What is Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM? By Bob Hubbard

What is Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM?
By Bob Hubbard

Medicine today is high technology field, involving all types of advanced equipment, complex chemicals, and designer drugs. American’s spend billions of dollars every year on treatments and doctor visits. But what if there was an alternate to the complex and sometimes complicated system of healing?

Enter Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM for short. What is it? Let us start with what it is not.

TCM is not a substitute for regular checkups with your primary physician, a miracle cure, or black magic. It is an alternate system of healing and healthy living that has been developed, researched and refined over several thousand years by one of the oldest continuous advanced civilizations in the world. By comparison, in conventional, or Western medicine, you visit your doctor when you feel ill, and your doctor will often prescribe medicine to treat your symptoms. Take this to stop your nose from leaking, take this to calm your stomach, and so on.

TCM by comparison seeks to diagnose the cause of illness and unrest, treat it, and prevent it from happening again. It seeks to restore balance to your body, believing that a body in balance is healthy, by treating the whole person, not just trying to mask the symptoms of illness. TCM practitioners seek to balance ones life force, also called chi or qi (pronounced chee) through a combination of healthy living, and controlled redirection under the care of a trained professional.

Some of the methods used include:

• Acupuncture – A system where thin steel needles are inserted into certain specific points on the body to unblock and rebalance the flow of chi.
• Acupressure – This is similar to acupuncture, but uses manual manipulation of these points rather than needles.
• Herbal medicines – Chinese herbal treatments such as ginseng and ginko work to rebalance the body from within. Self treatment is highly discouraged, and a trained herbalist’s skill is essential for proper and safe treatment.
• Tai Chi – Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art known for promoting energy flow and flexibility in the body using slow graceful movements, most commonly in a low to no impact environment. Most Tai Chi taught in the US today focuses on the therapeutic rather than the martial aspects, and is a good match to senior citizens looking to maintain or improve their health.
• Qi gong – Qi Gong is a sort of moving meditation, combining slow careful movements and focused breathing. Qi Gong is a component in Tai Chi and many other Chinese arts, but is also a system all it’s own. Practice is recommended under the guidance of an experienced instructor as incorrect Qi Gong can cause problems.

When choosing to visit a TCM doctor, be certain to check credentials.
Here are four basic questions to ask when choosing an acupuncturist, herbologist or doctor of TCM:

1) Where did he or she train?
2) How many years did he or she been train?
3) How many years has he or she been practicing acupuncture or herbology?
4) Does he or she have an NCCAOM certificate in acupuncture or herbology?.

Another important point is to check for a valid license and certifications. In the US, NCCAOM is the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. They put out the National Exam that most, if not all, states recognize.

If you are in the US visit the NCCAOM web site at http://www.nccaom.org/find.htm and check credentials and find qualified TCM practitioners in your area.

TCM is a safe and reliable alternate system of healing that has been practiced for generations and is worth looking at in conjunction with the Western system for a complete healthy existence.

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Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts portal site MartialTalk.com and president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists. Bob can be reached at webmaster@martialtalk.com
Article Copyright © 2009 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.

Guest Spot: Chiropractic Care For Your Health By Outarow Chuong

Chiropractic Care For Your Health
By Outarow Chuong

Chiropractic care is often thought of as a treatment for back and spine problems, but there is a lot more to the practice than just dealing with the spine. It is thought by practitioners of chiropractic care that disorders and problems with the musculoskeletal system can affect the functioning of the body in a variety of ways.

Chiropractic care is usually used as a complementary medicine that is used in conjunction with traditional approaches to illness and injury. The practice will focus on manipulation of the soft tissue and joints of the spine as well as other areas. Many chiropractors will also teach patients how to perform exercises on their own at home to help their condition. Lifestyle and the overall health of the patient is also counseled for patients who are experiencing health concerns.

There are two different types of chiropractic care that you can receive. The first group are considered to be straight chiropractors and believe that spinal adjustments and vitalism are key to all illness and conditions experienced in the body. These practitioners are not the mainstream of chiropractors any longer. The second type of chiropractor are the mixers and these practitioners believe in the benefits of spinal adjustments and other areas of chiropractic care along with other alternative and traditional methods of medicine.

In the beginnings of chiropractic care, it was not thought of as an appropriate form of therapy. There were a number of chiropractic practitioners who were prosecuted for practicing medicine without a medical license. In recent years, it has been established as an appropriate form of medicine and has gained increased support among the medical community. Many health plans even cover chiropractic care for patients who are in need of their services. Mainstream medicine has embraced the practices of chiropractors when it is used in conjunction with traditional medicine.

