Fw: Rocky Mtn. Herbal Inst., Spring Newsletter

[Guest guest]

 

Roger Wicke PhD <rw1

Recipient list suppressed <Recipient list suppressed>

Sunday, March 26, 2000 9:56 PM

Rocky Mtn. Herbal Inst., Spring Newsletter

 

 

>

>===================================================

>

>ROCKY MOUNTAIN HERBAL INSTITUTE rmhiherbal.org

>2000 Spring Newsletter

>

>CONTENTS...

>[1] Codex Alimentarius

>[2] Proper and improper uses of ephedra

>[3] Contamination in Chinese herbal patent

>preparations

>[4] Vaccines under fire

>[5] Chinese Herbal Sciences training at the Rocky

>Mountain Herbal Institute

>[6] Advanced publications for TCM herbalists

>

>=====================

>(This newsletter is sent quarterly to registrants

>at RMHI's website.)

>

>

>===================================================

>

>[1] Codex Alimentarius

>

>An increasing number of organizations are becoming

>aware of the threats posed to health freedom by

>Codex Alimentarius, a set of proposed international

>trade regulations governing foods, nutritional

>supplementation, and herbal products. The

>California Society for Oriental Medicine has posted

>a summary of Codex and its implications:

> http://www.quickcom.net/csom/html/codex.html

>

>While there are undoubtedly quality-control

>problems in the nutritional supplement and herbal

>manufacturing industries, removing consumers'

>freedom of choice by international fiat is not

>necessarily the solution. Public education and

>private certification agencies are two forces that

>can help improve quality without sacrificing

>freedom of choice.

>

>

>===================================================

>

>[2] Proper and improper uses of ephedra

>

>Ephedra, or ma huang, is a useful herb if used as

>indicated, but can be dangerous if used to excess

>or for conditions for which it may only mask

>symptoms. Many of the currently popular uses of

>ephedra would be considered inappropriate from the

>perspective of the TCM pharmacopoiea. The TCM

>pharmacopoiea states that it

> - Releases the Exterior and disperses Cold;

>indicated for TaiYang-stage Exterior Chill; acts by

>inducing sweating.

> - Circulates Lung Qi; relieves cough and asthma.

> - Promotes urination and relieves edema

>accompanying External Evil.

>

>Ephedra is to be avoided or used cautiously in

>Deficiency conditions characterized by excessive

>sweating; it may aggravate high blood pressure and

>cause restlessness and tremors.

>

>One of the primary active ingredients of ephedra

>is ephedrine, which is a bronchodilator and is

>especially effective when bronchospasm is present.

>It is also diaphoretic, vasoconstrictive, and

>raises blood pressure.

>

>To use ephedra for weight loss or as a stimulant,

>two popular uses, risks exhausting the Qi, resulting

>in adrenal exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Its

>classification as a " tonic " by certain sources is

>misleading, as its long-term side effects are just

>the opposite, resulting in exhaustion. As for

>weight loss, ephedra can temporarily increase

>metabolic rate and diuresis, which can enhance

>short-term weight loss, but if underlying metabolic

>factors are not corrected, long-term consumption

>of ephedra will lead to not only exhaustion, but a

>rebound of weight gain.

>

>Furthermore, many Americans are already suffer some

>type of exhaustion (of Qi, Yin, Yang, or Blood) due

>to stress, overwork, and poor diet, and any use of

>ephedra, especially without counteraction by other

>herbs, may risk aggravating the condition.

>

>

>===================================================

>

>[3] Contamination in Chinese herbal patent

>preparations

>

>Prepared herbal products (including pills and

>powders) manufactured in mainland China frequently

>contain contaminants, including heavy metals and

>illegal pharmaceutical drugs. For a list of

>products known to contain such contaminants, see

> http://www.quickcom.net/csom/html/western_drugs.html

>However, be aware that this may only be a partial

>list.

>

>RMHI has long advised its students and graduates to

>use whole dried herbs whose botanical identity be

>verified by inspection and smell.

>

>Eventually, we feel that a shift toward local,

>organically grown herbs is highly desirable.

