Subject: Fwd: Treating Virulent Diseases with Chinese Medic

From: [email-masked] (Paul Iannone)
Date: 04 Sep 1995 23:38:07 GMT

In message ID <[email-masked]> on 9/4/95, Richard Finkelstein
wrote:

Paul,

Thanks for your comments. I would be interested in comments on the following 
>from  other practitioners who use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). By
 antibiotic herbs, are you referring to herbs such as pu gong ying 
(dandelion). I have found this herb (when used in formulas) to be extremely 
effective and fast acting. 

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Paul Iannone) 
writes:

In message ID <[email-masked]> on 9/4/95, Richard Finkelstein
wrote:

:The issue of virulent diseases is an interesting one. In my own limited 
:experiences, I have found TCM very active and effective - even
:within a very  short time frame. Acute health problems such as
:colds, flus, and bronchitis  seem to be easily handled (of course,
:the ability of the practitioner is  crucial). I have friends who
: have been very effectively treated for chronic  problems such as
: asthma, and breast cysts. However, I have yet to witness  TCM's
: action on very virulent dieases though I know my physicians do treat
:  them. I would be interested in your experiences. Also, I was
: thinking of  opening up a seperate thread in order to get input from
: other practitioners of  TCM if there are others who monitor this newsgroup.

Virulent diseases have always taken a lot of people away with them. They
really do require strong antibiotic therapy quick! One of the foremost
classical doctors, Zhang Zhong-Jing took up the study of medicine when
two-thirds of his 200 clan members died from plague (they were certainly
treated, but died anyway). The result of his studies was, in part, Shang Han
Lun (which represents East-Asian Traditional Healing's complete mastery of
Cold care, 1700 years ago, and is considered the most elegant of herbal
therapies ever devised). 

This text, which we might translate for the moment: 'Methods of Cold Care,'
of course covered other forms of acute infectious illness, but did not
contain the strong antibiotic herbs used later by doctors who studied Hot
Pathogens like Yellow Fever and Bubonic Plague. Since typhoid was, I believe,
the most common plague in Zhang's time, and is a 'slower' Pathogen, these
'Injury by Epidemic Cold' cases were successfully treated in many 
cases.Bubonic plague, for instance, carries you off in one or two days, 
hardly enough time to drink herbs. Nonetheless, it is perhaps true that 
quick therapy with antibiotic herbs saved many of those whose resistance 
allowedthem not to be carried away immediately.

As a practical aside, yesterday one of my clients returned from Hawaii with a
brutal chest cold that had benefitted enormously from antibiotic therapy.
Even so, the patient was very uncomfortable, with a hacking cough,
exhaustion, with general stiffness and soreness, especially in the shoulders
and neck. After I induced profuse sweating by very the very aggressive
acupressure I often practice, the stiffness cleared away, and the patient
fell asleep. I wrapped her in heavy blankets, and left. Later, she called to
say that she awoke feeling completely recovered, without the cough, and
without any particular complaints at all. 

The East-Asian Traditional Healing diagnosis of Cold Blocking the Pores and
Preventing Qi from Flowing and the Lung from Ventilating, treated by Sweating
therapy through Coursing the Channels (especially Tai Yang--Bladder and Xiao
Yang--Gallbladder, which in this patient chronically contain Excess and
Deficiency Heat. This pattern of Heat on the Inside and Cold on the Outside
produces some really miserable illnesses.) was, as usual, very effective in
symptomatic relief, where the antibiotic alone left the patient to suffer.

--Paul  ||  [email-masked]
--