Questions 2 on Part I

Dear Dr Miraculous Hands,

1. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

As mentioned in the text, western medicine has not yet offered any effective treatment of AIDS. Do you have any evidence or research data showing that the herb formulas listed in the text are effective for AIDS treatment ?

2. Rheumatic Fever
Why does rheumatic fever occur mostly in young people (school age and those between the ages of 20 and 30)?

In the formula for rheumatic fever caused by wind-damp-heat, what herds should be added or modified for the following a) excessive pathogenic wind; b) excessive dampness; and c) excessive heat.

3. Allergies

I had bad experience with western medicine in treatment of allergies such as dry cough or asthma. I believe that traditional chinese medicine is better for treatment of this chronic disease but I can not convince others. This is difficult in USA since many health insurance companies do not cover TCM treatment. Can you add any thing regarding the effectiveness of TCM in allergy treatment ?

4. Tuberculosis
This is a common disease in developing countries such as those in Africa.
This disease, however, is not discussed in the text. Can you recommend some typical herb formulas for tuberculosis.

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Nam Le

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2005 12:21 pm    

Dear Nam Le,
1). Since the western could not offer any effective treatment for AIDS, so why should we try traditional Chinese medicine? At least there is one more hope for the patients.
In fact, there are some clinical researches having been done and even being done at the moment by China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Zambia, East Africa. They do have some good experience.
The formulas listed in the text should be selected according to the published materials concerned.
Personally I think they could help the patients more or less, at least they can be a quite good supplementary therapy for the patients.
2). I think you should go to check the medical books why the rheumatic fever would occur mostly in young people. I'm sure you can find good information there, better ones than I do.
Since you have studied course E and F, so what's your opinion for the excessive wind, dampness and heat? Please tell me what is in your mind.

3). You give me a very difficult task or mission!
In fact there are so many data of traditional Chinese medicine and many have been published openly in both China and other parts of the world, but the mainstream of medical circle or even the general public in US still try all the efforts to deny the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine, I think it’s a kind of culture discrimination! The major reason or cause is the profit or interest.
At the moment, traditional Chinese medicine takes about 10% of the health/medicine market, and this share is getting larger and larger slowly. So, even without the admission of the health insurance companies the development of traditional Chinese medicine is so vigorous, then what will happen if the insurance companies accept it?
The economic interest of the medical doctors, drug manufacturers, and others in relations with the health/medicine field would be more and more undermined, so do you think they like this situation?
On the other hand, I stress again it’s the CULTURE discrimination. No matter how long the history of China is, many many Americans would think China is only a poor country and has no culture!!! So all the Chinese things are no good!!!
4) There should be some information on tuberculosis. But in fact, more researches should be done on this part for we do know some herbs are good for the treatment of tuberculosis, but since long time the cure for the tuberculosis in China is not satisfactory.
I think maybe this is the reason why the text lacks this part.

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miraculous hands

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:06 pm    

Dear Dr. Miraculous,

Thanks for your reply to my questions and your comments. Let us discuss your comments.

1. For AIDS treatment in addtion to trying herb formulas, I would suggest some physical therapy such as qi gong or yoga.

2. Regarding rheumatic fever, as you suggested, I will do some more research later why it occurs mostly in young people.

For excessive wind, I would add forsthia fruit and/or increase the concentration of cinnamon fruit. For excessive heat, I would add more anemarrhena rhizome. For excessive dampness, I could add more phellodendron bark or add green chriretta. Please correct me if I am wrong.

3. Generally I agree with you that the major reason or cause for which many insurance companis in the US do not cover TCM treatment is the profit or interest. But the word "culture discrimination" you used is probably too strong. I would use "culture difference" instead. If every things produced in China are bad for Americans, then USA would not import a lots of goods from China, creating a huge trade deficit for USA. I have been in many countries in the world and in my opinion, USA is probably the least discrimated country among developed world for minority like me. Many Asians in USA have been very succesful.

I strongly believe that a lack of knowledge about TCM in general US public contributes to the above situation. Five years ago I did not know anything about TCM. Studying Tai Chi led me to TCM since I wanted to understand more about Yin and Yang to do Tai Chi better. Medboo TCM training courses are good way to introduce TCM to the world and I appreciate you and my previous tutor helping me.

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Nam Le

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 2:41 pm    

Dear Nam Le,
1) I agree with you Qigong or yoga is good for aids patients!
In fact, they are even better than medicines, personally I think, especially in the early stage. For sure in the advance stage, the combination of medication and the practice of Qigong and/or yoga is a better choice.

2). In my personal opinion, I think you'd better read the text more carefully, because it has answered already some of your questions i.e.
"When the pathogenic wind is predominant, 12 grams of clematis root and 10 grams of ledebouriella root should be added. " "When there is the excess of pathogenic dampness, 30 grams of coix seed and 12 grams of atractylodes rhizome are combined. ". And for sure both Gypsum and anemarrhena rhizome are the good materials for the heat.

It's my feeling you didn't grasp enough the course E and F and try to make quite sure the properties and actions of each individual material. E.g. ledebouriella root is the best for expelling the exogenous wind, while the forsthia fruit and cinnamon fruit are not really used much for the exogenous wind, the former is for heat-clearing and detoxication and I'm not quite sure what you meant about the cinnamon fruit.

To study the Chinese Materia Medica, one has to master the properties and actions of each material, to be sure it's heat or cold in nature, it's more of the Yin or more of the Yang.

3). In fact, I did feel the discrimination of the Americans to Chinese!!!
The reason or cause is not merely the lack of knowledge, it's rather the Americans don't want to know anything about China, or probably they still think China is still the way 50 years ago, or the Chinese still don't have enough to eat. They never know the culture of China, for they are always thinking they are the best, all the others in the world is much less than them.
So what's the use to know the others?
For sure they want to buy the goods made in China, it's much much cheaper than the ones made in US or other developed countries.

OK, let's forget about the politics.

It's good to know you do well in US and hope you do more of traditional Chinese medicine in your place later so more and more Americans would have got the chance to know the culture of China.

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miraculous hands

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:07 am    

Dear Dr. Miraculus Hands,

Thanks for your reply but please clarify your answer on my question 2 about excessive wind, dampness and heat for rhumatic fever caused by wind-damp-heat. Your answer was based on the text for wind-cold-dampness (not wind-damp-heat). I expect that the answer will not be the same for the 2 cases.

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Nam Le

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:09 am

Dear Nam Le,
I think you didn't quite catch me!
Please go to review the course E and see which are the best for the wind, for the dampness, and for the heat.
In fact, I listed the Gypsum and anemarrhena rhizome for the heat and for quite sure they are very strong ones for the internal heat.
I also stressed the ledebouriella root is the best for expelling the exogenous wind, no matter it's for wind heat or wind cold; if you think the herb is of heat nature, so you can combine some other materials to reduce the heat, so the combination of ledebouriella root with Gypsum and anemarrhena rhizome could be a good one.
There are also more materials listed in course E for eliminating dampness, and also don't you think coix seed and atractylodes rhizomeand are not good for the excessive dampness? If the dampness is mixed with heat, there is a special category for this situation, the Heat-Clearing and Dampness-Drying Herbs, so please have a review of course E and I'm sure you will find more information.

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miraculous hands

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:34 am