The Qi Life Force & Herbal Medicine

By Dr. Richard Chin – Co-founder of Prostaderm
 
One of the main differences in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is that we are looking at the energy system of the body – we call it qi life force (pronounced chee) – the qi flows through the body via a system of meridians.  The meridians are the energy circuits that traverse the body.
 
In TCM we use needles, pressure, cupping, and herbs to regulate this flow of qi in the meridians.  We study what herbs effect what meridians, so by using certain combinations we can activate the qi in that meridian.  To make it simple, it is the same idea as a pharmacist making medicine – it is how you make up the formula that has the effect.  The ingredients are listed, but not the amounts.
 
Herbal medicine, like acupuncture, works on the meridians. For example an aromatic herb is used to open the sensory orifices and awaken the spirit – this is called she xiang – the herb awakens the heart, spleen and liver meridians. It opens the orifices and unblocks the closed disorders.  Because of its intensely aromatic, penetrating nature, this herb is used for treating a wide variety of problems.

This aromatic herb invigorates the blood, dissipates clumps, reduces swelling, and alleviates pain.  Also used to clear meridian obstructions due to traumatic injury or painful obstruction.   In pill or tea form it can be very strong. 

Dr. Richard Chin has a long history in Oriental Medicine, Herbology, Qi Gong and Martial Arts. He was among the first group of physicians certified by the National commission for Certification of Oriental Medicine, and has written several books, including The Energy Within: the Science Behind Eastern Healing Techniques, and is co-founder of Prostaderm, Inc. a developer of herbal skin patches for common ailments.

Dr. Richard Chin can be reached at http://www.Prostaderm.com

The Secrets of Qi Gong

By Dr. Richard Chin

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to tell how old an Asian man or woman is? Have you ever wondered about their secret to longevity?

Here is a brief explanation of the secret healing arts of Asia;

One of the most coveted secrets of Chinese medicine is the development of qi or life force.  This secret came form the monks of India to the Shoalin Monasteries in China.

Think of all the alternative healing techniques that you’ve experienced or heard about – Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Massage, Acupuncture, Herbology, etc… The secret behind the healing arts is actually quite simple. The secret deals with the concept of energy which is called “QI” in Chinese and “KI” in Japanese. There are actually many names i.e. “Prada” is the Indian word for energy. Students of yoga will often use the term “Prada” and “Chakra” in their exercises. All these words basically refer to the same thing – the energy lines that all humans have in their bodies. The human body is filled with grids which practitioners call meridians. The energy runs through these grids/meridians.

Energy or “Qi” is the secret behind Chinese medicine. Most of us are familiar with the physical human body – muscles, bones, etc… We’re also familiar with the mental body – mind, imagination, etc… What most people don’t associate with the body is a third component – energy. The Chinese therefore categorize the human body into the mind, body and energy. The energy is actually the underlying element that makes our bodies function. In other words, it is “bio energy” or “electrical energy”. This is where the term Ying and Yang comes from. Ying and Yang is the Chinese way of saying Plus and Minus (keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean good or bad energy). Because electricity runs on a plus and minus grid it would only make sense that our body runs on the same grid which we have already established is an energy component. Therefore, the energy flows from a plus polarity to a negative polarity and the key to maintaining a healthy body depends on how we harness and keep the energy flowing through our bodies.

Once the energy stops flowing illness and pain prevails. Pain is a great example of how the body reacts to a discontinuance of energy flow. For instance, when a person has arthritis, there is a blockage in one of their meridians. Think of it this way: the energy is like water and will flow until it hits a block (practitioners call this an energy cyst). The body reacts with pain because of this blockage.

Have you ever felt pain on your elbow or neck and automatically massaged the afflicted area? A massage helps because it breaks down the energy cysts or the Qi blocks. So if you ever go to an acupuncturist or an herbalist, they basically look for a number of things: where the energy is not flowing in the body, energy deficiencies and blockages caused by trauma.

By using ancient Chinese techniques like massage, Qi Gong exercises, acupuncture and herbs, practitioners can help the body regain its flow of energy, reduce inflammation and pain and enhance longevity and health.

Dr. Richard Chin has a long history in Oriental Medicine, Herbology, Qi Gong and Martial Arts. He was among the first group of physicians certified by the National commission for Certification of Oriental Medicine, and has written several books, including The Energy Within: the Science Behind Eastern Healing Techniques, and is co-founder of Prostaderm, Inc. a developer of herbal skin patches for common ailments.

Dr. Richard Chin can be reached at http://www.Prostaderm.com

Wearing a Patch Versus Ingesting a Pill

Dr. James Chin, CEO Prostaderm

The use of a skin patch was first introduced in 1980 with the development of a motion-sickness patch. However, this concept was not widely accepted until the nicotine patch was introduced (1996).  The transdermal patch works by allowing medicine easy access to the bloodstream through thousands of capillaries close to the surface of the skin. This increases drug effectiveness and offers a host of other advantages over traditionally administered oral medications.For example, patches are useful for patients who have difficulty swallowing. Patches don’t have the problem of inconsistent absorption via the gastrointestinal lining, and they can help people avoid many side effects that some pills can cause. Patch medication also avoids the delay and side effects of having to pass through the stomach and the liver before reaching the target tissues. And less medicine may be needed to get a similar effect because of the patch’s proximity to the bloodstream. Plus, busy patients don’t have to worry about forgetting to take their medicine. They just slap on the patch and go.

Is a Patch Right for You? 
 
PROS: Avoids common side effects of pills. The patch gets into the bloodstream more quickly than oral medications, achieving faster effectiveness than with pill versions. Because the medication bypasses the gastrointestinal tract and liver, it goes directly into the bloodstream and cause fewer gastrointestinal problems than the pill version. 

