12 issues, $99.00 a year April 2012 Vol. 8, No.

Historys Most Important Beverage

How Tea Is Chinese Medicine
Firewood. Rice. Oil. Salt. Soy sauce. Vinegar. Along with these grocery-store items, tea is considered to be a necessary aspect of Chinese life. After all, it was in that country that tea was initially discovered. Now, it is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet (after water), and a huge portion of that consumption is by people who are seeking its health benefits. The same number of people drink tea as drink coffee, hot chocolate, soda and alcohol combined. There is something about tea that taps the human machine, and it is a huge driver of Chinese medicine.

Back in Time
As legend has it, Emperor Shen Nong discovered tea back in 3,000 BC. He was an expert in herbs and agriculture, but by accident, he created tea when leaves from a wild tea bush fell into his pot of boiling water. At least, that is how the story goes, and nobody has the capacity to refute it now. In China, tea was used as medicine almost immediately. As for back as the Zhou dynasty (1000 BC), it is recorded this way. By the first century AD, tea had become the national drink of China. There is even a book called The Tea Classic that was written at this time describing how to harvest and prepare tea, what you need to brew it and how to make it so that its health benefits and tranquil nature can be bestowed upon you. Continued on page 3

There is no shortage of health secrets being offered to help you stay fit and shed pounds, yet the one everlasting secret is no secret at all: regular exercise trumps everything. They key is to keep it regular. That is a challenge for most people who arent obsessed with jogging or hitting the gym. A new study gives health tips for those who find it hard to stay regular: focus on the motivation. Turn to page 2 for the details.

Contents
How Do You Spell Exercise?.................................... 2 Revisiting the Zangfu System................................... 4 A Soothing Way to Fight Inflammation.................. 5 Chlorophyll Versus Cancer...................................... 7 A Healthy Readers Word Guide............................. 8

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

How Do You Spell Exercise?

M-o-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n
There is no shortage of health secrets being offered to help you stay fit and shed pounds, yet the one everlasting secret is no secret at all: regular exercise trumps everything. They key is to keep it regular. That is a challenge for most people who arent obsessed with jogging or hitting the gym. A new study gives health tips for those who find it hard to stay regular: focus on the motivation.4 For most people, the motivation to exercise fluctuates from week to week. These fluctuations predict whether they will be physically active, according to researchers who studied college students who intended to stay fit but perhaps didnt. From this sample, they came to conclusions that are good for anyone. If you made a New Years resolution to be more physically active, motivation levels can kill that resolution or support it. Because life is busy for most people, motivation to exercise changes every week. However, these lapses in motivation really seem to be destructive, and those who tend to have them (the majority of adults) have the hardest time using that motivation to regulate exercise.

Focus on Your Daily Routines

The researchers believe that one way to make sure that exercise doesnt wane in your life is to change your daily routines so that exercise automatically fits into your schedule. For instance, walk to do an errand, rather than driving. Take the stairs whenever possible, rather than taking an elevator. Little choices like these matter and contribute to your overall fitness for the day. Understand what your own system seems to be. The researchers found that people were far more intent on exercising during the week than on weekends. If

people were motivated during the week, they crashed on Saturdays and Sundays. Knowing how you tend to exercise means that you can stay optimistic and not get in a rut feeling like youve missed a couple daysand those few days unspool into a week or two weeks. The researchers had a key piece of advice for anyone who is looking to increase his or her fitness levels (and really, who isnt?). They advise that people focus less on making broad commitments to becoming more active. Instead, come up with a plan for sustaining motivation from one week to the nextto eliminate those lapses, and to avoid getting derailed. After all, a busy life and the general demands of day-to-day living can put a crimp on things. The key to exercising is to sustain a high level of motivation each and every week and not to let the inspiration fade, because once it does, your propensity to lace up those sneakers will fade right along with it. n

