3 NATURAL WAYS TO BE FREE OF CRAMPS USING TCM

The pain of cramps can be debilitating, causing you to miss work, cancel appointments and curl into a ball until the aches subside — until you have to do it all over again next month.

Menstrual cramps, or dysmenorrhoea, include painful sensations (from dull to severe) felt in the abdomen and pelvis before, during or after a menstrual period. In some women, the pain spreads to the hips, lower back and inner thighs and might be accompanied by a headache, nausea, constipation or diarrhoea.

Physician Goh Xin Yi explains that from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, menstrual cramps are typically “due to the obstruction or insufficient flow of Qi and blood flow to the uterus,” turning into what it could be the result of stress, over-consumption of cold food and drinks, or illness.

The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) adds that “the liver, spleen and kidney channels run through the pelvis and all can affect menstruation. If any of these channels is blocked, congested or deficient, this will usually manifest in women as some sort of menstrual problem.”

If you have to take an anti-inflammatory every four hours to reduce your pain, consider these three natural ways that can help you to be free of cramps with TCM.

ACUPUNCTURE

The British Acupuncture Council explains that acupuncture may help reduce symptoms of dysmenorrhoea by regulating neuroendocrine activities, increasing nitric oxide levels, increasing relaxation, reducing tension, stimulating nerves and reducing inflammation. A recent study in Australia found that “women undergoing acupuncture more frequently experienced more significant improvements in period pain intensity and related symptoms, as well as in overall quality of life.”

Herbal Medicine

A warm cup of tea, as simple as it may sound, can bring you immense relief from your symptoms. Physician Yi suggests the following teas: rose or jasmine (for stress, frustration and bloating in the lower abdomen prior to the period), ginger (for those who find relief from applying warmth to their abdomen), motherwort (for those with sharp pain and blood clots), longan red dates (for those with tiredness and dizziness during the period). Our clinic practitioners will work with you to find the herbal treatment that is best suited for your body and symptoms. 

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

As mentioned above, stress is considered a significant contributor to cramps, as well as countless other medical conditions. Reducing your tension levels by practising mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing are methods you can start employing today. TCM also believes that exercise and diet are essential components of the pain relief puzzle.

In addition to eating a nutrient-rich diet, you may wish to avoid cold or raw foods prior to and during your period. Maintaining an active lifestyle is important as well, because “exercise speeds up a sluggish metabolism and increases production of qi and blood,” PCOM explains. “Aerobic exercise from twenty to thirty minutes every other day increases circulation and body temperature, and aids digestion, appetite, mood, energy and sleep. Exercise greatly reduces the severity of any endometriosis symptom or symptom associated with stagnant qi and blood stasis.”

In addition to cramps, here at SITCM we can assist with information about Traditional Chinese medicine and infertility, IVF support, PCOS, endometriosis, menopause, PMS, breech presentation and other conditions affecting the female body.

Book an appointment with us to learn more.

SITCM clinic

5 ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS TO RELIEVE YOUR STRESS

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), “there is no separation between the mind and body – they are interconnected and affect each other in health.” This synergy is why your stomach hurts when you’re anxious, or your neck aches when you’re stressed, or your energy levels are depleted when you’re depressed. For 3,000 years, TCM has provided “a safe and an effective help on the treatment of stress-related disorders,” treating both the symptoms and causes of our bodies’ imbalances. If you’ve reached your stress tipping point, consider these alternative treatments.

Acupuncture

“The flow of Qi or energy can be interrupted by several factors, including anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief,” Pacific College explains. “Acupuncture seeks to restore any imbalance between Yin and Yang.” The precise, studied placement of acupuncture needles stimulates the body’s healing process to restore its balance.

In addition to increasing circulation, which can eliminate the stress hormone cortisol and induce the release of pain-killing, mood-boosting endorphins, the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine explains that acupuncture can decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, as well as relax your muscles, which tend to seize up during periods of stress.

Dr. Yongxin Fan of AOMA recalls a patient who “had intense stress from her job and was having insomnia. I treated her with acupuncture and the herbal formula wen dan tang. After the first treatment she was sleeping much better and after two weeks the stress was much reduced.”

Herbal Medicine

As mentioned by Dr. Fan, herbal formulations are often used to treat stress, with some of the most common formulas being xiao yao wan (also known as “Free and Easy Wanderer”), gan mai da zao tang, chai hu shu gan san, yi guan jian, yue ju wan, and gui pi tang.

For anxiety, herbs are often advised with your existing treatment to help with the relief, if you have a consultation with a qualified TCM professional. You can see the improvements over the time, 

Diet, Exercise and Tong Ren Therapy

TCM and Western medicine professionals alike recommend analysing our diets and exercise patterns to manage our stress. In Chinese nutrition, for example, AOMA notes that blueberries, purple cabbage, beets, tomatoes, and eggplant are considered stress-reducing vegetables. An excess of refined sugars can also affect mental health, as can caffeine and high glycemic foods, Pacific College warns.

