Guest guest Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 People should check out Al Stone's always interesting acublog at gancao.net according to Al Stone at http://gancao.net/weblogs/archives/acublog/2004_06.html Damp Bi Pain Addressed by Cholesterol Drug Lipitor The relationship between the TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) concept of dampness and the biomedical cholesterol has been discovered with research conducted by Dr. Iain McInnes, from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in the UK. Dr. McInnes found that arthritic patients taking cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor (known chemically as atorvastatin, a class of drug known as " statins " ) reported a significant improvement in disease activity during the 6-month study period. Improvement included less swollen joints as well as markers (signs of potential problems before they manifest) for heart disease and stroke. TCM ascribes many forms of heart disease, stroke, and arthritic conditions to " dampness " , and it appears that the effect of cholesterol lowering drugs are improving all of these conditions, presumably as a dampness transforming action of the cholesterol lowering " statins " . according to rxlist at http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/atorvastatin_cp.htm atorvastatin lowers plasma cholesterol and lipoprotein levels by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol synthesis in the liver and by ****increasing the number of hepatic LDL receptors on the cell-surface to enhance uptake and catabolism of LDL**** The most frequent adverse events thought to be related to atorvastatin were constipation, flatulence, dyspepsia, and abdominal pain It would appear that on a cellular level, lipitor literally affects transportation (uptake) and transformation (catabolism). This would support Al's hypothesis that lipitor works on damp (or perhaps spleen function or both). Obesity is the main factor in heart disease and this is damp-phlegm accumulation (damp-phlegm being the accumulation of fluids in the body that serve no physiological purpose and which actually impede physiology and are thus pathological in nature). While it is blood stasis that is the major complicating factor in this scenario, the damp-phlegm accumulation no doubt contributes greatly to the sluggishness of the blood. The accumulation of damp-phlegm and blood stasis always makes far more likely that impediment (bi) will arise when exposed to wind, damp and cold. If the blood flows freely, there is no place for wind-damp to lodge. Naturopaths have long known that proper diet rectifies both of these conditions (heart and joint). However, substances often have multiple actions as with most herbs in TCM. Lipitor is known to be anti-inflammatory. Hypothetically, let's say this latter action is related to a heat clearing function of lipitor. In which case, it might have actions of drying dampness, but with a cool nature. Some of the typical side effects could be explained by overly cooling the spleen. It could perhaps be classified as clear heat, dry damp herb, except that it seems to lack the typical antimicrobial actions of such herbs. I will thus leave it unclassified. But if it does have a heat clearing effect, then it is possible that this was part of its mode of action in Arthritis. It would be necessary, as Al suggests, to differentiate the patients according to TCM to study this further. I think it unlikely to be warming in nature. While most arthritis has damp-cold qualities at first, blood stasis and similar transformation can lead to local redness, heat and swelling, at least with aggravations. Chinese Herbs FAX: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Lipitor is known to be anti-inflammatory. >>>>The question here is does it help inflammatory arthritis or arthrosis as well. In my experience statins work much better on inflammatory arthritis and not that well for arthrosis or degenerative joint disease. It is the statins's anti-inflammatory effects that are probably the most important effects these drugs (or red yeast) have. Not the cholesterol lowering effects Alon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 This is very interesting, and poignant in my life right now because my mother has both arthritis and is on lipitor for high cholesterol. I think that she has had colddamp in her chanells, but it otherwise yin xu. A few years ago her tongue was terribly peeled in the back, and when I gave her yin tonics she felt much better and her arthritis improved too. She's coming to visit from Kansas in about a week, and I've noticed that her personality seems to be highly driven, the way she gets when she is very yin deficient. So I've been trying ot get my head around how to best treat her---with both yin xu and damp. Perhaps Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. Anyone know how that would work in this situation? Any feedback woudl be welcome. Laura , wrote: > People should check out Al Stone's always interesting acublog at > gancao.net > > according to Al Stone at > http://gancao.net/weblogs/archives/acublog/2004_06.html > > Damp Bi Pain Addressed by Cholesterol Drug Lipitor > > The relationship between the TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) concept > of dampness and the biomedical cholesterol has been discovered with > research conducted by Dr. Iain McInnes, from the Glasgow Royal > Infirmary in the UK. > > Dr. McInnes found that arthritic patients taking cholesterol lowering > drug Lipitor (known chemically as atorvastatin, a class of drug known > as " statins " ) reported a significant improvement in disease activity > during the 6-month study period. Improvement included less swollen > joints as well as markers (signs of potential problems before they > manifest) for heart disease and stroke. > > TCM ascribes many forms of heart disease, stroke, and arthritic > conditions to " dampness " , and it appears that the effect of cholesterol > lowering drugs are improving all of these conditions, presumably as a > dampness transforming action of the cholesterol lowering " statins " . > > > > according to rxlist at > http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/atorvastatin_cp.htm > > atorvastatin lowers plasma cholesterol and lipoprotein levels by > inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol synthesis in the liver and > by ****increasing the number of hepatic LDL receptors on the > cell-surface to enhance uptake and catabolism of LDL**** > > The most frequent adverse events thought to be related to atorvastatin > were constipation, flatulence, dyspepsia, and abdominal pain > > > It would appear that on a cellular level, lipitor literally affects > transportation (uptake) and transformation (catabolism). This would > support Al's hypothesis that lipitor works on damp (or perhaps spleen > function or both). Obesity is the main factor in heart disease and > this is damp-phlegm accumulation (damp-phlegm being the accumulation of > fluids in the body that serve no physiological purpose and which > actually impede physiology and are thus pathological in nature). While > it is blood stasis that is the major complicating factor in this > scenario, the damp-phlegm accumulation no doubt contributes greatly to > the sluggishness of the blood. The accumulation of damp-phlegm and > blood stasis always makes far more likely that impediment (bi) will > arise when exposed to wind, damp and cold. If the blood flows freely, > there is no place for wind-damp to lodge. Naturopaths have long known > that proper diet rectifies both of these conditions (heart and joint). > > However, substances often have multiple actions as with most herbs in > TCM. Lipitor is known to be anti-inflammatory. Hypothetically, let's > say this latter action is related to a heat clearing function of > lipitor. In which case, it might have actions of drying dampness, but > with a cool nature. Some of the typical side effects could be > explained by overly cooling the spleen. It could perhaps be classified > as clear heat, dry damp herb, except that it seems to lack the typical > antimicrobial actions of such herbs. I will thus leave it > unclassified. But if it does have a heat clearing effect, then it is > possible that this was part of its mode of action in Arthritis. It > would be necessary, as Al suggests, to differentiate the patients > according to TCM to study this further. I think it unlikely to be > warming in nature. While most arthritis has damp-cold qualities at > first, blood stasis and similar transformation can lead to local > redness, heat and swelling, at least with aggravations. > > > > > Chinese Herbs > > > FAX: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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