XING: On The Nature Of Herbs and the Misuse of the term Temperature

Temperature has a very distinct meaning in the Western world, as we speak of temperature on a daily basis in terms of the weather and indoor environment, water that we enter (e.g., swimming pool or spa), in relation to cooking of food, and our body.  These are references to measurements that have a consistent application and meaning in relation to thermal energy.  Because of the wide-spread use of the term, it carries with it certain connotations based on shared experiences.

By ErgoSum88 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Anticancer Properties and Apoptosis-inducing Mechanisms of Cinnamaldehyde and the Herbal Prescription Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (黃連解毒湯 Huáng Lián Jiě Dú Tang) in Human Hepatoma Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has long been one of the most important causes of cancer mortality in the world. Many natural products and traditional herbal medicines have been used to treat HCC in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China. The present review aims to describe the anticancer properties and apoptotic mechanisms of cinnamaldehyde, the bioactive ingredient isolated from cinnamon trees, and the herbal prescription Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (黃連解毒湯 Huáng Lián Jiě Dú Tang; HLJDT) against human hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Implication of their treatment for the development of targeted therapy against HCC is discussed.

Using the Spirits of the Points: The Heart Meridian

Certainly, the health of the body and mind are important. We can eat right, exercise, study and learn in order to strengthen these levels, and yet neglect the most essential part of ourselves: the spirit - who we are at the core of our identity.

By Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator (Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator) [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Photographer Spends Hours on Bridges to Capture Colorful Overhead Portraits of Street Vendors

Waking up at 4 am, the vendors—often female migrant workers—pack their bicycles to the brim with fresh flowers and fruit, walking miles throughout the course of the day to peddle their wares. Heerink lived in Vietnam for many years and became fascinated with these street vendors, so much so that she sought to capture their beauty in a unique way.

Images courtesy of Loes Heerink. Image sourced from Creative Boom. Available here.

Cross-Cultural Medicine

Cultural competency is an essential skill for family physicians because of increasing ethnic diversity among patient populations. Culture, the shared beliefs and attitudes of a group, shapes ideas of what constitutes illness and acceptable treatment. A cross-cultural interview should elicit the patient’s perception of the illness and any alternative therapies he or she is undergoing as well as facilitate a mutually acceptable treatment plan.

Image sourced from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Available here.

Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suan Zao Ren Tang, for Sleep Disturbance during Methadone Maintenance

Methadone maintenance therapy is an effective treatment for opiate dependence, but more than three-quarters of persons receiving the treatment report sleep quality disturbances. In this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, we recruited 90 individuals receiving methadone for at least one month who reported sleep disturbances and had Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores > 5. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Suan Zao Ren Tang, one of the most commonly prescribed traditional Chinese medications for treatment of insomnia, improves subjective sleep among methadone-maintained persons with disturbed sleep quality.

Nikolai Kuznetsov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Xiao Yao San against Corticosterone-Induced Stress Injury

Previous studies have revealed that uncontrollable stress can impair the synaptic plasticity and firing property of hippocampal neurons, which influenced various hippocampal-dependent tasks including memory, cognition, behavior, and mood. In this work, we had investigated the effects and mechanisms of the Chinese herbal medicine Xiao Yao San (XYS) against corticosterone-induced stress injury in primary hippocampal neurons (PHN) cells.

By Flickr [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Fermented Chinese Formula Shuan-Tong-Ling Protects Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells against Oxidative Stress Injury

Fermented Chinese formula Shuan-Tong-Ling (STL), composed of fourteen medicinal herbs, was an experiential formula by Dr. Zhigang Mei for treating vascular encephalopathy, but the underlying mechanisms remained unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of fermented STL on hydrogen peroxide- (H2O2-) induced injury in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) and the possible mechanisms. 

Figure 5 from "Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016; 2016: 5154290." Published online 2016 Dec 21. doi: 10.1155/2016/5154290. Image sourced from NCBI. Available here.

Chinese herbal drugs for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Several Chinese herbs, indeed, elicit potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma receptor agonistic, platelet-activating factor antagonistic, aldose reductase inhibitory and various other beneficial pharmacological activities, required to counteract the pathological conditions prevalent in retina during diabetes.