CONS:
Can’t be exposed to the sunlight, must be worn under clothing;
may cause skin irritation,
Because of the reduced frequency of administration, compliance should be enhanced with transdermal delivery. Most patches need to be changed once or twice per week. Delivery of drug via a transdermal route also avoids the hostile environment of the gastrointestinal tract, where drugs can be inactivated and absorption can vary depending on pH, food ingestion/interaction, and other local factors. In addition, some oral medications may cause nausea because of local effects, and some cannot be taken if the patient is already nauseated.Oral medications are subjected to first-pass metabolism in the liver. This can lead to breakdown of the parent compound into a less active or more toxic metabolite(s), drug-drug interactions (because there is competition for enzymatic pathways), or hepatic toxicity.

• The convenience and reduced side-effect profile associated with transdermal delivery of medicines have made this method of drug delivery more popular than oral therapy among many patients.
• Adverse events associated with transdermal therapy are primarily related to local skin reactions, which can be nonimmunologic or allergic and are most often mild to moderate in severity.

In Summary, if the condition can be treated and the same results can be obtained by either using the patch or ingesting a pill, it would seem logical to use a patch over the pill.  For obvious reasons, adverse events would be minimized, efficacy would be achieved and the need for continued maintenance (e.g. remembering to take a pill every day) would be a thing of the past.

http://www.Prostaderm.com  

Erectile Dysfunction and the Prostate!

Dr. James Chin, CEO of Prostaderm

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection for sexual intercourse. Men with erectile dysfunction have normal sensations and sex drive and are able to achieve orgasm.

The penis is made up of muscle, blood vessels and nerves. When a man becomes aroused, nerves send messages to relax the smooth muscle tissue in the penis, allowing the arteries to pump more blood into the chambers inside the muscle. As the penis lengthens, the veins stretch and shut themselves off, thus trapping blood inside the penis.

After ejaculation, the nerves stop sending messages, the smooth muscle contracts, blood flow to the penis is reduced, the veins loosen their hold so blood can leave the penis and the erection fades away.

The erection nerves carry the signals that enable an erection to occur. When the prostate becomes enlarged or swells, the erection nerves become stretched and the signals through those erection nerves get weaker. Note that the signals are present and are being sent out from the brain. However, the signals have to pass through the stretched erection nerves. The result is a weak erection or no erection.

When the prostate is swollen there is a constant strain on those erection nerves. At age 50 half of all men will have a prostate problem – the two most common problems are BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and erectile dysfunction.  It stands to reason that when the prostate swelling is eliminated the strain on those erection nerves is relieved and the nerves are restored to normal function.

http://www.Prostaderm.com

WFLN Interview

Listen to an interview with Dr. Chin on Radio Station WFLN: click to listen to audio

Prostate Problems – Enlarged Prostate

by Dr. James Chin, CEO, Prostaderm
http://www.prostaderm.com

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) also known as Nodular hyperplasia, Benign prostatic hypertrophy or Benign enlargement of the prostate (BEP) refers to the increase in size of the prostate gland in middle-aged and elderly men. To be accurate, the process is one of hyperplasia which means proliferation of cells rather than hypertrophy (the increase of the size of an organ), but the nomenclature is often interchangeable. It is characterized by hyperplasia of prostatic stromal (supportive framework of an organ or gland ) and epithelial cells, resulting in the formation of large nodules in the region surrounding the urethral (a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body) of the prostate. When the nodules becomes large, it compresses the urethral canal to cause partial, or sometimes complete obstruction of the urethra which interferes the normal flow of urine. This will lead to symptoms of urinary hesitancy, intermittency, incomplete voiding, weak urinary stream, straining, nocturia (frequent urination occuring at night time), frequent urination in the daytime, increased risk of urinary tract infections and urinary retention. It should be noted that prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels may be elevated in these patients, however, BPH is not considered to be a premalignant lesion.

Medications used to treat BPH consist of:
Alpha blockers such as doxazosin (Cardura), terazosin (Hytrin), alfuzosin (Uroxatral) and tamulosin (Flowmax). Alph blockers relaxes the smooth muscles in the prostate and bladder neck thereby decreasing the degree of blockage of urine flow. Some of the side effects include: dizziness, unusual weakness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, runny nose, fainting, vision changes. Serious side effects include: sexual problems (difficulty ejaculating, decreased interest in sex), retrograde ejaculation (ejaculation back into the bladder), fast heartbeat. painful, prolonged erection lasting 4 hours or more (stop using this drug and seek immediate medical attention or permanent problems could occur). Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

The 5a reductase inhibitors such as finasteride (Propecia) and dutasteride (Avodart or Duprost) are other medications used to treat BPH. Side effects include: inability to have or maintain an erection, decrease in sex drive, difficulty ejaculating, breast tenderness or enlargement.

Herbal remedies include: Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) fruit extracts in alleviating mild-to-moderate BPH symptoms. However, a recent double-blind study did not demonstrate any efficacy greater than that of a placebo for moderate-to-severe symptoms. Other herbal remedies include: beta-sitosterol from Hypoxis rooperi (African star grass), pygeum (extracted from the bark of Prunus africana), Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) seed, Urtica dioica (stinging nettle) root and rye flower pollen.

Surgical options if medical treatment fails include: transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). This involves removing (part of) the prostate through the urethra. Transurethral electrovaporization of the prostate (TVP), laser TURP, visual laser ablation (VLAP), TransUrethral Microwave ThermoTherapy (TUMT), TransUrethral Needle Ablation (TUNA), and ethanol injection. Newer techniques involving lasers in urology have emerged in the last 5-10 years.

http://www.prostaderm.com