Times Article on TCM

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

Taken from

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article1379313.ece

 

Those interviewed are my teachers from my former University. It's an

interesting article, see below:

 

From Times Online

February 14, 2007

 

 

Not feeling well? Then try some medicine tailored just for you

 

 

Traditional Chinese medicine is now one of the UK’s most popular alternative

treatments. Our correspondent explains the philosophy behind it and how it

can be practised safely

 

Peta Bee

 

It is a healing system that is reputed to be 3,000 years old but which holds

undoubted appeal for modern living. With more than 1,000 clinics employing

3,000 practitioners, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is now one of the

most popular alternative treatment approaches in the UK. Advocates claim

that it works for a vast number of conditions including migraines, skin

diseases, hormonal problems, sexual dysfunction and infertility, stress and

depression. In fact, they say, virtually the only conditions it cannot treat

are acute, life- threatening ones or something requiring surgery.

 

In the simplest terms, the theory behind TCM is that illness is caused by an

imbalance in the body between the two opposite yet complementary energies of

yin and yang, or a blockage along one of the meridians or pathways

associated with various organs through which flows the vital energy of qi

(pronounced “chee”).

 

“The philosophy of TCM is important and states that yang is external,

representing heat, hyperactivity, light and dryness, while yin is internal

and is associated with night, quietness, dampness and cold,” says Dr Ming

Cheng, head of the TCM degree programme at Middlesex University. “To be

healthy, yin and yang must be balanced.” According to the Ancient Chinese,

the body also has an internal climate and, as drought causes plants to wilt,

so inner dryness is thought to cause chapped skin and so on. Each of the

body’s organs is linked directly to a particular element: fire for the

heart, earth for the spleen, water for the kidneys, metal for the lungs and

wood for the liver. By interacting in a number of ways, they, too, affect

the health — for instance, the kidneys (water) nourish the liver (wood).

 

“Everything from the way a patient carries himself to his posture and even

the way he talks will offer valuable indicators to his state of wellbeing,”

says Cheng. “Undoubtedly his tongue will be examined: size, shape, moisture,

colour and coating are all believed to be an external reflection of the

state of someone’s internal organs.”

 

Only once all these factors have been considered and a far more detailed

analysis of a patient’s history than required in Western medicine has been

made — patients are asked about their medical history and emotional state as

well as any physical symptoms — can a diagnosis be reached. Problems are

then corrected through a combination of herbal remedies containing a

bewildering array of ingredients — more than 6,000 medicinal substances are

listed, 300 of which are in everyday use — which are usually boiled into a

tea or sometimes applied topically. Acupuncture (or acupressure) is also

considered vital in clearing blockages and helping to balance the body’s yin

and yang — imbalances which manifest themselves as illness or pain can be

treated by placing a thin, disposable needle into one of more than 2,000

specific points on the body.

 

“TCM is an approach that is always tailored for the individual and combines

several different elements in treatment,” says Dr Jidong Wu, a spokesperson

for the Association of Traditional (ATCM). “What works for

one person’s illness may not be right for another’s.”

 

There is certainly documented evidence that the ancient approach works well

for many conditions. Last year, for instance, Professor David James of the

Garran Institute in Sydney published findings in the journal Diabetes that

showed how TCM is beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes. Using the bark

and root of plants widely used in Eastern medicine, James was able to lower

blood sugar levels in rats and suspects that the same could be true for

humans.

 

Two years ago, a study outlined in Allergy magazine concluded that a

combination of Chinese herbs and weekly acupuncture sessions was effective

in relieving the symptoms of hay fever, while acupuncture used alone has

been found to help the symptoms associated with everything from arthritis to

childbirth.

 

Researchers showed recently that black chicken, extracted from black-bone

silky fowl, which have black skin, meat and bones but soft, white feathers,

which has been used in TCM for thousands of years, contains high levels of a

substance called carnosine, a powerful, disease-fighting antioxidant.

