Consumers Report endorses acupuncture

[Guest guest]

My daughter wrote telling that Consumers Report has an article in

the May issue supporting the use of acupuncture for pain relief.

This is good since so many people trust CR for its objectivity. She

said the article mentions the release of endorphins. I have always

wondered what the explanation is that the researchers have about how

and why acupuncture raises endorphins. To simply state that placing

needles in certain points on the surface of the body releases

endorphins is to actually say nothing. Western researchers often

state things in puzzeling ways. The implication is that in some way

acupuncture is some sort of psychosomatic medicine that improves

brain chemistry. I wonder when they will get around to really

studying acupuncture - and other traditional medical concepts. Of

course they would have to have a model for studying such concepts -

which they do not - so maybe it will be sometime - especially since

they do not see any real profits in traditional theories. They are

already exploiting traditional herbal medicines - in inappropriate

ways. They mainly isolate what they consider the 'active' ingrediant

and make synthetic versions of that and patent it - as though this

is in any way the true mechinisms of herbal medicines.

 

I was recently discussing this issue with an allopathic professor

here and he told me that he thinks all herbs work through their

antioxident content. I was shocked at this since the alopaths

themselves know of many ways in which herbs work beyond

antioxidents. I think his point was that herbal medicine is really

the giving of food substances and is not the true practice of

medicine at all - it is a type of ancient dietary therapy. I

encounter such simple minded thinking frequently. Most proffesors of

pharmacology have no knowledge at all of the vast body of rigourous

research being done on herbal medicine throughout the world - also

most are not interested to know. Their understanding of these

subjects are driven by prejudice - the worst type of prejudice

because they could not even explain to you in a logical way why they

are prejudiced - it boils down to - 'my way is the right way and

everything else is wrong'. And such people call themselves

scientists - amazing.

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Vinod Kumar " <vinod3x3 wrote:

>

> My daughter wrote telling that Consumers Report has an article in

> the May issue supporting the use of acupuncture for pain relief.

> This is good since so many people trust CR for its objectivity. She

> said the article mentions the release of endorphins. I have always

> wondered what the explanation is that the researchers have about how

> and why acupuncture raises endorphins. To simply state that placing

> needles in certain points on the surface of the body releases

> endorphins is to actually say nothing. Western researchers often

> state things in puzzeling ways. The implication is that in some way

> acupuncture is some sort of psychosomatic medicine that improves

> brain chemistry. I wonder when they will get around to really

> studying acupuncture - and other traditional medical concepts. Of

> course they would have to have a model for studying such concepts -

> which they do not - so maybe it will be sometime - especially since

> they do not see any real profits in traditional theories. They are

> already exploiting traditional herbal medicines - in inappropriate

> ways. They mainly isolate what they consider the 'active' ingrediant

> and make synthetic versions of that and patent it - as though this

> is in any way the true mechinisms of herbal medicines.

>

> I was recently discussing this issue with an allopathic professor

> here and he told me that he thinks all herbs work through their

> antioxident content. I was shocked at this since the alopaths

> themselves know of many ways in which herbs work beyond

> antioxidents. I think his point was that herbal medicine is really

> the giving of food substances and is not the true practice of

> medicine at all - it is a type of ancient dietary therapy. I

> encounter such simple minded thinking frequently. Most proffesors of

> pharmacology have no knowledge at all of the vast body of rigourous

> research being done on herbal medicine throughout the world - also

> most are not interested to know. Their understanding of these

> subjects are driven by prejudice - the worst type of prejudice

> because they could not even explain to you in a logical way why they

> are prejudiced - it boils down to - 'my way is the right way and

> everything else is wrong'. And such people call themselves

> scientists - amazing.

 

I think the Western scientists *don't* really understand how

acupucture works so they fall back on the `endorphin' theory. Or the

placebo effect - never mind that animals can't believe that an

acupuncture treatment will make them better.

 

sue

[Guest guest]

My big issue with the endorphin idea is that they wear off shortly after the

treatment. So if endorphins are how we work you would need daily acupuncture to

maintain any level of pain relief....it kind of skips how we make pain go away

for good.

CNN did a special on alt med yesterday that I found insulting to acupuncture.

The MD said it actually helps with nausea and one type of pain. The one part

most articles/reports seem to miss is that it has its own diagnostic system, is

more than just acupuncture (diet, massage, herbs, exercise, & acupuncture) and

is the second largest medical system in the world.

Oye!

Bob

www.acuherbals.com

 

qiuser <qiuser wrote:

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Vinod Kumar " <vinod3x3 wrote:

>

> My daughter wrote telling that Consumers Report has an article in

> the May issue supporting the use of acupuncture for pain relief.

> This is good since so many people trust CR for its objectivity. She

> said the article mentions the release of endorphins. I have always

> wondered what the explanation is that the researchers have about how

> and why acupuncture raises endorphins. To simply state that placing

> needles in certain points on the surface of the body releases

> endorphins is to actually say nothing. Western researchers often

> state things in puzzeling ways. The implication is that in some way

> acupuncture is some sort of psychosomatic medicine that improves

> brain chemistry. I wonder when they will get around to really

> studying acupuncture - and other traditional medical concepts. Of

> course they would have to have a model for studying such concepts -

> which they do not - so maybe it will be sometime - especially since

> they do not see any real profits in traditional theories. They are

> already exploiting traditional herbal medicines - in inappropriate

> ways. They mainly isolate what they consider the 'active' ingrediant

> and make synthetic versions of that and patent it - as though this

> is in any way the true mechinisms of herbal medicines.

>

> I was recently discussing this issue with an allopathic professor

> here and he told me that he thinks all herbs work through their

> antioxident content. I was shocked at this since the alopaths

> themselves know of many ways in which herbs work beyond

> antioxidents. I think his point was that herbal medicine is really

> the giving of food substances and is not the true practice of

> medicine at all - it is a type of ancient dietary therapy. I

> encounter such simple minded thinking frequently. Most proffesors of

> pharmacology have no knowledge at all of the vast body of rigourous

> research being done on herbal medicine throughout the world - also

> most are not interested to know. Their understanding of these

> subjects are driven by prejudice - the worst type of prejudice

> because they could not even explain to you in a logical way why they

> are prejudiced - it boils down to - 'my way is the right way and

> everything else is wrong'. And such people call themselves

> scientists - amazing.

 

I think the Western scientists *don't* really understand how

acupucture works so they fall back on the `endorphin' theory. Or the

placebo effect - never mind that animals can't believe that an

acupuncture treatment will make them better.

 

sue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hello Vinod,

Yes, many 'scientists' and doctors rest content with what they

learned in school and, now that they have their diplomas, think

they 'have the answer for everything', and stop really learning,

and just enter into an 'information gathering mode', where they

amass 'more of the same' tipe of info they got up to their

graduation.

Mind laziness!

Not conductive to good science.

Marcos

 

 

--- Vinod Kumar <vinod3x3 escreveu:

 

> > I was recently discussing this issue with an allopathic

> professor

> here and he told me that he thinks all herbs work through their

>

> antioxident content. I was shocked at this since the alopaths

> themselves know of many ways in which herbs work beyond

> antioxidents. I think his point was that herbal medicine is

> really

> the giving of food substances and is not the true practice of

> medicine at all - it is a type of ancient dietary therapy. I

> encounter such simple minded thinking frequently. Most

> proffesors of

> pharmacology have no knowledge at all of the vast body of

> rigourous

> research being done on herbal medicine throughout the world -

> also

> most are not interested to know. Their understanding of these

> subjects are driven by prejudice - the worst type of prejudice

> because they could not even explain to you in a logical way why

> they

> are prejudiced - it boils down to - 'my way is the right way

> and

> everything else is wrong'. And such people call themselves

> scientists - amazing.