Exercise, of course, helps the mind and body in countless ways, and practices like taiji and qigong “have been shown to help induce the ‘relaxation response,'” which slows your heart rate, relaxes your muscles and calms your breathing. You might also wish to consider Tong Ren Therapy, which is designed to “internally help with the healing process of a patient’s energy system using the collective unconscious.”

Are you, like millions of others, searching for relief from your stress? Book an appointment at SITCM and discover how TCM can help you get back to a more peaceful mind and body.

SITCM Clinic

DIFFERENT WAYS TO HELP WITH THE DISHARMONY FROM THE BODY

Previously, we have discussed the fundamental TCM concepts of Qi and the five vital substances, how the vital organs (zang fu) manufacture and refine the substances, and how the jing luo distributes them throughout the body. In this final part, we will discuss what factors cause disharmony in the overall body system, and how they can be eliminated through the various TCM methods, such as herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, tui-na (therapeutic massage), cupping, and so on.

TCM views diseases by classifying them into six external factors (known as the “six pernicious influences”) and seven internal factors (“seven emotions”). For example, gout can be classified as “wind+cold and damp” or “wind+cold and heat”.

TCM ways of helping are  generally fall into the following types: Herbal remedies, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, tui-na, and variations thereof. Each of them uses slightly different methods, but the aim is the same: to restore balance in your internal systems.

HERBAL REMEDIES

Each TCM herbal remedy is made up of many different herbs customised to your body’s needs, to boost some organs while calming others, to remove excess influences such as heat or damp from your body, and counter any side effects of other herbs. Generally, a packet of all the ingredients is brewed as a bitter tea, and can be brewed generally twice, though refined pills are sometimes available.  

ACUPUNCTURE, ACUPRESSURE, AND MOXIBUSTION

Previously we have discussed how jing luo, or channels connect the vital organs to the entire body. The channels can be manipulated at certain points (known as acupoints) via needles (acupuncture), pressure (acupressure), and moxibustion (heat and herbal material burned) to stimulate or calm the connected organs and areas, leading to balance and harmony.

CUPPING AND TUI-NA

Cupping and Tui-na are manipulations of the jing luo channels, with the aim of eliminating “stagnation” or blockage. Cupping is done via cups and heat to create suction and creates superficial bruises, while tui-na is similar to acupressure, but along the entire channel, rather than specific acupoints.

After learning more about TCM and how it takes a holistic view of the body to help it as a whole, not just specific symptoms you are now ready to come for a visit so SITCM can explain all of these in detail regarding your symptoms and help you choose the best healing option to your needs.

Book an appointment today

SITCM Clinic

JING LUO AND ACUPUNCTURE POINTS

In the previous part, we have discussed how TCM views the internal organs (zang fu) as an interconnected system, for converting food, water, and air into the five vital substances.  In this part, we will discuss the jing luo, how they connect the organs to the rest of the body, and how acupuncture points, or “acupoints,” are points along the jing luo, and how they can be stimulated to achieve clinical results.
You may sometimes see the term “meridian” used in place of jing luo. Meridian was a term used by French diplomatic scholar George Soulié de Morant who brought acupuncture to Europe in the early 1900s after spending years in China. We will be using the term jing luo, or “channel.” 

Previously, we have explained that there are five zang organs, plus the pericardium, and six fu organs, for a total of 12 “organs.” There are twelve primary jing luo, one for each of the “organs.” Each of the primary jing luo channels also has subchannels, eventually linking them to the body’s surface, where they manifest themselves as acupoints. There are many more additional channels (72 total) and hundreds (maybe thousands) of acupoints, depending on how they are counted. However, most treatments deal only with the twelve primary jing luo, plus two other , and their associated acupoints.
Of the 12 primary jing luo, 6 go from torso to hand (3 yin and 3 yang), and 6 go from torso to foot (again, 3 yin and 3 yang). Through subchannels, they go all over the human body.  For example, one of the primary jing luo is “Hand’s Major Yin Lung Channel,” which links the hand to the lung. When any of these jing luo are out of balance, such as being affected by a disease or abuse of the body,  disharmony occurs, and the disharmony manifest as symptoms of a condition or disease.

How acupuncture point manipulations eliminate “disharmony” will be discussed in part 4. The Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SITCM) is ready to check your concerns and help you achieve your health goals today.

Book an appointment with us.

SITCM Clinic

Zang Fu – The Vital Organs

In the previous part, we have discussed the holistic view of how TCM views the body as an overall system, and illnesses are the way body’s qi, or life energy, has gone out of balance in the form of the “five vital substances.” In this part, we will discuss the “Zang Fu,” or the vital organs, on how each of the principal organs of the body affects production and storage of the five vital substances (jing, qi, shen, xue, jinye).