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles is a monthly, independent publication of Doctors Health Press, a division of Lombardi Publishing Corporation. In the U.S.: 60 State Street, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02109-1894. In Canada: Box 428, Kleinburg, Ontario, L0J 1C0. Phone: 1-866-744-3579. Images by Photos.com. The articles contained in Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles are presented for information purposes only, and they should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult your doctor before undertaking any health-related or diet-related activity. On any matter relating to your health or well-being, please check with an appropriate health professional. The information contained herein, while believed to be correct, is not guaranteed to be complete. Lombardi Publishing Corp. and its employees are not responsible for medically unsupervised activities that could be harmful to your health. Annual subscription is $99.00. Contents 2012, Lombardi Publishing Corp. Your privacy is important to us! Occasionally, we make our list of customers available to carefully screened companies, outside of Lombardi Publishing Corporation, whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please write to us at either of the above addresses. ISSN #1718-5602.

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

Historys Most Important Beverage, continued from page 1 In its early days, drinking tea was equivalent to meditation. Millennia ago, whole leaves were used to make a medicinal beverage, but as time went on, they steamed the leaves, dried them and formed them into cakes that they could transport more easily. Then came the loose-leaf nature that is raging in popularity today. This happened about 3,000 years ago. Tea was born in China and spread from there. Fast-forward to the early 1600s, and we find tea arriving in Europe (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) for the first time. At first, it was expensive, so only wealthy people could drink it, but it slowly spread and became a popular beverage everywhere, especially in Britain (of course) and Russia. To this day, Britain leads the world in per capita tea consumption. There, in the beginning, it was black tea that dominated, because it kept fresh better than green tea. any herbs that he was testing out. Tea was also believed to boost concentration, restore energy, clear the digestive system, alleviate depression and lift the spirit. If you are keeping score with how it fits in with Chinese-medicine principles, tea is this: sweet, slightly bitter and cool and enters the heart, liver, stomach, bladder and largeintestine channels.1 It principally hydrates the body, aids digestion and refreshes the mind and vision. Green tea is cooler, and black tea is warmer. You know that you are drinking too much tea if your phlegm seems out of control and you dont feel right overall (your Qi is out of line). We owe much to the past 20 years or so of scientific research. It has demonstrated clearly that drinking tea is beneficial to your health. It may just be the healthiest beverage that we could consume. One study looked at 14,000 older adults in Japan. It discovered that those who were drinking more than seven cups of green tea a day had a 55% reduced rate of death of any cause. Honing in on heart disease, they had a 75% reduced rate of death.2 More recently, studies suggest that regular tea drinking can cut your risk of heart disease by one-third, shield the mind from Alzheimers disease, protect your vision, reduce the negative impact of smoking, improve symptoms in people with depression, protect against osteoporosis, contribute to oral health, lower cholesterol, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, protect you from stroke, reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancersand on and on and on. Catechins are the antioxidant natural chemicals in tea that are believed to be responsible for its health benefits. They have long names, but you might see their short forms: EGC, EC, GC and ECGC. A slew of studies have addressed catechins, the most amazing of which finding that they could have an ability to stop cancer cells from growing. This was, however, in a lab setting, and conclusive proof that catechins can fight cancer has not been found just yet. They could fight cancer in another way, as well, which would be through their antioxidant nature: protect the cells, prevent cancer. Green tea has been the focus of the majority of studies, and its levels of flavonoids, which are healthy natural chemicals, are known to be high. However, a smaller sample of black-tea studies suggests that its levels are probably equal. That said, green tea contains the highest amount of catechins, and for that reason, it is most likely the beverage that will contribute most to disease prevention. n

Tea Varieties
Here is the answer to a trivia question somewhere: all tea hails from one plant species: Camellia sinensis. It comes from China and grows as a bush that can yield tea leaves for a century. From there, the varieties are deep and different, appearing and tasting in their own unique ways. Green tea is widely studied for its health benefits, but many people are soon put off by it, because it doesnt taste great. However, what they are drinking is probably a cheap kindthe equivalent of a bottomshelf bottle of wine. Each of these varieties is made in different ways and carries different benefits: Black (in China, its known as red tea) Blended (commercial teas blend dozens of different kinds) Green Oolong (somewhere between green and black) Puerh (made from green tea) White (made from young tea buds)

