Chinese Medicine for Arthritis - Truth or rumor?

Chinese medicine system is one of the most sophisticated and difficult. It has been practised for over 2000 years and during this period it has been enhanced even more through research and practice.

It is only when China opened its doors to the world that the traditional Chinese medicine started to spread. This ancient art of medicine is rapidly gaining popularity all around the world especially the west. However, the western scientist and doctors were skeptical at first. The potency of herbs and plants as remedies were very much doubted.

In this article, I will focus on two notorious treatments for Chinese arthritis:

• Acupuncture
• Herbal

However, you may not know much about Traditional Chinese Medicine, so we will get to know Chinese Medicine a bit.

Chinese Medicine - The Magic of Chinese Remedy Revealed

It was only after many years of research that it was found to be true. Plants such as aloe, licorice, and garlic to name a few, are found to contain natural healing properties.

Plants are the main focus as a remedy in Chinese medicine. In fact, they belief that plants are an absolute essential to life.

It consists of several technique. To name a few...

• Acupressure
• Cupping,
• Herbal medicine (herbology)
• Acupuncture,
• Moxibustion,
• Tuina,
• Qi gong or Tai Qi and many others...

The principal teaching of Chinese medicine is believing in internal balance and internal harmony also known as the yin and yang. Chinese remedies teaches the principals that shows how connected all things are which is the mind, body and spirit.

For example the 'yin' believe to be water and earth and 'yang' believe to be fire and air must be in balance in order to achieve a healthy body, mind and spirit. The only way to do this is through the meridian system also known as the body's energy channels.

Chinese remedy also strongly uses the Tai Qi Chuan and Qi Gong methodology. The practice of herbal medicine is especially important as they need to know how to incorporate the supplement elements for a healthy and nutritious diet which includes minerals, herbs, vitamins plus other natural traditional remedies. The belief is that it is better to treat not just the sickness or disease but rather the whole person.

Also known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM), its method is also widely used to treat arthritis pain, control weight, allergies, back pain due to injury or bad posture, stress, fatigue, PMS, musculoskeletal, TMJ and even to quit smoking, just to name a few.

Athough TCM and CCM is both based on the Tao philosophies and classic Chinese beliefs, they both completely differs from each other. While CCM is strict and adheres to their ancient Chinese medicinal roots, TCM has adjusted to modern times hence, it has been accepted as a form of alternative Chinese medicine around the world, especially the west.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine For the Treatment of Arthritis

Arthritis is a general term that literally means "joint inflammation". Although there are many diseases that result in arthritis, the most common are Osteo-arthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteo-arthritis is probably best known as the arthritis associated with old age. It can range from joints that are mildly stiff and "creaky" to extremely painful joints that don't like to move. Osteo-Arthritis is a degenerative condition that involves inflammation and the subsequent breakdown of joint structures like cartilage and synovial tissue. Often this condition is worse in areas of old trauma - which encourages the early treatment and resolution of injuries.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a little more complicated, but is essentially an autoimmune disease where the bodies' own immune system attacks the joints. The symptoms can range from swollen, painful, inflamed joints to gross deformities. Here, the synovial tissues become inflamed due to the constant assault of the white blood cells, damaging the joint structures. Genetics and the health of the immune system play a large role in the development and expression of the symptoms. Other diseases such as Lupus include RA as part of their symptomology.

Chinese medicine has a long history of successfully treating most types of arthritis. Through the use of herbs, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and nutritional counseling, the symptoms are relieved the causes are eliminated. It is my experience that the cure rate significantly improves when Chinese medicine is combined with Western supplements. The correct use of substances such as glucosamine sulfate, MSM, SAMe, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and Western herbs can do much to promote the healing of the joint tissues. Acupuncture can do a great deal to limit pain and increase mobility.

>>> See more: Herbs for Rheumatoid Arthritis - Reveal the secret recipe

Studies haven’t confirmed acupuncture helps arthritis, but it still may be worth trying.

The theory of acupuncture goes something like this: An essential life energy called qi (pronounced “chee”) flows through the body along 20 invisible channels called meridians. When the flow of this energy is blocked or out of balance, illness or pain results. More than 2,000 acupuncture points connect to the meridians. Stimulating those points with needles, it is said, will correct the flow of qi and alleviate pain.

Acupuncture diminishes pain by “untying muscular straitjackets – releasing tight, spasmed, shortened muscles to their resting state,” explains Tim Rhudy, an acupuncturist practicing in Delmar, New York. It also helps stimulate the release of natural pain-fighting endorphins.

Yet these benefits have been hard to prove, because high-quality studies on the subject of arthritis and acupuncture have been limited. Here’s a look at some of the recent research that has been done:

OA. Like previous research, a 2014 study in JAMA found people who had acupuncture had slightly less pain compared with those who had no treatment. The authors concluded the results weren’t significant enough to support recommending acupuncture. Yet for patients in pain, even a limited benefit might be enough to justify trying the treatment.

RA. Studies on acupuncture for RA have largely been of poor quality. They haven’t been able to prove the treatment offers any significant improvement in joint swelling, damage, or other measures of the disease. However, acupuncture may help certain people with their pain.

Fibromyalgia. In a 2014 review article in Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, researchers analyzed the results of nine studies on acupuncture for fibromyalgia. Though a few studies found acupuncture worked better than drugs to manage the condition, most of the studies weren’t well designed. The authors concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to prove acupuncture works better than placebo. They say more research is needed.

