Chinese medicine has existed for thousands of years. Over time, this field has developed cures and treatments for most ailments that affect humankind; rheumatoid arthritis is no exception. Chinese medicine approaches rheumatoid arthritis as it does other diseases through holistic treatment, focus on total body wellness, and a variety of applications depending on stage and symptoms of the disease.
Facts
Chinese medicine takes three approaches to treating rheumatoid arthritis. These treatments are: herbal remedies, diet, and acupuncture. A traditional practitioner of Chinese medicine will create a customized plan for each patient based on a picture of their total body wellness. Chinese medicine holds that treating the entire body, and not just the problem itself, is necessary to be the most effective and avoid the issue of treating one problem only to have another surface and create additional issues.
Types
According to Xiaomei Cai, a Ph.D. and O.M.D. in traditional Chinese medicine, the larger category of rheumatoid arthritis (called Bi Zheng) is divided into four types: Wind-Cold Bi, Cold-Bi, Dampness-Bi, and Heat-Bi. In order to determine which type a patient is suffering from, a practitioner will examine a patient's pulse and tongue and ask questions about the patient's general physical condition. Dr. Cai suggests the following dietary supplements for each type of rheumatoid arthritis: "For Wind-Bi, adding green onions and ginger to your diet will help expel the Wind. For Cold-Bi, choose black pepper and dry ginger. Soy bean sprouts and pearl barley are beneficial for Dampness-Bi. For Heat -Bi, you should consume mung bean sprouts and winter melon."
Features
Aside from dietary treatments, individuals may undergo acupuncture, which will use needles to target specific points depending on where patients are afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis. Herbal tinctures and supplements will also be administered. According to Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., the most common herbs used are: tang-kuei, siler, licorice, cinnamon, cnidium, peony, achyranthes, chin-chiu, tu-huo, hoelen, rehmannia, eucommia, ginseng, astragalus, asarum; plus dipsacus.
Benefits
The benefits of using traditional Chinese medicine over Western drugs is that there are fewer risks associated with traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, its practices that have been tested over thousands of years. Conversely, new pharmaceutical drugs have unknown side-effects that can have negative consequences for patients later in life. Further, Chinese medicine will treat all ailments at once rather than acutely treating your rheumatoid arthritis and leaving other ailments untreated to cause additional ills.
Considerations
Remember that traditional Chinese medicine is an alternative form of medicine and it should be practiced by a licensed practitioner. It can be advantageous to consult your doctor before making any significant changes in your healthcare regime. However, many people have found relief to their ailments from Chinese traditional medicine and other alternative medicine forms. Because of the low incidence of side-effects from Chinese medicine, it is worth trying if your current treatment is not effective.
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