Q: What can Chinese herbs do for me?
A: Chinese Herbal therapy or herb medicine has three main functions:
Treat the acute diseases and conditions such as killing bacteria or a virus; heal chronic illness such as gastrointestinal disorder, respiratory disorder, allergies, immune system deficiency, etc. by strengthening the body, helping it to recover; maintain daily life health by keeping the balance of human body.
In general, herbs can treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions. Comparing with chemical medicine, Chinese herbal medicine is much more gentler and safer because it is made of natural herbs. Most of Chinese herbs do not cause side effects. Even some side effects that do occur among a few herbs, those side effects can be easily counteracted with other herbs. For these reasons, people turn to herbal therapy for a number of indications. More and more people rely on Chinese herb medicine as alternative after chemical medicine failed.
Chronic illness treatment - As we know, many people with chronic illness may take a number of different conventional drugs daily. Chinese herb medicine is a very good alternative for those who are looking for a natural alternative for the conventional western medicine. There are many very efficient Chinese herbal patent medicines and prescribed herb formulas for the medications taken for pain syndromes, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders, stress related syndromes, respiratory disorders, heart problems, sexual dysfunction, allergies and immune system deficiencies, as well as replacements for antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Side effect reduction - As mentioned early, Chinese herbs are safer and have less side-effects. Actually they can be taken to reduce the side effects of other medication such as antibiotics, chemotherapy, etc. It is well known that antibiotics weaken the immune system. Herbal therapy can strengthen the system. Also, during chemotherapy, the white blood cell count drops, which causes fatigue, lack of energy and appetite. Herbal therapy has proven quite successful in relieving the side effects of chemotherapy. For prevention - People may take Chinese herb medicine for disease prevention. For instance, for a person suffering from frequent headaches, taking herbs to prevent the headache from ever starting is a much better option than taking a pain reliever after the fact. Herbs are also used to prevent the flu, menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome, among other things. For health maintenance- Herbal therapy can also be used for general health maintenance. Tonic herbs are used to increase energy and to slow the aging process. They are also used for enhancing sexual energy and for cosmetic purposes. Herbs arc also used to treat minor symptoms that are not severe enough for heavy chemical drugs, symptoms that cannot be diagnosed by Western medicine, and symptoms and illness that are not easy to treat, such as mononucleosis and immune system deficiencies.
For thousands of years, the doctors and researcher who develop Chinese medicine herb formulas have had only one main objective--- To eliminte ailments by eliminate the cause of ailments. Especially for chronic ailments, using the formulas will boost the patient's self-healing power and let patients recover themselves.
For long history of china, the Chinese have developed a very rich legacy of medicine herb formulas Which combine herbs, plants, insects, mineral, vitamin etc except chemicals.
Q: Why choose herbal remedy rather than pharmaceutical drugs?
A: Herbal medicine is distinct from medicine based on pharmaceutical drugs. Firstly, because of the complexity of plant materials it is far more balanced than medicine based on isolated active ingredients and is far less likely to cause side-effects. Secondly, because herbs are prescribed in combination, the different components of a formulae balance each other, and they undergo a mutual synergy which increases efficiency and enhance safely. Thirdly, herbal medicine treats the root of the problem as well as the symptom. It is also designed to encourage the self-healing process.
Q: Who can have the treatment?
A: Herbal medicine can be used by people of any age or constitution. Practitioner may adjust the dose for a child. Practitioner will take extra caution for the pregnant women.
Q: Are herbs safe?
A: Chinese herbs are very safe when prescribed correctly by a properly trained practitioner. Over the centuries doctors have compiled information about the pharmacopoeia and placed great emphasis on the protection of the patient. Allergic type reaction are rare, and will cause no lasting damage if the treatment is topped as soon as symptoms appear. All the herbs we use are legal and are included in the government’s herb list.
Q: Endangered species
A: Green Health is very concerned about the threat to wild animals and plants. We strongly condemn the illegal trade in endangered species and prohibit the use of any type of endangered species. We do not stock any tiger bones, bear’s bile, rhinoceros’s horn, etc. All these medicine have been forbidden in the early 80’s in China.
Q: Taste of the medicine
A: There is Chinese saying--- the bitterer medicine, the better the result. Chinese herbs taste really bitter and disgusting but as long as the result is good, you should persevere it. Tips: You can add honey or sugar ( or sugar substitute for diabetes patient), juice, milk to alter the taste. Have a mint before and after taking the medicine or brush your teeth afterwards. For children, besides above methods, the parents can use straw or syringe to help them to drink. Or drink a few times a day instead of two.
Q: What is Acupuncture?
