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October 2010 [Volume 9, Issue 10]
To Your Health is brought to you by:
In this issue of To Your Health:
Diagnosis and Treatment Of Autism
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, autism affects one in 110 kids. Autism is officially called autistic spec-trum disorder (ASD) and is classified as a neurodevelopmental behavior disorder.
The origin of the disorder mainly resides in the brain. A small minority of experts, however, argue that ASD might be related to gastrointestinal diseases, some suggest that it may be an autoimmune disease, and some others suggest that it may be a viral disease.
According to meridian theory, there are six yang meridians that converge in the head. These meridians provide communication and coordination of brain activities with other parts of the body. These six meridians are: Bladder, Gall Bladder, Stomach, Small Intes-tine, Large Intestine and Triple Heater. Any disorder along the six meridians potentially could affect the development of the brain. Likewise, any disorder in the brain should affect of these meridians and cause dysfunction in parts of the body that these meridians pass through.
Herb of the Month – Pinellia (Ban Xia)
Pinellia is a small, stem-like plant native to southern China and Japan. The aboveground part of the plant resembles a horn, with a long, green protuberance that extends outward from the center of the horn. The medicinal part of the plant is its root, or tuber, which is smooth and has a whitish or yellowish outer surface. Pinellia tubers are dug up in the summer and autumn and peeled open before being allowed to dry.
While unprepared pinellia is used externally to treat skin sores, carbuncles and swelling, pinellia root is usually taken in combina-tion with other herbs for different conditions. It is used in combination with alum (usually in a 5:1 pinellia to alum ratio) for damp phlegm conditions; with ginger and alum to treat nausea and vomiting; or with glycyrrhiza to treat dampness and regulate the stom-ach.
Internally, the recommended dose of pinellia is 3-9 grams used in a decoction. For skin conditions, most practitioners recommend pinellia be administered externally by incorporating it into a juice or grinding the root into a powder and applying it topically.
Whole, dried pinellia root is available at Asian markets. Pinellia extracts, pills and powders can be found at some nutrition stores.
Because pinellia is warm and dry in nature, it should not be used by patients with a dry cough due to yin deficiency or blood dis-orders. As the herb is also slightly toxic, it should not be taken by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. As always, make sure to consult with a licensed health care professional before taking pinellia or any other dietary supplement or herbal product.
Question: I wanted to know if acupuncture or herbal medicine could help my 55-year-old wife with her 40 years of migraine headaches, and I wanted to know if Chinese medicine could help her to withdrawl from morphine pain medications, without getting extremely sick? Thank you.
Answer: It is possible. If this is something she wants to do, find an acupuncturist in your area that you feel comfortable and can work with. The acupuncturist can explain to you what is involved and what the treatment methods she will need (number and frequency of acupuncture treatments, herbs she will need to take). For some patients, they are able to gradually reduce their medication as their symptoms improve.
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