 

Despite such emerging evidence and growing popularity in the US and the UK,

TCM is not without its critics. While about 8,000 clinical studies have

confirmed that the herbs used are safe and effective, some argue that many

of these studies have not been carried out to rigorous Western standards.

Some of the herbs used in hundreds of combinations are said to be toxic.

Random tests carried out by the Committee on Safety of Medicines have picked

out banned substances such as the herb aristolochia, used to treat

rheumatism, which was found to have caused two cases of kidney failure in

1999. It has also been linked to cancer. Steroids have been found in many

Chinese herbal preparations, as have arsenic and mercury.

 

According to the Government’s medicines safety agency, the Medicines and

Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), a court case in October found a

Birmingham woman, Ming Xia Xie, guilty on six counts of supplying a slimming

product made from Chinese herbs that contained a highly toxic derivative of

a banned substance called fenfluramine, toxic to the liver and found to

cause cardiac problems in some people.

 

The agency also issued warnings about a Chinese medicine called fufang luhui

jiaonang after a wholesaler in Essex sold doses that contained levels of

mercury 117,000 times higher than is legal in food in the UK.

 

Doctors writing in the Lancet medical journal last year also warned people

against taking Chinese herbs from unregulated practitioners. They cited the

case of a man who suffered kidney failure and is now on dialysis after

taking the banned herb longdan xieganwan for at least five years. The team,

led by Dr Chris Ling and Dr Sally Hamour, said that aristolochic acid was

now recognised as a “potent urological carcinogen”.

 

Dr Celia Bell, head of the human and healthcare sciences department at

Middlesex University, one of the few establishments to offer degree-level

courses in TCM, says that although “risks of side-effects with herbs remain

low compared with Western drugs, tighter control of the industry is needed”.

 

 

It is a view also held by Michael McIntyre, of the European Herbal

Practitioners Association, who has been campaigning for 20 years for his

industry to be regulated. “Most practitioners are well trained, reputable

and hard-working, but there have been unpleasant and horrible stories about

TCM being used badly,” he says. “I unreservedly condemn the supply and use

of herbs imported without knowledge of where they’re getting them from.

Until there is good quality control, there is a problem.” Moves to regulate

the industry are under way, but, says McIntyre, are not expected to be

enforced until 2011.

 

“At the moment, although there are some regulations set by the MHRA

governing what can and cannot be used in terms of Chinese herbs, anyone can

still legally set themselves up as a TCM practitioner,” says Cheng, a member

of the DoH working party.

 

“Organisations such as the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) and

the ATCM are self-regulating and set rigorous standards of compliance for

members, so the public know that their practitioner is qualified, but

signing up is voluntary and many slip through the net.”

 

Even in China, where the industry is worth an estimated £15.2 billion, the

merits of TCM are being questioned. Last year an eminent doctor, Professor

Zhang Gongyao, caused uproar by describing the traditional approach as

“untrustworthy” and “pseudo-science” and launching an online petition to

have TCM replaced with Western medicine in hospitals.

 

“TCM doesn’t match the key elements of what we call science,” he says.

“There’s no reasonable logic to it, no solid evidence for it and it has no

consistent effects.”

 

The number of TCM doctors in China is falling too, down to 219,000 from

480,000 in 1949. To rub salt into the wounds of those who hold it in high

regard, a survey by the national newspaper China Youth Daily recently found

that 72 per cent would choose Western medicine ahead of TCM.

 

Ironically, as faith in TCM remedies appears to be temporarily on the wane

in China, it is thriving in the West. Several European drugs companies are

trying to deploy the ancient techniques of TCM to develop pioneering

products in both medical and cosmetic arenas.

 

One small London-based pharmaceutical company, ChiMed, which specialises in

TCM-related research and employs China’s first Harvard scholar, Wei Guo So,

is already conducting advanced trials on a drug made from Chinese herbs to

help people with neck and head cancer and has signed separate deals with the

drug giants Procter and Gamble and Merck. Plans for a TCM development centre

in Cambridge are also being drawn up by investment agencies.

