Chinese Medicine and Ephedra, A Missing Perspective

[Guest guest]

Dear Talk of the Nation,

 

I am a Licensed Acupuncturist in California. I have

been listening to your program today on Dietary

Supplements, almost exclusively focused on ephedra,

which lacked any sort of representation from

traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The Chinese

medicine perspective is especially important

concerning ephedra, an herb that has been in use in

traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years,

because Licensed Acupuncturists are specifically

licensed to prescribe ephedra and other Chinese herbs

in the State of California.

 

Ephedra, called Ma Huang in Chinese herbology, has

been in consistent and safe use for several thousand

years. However,in traditional Chinese medicine, Ma

Huang is not used for weight loss or sports

performance enhancement, but usually for acute lung

problems, such as certain common colds with wheezing,

or certain types of asthma.

 

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a practitioner

first makes a detailed Chinese medical diagnosis, from

which they make a selection of appropriate herbs for

the patient's condition. This will not only take into

account the specific symptoms a patient is

experiencing, but also the patients overall physical

condition and underlying disease mechanisms. For

asthma, for example, there are more than 6 possible

TCM diagnoses. Therefore, in TCM herbology, only

certain patients in certain conditions would be

prescribed ephedra. Ephedra is also only used for a

short period of time in TCM herbology. When used in

accordance to TCM principles and administered by a

licensed practitioner of Chinese medicine, I believe

that ephedra is very safe.

 

Therefore, I think any discussion of ephedra, or on

the regulation of Dietary Supplements that are also

traditional Chinese herbs, should include the TCM

perspective.

 

There are many Acupuncture Associations on the state

and national level that have qualified representatives

who are prepared to speak about Chinese herbal

medicine. Here are two for your reference:

 

1. CSOMA (California State Oriental Medical

Association)at www.csomaonline.org or 1-800-477-4564

2. AOMA (The Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Alliance) at www.acupuncturealliance.org or

253-851-6896

 

I would also like to add that I believe that Chinese

herbal medicine should be more closely regulated by

the FDA, and that industry standards should be created

for the manufacture and sales of Chinese herbs for the

protection of the public. I agree with your speaker

Michael Mc Guffin that nothing is completely safe when

taken in large enough quantities. I agree that special

attention needs to be paid to the regulation of

certain herbs, such as ephedra, and they should be

labeled with cautionary advise.

 

Thank you for considering this point of view for

future programming.

 

Sincerely,

 

North Berkeley Acupuncture

1939 Cedar Street

Berkeley, CA. 94709

510-326-9597

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

, Laura Stropes <

lmstropes> wrote:

> Dear Talk of the Nation,

 

well put.

 

[Guest guest]

> Re: and Ephedra, A Missing Perspective

 

For those who missed it, you can go to

http://www.npr.org

 

On the upper right side of the page is a search bar. Enter 'ephedra' and

all programs dealing with ephedra will come up. Choose the one you want to

hear. You'll need RealPlayer installed to listen to the program. If you

need it, it's available to download free - look for the link on the page.

 

the 8/19/02 show was quite interesting, as was the 8/16/02 piece.

 

Rebuttals and comments can be sent to totn

I'm sure that they would appreciate comments from the many highly respected

Chinese herbal medicine practitioners from this list.

 

-judy saxe

student, CSTCM

Denver, Colorado

jude