2

Zang fu is actually two words in Chinese, describing two types of organs in the body, five in Zang group, and six in Fu group. Each of the Zang organs has a matching Fu organ. They are interconnected and needed to be in balance.

Zang organs are yin in nature. They manufacture and store vital substances. Each of the zang organs matches a body opening as well. For example, lack of appetite or strange taste in mouth is generally diagnosed as a spleen obstruction, while a pale tongue may indicate a weak heart.

  • Spleen: governs the transformation of nutrition and water into qi and xue, its counterpart is the stomach, opens onto mouth and lip
  • Heart: regulates blood and creation of shen, its counterpart is small intestines, opens onto the tongue
  • Lungs: governs actuation of qi from the chest, its counterpart is the large intestines, opens onto nose and throat
  • Kidneys: governs the containment of qi, creation of jinye. Its counterpart is the bladder, opens onto the ears and reproductive organs
  • Liver: looks after the flow of qi around the body, and storage of xue. Its counterpart is the gallbladder, opens onto the eyes
  • Pericardium: technically, this is not a Zang organ, but a membrane surrounding the heart, protecting it. Its counterpart is the triple burner.

Fu organs separate and purify ingredients to be passed onto their zang counterparts, and leaves the waste to be expelled. They are the yin counterpart to the zang organs’ yang :

  • Stomach: transforms food and water, passes nutrients to the spleen, remainder to small intestines.
  • Small intestine: purifies food, moves nutrients to the spleen, rest to large intestines
  • Large Intestine: receives “turbid food” from small intestines, expels as faeces
  • Bladder: receives “turbid water” from kidneys, expel as urine
  • Gallbladder: transform liver qi into bile, releases bile and aids liver as needed
  • Triple Burner (san jiao): this has no corresponding physical organ(s), but can be thought of as three organs that metabolise and distribute nutrients through xue, qi, and jinye. Its counterpart is the pericardium.

Those that know Eastern philosophy may recognise the “Five Phases” (wu xing): earth, fire, metal, water, and wood also correspond to the organs (in the order as given). Pericardium and Triple Burner belong to the fire phase.

Once the various organs have created the vital substances, they are then transported around the body via “jing luo,” or the twelve meridian channels (that’s why we have 5 zangand 6 fu organs, plus pericardium).

The channels can be affected by external influences such as disease, and the channels can be modified as acupuncture points. Jing luo and acupuncture will be discussed in Part 3.

Do you have an ailment resulting from your internal imbalance? SITCM has accredited TCM practitioners that can help you to find a balance that your body is seeking and recommend optimal treatment based on TCM.

Book an appointment today by clicking below.


AN ABRIDGED HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE IN TEXT

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a 5,000 year legacy. There were many different medical philosophies and techniques in China with a mix of travelling physicians, village herbalists, and native shamans. Chinese Medicine has been bound by nature, earth and sea. The season and the climate, and plants and animals.

SHEN NONG and THE MEDICA

One of the earliest records is from about 200 BC. The Materia Medica lists 365 healing remedies most of which are plants. Today the Medica has over 12,000 entries. 

This document was named after the legendary figure, Shen Nong. He was known as the Divine cultivator who invented agriculture. 

It is said that he tasted the flavour of hundreds of herbs and he drank the water from many springs and wells. This was so people might know which were sweet and which were bitter.

It is also said that he discovered how to make tea after a tea leaf fell into a pot of boiling water.

 

THE YELLOW EMPEROR

The founding father of Chinese Medicine is said to be the Yellow Emperor. The text generated at that time is still followed by practitioners.

HOW IT WORKS

The basic premise that revolves around Chinese herbal medicine revolves around the theory of elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

Each element has corresponding associations with body parts, emotions, sound, seasons, colours and taste.

Herbs with the qualities of sour, salty, bitter, sweet and pungent are selected to treat illnesses.

There is also a belief in the essential life force called Chi. Chi is vital energy in humans and all things including medicinal plants.

The Chinese theory of opposites called Yin and Yang compliments the models of the five elements.

MODERN ERA

But Western medicine began to have a presence in China in the 19th Century. It wasn’t until the 1960’s when Chinese medicine once again became the national standard medical system when Mao Zedong founded the Five Colleges of Chinese Medicine.

Today, traditional Chinese dispensaries have changed little over the centuries.

Herbs are weighed out in daily doses, and people are given an amount enough of herbs to last them a week or so.

A prescription for a Chinese remedy may contain 4-12 herbs or more. The complex proportions may make it hard to understand for the westerner who was used to one solution or one problem. But traditional Chinese Herbal formulas aimed for broad spectrum healing are becoming more familiar in the west and are now used by many qualified practitioners.

If you have any questions about Traditional Chinese Medicine, don’t hesitate to contact us. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook and keep checking back in with us! 

Download our free guide – Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine.