Hi everyone,
I hope you are healthy and coping well with these strange times. Nature is taking a bit of a breath it seems, and there is much beauty everywhere.
There’s a whole lot that Chinese herbal therapy can do to help strengthen you and aid in prevention of colds and flus (like COVID-19) and later in treating different initial symptoms and patterns. I’ve been practicing Chinese herbs as a main part of my acupuncture practice for over 33 years, having trained extensively in China in 1992, I’ve been working with it ever sense. I have a real feel for this community and what it needs, and am very aware and updated in what the most modern advances are in writing prescriptions in China today.
In recent newsletters I described the process of closing the clinc from doing acupuncture.. It wasn’t an easy decision, as acupuncture can be so helpful to the immune system as well as in so many other ways!
In the last month the focus has been on video appointments (tele-health). This is proving an EXCELLENT format for spending time for us to focus on self-care, including the use of high-quality and correctly prescribed HERBS – which are the forefront of classical Chinese medicine.
Most recent reports say there is often a lag time between exposure to COVID-19 and the severity of the symptoms. I really don’t agree with complementary medicine practitioners who’ve said, for example, that this is a mostly benign virus. However, this viral outbreak is also not entirely ‘new under the sun’. This is obviously a very quick moving and potentially fatal virus that may be attenuated by early intervention. And of course, we need to continue to do all we can as a society to distance ourselves as we develop testing and a coherent response.
Throughout history the Chinese have treated many epidemics similar and worse to this one. TCM doctors in China concur that we are dealing with some kind of ‘damp toxic’ condition. The wisest and most experienced doctors are developing strategies by using both ancient and modern precedent. Doctors such as Liu Lihong have been working from inside the system to prioritize the use of old methodology for the pandemic. These strategies are showing great promise in slowing the strength and progression of the virus at least in early stages, and for treating various symptoms that arise to keep the condition from getting worse.
As a result of these efforts, formulas for mass distribution are being developed, like ‘Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang’ pictured here. Another example of a preventative formula, as mentioned in a previous newsletter, was adapted from the Wuhan Union Hospital and has been useful to blend with constitutional and springtime allergy formulas in my practice.
Traditional Chinese Medicine’s (TCM’s) historical flexibility and strength is due to its use of looking at different patterns of differentiation to diagnose and treat illness. I am confident it can be of great help globally in this situation.
I continue, as always, to have a full herbal pharmacy available to treat a wide range of conditions and illnesses – for pain, digestive and respiratory conditions, sleep and anxiety disorders, autoimmune and hormonal issues, and so on.
Consulting with me via phone or video call allows those who are healthy to continue their routine care and keeps vulnerable patients and those with mild symptoms in their home.
Stay safe and healthy please!
Ken
P.S. Herbs can be picked up in our locked dropbox outside the clinic door. In the case of using herbal products that don’t require customization, it’s possible to ship them from the factory without an additional fee. The herbs arrive at your door.
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