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

_____

Abra sua conta no Mail: 1GB de espaço, alertas de e-mail no celular e

anti-spam realmente eficaz.

http://br.info.mail./

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Bob Linde,AP, Herbalist "

<boblindeherbalist wrote:

>

> My big issue with the endorphin idea is that they wear off shortly

after the treatment. So if endorphins are how we work you would need

daily acupuncture to maintain any level of pain relief....it kind of

skips how we make pain go away for good.

 

 

Yesterday i made comments about the total lack of a model in western

science for what TCM is - this keeps western researchers from making

any intelligent observations at all on the subject. Any comments

made by these people is irrelivant since they know nothing at all

about the subject. Nothing!!!

 

When studies show that endorphins are elevated after acupuncture

treatments - this has no meaning in itself. They should ask the

questions - why does this occur - what are the mechanisms of this -

and what are the implications of this? Also why haven't they ever

asked an authority in TCM about what would be the explanation for

this phenomenon in TCM terms.

 

Just looking at the surface issues of acupuncture theory will easily

explain why endorphins might be increased after treatments. The

purpose of acupuncture is to facilatate the flow of blocked energy

in the body. It stands to reason that if this is achieved the brain

will naturally produce more endorphins. If one is depleting their

seratonin/endorphin stores through various forms of stress then it

stands to reason that if we remove the stressors these brain

chemicals will reestablish themselves at a more normal level - this

is what creates the feeling of well being whenever any stressor is

removed. This is the purpose of these brain chemicals. Because of

the role that endorphins play in pain relief and also because of

their similarity to opioids and the fact that it binds to the opiate

sites has made some think that they are a form of endogenous opium.

This is nonsense - endorphins are a part of the brains chemical

balancing act between 'I do not feel well' and it's opposite 'I feel

well or better than before' - these chemicals are a part of the

structure of consciouness - they are one of the ways that we 'know'

ourselves. If I feel poorly I am producing less endorphins if I

achieve a relative state of greater homeostasis then I will produce

more endorphins and this will allow me to experience this improved

homeostasis consciously. We will not produce these chemicals if we

have no reason to do so. Endorphins are not like opium which binds

to the sites and give us a false sense of well being. Endorphins

only give us a valid sense of well being - there has to be a trigger

to produce these chemicals. Relief of stressors will by definition

give us more Seratonin and Endorphin production. It is true that

these states are relative - example we may feel pain and when this

pain is releaved for some reason or another (like opening blocked

energy which is causing the pain) then we naturally produce

more 'feel good' chemistry - this chemistry helps the body to

achieve further homeostasis by binding to the opiate sites. These

are all relative states and may or may not have an absolute meaning.

This is why when we are ill we might have good days or good periods

during the day even though we might still have serious disease

processes - relatively any improvement at all might be experienced

as 'feeling better'. This is simply improved brain chemistry because

some measure of stress has improved.

 

There is a constant balancing act in the brain between the

excitatory and inhibatory chemicals in the brain. The excititory

chemicals are Dopamine and Acetylcholine and the inhibatory

chemicals are Seratonin and Endorphins - these chemicals are

mediated by the balancing chemical(also an inhibatory chemical) GABA

(Gamma-aminobutyric acid). Yin is balanced by Yang. This chemical

dance is constantly going on. Endorphin release is not a cause it is

an effect - it is a part of the Yin functions.

 

Many so called scientists do not have an overview - therefore they

are frequently confusing the forest for the trees. This is the

reason why science is 'supposed' to be a neutral endevour - if we

are not objective when meeting a set of facts that do not fit our

model we might get trapped into narrow or prejudicial perceptions -

science is - as was stated - supposed to solve this problem by

keeping a neutral posture. The problem arises because few

scientisits really have this objectivity. Therefore many scientists

throw away all facts that do not meet their model. This is not only

not scientific it is the opposite - it is ignorance - a scientist

who does not include all facts (as opposed to some of the facts) is

very likely to come to wrong conclusions. Most western scientists

who look at traditional systems of knowledge are coming to wrong

conclusions simply because they know nothing of the subject. How can

we make observations on subjects that we do not understand at all

that are intelligent and or relevant.