>However, to employ such herbs to their greatest

>potential will require a detailed understanding of

>local herbs in the context of TCM (Chinese)

>herbology. Such understanding can best be

>achieved by people who have been trained in the

>TCM system of health care and who know how to

>conduct proper clinical research.

>

>The secret to the effectiveness of Chinese herbal

>health care is not its herbs, many of which are

>commonly available worldwide, but its underlying

>philosophy and methodology. The latter can be

>successfully applied to understanding diet,

>environmental health issues, and chemical exposure.

>It may be tempting for companies to enhance the

>short-term potency of an herbal product with

>pharmaceutical adulterants, because this may

>increase a product's apparent potency in the hands

>of naive and uninformed users. However, we feel

>that such tactics will ultimately backfire, and

>will only cloud the credibility of a 2000-year-old

>system of health care that has much to offer the

>world.

>

>

>===================================================

>

>[4] Vaccines under fire

>

>Michele Carbone, a research pathologist at the

>National Cancer Institute, has verified the presence

>of SV40, a potent tumor-inducing virus, in polio

>vaccines administered during the period 1955-1963.

> http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/02/002bookchin.htm

>

>According to an article appearing in Lancet (Alm,

>J.S. et al, LANCET 1999, 353:1485-88), children who

>follow anthroposophical teachings of Rudolph

>Steiner, including avoidance or minimization of

>childhood vaccinations, suffered from allergies

>significantly less than their fully vaccinated

>peers; the incidence of allergies were directly

>proportional to the number of vaccinations received

>during childhood.

>

>The alleged merits of vaccination have come into

>increasing controversy over the past decades, as

>more evidence accumulates of harmful effects and

>questionable effectiveness in preventing infectious

>illness. For a synopsis of this evidence, see

> http://www.unc.edu/~aphillip/www/vaccine/informed.htm

>

>

>===================================================

>

>[5] Chinese Herbal Sciences training at the Rocky

>Mountain Herbal Institute

>

>(A two-year clinical case-oriented educational

>program of courses for health professionals,

>applying the paradigm of the Chinese herbal sciences

>to personal and community health issues)

>

>EARLY ADMISSIONS applications are due April 21, 2000.

>Regular admissions applications are due August 28, 2000.

>

>For this coming year's schedule, see

> http://www.rmhiherbal.org/a/c.tchs.sched.html

>

>

>===================================================

>

>[6] Advanced publications for TCM herbalists

>

>During the past 20 years, C.S. Cheung, M.D., who

>teaches advanced courses at the Rocky Mountain

>Herbal Institute, has translated a small mountain

>of clinical reports and articles from Chinese TCM

>hospitals. These publications include clinical case

>studies reported in detail: case histories, health

>assessments, herbal formulas used, outcomes, and

>discussion of results. For an updated listing of

>publications organized by topic, see

> http://www.rmhiherbal.org/hscc/

>

>For those of you who already have some of Dr.

>Cheung's reports, the preceding listing of

>publications has been expanded and reorganized, and

>now includes exact cover titles, copyright dates,

>number of pages, and brief description of contents.

>This should make ordering publications easier.

>

>

>==================

>

>To be added to RMHI's newsletter mailing list,

>and to receive access to free online course

>materials and admissions information, you may

>register at

> http://www.rmhiherbal.org/yh/register.html

>RMHI's newsletter is published approximately

>four times per year.

>

>If someone has d you without your

>permission and you do not wish to receive e-mail

>from RMHI, contact us and we will look into it;

>to please use the form at

> http://www.rmhiherbal.org/yh/.html

>

>=============

>

>

>=====================================================

>

>Roger W. Wicke, Ph.D., Director

> Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute

> (Rocky Mountain Herbalists Trust)

> c/o PO Box 579

> Hot Springs, Montana state, (59845) USA

>email: <rmhi

>TCM herbal science programs: www.rmhiherbal.org

>

>

>

 

 

--------- End Forwarded Message ---------

 

 

 

--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--

Share what you know. Learn what you don't.