Teas Health Impact

Tea is one of the most powerful and renowned natural remedies in the world. Stay with us here, as were about to get nice and technical. Back to Shen Nong for a moment. Teas inventor regularly drank his new creation to offset the toxicity of

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

Revisiting the Zangfu System

Part Two: the Heart
Tongue Reveals Hearts Health
Though the tongue is a diagnostic tool for many parts of the body, it is most linked to the health of the heart. For that, it has been dubbed the hearts mirror in Chinese medicine. Any practitioner worth his or her salt will be able to gauge whether anything is wrong with the heart by examining the tongues colorespecially the tip. A pale color means that the heart is deficient in blood. If its purple, the blood is stagnant. There needs to be no lengthy discussion about the importance of the heart. In Chinese medicine, it is the ruler of the body and has a slew of vital functions. Keeping the heart strong leads to a long, healthy and sound life. Here is a rundown of what the heart does in the Zangfu system.3

Governs Flow of Blood

Well start with this role, as its most similar to what we already know. The heart beats and pumps blood throughout the body. Each cell and tissue needs that blood for oxygen, nutrients and waste removal. This also has much to do with the even spread of cold and warmth in the body. A healthy heart will keep the extremities warm, while an impaired one can cause hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes to grow cool. It can also disrupt the pulseone of the critical tools in Chinese medicine for diagnosing patients.

Look to the Face

Ones circulation will give clues as to the how the heart is functioning. The best place to gauge circulation is the complexion of the face. A well-functioning heart will produce a rosy, strong complexiona nice color to the face. If your heart is deficient, your face will have a dull complexion. If the heart is not only deficient but actually impaired, blood may be stagnantthis could produce a bluish and/or purplish hue in the face.

Strong Link to Mental Health

In the heart lives the Shen. This is an essence, according to the Chinese, that coordinates our mental, psychological and spiritual abilities. Each persons personality is largely based on how the Shen is made up in the body. When the heart is nourishing and controlling the Shen, our personalities are strong and our minds are focused. Should the heart fail to house the Shen, mental and psychological disorders can develop. A Chinese practitioner will examine your eyes to see how healthy the Shen is.

The Heart Rules Happiness

Joy, in the Chinese system, is maintained by the heart. A strong and healthy heart will allow people to experience joy more often. One who makes the most of life and seeks happiness will strengthen the heart organ. Were not talking about being super-joyful, but rather having a balance in emotions. In fact, expressing too much joy over time can actually throw the heart (among other things) into disharmonythe same way that negativity can.

Controls Blood Vessels

All of the bodys blood vessels are like arms of the heart, and all are controlled by this yin-powerful organ. If the heart is strong, circulation of blood through the vessels will be a healthy one. If the heart is impaired, conditions such as plaque building up in arteries can arise.

Heart Controls All Fluids

Blood and bodily fluids, such as sweat and tears, all come from one source: the heart. If you go to a Chinese practitioner and are sweating considerably, it may be a clue that the heart may not be functioning at optimal levels. If you have a tendency to sweat a lot, look for other symptoms that may indicate the hearts health. n

We believe that better health can be achieved through education, informed decision-making, and scholarly consumption. Our goal at Doctors Health Press is to provide balanced and unbiased educational books, newsletters, and special reports featuring new and scientifically established information on alternative therapies, complementary modalities, and nutraceuticals, including nutrition, a healthy diet, vitamins, minerals, and supplements. Everyone can lead a long, healthful and active life, and this is attainable through solid nutrition, healthy choices, educated consumption, and the use of natural therapies.

