East West Medicine

By John Chen, PhD, PharmD, OMD, LAc Attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit  hyperactivity disorder  (ADD/ADHD) are developmental conditions in which the affected person is unable to concentrate and is easily distracted, with or without accompanying hyperactivity. There must be an onset of symptoms before age 7 that causes significant social or academic impairment. The incidence of ADD/ADHD is 3 percent to 7 percent in school-age children, and 2 percent to 7 percent in adults. The pathology of ADHD is not clear. There is speculation that certain areas of the brain related to attention are deficient in neural transmission. The neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine have been associated with ADD/ADHD. Stimulants such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Dexedrin (dextroamphetamine), are generally prescribed for treatment of ADD/ADHD. Common short-term side effects include significant insomnia, appetite suppression and  weight loss , headaches, mood fluct...

 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common behavioral conditions among children. In the United States alone, approximately 4.5 million children between the ages of 5-17 years old are diagnosed with ADHD each year. Research indicates that when treating ADHD, a multidisciplinary approach is most effective; combining behavioral therapy, exercise, dietary changes and medication. Now acupuncture can be added as one of the treatment methods that can successfully manage ADHD. What is ADHD? Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a condition of the brain that makes it difficult to concentrate or control impulsive behavior. Children with ADHD generally struggle with paying attention or concentrating. They can't seem to follow directions and are easily bored or frustrated with tasks. They also tend to move constantly and are impulsive, not stopping to think before they act. These behaviors are generally common in children. But they occur mo...

August 16, 2000 (Rockville, MD) - According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as many as 3.8 million schoolchildren in the United States are diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), making it one the most common behavioral problems for children and adolescents. Of these, at least 2 million take stimulants like Ritalin, and many more take other prescription medications. Medical acupuncture, practiced by licensed M.D.'s and D.O.'s who integrate traditional Western medicine with alternative treatment modalities, is a safe, effective treatment strategy for children with ADHD, without the side-effects of drugs. "The commonly prescribed drugs are not treating the core problems that cause ADHD, they are only temporarily alleviating the symptoms," said Nader E. Soliman, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) with a private practice in Rockville, MD. "Medical acupuncture can help children focus in school by ...

Acupuncture and Allergies According to Chinese medical theory, the symptoms and signs that indicate a Western diagnosis of allergies relate to imbalances in the meridian and organ systems of the body.  These imbalances may stem from a variety of causes, including stress, poor diet, constitutional weakness, pollutants and environmental toxins. Over time, if imbalances remain within the body, they will affect the functions of the organ systems.  Some of these organ systems are involved in the production of Wei Qi (way chee).  According to the theories of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, it is important to have to correct quality and quantity of Wei Qi circulating around the body in order to stay healthy. What is Wei Qi? The Chinese concept of Wei Qi is similar to the Western concept of the immune system.  Wei Qi functions to protect and defend the body against foreign substances, that if not caught can lead to allergies.  When Wei Qi is strong and abund...

Often referred to as “hay fever,” allergic rhinitis can be caused by a variety of relatively harmless substances, ranging from pollen and dust to animal dander. The most common form of allergic rhinitis is seasonal allergic rhinitis, which typically occurs at the same time each year when certain plants are in bloom. Other people can be afflicted with perennial allergic rhinitis (which may occur at any given time of the year) or occupational allergic rhinitis (which is caused by an allergic reaction to substances in the workplace, such as chemicals or grains). All told, between 10 percent and 20 percent of the general population is believed to have some form of allergic rhinitis, with direct and indirect health care costs totaling between $4.5 and $7.7 billion per year in the U.S. alone. 1 In China, acupuncture and herbal remedies have been used to combat symptoms similar to allergic rhinitis successfully for centuries. Previous research has shown, for instance, that Chin...

*A similar version was published in my ‘Oriental Medicine’ Column in Pathways Magazine, Mind, Body, Spirit Resources in the Washington DC Metro Area , Spring 2004 February…March…April…allergies! Spring can be painful. Who feels well with itchy eyes, drippy nose, and all those sneezes? You can take drugs of course…but they only cover up the problem. What would you say to reducing your allergic tendency so you almost forget it’s there? What would you say to actually getting RID of your allergies? If this sounds too good to be true, keep reading! Here are 5 ways in which a Chinese medicine (or related) approach can help you reduce allergic symptoms and even stop them altogether. What’s the real problem? A healthy body can eat, drink, touch, or breathe almost anything that isn’t specifically toxic. But some bodies react to commonplace things--molds, pollens, textiles, foods--as if they were poisons. Over-reacting signals confusion in the immune system, but what makes a body do...

The birds are chirping, the wind is blowing, and the green shoots are jutting out of the earth. Nothing is more relieving for those of us in the Northern hemisphere than a beautiful spring after a long winter, well at least for most of us. If you are one of those thousands of people affected by seasonal allergies you know the friendly signs of spring can be a step ahead of us resulting in sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, and overall discomfort and misery. Most allergies sufferers are used to stocking up on over the counter anti-histamines pharmaceuticals in preparation for allergy season. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine can offer treatment that can not only relieve allergy symptoms but improve your overall health. Chinese medicine describes seasonal allergies as being caused by both internal and external factors. Externally, allergies are caused by pathogenic wind invading. Wind is a yang pathogen and tends to invade the yang part of the body, namely the head and ey...

As the fall season approaches, one of the most common complaints that patients have is  the onset of seasonal allergies.  During this time pollen counts are high triggering many  of us to have allergy attacks, otherwise known as hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR).  The main culprit of these attacks of seasonal allergic rhinitis is ragweed pollen, which affects 85 to 90 percent of Fall-allergy victims.   Symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR) include nasal congestion, watery nasal  discharge and sneezing, red and itchy eyes.  These symptoms are commonly treated with medications such as antihistamines, steroid inhalers, and over the counter decongestant  sprays.  While these medications may temporarily relieve the symptoms of seasonal  allergic rhinitis, they do come with several side effects including sedation, dizziness,  fatigue, insomnia, nervousness, and gastro-intestinal disturbances. ...