 Are you a lady of a certain age?
If so, you might like to know that small pilot studies have shown that Chinese Herbal Medicine can be beneficial to controlling hot flushes. There are some wonderful TCM formulas that specifically target menopausal symptoms, and I can modify them based on which symptoms are most disruptive to your life. As with anything, the sooner you start treatment, the better! Women between 45 and 50 who start having irregular periods, heavy periods, and/or some hot flashes should get in for treatment as soon as possible so that their body can be brought into balance before the hormonal changes affect it too much. Menopause is a natural occurrence – a time of transition, wisdom, and growth . Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can help moderate the negative aspects of this time so that you can appreciate it for what it is! Get in touch if you'd like to know more!
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 In Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, a happy digestion means happy Spleen.
You may be eating healthy but without a good digestion system, the rest of your health may be affected. Here are five herbs you've probably got in your pantry to help get your guts back to their former glory!
All of these herbs are good for those who are always feeling a little cold, sluggish, lethargic and easily get bloating or indigestion. If you give them a try, let me know how you get on!  Generally speaking, Western Medicine certainly has its benefits and is good for treating acute illness while Chinese Medicine is good for treating chronic illness or general health.
But there are three things that Traditional Chinese Medicine can offer you that - for the most part - Western Medicine doesn't.
And how effective is it really? You'll be pleased to know the World Health Organisation acknowledges scientific evidence of TCM’s effectiveness for:
If you'd like to know more about how TCM can help you with any of these conditions, just shout!  In a perfect world, conceiving a child when a couple is ready should be a straightforward matter.
But according to studies, 12 to 15 per cent of couples are unable to conceive due to fertility issues after a year of having unprotected sex Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has transitioned from an “alternative therapy” to a more commonly accepted option for treating common natural fertility issues, when administered by qualified and highly experienced practitioners . Studies like a 2017 paper published by the Journal of Integrative Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal by Shanghai Changhai Hospital in China, have also shown that co-treating conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome with TCM is more effective than receiving only Western medical treatments. If you are looking for help with your fertility journey and think TCM could help you, make sure you consult a practitioner who is trained to provide the most effective TCM for fertility methods that complement — and not counteract — any ongoing Western treatments. If you'd like to know more - in confidence - just drop me a message.  In Chinese medicine, Ginger - 生姜 or Sheng Jiang - is a common ingredient in many healing herbal formulas - and you've probably got a jar of it on your spice rack right now.
Ginger is a wonderful herb - not only does it taste great in whatever recipe you originally bought the jar for, it's also one of the healthiest herbs on the planet. It is loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger, responsible for much of its medicinal properties. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Here are some things that you should know about ginger and ways you can use it at home:
Want to add this hard-working herb to your kitchen cupboard? Ginger is as close as your nearest grocery store. Raw ginger root is found in the produce section, for ginger powder, look in the spice section of the same store, and look for pickled ginger in jars in the Asian foods aisle!  In Chinese Herbal Medicine, this root is known as Fu Ling - 茯苓 - and it's a wild white fungus found on the roots of the Japanese red pine.
The herb is widely cultivated in Yunnan, Hubei, Anhui, and Sichuan provinces of China, and commonly included in teas and soups for a warm and healthy dose of wellness. According to Chinese medicine theory, this medicinal plant is most effective in combating conditions relating to the spleen and the digestive tract. It strengthens the stomach by evenly circulating the energy produced by food, and is known as a potent tonic for the bladder and kidneys. Apart from these main qualities, Chinese medicine doctors also use Fu Ling to help with hot flushes, insomnia, anxiety, diabetes, bacterial infections, inflammation and even cancer. Want to know how Fu Ling can help get you back on track to health and wellness? Leave me a comment! We live in a high tech world and yet every year more and more people suffer from chronic and infectious diseases. Now, the strange virus known as Covid -19 has literally changed all our lives – and is especially affecting those who have chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Have you wondered why chronic disease is so common – and whether that is avoidable? As a herbalist, I know the power of plant medicine to restore and protect the body – a power that has been proven over thousands of years and may now be more needed than ever.  Covid-19 is referred to as a virus but is not actually a living thing. More like a piece of a molecule, it cannot replicate alone, so its aim is to get inside healthy cells in the human body and use them to multiply and infect more cells. Covid-19 can attack organs like kidney, brain and lungs and can deprive the blood of essential oxygen. This happens because, once inside the respiratory system, it can travel down its many branching airways as far as the alveoli, small air sacs which release oxygen into the blood stream and absorb carbon dioxide. When the virus enters the body, it is not looking for just any healthy cells but one type in particular – those that are expressing a high amount of something called ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 to be technical). We’ve all seen the diagram of the virus with its little ‘arms’ and when those arms find high ACE2 cells, they dock on and start their work.  Let’s understand better what’s going on from a recent letter to The Lancet magazine written by distinguished medical experts: What type of cells become high in ACE2? Those in the lung, intestine, kidney, and blood vessels. Who tends to have high ACE2 cells? People who suffer from diabetes, hypertension and metabolic disease What do doctors give patients who have these problems? ACE inhibitors and ARBs What effect do these drugs have on the body? They actually increase the amount of ACE2 expressed by cells, making the person even more susceptible to Covid-19 virus and less able to fight it off.  So both chronic disease and the conventional treatment for it may be putting people in danger from this strange new virus. It seems that we need to go back to examine the cause of chronic disease and how it can be addressed. That’s simple – the cause is Inflammation - and inflammation is the immune system’s biological response to ageing, stress, a poor diet high in processed food and sugar, excessive alcohol, lack of exercise, obesity and other medical conditions. In the thinking of traditional Chinese medicine, this inflammation creates a propensity for heat within the body – and heat can lead to a stagnation of body fluids, especially blood stagnation. There is a whole range of herbs that can efficiently clear this heat and stagnation, without unpleasant or dangerous side effects – and many of them are in our Resist herbal formula.  When it comes to recovery from covid type symptoms, I keep seeing how good our Expert Herbalist Cough formula is for nourishing, protecting and restoring the lungs.
It is full of anti-bacterial and antiviral herbs that particularly nourish lungs, stop spasm and clear phlegm. For maintaining good health, of course we need to address all the lifestyle causes of inflammation. Meanwhile to help strengthen and protect the immune system, Expert Herbalist Resist herbal formula can be taken long term at a maintenance dose. Also very important are Vitamin D3, along with food-state Vitamin C. Those with low levels of vitamin D have been seen to be more susceptible to Covid. Elderberry is useful, too, as it helps prevent the virus from attaching to the lung with a condom-like effect, coating the alveoli receptors. We are working on new formulas all the time, so watch out for additions to our range and feel free to get in touch if you need specific health advice. Meanwhile, to learn more about herbs and good health, download our free e-book, Herbs and the Human Body. Live well, love well, stay well.  Daffodils and snowdrops nod sweetly to the hopeful promise of spring. But still the last weeks of winter can seem to drag, especially if you have a stubborn, lingering infection.
This may be considered a minor ailment but can have a major impact on your wellbeing. In this article I explain exactly how a combination of the right herbs can finally clear lingering or recurring colds, viruses, coughs, sore throat and sinusitis, along with urinary tract infections, mastitis and even a tooth or skin abscess. Discover with me how herbs can help give you the freedom to enjoy your life. Read my expert advice on how to increase strength, immunity and resistance during the vulnerable winter months. Learn how to fight off those persistent colds, coughs and sore throats when they strike.
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AuthorMatthew Jackson (BSc (Hons) Ost, Dip Ac/CHM (China), Pg Dip CHM (OB/GYN), Pg Cert US (MSK) MRCHM, BMUS) is a herbalist, osteopath and acupuncturist with a busy practice in the west of England. Archives
October 2020
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