herbs including rosemary, parsley, and bay leaves sourced from Shutterstock. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/herbs-variety-rosemary-parsley-bay-leaves-290658917

Before Beijing: A Rare View of China's Last Dynasty

In May of 1870, Thomas Child was hired by the Imperial Maritime Customs Service to be a gas engineer in Peking (Beijing). The 29-year-old Englishman left behind his wife and three children to become one of roughly 100 foreigners living in the late Qing dynasty's capital, taking his camera along with him.

The wedding portrait of Zeng Jifen and Nie Ji Gui, who were only recently identified. The bride is the daughter of Marquis Zeng Guofan, a high-ranking Chinese official during the Qing dynasty. Photo by Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery. Image sourced from The Atlantic. Available at: https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/3B_DEetQ62S4lEAbbYhEzRbWmpM=/900x692/media/img/photo/2016/09/thomas-child-images/01_t/original.jpg

School Successfully Replaces Detention With a Mindful Meditation Room

Misbehaving children are sent to a purple-pillowed space called The Mindful Meditation Room, which allows them to calm down and recenter through breathing exercises and mediation before reentering the classroom.

By Holistic Life Foundation, Inc. Image sourced from My Modern Met. Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/dANUhhg9l0cVaMcmNqa5_MeditationinSchool1.jpg

On Taking Herbs While Breastfeeding

Women who are breastfeeding are cautioned about taking certain drugs that might affect their infants. Questions then arise as to whether some herbs are also of concern in relation to breastfeeding.

R.C. Gorman (Diné, 1932-2005). Two Works: Two Maidens, edition 34/100, Two Women and a Baby, edition 1, 1929. Image sourced from Lacted. Available at: https://lacted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Breastfeeding-7.jpg

An Expert on Chinese Medicine, but No New Age Healer

One day in 1971, the doorbell rang at Paul U. Unschuld’s apartment in Munich. He opened the door to find a young man, who laconically said in English: “Hi, I am James Quinn, C.I.A. Tell me about the military usage of acupuncture.”

“Medicine and politics are similar: You don’t blame others, you blame yourself.” Paul U. Unschuld. Credit: Andrea Gjestvang for The New York Times. Image sourced from The New York Times. Available at: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/09/24/world/24UNSCHULD/24UNSCHULD-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp

Bone Breaks and Bone Broth

In Chinese medicine, one of the “secrets” of healing broken bones is to drink Bone Broth during the healing process. Most Chinese people know this and do not need a doctor to prescribe bone broth. Bone Broth as medicine was once part of Western medical knowledge

Photo by Internal Arts International. Image sourced from Internal Arts International. Available at: https://www.internalartsinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/broth.jpg

Could Ancient Remedies Hold the Answer to the Looming Antibiotics Crisis?

One researcher thinks the drugs of the future might come from the past: botanical treatments long overlooked by Western medicine.

Brazilian peppertree, which is being studied for antibiotic potential. Credit: Damon Casarez for The New York Times. Image sourced from The New York Times. Available at: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/09/18/magazine/18ethnobotany2/18ethnobotany2-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp

Shocking new role found for the immune system: Controlling social interaction

The immune system affects -- and even controls -- social behavior, a new study has found. 

Photo by Shutterstock 344282432. Image of an MRI showing the brain sourced from Shutterstock. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/mri-image-head-showing-brain-344282432