Fwd: [LearnChineseHerbs] Herbs & Things September 2000

[Guest guest]

>Colleen DeLaney <herbdocs

>LearnChineseHerbs-owner

>learnchineseherbs

>[LearnChineseHerbs] Herbs & Things September 2000

>Mon, 18 Sep 2000 19:32:27 -0700

>

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>HERBS & THINGS

>

>for Students of Learn Chinese Herbs

> & Other " Budding " Herbalists

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>September 2000

>IN THIS ISSUE:

>----> Echo Pattern in Children

>----> Children's Diet -- How to Reduce Mucus

>----> How to Get Herbs INTO Children !

>----> Book of the Month-- For Parents & Other Friends of

> Children

>

>*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

> Invite a friend to join us!

>

>To Subscribe: send a blank email to

>learnchineseherbs-

>To Un: send a blank email to:

>learnchineseherbs-

>For the Book of the Month, or to learn more about Chinese

>herbs, see our home page at http://www.herbdocs.com

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>Colleen's Note:

>

>It's Fall, and that first round of viruses is already making the

>rounds at the schools. I'm starting to see many of my

>favorite patients again so that I can get them ready for the

>cold and flu season.

>

>Children are my favorite people to treat! Why? Because

>they do not have years and years of patterns built up as

>adults do. By successfully treating a cold, an ear infection,

>or a digestive disturbance in a child, you can prevent a

>lifetime of problems.

>

>Treating children is a joy because they respond so quickly.

>More than once I've treated a child, crying in pain from an

>ear infection, only to have them leave the office smiling and

>pain-free. This is not due to my skill-- this is due to the

>enormous resilience and responsiveness that children have.

>They simply do not hold on to things as adults do.

>

>Avoidance of antibiotics wherever possible is key to treating

>children, as their over-use and misuse can lead to an " Echo

>Pattern " , where the original symptoms keep coming back,

>over and over and over again.

>

>Please join us at the discussion group if you'd like to know

>more about treating children with Chinese medicine.

>discusschineseherbs

>

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>ECHO PATTERN IN CHILDREN

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>Your child caught a cold that turned into a cough, or a runny

>nose with green mucus, or an ear infection. You go to the

>doctor and are given antibiotics. Almost immediately, your

>child seems better, but not *entirely* better.

>

>Maybe her nose still runs, or she's still cranky, or her

>digestion is off, or she just doesn't seem to have " bounced

>back " like she should. But there's nothing else to do-- the

>infection is gone, after all.

>

>A few weeks later, though, she's sick again, with the same

>thing. That pesky cough or ear infection come right back.

>Soon she's on a merry-go-round of antibiotics, needing them

>three or four or five times every winter. It's as if the original

>infection never really went away. You know this isn't right,

>but what can you do? And why do these symptoms keep

>coming back?

>

>This is a classic " Echo Pattern " in children, where the child

>is no longer considered " ill " by western medicine. Symptoms

>of echo pattern usually include excess phlegm, such as a

>lingering cough, runny nose, and enlarged tonsils or lymph

>glands.

>

>Believe me, I know how frustrating this is for parents!

>

>In Chinese medicine, excess mucus production is usually

>seen as originating from poor digestion or Spleen Qi

>deficiency. In TCM, the " Spleen " is responsible for

>assimilating food and transforming water. That this is of

>greater difficulty for children is reflected in the old Chinese

>saying, " Children's Spleen often insufficient. " Why should

>this be? Because before a child is born, he gets all the

>nutrition he needs directly from his mother, but after a child

>is born, his greatest challenge in life is to learn how to eat

>and digest food in order to grow.

>

>This may seem simple and obvious to you and me, but to a

>child, this is a gargantuan task! A newborn baby has to

>actually double his weight within six months. Can you

>imagine if you decided to become a Sumo wrestler and were

>told you had to double your weight within six months? Think

>of how much you would have to eat, and what a strain it

>would put on your digestive system! Children's digestive

>systems have to work at full capacity ALL the time, and a

>small disorder can quickly become a large one.

