June 2010 [Volume 9, Issue 6]

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In this issue of To Your Health:

• Ginger Helps Ease Muscle Pain
• Herb of the Month – Ginger (gan jiang or sheng jiang)
• Ask an Acupuncturist

Ginger Helps Ease Muscle Pain

For most people, ginger is just an ordinary kitchen spice. However, new research from the University of Georgia has found that it might also be a great natural pain reliever. A group of researchers compared the pain-relieving properties of raw versus cooked ginger in a group of 74 volunteers with muscle pain.

The subjects consumed capsules containing either raw or cooked ginger, or a placebo for 11 days. On day eight, they were given arm weights to lift to induce muscle inflammation and pain.

The researchers found that ginger reduced pain by 25 percent as compared to placebo. They concluded, "Daily consumption of raw and heat-treated ginger resulted in moderate-to-large reductions in muscle pain following exercise-induced muscle injury."

Reference

• Black CD, Herring MP, Hurley DJ, O'Connor PJ. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Reduces Muscle Pain Caused by Eccentric Exercise. J Pain. 2010 Apr 23. [Epub ahead of print]

For more information on the many benefits of Oriental medicine, visit www.acupuncturetoday.com

Herb of the Month – Ginger (gan jiang or sheng jiang)

A knotted, beige-colored root, ginger has been used in cooking in China and India for more than 4,000 years. It is known for its sharp, spicy flavor. In addition to its culinary uses, it has several medicinal properties.

Ginger has been shown to relieve motion sickness better than any over-the-counter medication. Other studies have found it to ease pain from sore throats and aches caused by colds and flu. High doses of ginger (10-20 g per day) have been found to significantly decrease pain associated with migraines and rheumatoid arthritis. Intake of ginger depends on the condition. In general, no more than 2-4 grams of fresh ginger should be taken daily in addition to whatever ginger you may get from your diet.

Ginger is available in a variety of forms. In addition to fresh ginger root (which is available at most supermarkets), it can be found as an extract, tincture, capsule or oil. Another good source is crystallized ginger, which is covered in sugar.

The American Herbal Products Association has given fresh ginger root a class I safety rating, meaning it is a safe herb with a wide dosage range. However, dried ginger root has a class II B rating, which means it should not be used during pregnancy.

Some evidence suggests that ginger may interfere with heart medications, diabetes medications and anticoagulants. Since ginger also increases the flow of bile, it should not be taken by patients with gallstones. Excessive amounts of ginger may cause mild heartburn.

Ask an Acupuncturist

Question: I suffered a stroke in December 2009. I heard acupuncture helped a truck driver at my work. Is it true? Can it help with my vision problems I suffered as a result of my stroke?

Answer: There are a variety of symptoms people get after a stroke. Most strokes are caused by the same conditions as a heart attack, except it happens in the brain. A clot that had formed in a blood vessel blocks the flow of blood to tissue, either heart or brain, and the tissue dies, causing organ damage. In the heart, muscle dies and the heart may no longer function well. In the brain, nerve tissue dies and activities associated with the nervous system are adversely affected. Acupuncture can help the body repair or compensate for lost nerve function. Patients respond differently to treatment. In addition, there are other treatment modalities, such as Chinese medicinal herbs, exercises and acupressure. There is treatment available for your symptom of change in vision. In general, after an examination to determine if acupuncture treatment is appropriate for you, you would have a series of 10 to 15 treatments and then determine how you are able to respond.

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