Gancao.net » Theory

East-West Integration, Cultural Legitimacy Case Study

al — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:24:49 +0000

Part of the uphill climb that TCM herbalists face everyday is getting past the lack of cultural legitimacy in the West. Cultural legitimacy is what herbs have in Asia but do not have here.As it turns out, the Southern states of the USA have some history of "root medicine" but overall, the lack of familiarity with herbal medicine is still a difficult bar to clear for TCM herbalists. As such, I would like to provide a case study of an herbal remedy that DOES enjoy cultural legitimacy in these United States.

Chicken Soup: Who Knew?

One objection that often arises among physicians in considering Chinese herbal medicines is "where's the research?" As it turns out, there is an enormous amount of research done on these herbs in China. However, much of it would not be good enough for publishing in a peer-reviewed journal.

East-West Integration, Rewards of Using Herbs with Drugs

al — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:52:36 +0000

There has been much written about the threat of herbs interacting with drugs. In China, this is often the goal.

Beneficial interactions end up being called "integration". Using herbs together with drugs has a number of positive outcomes including the following:

1. Reduce side effects, as in the chemo/herb integration. 2. Side effect reduction is potentiated by Chinese medical theory as shown in the chart that compares the outcomes of modified and unmodified formulas. 3. Improved clinical outcomes as in the integrated treatment using corticosteriods along side Chinese herbs. 4. Improved tolerance of side effects using antibiotics along side Chinese herbs.

Western and Eastern Medicine Compared

al — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:58:46 +0000

A look at the similarities and differences between Western and Eastern medicine. Or biomedicine, traditional medicine, modern and ancient medicine.This article looks at: Two perspectives offering complimentary approaches Microscopic and macroscopic perspectives A quick definition of qi A quick definition of yin and yang A quick definition of spirit or "shen" Scientific research versus the test of time