>

>Spleen-related problems are so common in children that the

>famous Chinese pediatrician, Dr. Shen, says, " Children can

>only catch cold or have bad digestion. " And this bad

>digestion translates into over-production of phlegm or

>mucus.

>

>In most secondary infections that follow a simple virus, the

>child's immune system hasn't stopped the original " evil " on

>the surface, when it's still a harmless cold. The evil

>penetrates deeper into the body, ending up in a situation of

>excess heat and phlegm, or heat and dampness.

>

>The antibiotics take out the " heat " -- i.e., the infection, but

>leave the underlying dampness behind. To further

>complicate the situation, antibiotics weaken the Spleen

>energy, as they are very cold in nature. The weakened

>Spleen then creates even MORE phlegm and mucus and

>dampness, and the door is left wide open for the child to

>experience the same illness again.....because it never really

>WAS cleared out the first time.

>

>The good news is, there are two things you can do.

>

>

>USE AN INTERMEDIATE STEP BEFORE ANTIBIOTICS

>---------

>

>First, avoid antibiotic use whenever possible. I am not

>against the use of antibiotics, but I do know how often they

>are over-prescribed, or prescribed for viral infections,

>against which they have no effectiveness.

>

>Have a natural health care practitioner such as an

>acupuncturist, a naturopath, or a homeopath assess your

>child's constitution and give you a first-line herbal or

>homeopathic remedy to use the minute you think the child is

>getting sick. This gives you one extra step to take before

>resorting to antibiotics.

>

>Use of a basic herb formula at the first sign of a cold, such

>as Yin Qiao San or Gan Mao Ling, can help keep a viral

>infection from penetrating deeper into the body, as well as

>help clean up the excess heat and phlegm that are being

>produced.

>

>In our practice we give parents a very strong powdered

>mixture developed by Jake Fratkin for ear infections. The

>powder is given every 2 hours until the symptoms subside. If

>fever or pain continue longer than 24-48 hours, the parent

>may have to resort to antibiotics.... this time.

>

>CLEAN UP AFTER USING ANTIBIOTICS

>----------------------

>

>Second, if you DO have to resort to antibiotics, use them

>properly. Do not use antibiotics that another parent has

>given you that " worked when my boy had that cough. " Use

>antibiotics for the full term they're prescribed -- don't stop in

>

>a few days when your child seems better. Once you start,

>you are committed to finishing what was prescribed!

>

>As soon as the course of antibiotics is completed, take your

>child to your natural health care practitioner for clean-up

>work.

>

>With Chinese herbs, we give tonifying formulas afterwards

>based on what symptoms we find lingering on. This may be

>as simple as giving Er Chen Wan along with a Spleen tonic

>to clean up remaining dampness, or Xiao Chai Hu San

>(Minor Bupleurum) to clean out the lymphatics, or a formula

>for tonifying the Lung yin if a dry cough is persisting.

>

>For children who are frequently sick, we keep them on a

>tonifying formula throughout the fall and winter, switching

>over to herbs for treating illness as it arrives. Remember to

>NOT use tonifying herbs during illness.

>

>The VERY FIRST TIME an echo pattern is broken-- that is,

>the first time a child with recurrent coughs or ear infections

>beats it on her own with herbs instead of antibiotics, the

>pattern is frequently broken. It's not that they'll never get

>sick again-- it's just that they're finally " out of the loop " !

>From then on their colds are far less likely to progress into

>an infection.

>

>I strongly urge parents to have these simple and safe

>remedies on hand to prevent small problems from turning

>into big ones, and to prevent infections from turning into

>echo patterns once they're resolved.

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>CHILDREN'S DIET AND HOW TO REDUCE

>MUCUS-PRODUCING FOODS

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>While you need the assistance of a practitioner to choose

>the right herbs, there are dietary changes you can make on

>your own that will help your child's Spleen regain its

>strength.