 

McIntyre believes that making the industry accountable for itself will mean

further huge strides forward. “TCM can offer many things to many people, but

at present there are loopholes that allow for bad practice,” he says. “When

there is official regulation, the few bogus practitioners will be eliminated

and the public will feel confident that a TCM practitioner is answerable to

an official body.”

 

Remedies to avoid: how to try the medicine safely

 

Eating owl is supposed to be good for the eyesight, taking golden turtle’s

blood is considered a cure for cancer, seahorse is used to treat asthma, and

pickled turtle flippers are consumed by those wanting to live a longer life.

Many of the sources seem unorthodox cures by Western standards and, indeed,

as its popularity has risen, so too have the concerns about the safety of

some medicines used in TCM.

 

Last year, the MHRA revealed that investigations into the effects of

dangerous Chinese herbal medicines was running at a record high of ten each

month, four times the previous level, and that some of the complaints they

received concerned remedies that caused serious side-effects such as heart

damage and liver failure.

 

Some popular remedies such as tiger bone or rhino horn are extracted from

endangered species; gall bladders from bears and musk from deer are other

ingredients which may break conservation laws.

 

An awareness campaign by the Trading Standards Institute is intended to warn

consumers of the risks of purchasing Chinese herbs that are outlawed in the

UK from unscrupulous practitioners. Charles Wallace, of the London Trading

Standards Authorities, says: “TCM can contain poisons such as arsenic,

mercury or mineralised raw asbestos and poisonous plants, including aconitum

and belladonna.”

 

So, until better regulation is introduced, how do you know if the

practitioner is qualified and the herbs you are taking are safe? Dr Ming

Cheng of Middlesex University says that most of “the horror stories that

make the headlines are linked to bad practice and illegal use of herbs” and

suggests selecting a practitioner whose name appears on the books of the

ACTM or the RCHM, while the MHRA urges consumers to check that their

suppliers were selling approved remedies. Here are some of the herbs and

compounds on the MHRA Chinese herb caution list:

 

FUFA NGLUHUI JIAONANG Use: Clearing the bowels, treating constipation.

Risks: Often has high levels of mercury, which can cause kidney damage.

 

POLYGONUM MULTIFLORUM ROOTTUBER Use: Hair loss/greying. Risks: Linked to

liver diseases such as hepatitis and jaundice.

 

FEVERFEW Use: Fevers and headaches. Risks: Not to be used during pregnancy

and can interfere with blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin.

 

ARISTOLOCHIA: Use: Liver cleansing Risks: Banned for use in unlicensed

medicines, it has been associated with kidney failure and cancer.

 

GLIBENCLAMIDE Use: To treat diabetes. It is a prescription drug in the West,

but has been found in Chinese remedies. Risks: Improper use can lead to coma

and death.

 

FENFLUAMINE Use: Appetite suppressant. Risks: A prescription-only drug that

has been linked to heart problems and withdrawn from the global market on

safety grounds.

 

CORTICOSTEROIDS Use: Eczema and skin problems, a prescription-only drug

which has been found in Chinese remedies. Risks: Skin thinning.

 

MERCURY, ARSENIC & LEAD Use: All compounds detected in banned Chinese herbs.

Risks: Abdominal pain, kidney failure and convulsions.

 

Cures for mild ills

 

Although anyone with a serious health complaint should seek a professional

diagnosis, there are steps you can take at home to alleviate mild problems,

says Dr Jidong Wu, lecturer in TCM at Middlesex University:

 

1. Headache: rub the temples in a gentle circular massaging motion for a

couple of minutes.

 

2. Mild stress and PMT: take the Chinese herb xiao yao wan as a tea.

 

3. Toothache, headache and anxiety: press firmly on the area between the

thumb and index finger for two to three minutes.

 

4. Fainting/shock/hysteria: press the point in the middle of the philtrum

(the area between the nose and upper lip) for a couple of minutes.

 

5. Travel sickness: press a point mid-arm, two finger widths above the

wrist.

 

6. Joint or muscular pain: take red flower oil (hong hua you).

 

7. To boost energy and motivation: ginseng tea.

 

Regards

 

Attilio

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