LIFESTYLE: Searching for optimum health

Finding a balance between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medical science.

By: Chris Karmiol
   "There is no pain without a blockage and no blockage without pain."

   Women face a barrage of unique health issues ranging from premenstrual syndrome and menopause to infertility and breast cancer. According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Women’s Health Information Center women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression and three times more likely to suffer from migraine headaches than men.
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   In searching for treatments that address more than just symptoms, women and men are looking to the past in addition to the future, for a solution to their ills. Advancements in the technology-driven medical field, including an increasing number of specialized pharmaceuticals, are no longer considered the best, or only solution.
   Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which considers and treats the body’s energy imbalances, dates back more than 3,000 years. Although going back in time may not seem relevant for today’s medical needs, TCM is becoming an increasingly viable treatment option, especially when used in combination with western medical methods.
   While some pharmaceuticals cause side effects that read like a who’s who of undesirables, TCM uses the body’s own innate healing ability to overcome an endless list of conditions while increasing overall well-being. Patients often swear by it.
   "I never experienced anything like it," said Ursula Ornstein, a TCM patient from Princeton. "It’s another world. I still see a western medical doctor, but I would disregard western doctors at this point. This (TCM) is more personal. It actually deals head-on with the problem instead of giving medication. Illness is not disguised, it’s dealt with," Ms. Ornstein said.
   The major contrast between TCM and western medicine is that TCM — acupuncture, acupressure, herbal treatments, Qigong, Tai Chi, and Tui Na — treats the source rather than the symptoms.
   "We don’t focus on disease," said TCM practitioner, Dr. Nan Lu. "Western medicine is associated with disease itself. It doesn’t care about who you are, where you are, how you are," he said. Dr. Lu has a doctorate in Oriental medicine, a master’s of science degree, and is a licensed acupuncturist.
   Traditional Chinese medicine is built on the theory of yin and yang — the interplay of opposing energies. It seeks to strengthen ones Qi, or vital life force energy, and looks at the strength or weakness of the body’s organs as keys to health and illness.
   The goal of the TCM practitioner is to improve a patient’s organ function, restoring harmony and balance in the patient. Dr. Lu, who has written several books on balancing women’s health with TCM, explains the organs’ role in the sugar cravings some women experience before menstruation.
   "Each organ has a specific taste," Dr. Lu said. "Stomach deficiency is craving sweet, craving chocolate. Craving salt — your body is telling you your kidney is creating a deficiency."
   Dr. Lu’s books include, "Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Woman’s Guide to Healing From Breast Cancer" and "Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Woman’s Guide to a Trouble Free Menopause."
   At a recent discussion on women’s health, Dr. Lu outlined the emotions and how they correspond to each organ. The organs have specific emotions: anger causes liver dysfunction; constant worry causes stomach problems; and sadness and crying causes lung problems.
   A TCM practitioner diagnoses patients by asking questions about their symptoms, taking their pulse, and looking at the tongue checking for color, coating, size, and shape. The doctor will then decide whether acupuncture, herbal remedies or Tui Na are in order. Usually it is a combination that works best.
   "Chinese medicine is based on the relationship between body, spirit, mind, family, society, and nature," Dr. Lu said. "All relationships are based on energy. If energy has a problem the whole body will show imbalance."
   Dr. Lu said a woman’s relationships are an important factor to her health. A woman’s personal relationships with family, friends, co-workers, environment, her family health history, and her emotional life, all contribute to the balance, or imbalance, of her health.
   Barbara, a former Plainsboro resident now living in East Brunswick, is a patient of Dr. Lu. After two unexpected deaths in her family — her mother and her husband — and the pressure of trying to keep her business running and supporting her daughter, Barbara developed a laundry list of illnesses and an equally staggering number of unsuccessful treatments.
   She suffered from premature aging, weight loss, irregular heartbeat, sleep disorder, and painful ringing in her ears. Mainstream medical doctors diagnosed her with early menopause, chronic fatigue, and celiac disease, while alternative doctors claimed she had candida. She was treated with a host of medications, supplements, and new diets, which ultimately proved to be ineffective.
   Barbara explored TCM as a last resort.
   "I was at a very desperate point and I remember sitting in the waiting room and started to cry," she said. "I thought, here I am sitting in a Chinese doctor’s office — now what?"
   Dr. Lu told Barbara she had a yin deficiency and poor liver function. He treated her with Chinese herbs and a combination of acupressure and acupuncture.
   "That was basically it," Barbara said. "I was scared. I was feeling better when I took them (the herbs). The acupuncture is wonderful. You just feel very calm inside. You feel different things at certain times," she said. "If there is that stagnation you sense it more sometimes. You just don’t feel that inner tension in your body anymore — you feel energetic and relaxed."
   As recommended by Dr. Lu, Barbara now practices Qigong and said that she feels immensely better than she did. Though she does not discount western medicine completely, she said that she has a strong faith in the efficacy of Chinese understanding of medicine.
   "I feel they’re very knowledgeable in building the immune system, which we’re not," Barbara said. "They drink and eat certain things and use food as medicine."
   Barbara’s 13-year-old daughter, who suffered from chronic strep throat and sinus infections and was prescribed antibiotics, also visits Dr. Lu for treatments. Now when Barbara’s daughter gets sick she receives acupressure and herbal treatments, and in a few days she is fine.
   "No more antibiotics and decongestants and all that," Barbara said. "Knock on wood, she’s never sick. She’s a competitive dancer and she says that she has better energy to do what she wants to do."
   Dr. Jianzhong Chen, a fifth generation Chinese doctor based in Plainsboro, said the body’s internal systems are affected by external forces which can cause illness to take root. Every point on the body’s meridians — the body’s internal pathways as understood in TCM — corresponds with a different part of the body. By using this knowledge, cultivated over thousands of years, the TCM practitioner can manipulate the particular point where he believes energy may be blocked.
   Dr. Chen treats symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, depression, migraines, weight problems, menopause, and sleep disorders often; but even minor external injuries, such as tennis elbow or carpel tunnel syndrome, are effectively treated with acupuncture, he said.
   Both Dr. Lu and Dr. Chen, and their patients, stress the importance of energy balance and organ functions as the keys to overcoming major and minor disorders, but none discounted western medicine altogether.
   Strides in western technologies and medications help millions of people and will continue to dominate health care. But with the human body’s ability to heal itself, TCM offers women and men a unique opportunity to be active participants in the pursuit of their health.
Resources
Dr. Nan Lu, www.breastcancer.com
Jianzhong Chen, Acupuncture and Tui Na Center, Plainsboro, (609) 750-1822
www.aworldofchinesemedicine.com
www.TCMBascis.com
Chinese Acupuncture Center at Princeton, (609) 683-9599
Hamilton West Windsor Acupuncture, (609) 588-8655
Andy Lee’s Tai Chi Chuan Center of NJ, East Brunswick, (732) 238-1414
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