Some experts question whether pain relief noted in the studies is real or the result of a placebo effect – patients feeling better simply as a result of having needles applied to their skin. In a 2012 meta-analysis of studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found real acupuncture was more effective than placebo at treating chronic pain – but only slightly so; 50% of acupuncture patients said their pain improved by half or more compared, to 42.5% of patients receiving placebo treatments.

Other doctors say that even if acupuncture’s benefits are largely due to a placebo effect, it still could be worth trying. Growing research suggests that fake needles and other placebos may prevent pain signals from reaching the brain and promote other biological changes that could relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis and other conditions.

“If I’m suffering chronic pain and someone offers me an intervention that will improve my symptoms, I’d be thinking, ‘Of course I want that,’” says Andrew L. Avins, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “If our ultimate goal is to help patients achieve their goals, the mechanism is not all that relevant.”

How much of a benefit you receive may depend on the severity of your arthritis, and how often you get treated, Rhudy says. Yet multiple sessions may not be cost effective, considering that acupuncture prices can range from $75 to $200 per session. Medicare and Medicaid won’t cover the cost, but some private health insurance companies will pay, at least to some extent. “Many U.S. insurers do provide some acupuncture coverage,” says C. James Dowden, executive administrator of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. “But what conditions they cover vary.”

Pain relief and treatment Arthritis by the same method as acupuncture: Acupressure

A natural healing program, including:

✔ Debilitating Backaches

✔ Chronic & Acute Pain

✔ Crippling Arthritis

✔ Blinding Migraines

✔ Psoriasis and Eczema

✔ High Blood Pressure

✔ Depression

✔ Female & Male Fertility Issues

✔ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

✔ And urinary problems to name just a few

>>> See more: Electro-Acupuncture - New Age

There Are Many Effective Chinese Herbs For Arthritis

The use of Chinese herbs for many different diseases has a history of centuries, and also for Arthritis, a debilitating disease of the joints and bones, the Chinese use herbs as and effective treatment. Arthritis is not just one disease there are many different forms and symptoms but it has plagued many people through the ages. Chinese herbs for arthritis have been used to treat sufferers of arthritis by the Chinese but this treatment has also grown in popularity in the western world the last few decades. There are many countries that have a growing use of alternative medicine and some have a real history with the alternative medical powers of herbs.

Alternative medicine have been ridiculed for years and Chinese herbs for arthritis has been attacked at and put away as quackery for years. Now a day there are many studies about the treatment with Chinese herbs that have proven to be very useful.

To get an effective result the Chinese herbs for arthritis are in most cases mixed together. In comparison with alternative medicine using herbs in other countries, they almost never put the herbs together. There are some Chinese herbs for arthritis that are only used as pain relief and these are not mixed but most are given in combination with others.

The Chinese herbalist examines the patient, ask some questions and diagnoses the problem, after this the ingredients and powders get weight and put together to use as a tea or a tonic. When the mix is to be used as an beverage or tea it might have to be strained before you can drink it.

The dosage and the times you need to take the Chinese herbs for arthritis are prescribed by the herbalist. The combination of Chinese herbs for arthritis together created a better efficacy.

What kind of Chinese herbs for arthritis are being used?

Cinnamon (Rou Gui) is a very effective Chinese herb for arthritis. The cinnamon bark is good for the flow of blood and it helps for a better spleen and kidney function. Improving the blood flow is important because it removes blockages and deposits that can be the cause of pain and inflammation in some arthritic conditions.

Angelica (Dong Quai) is a proven to be an effective Chinese herb for arthritis, It is available in Asia but also in Europe and America. Angelica works as an antispasmodic, pain killer and anti-inflammatory treatment. Angelica is almost never used on its own, it is almost always combined with other Chinese herbs for arthritis.

Ginger is a know root that is also used in western alternative medicine and its know to help with arthritis, but there is a rare ginger species that can only be found in some places in China during a specific season that the Chinese use for the treatment of arthritis.

A mix of these herbs is usually used to effectively treat the symptoms caused by arthritis. It controls any negative effects and brings out the positive ones.

Those are the online knowledge that I have collected. In fact, knowledge of Traditional Chinese medicine is very mysterious and sublime.

If you surf the web, and look for some problems like:

• acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis
• chinese treatment for arthritis
• chinese herbal medicine for arthritis
• herbs for rheumatoid arthritis
• herbal treatment for arthritis
• rheumatoid arthritis in chinese
• chinese herbs for arthritis inflammation
• rheumatoid arthritis chinese medicine
• acupuncture and arthritis
• herbal medicine for arthritis
• acupuncture for arthritis
• chinese medicine for arthritis

And you will see a lot of knowledge about Chinese medicine for arthritis, but it seems they have the same content, and focus mainly on some easy-to-find herbs, or studies of acupuncture for arthritis. 

Here are two examples illustrating the wisdom of Chinese medicine to treat arthritis

1. Chinese herbs treat rheumatoid arthritis | Extract and synthesize | Releasing pain from illness

2. Chinese Medicine for Arthritis: Treatment of arthritis by step in 21 days

The healing program for all types of arthritis according to Chinese medicine - synthesized by 48 studies of arthritis healing, including:

• 47 Western scientific research
• Herbal formula of Traditional Chinese Medicine

-----> Join this program: Heal all types of arthritis in 21 days <-----

>>> See more: Cure Arthritis: integrate Oriental medicine and Western medicine