Image sourced from Wiley Online Library. Available here.

Acupuncture therapy for drug addiction

In 1997, the National Institutes of Health accepted acupuncture therapy as an acceptable procedure complementary to Western medicine [1]. Evidence for its therapeutic effects comes mainly from clinical practice and research into pain control, fibromyalgia, headaches, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and depression [2]. Acupuncture therapy can be administered using either manual insertion of needles or electroacupuncture (EA), a mild electrical stimulation of acupoints. Extended acupuncture methods may involve finger pressure (acupressure) and laser therapy [3].

By National Institute on Drug Abuse. And User:Timeshifter. I (Timeshifter)[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Acupuncture for Oral Pain

While acupuncture is not widely used by dental pain practitioners, several clinical studies have shown it to be effective in treating craniofacial pain, especially when combined with stable occlusion. As far back as 1997, the National Institutes of Health issued a consensus statement affirming evidence that acupuncture is effective in relieving postoperative dental pain.

Photo by Shutterstock 69645151. Image of acupuncture needles sourced from Shutterstock. Available here.

Mai Danyang's 12 Acupoints

Ma Danyang (originally named Ma Yu) was a famous Daoist (1). He was born around 1123 A.D. to a very wealthy family in Haining (Shandong Province), and as a young man developed talents in the fields of acupuncture and poetry. In fact, he is well known today for his poem (ode, song) about 12 acupuncture points, relayed in this article.

Photo by Shutterstock 232755100. Image of acupuncture sourced from Shutterstock. Available here.

Acupuncture: is NICE cutting off its nose to spite its face?

Whether acupuncture works is not the issue here(1). Patients in their hundreds of thousands find it to work(2). NICE certainly found it to work In terms of superiority over no acupuncture/usual care, in fact no other non-drug therapy works better(3). Perhaps even more impressive is the sham controlled evidence. Despite sham acupuncture being another active acupuncture intervention this still produced a 0.8 SD superiority on the pain VAS from plentiful high quality data. No other non-pharmacological treatment was even at the races here, and, of the seven classes of drugs evaluated, only one (NSAIDs) did better (slightly: 1.0 SD). Rightfully concerned that NSAID adverse events might be a bit much for some patients to swallow, NICE decided to pick a back-up treatment. Was this the second placed runner, the rather safe acupuncture? No, they chose opiates (0.6 SD).

Shutterstock. (n.d.). [Traditional Chinese acupuncture with electro on body]. Shutterstock. Available here.

Sequencing poisonous mushrooms to potentially create medicine

To their surprise, Walton and colleagues found mushrooms have the potential to synthesize many more cyclic peptides than previously known, potentially in the billions, through one molecular production platform. The researchers have already discovered three previously unknown cyclic peptides based on patterns in the newly discovered DNA sequence.
Walton can already picture using cyclic peptides' laser-like ability to penetrate human cells for medicinal uses, noting that only a few mushroom peptides are poisonous to people.

Science X Network. (2017). [Sequencing power image]. Science X. Available here.

The ABC Clinical Guide to Elder Berry

European elder is a plant native to Europe, Northern Africa, and Western- and Central Asia. Its flowers and berries have a long history of use in traditional European medicine. Elder berries have also been used for making preserves, wines, winter cordials, and for adding flavor and color to other wines. Dietary supplements containing extracts, juices or syrups of European elder berry have become popular in the U.S. as remedies for treating cold and flu symptoms, sold mainly in natural food stores alongside other popular cold and flu herbal remedies.

American Botanical Council. (n.d.). [Elderberry monograph PDF]. American Botanical Council. Available here.

A Soothing Acupuncture Lounge in Aichi, Japan

In Aichi, Japan, is where you’ll find the SUMIYOSHIDO kampo lounge, a soothing clinic for acupuncture and moxibustion. Designed by id inc., the interior is set up like a herbal pharmacy with fresh mint green walls that look like apothecary cabinets, giving nod to the history of herbal medicine.

Design Milk. (2016). [Sumiyoshido Kampo Lounge Acupuncture]. Design Milk. Available here.