Alcohol Abuse

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sees alcohol as having hot energy. Therefore taking alcohol in excess causes too much heat in the body effecting the liver and stomach especially. Conditions that are of a hot nature will be exacerbated by drinking too much i.e. hay fever, eczema, migraines, hot flushes, red eyes and gum disease to name a few apart from the direct damage alcohol causes the body. TCM does not deal with the emotional side of this problem; counselling and self-help groups are needed. However TCM can deal with the physical side of the problem. Acupuncture is used extensively in the field of addictions helping to reduce cravings. Herbs will be able to clear heat from the liver and cool the blood i.e. chrysanthemum flowers and green tea can be used together in a tea in mild cases as cooling agents. For more chronic alcohol abuse stronger herbs are required such as kudzu root and watermelon extract.

Amnesia

The function of memory in TCM is seen as being governed overall by the kidneys. Short-term memory is more related to spleen whereas long-term memory is more related to the heart. To influence memory from a TCM perspective kidney tonification is a common approach. Kidney weakness can be treated with acupuncture using points on the kidney and bladder meridians. Using herbs such as dodder seed, eucommia bark, wolfberry seed, walnuts and yam all strengthen the kidneys so nourishing the brain and improving memory function.

Angina

This is a serious condition that need through medical investigation and supervision. Any practitioner of TCM would have expected a patient to have had an ECG at a hospital to find out the extent of any damage to the heart. The western medical approach has very effective drugs in treating this condition.

However in TCM the point of view is that angina is due to stagnation of blood and energy in the heart. Therefore in conjunction with any ongoing treatment the Chinese Herbal medicine approach between and to prevent attacks would be to use cinnamon twigs, safflower, red sage root or red peoney root. Acupuncture is especially useful in this condition between attacks. Herbs to reduce cholesterol such as pseudo ginseng would be integral in approaching the atheroslerotic heart disease aspect involved here

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