Mission Statement

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

A Soothing Way to Fight Inflammation

Theres Nothing Quite Like a Massage
Vast Potential Benefits
Massage could be useful to a broad spectrum of individuals, including older adults, those who are suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and patients with chronic inflammatory disease. Massage could be used as actual medical practice in these cases. About 18 million individuals undergo massage therapy annually in the U.S., making it the fifth-most-widely used form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Despite several reports that long-term massage therapy reduces chronic pain and improves range of motion, the biological effects of massage on skeletal tissue have remained unclear. A 2008 review of 13 clinical trials found evidence that massage might be useful for chronic lower-back pain. Clinical-practice guidelines issued in 2007 by the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that physicians consider using certain CAM therapies, including massage (as well as acupuncture, chiropractic, progressive relaxation and yoga), when patients with chronic lower-back pain do not respond to conventional treatment. We know now that back pain may only be the beginning. Do you need an excuse to get a massage? A new landmark study has proven that this alternative therapy can reduce inflammation in the body.5 Since inflammation is implicated in a wide swath of chronic diseases, it seems that seeing a massage therapist might not be just about stress relief. On a cellular level, massage lessens inflammation and promotes the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscles. Mitochondria are the energy center of every cell in the body. The research appears online in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The study involved the analysis of muscle biopsies taken from the quadriceps of 11 young men who had exercised vigorously on a stationary bicycle. One of each mans legs was randomly chosen to be massaged. Biopsies were taken from both legs prior to the exercise, immediately after 10 minutes of massage treatment and after a 2.5-hour period of recovery. The results indicated that massage dampened the expression of inflammatory chemicals in the muscle cells and strengthened mitochondria. The reduced pain associated with massage may involve the same mechanisms as those that are targeted by conventional anti-inflammatory drugs. We know that massage feels good; now, we might have a scientific basis for the experience.

Enter the Realm of Tui Na

With the news that massage may fight inflammation in the body, which is the cause of a litany of health problems,

E-bonus: Green Tea Keeps You Agile

Following up on the tea feature in this issue, lets touch on a brand-new study involving 14,000 adults over the age of 65.11 It found that those who regularly drank green tea tended to be more agile and independent into older age. Those who drank the most catechin-rich green tea were the least likely to develop functional disability in the next three years. That means that they were less likely to have problems with daily activities as basic as housework or bathing. Of those who drank less than a cup of green tea a day, about 13% became functionally disabled. That compared with about seven percent of those who were consuming five cups or more a day. In all, green-tea drinkers tended to maintain healthier diets, not to smoke, to suffer fewer heart attacks and strokes and were more mentally sharp. They were also more socially active. Even taking all of this into account, green tea was linked to a lower disability risk. While this is very positive, true proof can come only from studies that test the effects of green tea directly on disability. What is clear is that none of us needs to wait for those studies. Green tea has so much suggestive proof that it is a wise decision to reach for it when you are buying drinks. n

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

it seems to be an apt time to check out a Chinese favorite: Tui Na. When we are suffering from pain, whether it is a headache or a stomach ache, our first instinct is usually to massage the part of the body where the pain is coming from. When you bash your elbow, you immediately clasp a hand over it. Therapeutic massage, such as Tui Na, is based on this instinct, but it is much more sophisticated. To understand Tui Na, lets quickly recap the concepts of Qi (pronounced chee) and meridians. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), of which Tui Na is an integral part, Qi means life force, or that which gives you energy or vitality. In humans, it is the energy emanating from the blood that nourishes every part of your body. Qi is not just limited to humans, however. It imbues all forms of life.

based on Tui Na, such as Shiatsu, Rolfing, chiropractic manipulation and acupressure.7 Today, of course, alternative treatments for chronic conditions that produce no harmful side effects (i.e., non-drug-related) are much sought after, and Tui Na practitioners are very much in demand.

How It Could Work for You

Meridians

Meridians are the energy channels that Qi flows through. There are 12 main primary meridians in the body, and they are connected to organs such as the lungs, kidneys, heart and liver. This water analogy may help clarify the concept of Qi and meridians and make them seem more tangible: visualize a stream with rushing water (that is a healthy body with free-flowing Qi). Imagine that the water stops gushing. Perhaps there is a dam in the stream, and now the water is at a standstill (that is a body with blocked Qi). That water is more easily contaminated because whatever falls in just sits there (that is a body that is vulnerable to illness caused by toxins and pollutants). In order to get the water flowing again, perhaps the riverbed or what is underneath the stream has to be stimulated (the riverbed is like a meridian: invigorating it will help get the energy back and moving). With careful manipulation of the riverbed over time, the water starts rushing again.6 One of the best manipulations is called Tui Na.