[Guest guest]

The other thing about the endorphin theory is that if there is pain in

the knee and back, then needling the knee would resolve pain in both

the knee and back. But that doesn't happen.

 

There was a TV sitcom that featured an acupuncturist whose name was

" Summer Waters " and was portrayed as rather ditsy. As if to say that

any fool could do it.

 

Also, today I ran into a site today where an individual asked about

acupuncture and alopecia. The responses were vehemently reactionary.

And apparently acupuncture has been targeted on quackwatch. This is

all surprising considering I live in conservative climate and the most

negative response to acupuncture I have heard thus far is, " ooh, I'm

afraid of needles! " or " it's quite expensive. "

 

Zenisis

 

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Bob Linde,AP, Herbalist "

<boblindeherbalist wrote:

>

> My big issue with the endorphin idea is that they wear off shortly

after the treatment. So if endorphins are how we work you would need

daily acupuncture to maintain any level of pain relief....it kind of

skips how we make pain go away for good.

> CNN did a special on alt med yesterday that I found insulting to

acupuncture. The MD said it actually helps with nausea and one type of

pain. The one part most articles/reports seem to miss is that it has

its own diagnostic system, is more than just acupuncture (diet,

massage, herbs, exercise, & acupuncture) and is the second largest

medical system in the world.

> Oye!

> Bob

> www.acuherbals.com

>

> qiuser <qiuser wrote:

> Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Vinod Kumar " <vinod3x3@>

wrote:

> >

> > My daughter wrote telling that Consumers Report has an article in

> > the May issue supporting the use of acupuncture for pain relief.

> > This is good since so many people trust CR for its objectivity. She

> > said the article mentions the release of endorphins. I have always

> > wondered what the explanation is that the researchers have about how

> > and why acupuncture raises endorphins. To simply state that placing

> > needles in certain points on the surface of the body releases

> > endorphins is to actually say nothing. Western researchers often

> > state things in puzzeling ways. The implication is that in some way

> > acupuncture is some sort of psychosomatic medicine that improves

> > brain chemistry. I wonder when they will get around to really

> > studying acupuncture - and other traditional medical concepts. Of

> > course they would have to have a model for studying such concepts -

> > which they do not - so maybe it will be sometime - especially since

> > they do not see any real profits in traditional theories. They are

> > already exploiting traditional herbal medicines - in inappropriate

> > ways. They mainly isolate what they consider the 'active' ingrediant

> > and make synthetic versions of that and patent it - as though this

> > is in any way the true mechinisms of herbal medicines.

> >

> > I was recently discussing this issue with an allopathic professor

> > here and he told me that he thinks all herbs work through their

> > antioxident content. I was shocked at this since the alopaths

> > themselves know of many ways in which herbs work beyond

> > antioxidents. I think his point was that herbal medicine is really

> > the giving of food substances and is not the true practice of

> > medicine at all - it is a type of ancient dietary therapy. I

> > encounter such simple minded thinking frequently. Most proffesors of

> > pharmacology have no knowledge at all of the vast body of rigourous

> > research being done on herbal medicine throughout the world - also

> > most are not interested to know. Their understanding of these

> > subjects are driven by prejudice - the worst type of prejudice

> > because they could not even explain to you in a logical way why they

> > are prejudiced - it boils down to - 'my way is the right way and

> > everything else is wrong'. And such people call themselves

> > scientists - amazing.

>

> I think the Western scientists *don't* really understand how

> acupucture works so they fall back on the `endorphin' theory. Or the

> placebo effect - never mind that animals can't believe that an

> acupuncture treatment will make them better.

>

> sue

>

>

>

 

> Post message: Chinese Traditional Medicine

> Subscribe: Chinese Traditional Medicine-

> Un: Chinese Traditional Medicine-

> List owner: Chinese Traditional Medicine-owner

>

> Shortcut URL to this page:

> /community/Chinese Traditional Medicine

>

>

>

>