A: Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing developed over thousands of years as part of the traditional Chinese medicine.
TCM believes: Good health—Qi ( vital energy) flows freely through the meridians# Illness—Qi is blocked, weakened, unbalanced Acupuncture – using very fine needles, correcting the flow of Qi, so illness can be cleared and good health restored.
Q: Does acupuncture hurt?
A: Acupuncture is not painless but neither can it be described as painful. Acupuncture needles bear little resemblance to the injection needles. They are much finer and are solid rather than hollow. When the needle is inserted, the sensation is often described as tingling. Some people may not feel anything at all.
Q: What if I have needle phobia or I really have not got the courage to have acupuncture now?
A: You can try one needle first. It may not as bad as you thought. If you still can’t do it, doctor will do acupressure( tui-na), moxibustion or other treatment which is needle free for you. It is completely painless. You should feel very comfortable with the treatment.
Q: How does acupuncture work?
A: There are more than 40 acu-points along the 12 meridians and 8 extraordinary channels. These points provide us geteways to influence, redirect, increase or decrease body’s Qi (vital energy), thus correcting many of the unbalance. Many science reports show that acupuncture can improve blood circulation, and immune system, balance hormone, block the pain signal from reaching the brain.
Q: Do I need to get undressed when I have acupuncture?
A: No really. Most times it is only necessary to roll up trousers and shirt sleeves--- provide the clothes are loose enough! But occasionally, you will need to remove clothing down to underwear.
Q: Why should I have acupuncture / herbal treatment?
A: Because: 1: They are safe and effective 2: They are holistic and aim to restore the body’s balance 3: They treat both the symptoms and the root of the illness 4: They can treat problems that may not have a clear western medical diagnosis 5: They have been practiced for thousands of years. TCM is a well-established medical system and has developed fast in the last 50 years. Lots of research have been done to improve the quality of the products and treatment 6: They can help you to come off certain prescription drugs(with you GP’s consent) 7: Many people come to the clinic as the last resort because all the other conventional or alternative medicine failed to help them
Q: Do everyone practice the acupuncture the same?
A: There are a few different styles of acupuncture all over the world. It is very important to choose the right practitioner, otherwise you will waste your time and money. All our doctors are fully qualified and highly experienced in TCM and western medicine. We often hear patients’ comment that Chinese style acupuncture seem to be stronger and more effective. An experienced doctor normally get to the right point of your problem very quickly while others may take longer time.
Q: What should I do before the treatment?
A: Nothing specific. If possible, do not miss the meal before your treatment in case you get dizziness during the treatment.
Q: How will feel after acupuncture?
A: Usually relaxed and calm. Occasionally you may feel tired or drowsy for a few hours if the treatment has been particularly strong. But you should feel fine over night.
Q: Is acupuncture safe?
A: It is. We abide by the strict hygiene procedures set by British Acupuncture council. Those procedures have been approved by the department of health, and provide protection against the transmission of infectious diseases.
Q: Are your needles sterilize ?
A: Yes they are, plus we only use disposable needles. That is, all the needles are only used once and we throw them away after they have been used.
Q: Traditional Chinese medicine, how can that help me?
A: TCM can be used to treat almost all health problems, from minor imbalances to chronic disease. To this day in China over 50% of all healthcare products and spending is on TCM including herbal prescriptions, acupuncture, acupressure and reflexology. If you are frustrated with conventional medicine, and have tried everything, you should look into TCM. We have countless cases of customers who have all but lost hope only to find the solution to their serious health problems lies in TCM. There is a reason TCM has been used so extensively by 1.3 billion Chinese for the past centuries, that reason is simply that TCM can work very effectively against many conditions.
Q: TCM? It sounds complicated.
A: The basic concepts in TCM are quite simple. TCM believes that the human body must remain in equilibrium with the outside factors that influence it. These outside factors include climate (wind, cold, heat, damp, etc.) and emotional state (grief, anger, fright, etc.). We all know these outside factors can affect our health. TCM simply uses herbs, acupuncture, and acupressure to help counteract the effects of these external factors.
These external factors can cause minor ailments to be created and once they become deep rooted they can transform into chronic illnesses that affect the internal organ system and lead to serious health decline. Achieving a physical, mental and spiritual balance is the Chinese ideal.
Q: What is the Balance?
A: This is the yin yang symbol. You almost certainly recognize it, but do you know what it means? Yin and yang are a way of looking at life. They symbolize the essential Chinese ideal of perfect balance. Literally, they represent the sunny (yang) and the dark (yin) sides of a mountain. They are two opposing forces contained within the circle of life. According to Chinese philosophy, the world and all life within it contains this pair of mutually dependent opposites and only when they are in equal balance is life itself in harmony.