Tui Nas Origins

Tui Na has a long and rich history, dating back to the Shang Dynasty. For hundreds of years, it flourished in China and was used to treat a variety of ailments in both adults and infants. Because of the oppressive regimes that came later, it was suppressed and taught only in secret. After the Communist revolution, Tui Na was brought back into the open and became recognized as one of the pillars of Chinese Medicine. Many treatments that we rely on today for relaxation, alignment and healing are

In a few ways, Tui Na resembles the Swedish style of massage that most of us in the West are familiar with. That is to say, the patient lies down on a massage table and is covered with a sheet or a towel, and only the part of the body that is to be worked on is exposed. Perhaps a soothing oil is applied, and then, using mostly the hands, the masseuse kneads, rolls and presses on the parts of the body (usually the back) where there are knots of tension. This type of massage is usually very relaxing and calming. In Tui Na, the practitioners use their hands, arms, fingers, elbows and knees to work on the body. The patient is usually fully clothed (albeit in loose-fitting clothing), and the massage can be performed if the patient is sitting up or lying down. Tui Na practitioners do knead, roll and press parts of the body. However, in addition to these strokes, Tui Na involves deep-tissue manipulation, so it is a much more focused and rigorous massage. The pain that you feel from this deep-tissue massage should not be excruciating, however. To help ease any discomfort that may come from this medicinal massage, warm poultices of Chinese herbs are sometimes applied to different areas of the body.8 Tui Na works on the principle that the body has the power to heal itself. All Tui Na can help do is unblock the Qi. Once the Qi is free-flowing, the body is balanced and free to heal itself. Tui Na has been successful in treating a wide variety of ailments and conditions, including insomnia, hypertension, migraines, constipation, sciatica, joint pain and fatigue, to name a few. Whether youre looking to rebalance your ailing body or keep your healthy body balanced and full of vitality, Tui Na is well worth looking into. Expect to feel refreshed and invigorated after your treatment, which typically lasts between 30 minutes and one hour. Always check with your doctor before beginning any new kind of therapeutic treatment. You are not advised to receive Tui Na if you have any of the following conditions: fractures, open wounds, phlebitis, eczema or osteoporosis.9 n

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

Chlorophyll Versus Cancer

In a still-contentious area of study, one herbal cure seems to offer protection against cancer. Chlorophyll in green vegetables shields the body against tumors that are caused by environmental exposure to carcinogens. Green vegetables are a staple of the healing-foods approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Strangely, chlorophyll actually increases the number of tumors when you are exposed to very high levels of cancer-causing substances. The research raises questions about what a real health risk is and what dietary approaches might be useful for avoiding cancer. Theres considerable evidence in humans that chlorophyll and its derivative, chlorophyllin, can protect against cancer. The study, which was done on rainbow trout, found that chlorophyll can reduce tumorsup to a pointbut at very high doses of the same carcinogen, chlorophyll actually made the problem worse. In one part of the study, trout were exposed to fairly moderate levels of a known carcinogen but also given chlorophyll.10 This reduced their number of liver tumors by between 30% and 64% and stomach tumors by between 24% and 45%. However, in another part of the study, using much higher (and unrealistic) doses of the same carcinogen, the use of chlorophyll caused a significant increase in the number of tumors. This offsets previous studies that found that chlorophyll might increase cancer risk, because it was traditionally done on mice and used unrealistically high levels of

More Reason to Eat Green

carcinogens. In other words, they believe that that trout will give a more accurate picture than the confines of rodent studies. And the trout study suggested the opposite.