The safety of chiropractic care has been under scrutiny in the past, but today it is widely regarded as safe for most patients. Of course, there are some patients who should not use chiropractic care and your doctor should determine if you are physically able to withstand the manipulations and adjustments that are common in chiropractic care.

It is important that you check with your regular doctor to be sure that chiropractic is safe for you. While the practice is quite safe, it is not always appropriate for all patients. Those with osteoporosis should use care when deciding on chiropractic care for the treatment of their conditions or injury. Your doctor is best able to make the call.

Outarow Chhuong has been involved in alternative health since 1997, and is currently writing health articles related to anti wrinkle cream, and anti aging wrinkle cream.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Outarow_Chuong

Sweet Tooth? Try Stevia! By Bob Hubbard

Sweet Tooth? Try Stevia!
By Bob Hubbard

Walk through your sweetener area and you’ll find a wide range of choices. Cane Sugar our old stand by, as well as corn syrups, molasses, and a wide array of artificial sweeteners made in labs, each with it’s own associated health risks and concerns. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a safe natural low/no calorie sweetener to use instead of sugar, that tasted as good, and didn’t have the concerns of the laboratory creations?

Time to check out Stevia.

Stevia, or “Sweet Leaf” is an natural sweetener, tracing back to Central America. The leaves of the Stevia plant have 30–45 times the sweetness of ordinary table sugar with a slower onset and longer duration. It’s negligible effect on blood glucose makes it an attractive natural sweetener, and it’s low calorie nature helps make it a choice alternate to regular sugar and it’s high calorie count.

The United States banned it’s use as a sweetener in the 1990’s, but recently partially reversed that at the urging of Coca Cola and Pepsi, and there are now several Stevia derivatives available at your local super market under names such as Rebiana, Truvia and PureVia. Stevia has been widely used as a sweetener in Japan, and is also available in Canada as a dietary supplement.

Native tribes in South America used Stevia to sweeten various medical compounds. Recent research has shown Stevia to be a promising aid in treating obesity, high blood pressure and hypertension, as well as possibly enhancing glucose tolerance. It’s being researched as a possible treatment for osteoporosis as well. Stevia’s nature also makes it a good option for diabetics.

Stevia is however not without it’s controversy. Critics claim a wide range of concerns such as its compounds breaking down into mutagens, carcinogens, etc.

In general stevia constituents have not been found to be harmful. There is no evidence that stevia constituents cause cancer or birth defects. For over thirty years millions of Japanese have been using stevia with no reported or known harmful effects. Similarly, stevia leaves have been used for centuries in South America spanning multiple generations.

The World Health Organization performed a thorough evaluation of recent experimental studies of stevioside and steviols conducted on animals and humans, and concluded that there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity, or birth defects, and that there is some evidence of pharmacological effects in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes, but that further study was required.

Overall, Stevia looks to be a safe, natural alternate to sugar, free of many of the concerns of artificial chemical sweeteners. Look for it at your local supermarket and health food store. Remember, a little bit goes a long way with Stevia.

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Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts portal site MartialTalk.com and president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists. Bob can be reached at webmaster@martialtalk.com
Article Copyright © 2009 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.

February slow down

Apologies for the slow February. Should have new stuff going up shortly.

Health Tip of the Week - Drink Grape Juice

Health Tip of the Week - Drink Grape Juice

Recent studies have indicated that there may be a connection between drinking grape juice and lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and a lower risk of arteriosclerosis. Grape juice is also an excellent source of vitamin C.

Health Tip of the Week - Drink Water to Lose Weight

Health Tip of the Week - Drink Water to Lose Weight

Water is life. Drinking enough water can fill you up, decrease hunger pangs, and supress your appetite. It can also flush out your system,, removes toxins and keeps your cells hydrated for proper functioning. Try drinking water regularly through out your day, a couple of quarts at least.

Health Tip of the Week - Drink Pomegranate Juice

Health Tip of the Week - Drink Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate juice is an excellent source of vitamins as well as many antioxidants. It works as a blood thinner, reduces plaque in the arteries, balances cholesterol, and may help prevent heart disease and reduce the risk of heart attacks. It may help reduce the risk of various cancers and even fight erectile dysfunction. Try a glass or two each day.