“Misplaced fear” about herb-drug interactions is keeping many practitioners from recommending potentially beneficial botanical medicines, said Josephine Briggs, MD, director of the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)... Clinicians’ apprehensions are largely unfounded, she said. Most interactions identified in current resources are hypothetical, inferred from animal studies, cellular assays or other indirect means. Concern is often poorly founded, not based on rigorous studies...The antibiotic overuse problem is another one for which the natural medicine world might have good solutions. Currently, there are about 16 million Z-Pak prescriptions per year, mostly for colds and other conditions for which they are inappropriate."
http://holisticprimarycare.net/latest-articles/12-herbal-medicine/1689-nih-center-to-confront-unfounded-fears-of-herb-drug-interactions.html
Neuroscientists are probing the idea that intestinal microbiota might influence brain development and behavior http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-tantalizing-links-between-gut-microbes-and-the-brain/
The gut/brain axis has long been understood in Chinese medicine. The body and the mind are one and must be treated as such.
Even the MD's at Cleveland Clinic (one of the top Western medical institutions in the world) are embracing acupuncture for their patients.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/11/02/the-point-about-acupuncture-it-works
by Adam Cantor, MS, LAcChronic pain is a growing and complicated issue. Millions of people feel stuck with their pain, suffering day in and day out with no resolution in sight. For many, acupuncture can shed light at the end of this very dark tunnel.
We know that the nature of chronic pain can vary widely, from musculoskeletal and neurogenic to gastrointestinal, urogenital, and gynecological. However, less attention gets paid to the emotional component of chronic pain, which can be caused and exacerbated by negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and anxiety.
Read more: http://acutakehealth.com/your-pain-is-in-your-head
by Adam Cantor, MS, LAcChinese medicine treats a lot more than just pain, and yet it oddly remains highly under-utilized in the mainstream treatment of conditions that aren’t categorized as painful. Acupuncture, a central component of Chinese Medicine, is a modality that is still widely viewed as a sort of superficial “somatic” medicine in the West, despite the fact that countless Chinese clinicians and scholars have been successfully working with and treating the entire “human experience” for millennia.
Read More: http://wakeup-world.com/2013/06/24/acupuncture-capable-of-more-than-you-might-expect/
Are licensed acupuncturists (L.Ac,’s) more adept when it comes to the ancient healing practice than any other practitioner performing acupuncture? Based on the training and education needed for licensure, the answer is yes. There are vast differences in the qualifications among “acupuncturists,” which is why it’s essential to seek treatment from a licensed practitioner.
http://weeklycupofqi.com/2013/05/08/choosing-an-acupuncturist-why-you-should-always-go-for-the-real-deal/
by Adam Cantor, MS, LAcStress and negativity make us sick. Meditation has been proven to make us happier and healthier.
http://wakeup-world.com/2013/01/23/om-for-everyone-meditate-your-way-to-health/