Sources
1. Liu, J., Peck, G., Chinese Dietary Therapy, Churchill Livingstone, 1995: 133-4. 2. Suzuki, E., et al., Green tea consumption and mortality among Japanese elderly people: the prospective Shizuoka elderly cohort, Ann Epidemiol, 2009 Oct;19(10): 732-9. 3. Based on information in Williams, T., Complete Illustrated Guide to Chinese Medicine, 62-3. 4. Motivation to exercise affects behavior, Penn State, Feb. 13, 2012. 5. Crane, J., et al., Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage, Sci Transl Med, Feb. 1, 2012;4: 119ra13. 6. www.aworldofchinesemedicine.com/chinese-medicine-meridian-system.htm. 7. www.chisuk.org.uk/bodymind/whatis/tuina.php. 8. qi-journal.com/TCM.asp?-token.SearchID=TuinaFAQ. 9. www.bodyharmonics.co.uk/press-releases/review-what-is-tuina.htm. 10.McQuistan, T., et al., Cancer chemoprevention by dietary chlorophylls: A 12,000-animal dosedose matrix biomarker and tumor study, Food Chem Toxicol, Feb 2012: 341-52. 11.Tomata, Y., et al., Green tea consumption and the risk of incident functional disability in elderly Japanese: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study, Am J Clin Nutr, March 2012;95: 732-9.

Chinese Medicine Healing Miracles

April 2012 Vol. 8, No. 4

What they think happens is that chlorophyll binds to carcinogens in the stomach and intestines and helps eliminate them from the body. At the lower carcinogen doses and cancer rates that are relevant to humans, chlorophyll was strongly protective. They believe that experiments with fish may be about 20 times less expensive and, in the end, more scientifically validand more relevant to the cancer risk that humans face. Chlorophyll is found in most green vegetables, so up your intake of those items as a dietary approach to cancer prevention. Chlorophyll is also now a supplement that is available at your local health store.

Further Into Chlorophyll

When it comes to the environment, a lot has been written about going green. Reducing emissions, improving water quality and protecting the ozone layer have all become priorities in recent years. What about going green on a far more personal scale, though? Have you ever considered protecting your body with chlorophyll? We live in a world of toxins. They are in the air that we breathe, the foods that we eat and the water that we drink. Though more restrictive legislation is starting to reduce the number of toxins that are released into our environment, unfortunately, it is probably true that you have a buildup of these toxic chemicals in your body from previous exposure. You could remedy the effects of these harmful toxins with chlorophylla particularly potent nutrient that is found mostly in dark, leafy greens. Dark-green vegetables are superstars when it comes to nutrition. A single serving of kale, for example, will provide you with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. These four substances contain enough nutrients together to help you fight cancer, diabetes and heart disease, as well as many other conditions. Lets concentrate again on chlorophyll and its particular healing properties. Chlorophyll is, simply put, the dark-green pigment that is found in plants. You might remember learning about the process of photosynthesis and the presence of chlorophyll in leaves in biology class in your earlier years. Heres what you might have forgotten: chlorophyll converts solar energy into chemical energy, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere at the same time. So, chlorophyll is indispensable to the outer environment. When it comes to your body, researchers have discovered that chlorophyll actually increases the disease resistance of cells, while at the same time inhibiting the growth of bacteria. In one animal study, chlorophyll was shown to act as a strong antioxidant. It was also an effective protector

against radiation-induced suppression of cells in mice. The researchers concluded that chlorophyll exercises a definite antioxidant effect at the cellular level. You can purchase chlorophyll in liquid or capsule form. Check the label to determine the correct dosage for you. n

A Healthy Readers Word Guide

Lets review some of the medical and health terms that are used in this months issue: Catechins: Natural chemical that are found in high levels in tea and are primarily responsible for the drinks disease-preventative nature. Meridians: The energy channels that your Qi flows through, 12 of which are prime paths in the body. Phlebitis: Inflammation in a vein (generally in the leg) that is associated with the formation of blood clots. Qi: The essence of life that flows throughout nature and your body; its misalignment is cause for illness and disease. Zangfu system: A system of balance with zang, meaning yin, and fu, meaning yang. Thus, organs are either yin or yang, and they combine to ensure that the mind and body work effectively. n