http://www.care2.com/greenliving/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-chinese-medicine.html
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chinese Medicine
By Jake Paul Fratkin, OMD, LAc, Natural Solutions
Regardless of Western medical terminology, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) characterizes all illnesses as imbalances of organ function or poor circulation of qi (pronounced chi), or energy, and blood in the body’s channels. In chronic cases with many diverse symptoms, we try to ascertain how, where, and why organ and channel dysfunctions are happening, and we work to restore an original, natural state of health with a combination of Chinese herbal medicines and acupuncture.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex pattern of symptoms, including fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, chemical sensitivity, headache, “brain fog,” poor memory, changes in appetite, and sleep disturbances.
I believe the true source of CFS is one or more pathogenic microbes, including viruses, bacteria, or protozoa that enter the body during an acute illness that often resembles the flu. The pathogenic microbes can damage a cell’s mitochondria (the cell’s energy factories), leading to profound fatigue. In the case of viruses, the pathogen can disturb DNA replication, leading to the chronic nature of the illness.
In addition to direct microbial invasion, many practitioners in the natural healing arts believe CFS can result from “leaky gut syndrome,” or small-intestine colitis. Leaky gut syndrome usually manifests after one consumes antibiotics, either as medicines or in animal foods. By inadvertently killing the thousands of beneficial and protective intestinal bacteria, the antibiotics allow harmful fungi, such as Candida albicans, or pathogenic bacteria to proliferate. These can then irritate and inflame the internal lining of the small intestine and allow absorption of foods into the blood before they’re fully digested. The body’s immune system will see these as allergens and attack them.
In the end, the intestines’ permeability disintegrates, and microbial and chemical toxins are absorbed into the blood, overwhelming the immune system as well as the liver’s ability to detoxify. Some chemicals stay in the blood, affecting brain function. Others precipitate into the connective tissue surrounding muscles, causing fibromyalgia.
The key treatments in Chinese medicine focus on regulating and detoxifying the liver and repairing small-intestine inflammation and permeability. This requires specific herbs to move liver qi and blood and to cool any inflammatory heat. As the liver regains its ability to detoxify, poisons exit the body. The symptoms of headache, fibromyalgia, and fatigue gradually disappear. Chinese medicine and acupuncture can be quite effective, especially if the intervention occurs early on in the condition. This holds especially true when an active viral irritant is present, because TCM is quite effective in combating viral illnesses.
Detoxifying the liver can be done with a variety of Chinese herbal formulas, including Chai Hu Shu Gan Wan, Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum Formula), or Xiao Yao San (Free and Easy Wanderer). Repairing the small intestine epithelium requires spleen qi tonics such as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehmannia 6) or Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and special formulas that reduce small-intestine inflammation. Of course, treatment of complex syndromes such as leaky gut or chronic fatigue should be managed by an experienced practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine. Such practitioners will be nationally board certified in Chinese herbology, and their names can be obtained, by location, at nccaom.org.
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21 comments
add your comment »Carol H : For me, the way to drink the Chinese herbal drinks is to drink it hot/warm quickly, then chase it down with something sweet like dried figs or dried dates. There are herbal formulas which come in pill/capsule/'pian' form depending on what formula you are taking and for what conditions. I do know that not all TCM doctors would prescribe them in non-dried raw herbal form. My TCM doctor does. Good Luck.
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For us, using pau d'arco tea, alfalfa sprouts, cider vinegar in water, a little chocolate, + aloe vera, gentle exercise & resting often, & avoiding caffeine, alcohol, antibiotics, & meat worked after ~ 18 months.
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I am 99% in favor of Chinese herbal remedies. The only 1% disagreement is in the use of dried bear bladders. My years in taxidermy for the Canadian National Museum has seen far too many poached black and brown bears, coming through my doors, with missing bladders. Please promote the use of herbal remedies and axe the use of animal based remedies.
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Great article on CFS and Chinese medicine. I'm all in favor of putting the body back in balance, which is why I'm such a huge fan of probiotics. For me, probiotics put the microflora environment of my gut back in check - this impacts all areas of my health and makes for greater well being. And acupuncture is also fantastic!
- Anna M
http://blog.nutri-health.com/
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RE:
Randolph D.
Aug 24, 2009 1:15 PM
Liver and gallbladder have SEPARATE meridians.
Liver manifests in EYES, nails, MUSCLES, and tendons.
Bloodshot eyes are not the only signs of Wood Element trouble. Other signs include (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO) too frequent or inappropriate anger or irritability or or sour, rancid odor or too much planning or sore muscles (if NOT related to, say, a congenital or genetic anatomical trouble that causes muscle spasms) or eye-muscle twitches or green tongue (if not caused by eating or drinking green things) or jaundice or trouble in digestion of fats or intermittently diminishing ability of seeing close objects or normal-size printed words or pathologically teary eyes or cancer-symptoms (excessive expansion manifested in excessive cell-proliferation/growth).......
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Liver and gallbladder are tonified together since they share meridians; liver is yin, gallbladder is yang, both represent wood element in TCM. Eyes are doorways to the liver; bloodshot eyes represent overtaxed liver functions (e.g. alcoholism). Liver manifests in nails and tendons, so thin nails and sore tendons (from tendonosis) also represent an overtaxed liver.
Many tonifying patent herbal remedies exist for different conditions, but are still individualized compared to allopathic medicine; herbal pills "pian" and capsules "wan" are far easier to swallow than those gargantuan tea mixtures.
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I went to a Chinese herbalist, but what I got looks and smells like the dust from my vacuum cleaner. I can't drink it even with the aid of a straw, and he wants me to take it 2x per day for 30 days....what to do?
jellybean123@netzero.net
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Bottomline - time to get ourselves back in balance with nature, earth, and all that is provided to us naturally. Body/Mind/Spirit. You can take all the vitamins, eat the right food, and run 10 miles a day - but if you don't have balance in your thinking as well as your emotions - you're still going to be "not well" - it's time we get off the consumer treadmill and get back to basics for our own lives and the lives of those who follow our examples. Blessed Be
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Oops: lots of typos in my comment/below. However, hopefully the sense of what I was trying to write is there. Mainly: people need drastically to cut their intake of dairy/eggs and of meat/poultry especially from CAFOs, and to greatly reduce their reliance on antibiotics. A vegan or mostly-vegan diet augmented with good quality fish/seafood and sea vegetables is the only way to go now. Anything else is poison and is poisoning our Mother Earth, end of story.
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This article resonates very strongly for me: as a child I was given antibiotics too many times for "asthmatic bronchitis," [in reality, I was allergic to cigarettes which were everywhere in the 1950s], and for several bouts of related pneumonia. I was otherwise a very active little tomboy and ate fresh fruits & veggies, whole grains, and quality fish, and relatively small amount of meat and poultry. However, I had large amounts of dairy/eggs and I am allergic to both; thank goodness eventually I realize this and have not consumed those for quite awhile. The over/use of antibiotics with children is a terrible thing; I deal with fibromyalgic, which I 'control' as best I can with a modified mostly vegan diet and with some Chinese medicine. But at least once every two months I have a "flare" of the fibromyalgia, and it is very painful and fatiguing. The use of CAFO "farming" for meat, dairy, poultry and eggs with its attendant high levels of antibiotics and other drugs is literally poisoning children and the rest of us in 'developed' and more and more 'underdeveloped' countries. IT IS A DISGRACE.
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