Q: What's that got to do with my feeling 100%?
A: Traditional Chinese medicine attempts to harmonize the opposing forces of your mind, body and spirit. Only when your yin and yang are balanced will you feel 100%.
Q: How will Green Health balance my yin and yang?
A: The basis of Chinese medicine is prevention. We try to anticipate problems by correcting imbalances early on so that they never get the chance to develop. By carefully sustaining your interior landscape we aim to counteract the conditions that give way for disease to develop in the first place instead of waiting until the symptoms of illness are manifest and deeply ingrained.
Q: How does traditional Chinese medicine work then?
A: Well, yin-yang is perhaps the most general of several key concepts. The holistic approach of Chinese medicine means that both mind and body are seen as interconnected. The passions chronic fear, sudden fright, anxiety, over-excitement, over-thinking, sadness and irritability - are seen as both the cause but also the symptoms of internal disharmony and illness. You may be feeling a lingering sadness due to a lung condition, but equally the emotion may be physically weakening your lungs.
So, when you meet a Chinese medicine practitioner they are just as likely to ask you what mood you're in as they are to listen to your chest.
Q: Is diagnosis different to western medicine?
A: Traditional Chinese medicine often refers to the four pillars. These are: looking (at the facial colour, the skin, the tongue), smelling (the breath, the body odour), palpation (for example feeling the wrist pulse), and listening (to the patients symptoms but also to the tone of the voice or the sound of a cough).
These methods enable a practitioner to assess the physical, psychological and energetic state of the patient and are often used together with Western diagnoses to form a powerful combination of disease detection.
The idea of organ networks is another central concept and was developed by ancient Chinese to explain the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Q: How are the organ networks used?
A: According to the theory five main and six subsidiary organs regulate the correct functioning of body and mind. For example, the liver stores blood, ensures a smooth flow of energy around the body, and regulates a woman's period but also opens into the eyes, manifests in the nails and plays a vital role in social interactions, creativity and a good nights sleep.
Over the years Chinese doctors charted the common ways in which these networks could break down and result in illness. At the same time they developed methods of restoring the networks back to a state of health and harmony by administering herbs, acupuncture, and acupressure. They also determined that the different networks are inter-related.
Q: Isn't there one way to sum up traditional Chinese medicine?
A: Yes there is it's called Qi, and it's probably the most important of all the traditional philosophical principles. Qi (pronounced chee) is a concept which underpins all of Chinese medicine. It is commonly translated as energy but it is actually much more than this: Qi can exist in numerous states and forms. We all know that the body contains energy, providing heat and fuel to different parts of the body. This energy flows though the body and links the organ networks. In simple conventional medicine terms energy is the metabolisation of proteins in the body and that without a clear flow of this energy to the organs of the body they will deteriorate and lead to illness.
At Green Health, just as we use Chinese medicine to balance your yin and yang, we are simultaneously aiming to ensure a smooth circulation and balance of Qi throughout your body and organ networks.
Q: How are herbs used?
A: There are three main ways to describe the effect that herbs can have on Qi and the energy flow within the human body: The first is temperature. Each herb is said to be either hot, warm, neutral cool or cold. Typically, hot herbs are used to alleviate cold conditions such as certain types of arthritis, coughs or uterine pains. Conversely cold herbs are used for hot conditions like high fevers, excessive thirst and constipation. The second is taste. There are five tastes, each of which indicates the active nature of the herb. A pungent taste tends to be dispersing; bitter is cooling and draining; sweet is tonifying; salty softens; sour substances are astringent; and bland herbs tend to drain dampness.
Finally, each herb is also linked with specific organ networks. For example menthe (or peppermint) is pungent, cool and is linked with the lungs and the liver. In terms of the lungs therefore, menthe would be used as part of a prescription to disperse externally invading toxins causing flu and the hot type of cold.
Q: What herbs do you use?
A: The herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine are not necessarily herbs as we know them. Along with more common Western herbs the huge variety of medicinal herbs in use includes types of tree bark, flower petals and clay. The herbs are classified by what they do rather than what they are and will normally be grouped into about 20 distinctive functional categories. For example, there are those which nourish the Qi or body energy, those which calm the mind, or those which warm the interior. However, it is extremely rare to use only one herb in a formula. Usually several herbs are combined together with each herb performing a specific role. Some might assist the action of the primary herb, whilst others may target secondary symptoms or focus the action of the formula on a specific organ or part of the body. Combining herbs together in this way greatly adds to the therapeutic effect of herbal medicine.