>

>Would you believe that I've been told over and over again

>by various teachers that ear infections are very rare in

>China? Here in the U.S. they are so common that the theory

>goes that they're caused when the eustachian tube, which

>runs from the ear down to the throat, is " too small " or runs

> " horizontally " instead of " vertically, " a condition that children

>eventually somehow " outgrow. "

>

>Doesn't seem to me that kids in China have different ear

>anatomy.....just different diets!

>

>Recent research at UCSF has pinpointed food allergies as

>the cause of an overwhelming number of ear infections, with

>the top offending foods being dairy, wheat, corn, and

>peanuts. A large number of children in this study avoided

>having tubes put in their ears and reduced their ear

>infections by simply removing these foods from the diet.

>

>Most parents know that milk and milk products can cause

>phlegm, but so can foods like peanut butter or orange juice!

>Now, a child who is healthy can cope with a wide range of

>foods that may tend to cause mucus. But a child who is

>weakened by illness or over-use of antibiotics will have

>weakened Spleen energy. So if you have a child who is

>tired, ill, or still producing too much mucus as part of an

>echo pattern, you might pay greater attention to foods that

>have a known effect on mucus production.

>

>According to Julian Scott, author of Natural Medicine for

>Children, (available at our website,

>http://www.herbdocs.com)

>

>Here are the effects of food on mucus, for better AND worse:

>

>INCREASE MUCUS GREATLY

>--------

>Cow's milk, cream, butter, cheese, etc

>Roasted peanuts, peanut butter

>Oranges, orange juice

>Excessive sugar

>Bananas

>

>INCREASE MUCUS SLIGHTLY

>--------

>Too much salt or sugar

>Too many fatty foods

>Fried foods

>Rich foods

>

>REDUCE MUCUS SLIGHTLY

>------

>Green tea, jasmine tea

>Parsley, celery

>Pickles

>Lemon

>

>REDUCE MUCUS GREATLY

>-----

>Horseradish, mustard

>Umeboshi plums

>Garlic, onions

>Watercress

>

>In addition, there are certain eating HABITS that encourage

>production of mucus. Overeating in general, eating a heavy

>meal late at night, and snacking excessively between meals

>all " congest " and weaken the digestive system. Good eating

>habits include eating smaller, more easily digestible meals,

>eating the main meal earlier in the day, and avoiding too

>much snacking between meals.

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>HERBASWAY

>

>Unleash your body's own healing powers at the NEW

>www.herbasway.com site! Now, for a Limited Time, we're

>celebrating our re-designed site with a BUY 3 GET 1 FREE

>SPECIAL on our ENTIRE CATALOGUE!! Click here to

>order: http://www.herbasway.com/ordering/order.htm!

>

>HerbaSway, makers of great tasting, all-natural, caffeine

>free herbal tea concentrates, believes quality of life is just as

>important as quantity. From children to seniors,

>HerbaSway's line of 26 US Gov't patented, certified organic

>herbal formulas will safely allow you or your children to tap

>into their own body's ability to heal and regain balance.

>

> Visit http://www.herbasway.com/ today for a healthier,

>happier tomorrow!

>

>HerbaSway...Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. The

>latest western research. Experience the synergy!

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>HOW TO GET HERBS *INTO* CHILDREN

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>I'll never forget attending a Chinese Pediatrics seminar with

>Jake Fratkin, Alex Tiberi, Julian Scott, and others, and how

>they handled questions from anxious parents in the

>audience (who were also acupuncturists!) about HOW to get

>their children to take herbs.

>

> " You're the parent! " they were told. " Just DO it! Don't be

>afraid of your own children when you know you're doing

>what's best for them!'

>

>Jake Fratkin even demonstrated what he called his

> " Patented Fratkin Head-Lock " to secure his OWN kids to get

>herbs into them.

>

>Well, it doesn't have to be a wrestling match, but do not

>hesitate to be firm. This shouldn't be an item up for

>negotiation. After all, you're plenty firm when it comes to

>giving antibiotics! Remind yourself what is at stake--

>preventing a lifetime of problems for your child's immune

>system!

>

>For children who are too small to swallow pills or capsules,

>herbal tinctures are the easiest. To remove the alcohol from

>the tincture, place the drops in hot water for a few minutes

>and the alcohol will evaporate out. I recommend the

>quickest method, which is squirting the tincture directly into

>the back of the throat. If you overly dilute the tincture with

>water or juice, you'll never get them down.

>

>A second option is to grind up herbal pills in a coffee

>grinder. The powder can then be shaken vigorously with a

>small amount of warm water, or mixed in with a small

>amount of applesauce. It's ok to offer a bite of fruit

>afterwards.

>

>For older children, fortunately, many Chinese herbal patent

>pills are very small and slippery, and a great many are

>sugar-coated for easy swallowing.

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>BOOK OF THE MONTH

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>I keep a copy of Julian Scott's Natural Medicine for Children

>at my office. This is a terrific guide for parents, including

>herbs, homeopathy, massage , and other alternative

>remedies. Written as a guide for children from birth to age

>twelve, this book will help you give good, drug-free health

>care to your kids.

>

>To order, cut and paste the link below (it's on 2 lines, so

>clicking on it won't work!)

>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380758768/futur

>ewavemarket

>

>OR go to http://www.herbdocs.com where you'll find this

>book at the bottom of the home page.

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CHINESE HERBS?

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>Learn Chinese Herbs is a self-paced home-study course.

>When you receive your two volumes of materials (plus

>bonus materials!) you have everything you need to come to

>an understanding of how Chinese herbalists are able to

>diagnose and treat people in such a unique way.

>

>The course is self-directed, meaning there are no deadlines

>and no pressure. Some people blast through it in a couple

>of months, while others, given their busy schedules, take it

>in much more slowly, over a much longer period.

>

>Quizzes and assignments are provided so you can test your

>growing knowledge, but there are no grades assigned, and I

>don't stand over your shoulder with a big stick demanding to

>know when you'll be finished! However, I am available by

>email to answer any and all of your questions as they arise.

>

>Basically, there are two ways to take the course:

>

>One, you can peruse it strictly for your own curiosity, taking

>what appeals to you and ignoring the rest (including the

>quizzes and assignments). There is nothing wrong with

>this kind of casual study. I sometimes think we let old,

>traditional ideas about schooling and grades keep us from

>exploring knowledge for its own sake.

>

>Too, you can study this course seriously as a prelude to

>more formal study in herbs or Traditional .

>If you would like to receive a Certificate of Completion, there

>are certain steps laid out in the course to achieve this goal,

>including writing up diagnosis, assessments, and treatment

>plans for three individuals and a final written exam.

>

>The Certificate of Completion holds no legal weight, as there

>is no legal licensure or certification of herbalists in the U.S.

>However, you can add this to your list of serious educational

>accomplishments to apply towards certification when it does

>come into effect, as it invariably will.

>

>Chinese herbology is based on understanding the body type

>and energetics of the person being treated, and matching

>that person's body type EXACTLY with herbs that are

>energetically balancing for that individual.

>

>In our course, Learn Chinese Herbs, we explain the

>Chinese system of asking key questions and examining a

>person's face, tongue, and pulse to understand that

>person's unique pattern of disharmony. Just as each person

>has an energetic pattern, each herb and herb formula has

>an energetic pattern designed to balance disharmony and

>restore healthy functioning.

>

>Check our web site at http://www.herbdocs.com if you would

>like more information about the course, or if you would like

>to enroll in Learn Chinese Herbs. Credit Card and divided

>payments are available.

>

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>Colleen DeLaney is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Medical

>Herbologist in private practice with her husband, John

>Struthers, L.Ac.

>

>Detailed instruction on Chinese herbal diagnosis and

>treatment is available through their course, Learn Chinese

>Herbs. For information on ordering the course, contact us at

>herbdocs

>or

>Check out our web site at

>http://www.herbdocs.com

>*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

 

_______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

 

Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at

http://profiles.msn.com.