Tinnitus

Chronic Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, refers to the abnormal sound one hears in the absence of any external stimuli. Tinnitus can be related to aging, stress or disorders of the ear itself. Chinese Medicine has well developed theories and treatment practices in dealing with tinnitus. According to Chinese Medicine, tinnitus occurs when the body is out of balance. Different types of tinnitus stems from the imbalance of different systems of the body. The condition can be treated with herbal medicine, acupuncture or other physical manipulation techniques such as massage, TuiNa or GuaSha. Below listed a few major imbalances that can cause Tinnitus. Always consult a specialist for the treatment, the information below may provide you some basic understanding of how tinnitus is treated.

(1) Kidney Deficiency Type: This is the aging related type. This type of tinnitus makes high pitched screeching sound, Chinese Medicine characterizes it as "the sound of a cicada". It tends to come on gradually, on-and-off at first, but is persistent.

In Chinese Medicine, the kidney is the determining factor in controlling the aging, and Kidney "opens" to the ear. So the health of the ear and the hearing ability is directly related to the kidney's vitality. When we age, our kidney become more and more deficient and hearing related problems will arise. In the five element system, Kidney is the water element, when the water element become deficient, it will not have enough water to balance the fire. Metaphorically speaking, due to the lack of water, the pot is sizzling on the fire. When this type of tinnitus occurs, there generally have other accompanying symptoms that fit in the "Yin deficiency" pattern.

The treatment approach for this type of tinnitus is to replenish the kidney water element. There are many herbal remedies for this type of tinnitus, a typical formula is 六味地黄丸 (Pronounced as: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan)。And for women who also experience hot flashes, another version of this medication 知柏地黄丸 (Pronounced as: Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan) can be effective.

(2) Liver Excessive Type: This is related to stress or anger management issues. This type of tinnitus sounds loud with low frequency, Chinese Medicine characterizes it as "the sound of ocean wave". It tends to come on suddenly, usually get worse after experience emotional distress or anger. This type of tinnitus can accompany bitter taste in the mouth, irritability, dizziness, headache. Liver fire is the cause of these symptoms because liver fire has a tendency to flare upward, disturbing the clear Qi above. A typical herbal treatment for this type of tinnitus is 龙胆泻肝汤 (Pronounced as: Long Dan Xie Gan Tang).

(3) Wind-Heat Invasion: This type is related to a cold or an ear-infection. The onset is acute,  relatively low pitch sound, feeling fullness in the ear, typically accompanying nasal congestion, runny nose, cough and other lung disorders table. Eardrum visible congestion, retraction. For this type of tinnitus, Western Medicine has very effective treatment: Antibiotic.

Chinese Medicine has herbal remedies for clearing wind-heat, but if it is an acute ear infection, antibiotic works much faster.

Constipation

Constipation 

Constipation is a common ailment affects many. Constipation refers to bowl movements that are infrequent or hard to pass. In Chinese Medicine, constipation is a sign that the body is out of balance. Although the symptom is the same, the causes may vary. From the Chinese Medicine perspective, constipation can be the result of several imbalances that are occurring in the body. For each type of imbalance, there are specific herbal remedies to treat, and they treat the symptom as well as the cause. This is what sets Chinese Medicine apart from conventional western treatments of constipation. Diagnosing the correct imbalance could be tricky, and require some specific knowledge, so seek the advise of a Chinese Medicine professional whenever possible.

(1) Qi Deficient Type: Stools may not be dry or hard. Patient feels like having stools to pass, but is having hard time passing them. After the bowl movement, patient feels sweaty and exhausted. A general feeling of persistent tiredness and thick white tongue coating are among other symptoms. The remedy for this type of constipation is to amend the Qi in the middle-burner. The herbal supplement Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan can be effective for this type of constipation. Look for it in Chinese herbal shops with the label as shown.

 (2) Blood Deficient Type: With this type of constipation the stool will be very dry. Patient may have a pallid face, frequent shortness of breath, many dreams, forgetfulness, and tongue may appear pale with white moss. The remedy for this type of constipation is to use herbs such as angelica and rehmannia that to nourish and generate blood, and Wu-Ren-Wan to lubricate the large intestine. Wu-Ren-Wan consists of five types of nuts and other herbs, and can be an effective and pleasant herbal treatment for this type of condition.

 (3) Yin Deficient Type: Stools are dry and hard, mimic that of sheep droppings. Patient may experience dizziness and ringing in the ears. Patient may also have red cheeks, irritability, sleeplessness, and hot flashes or night sweats. Also may accompany low back and knees pains and cold feelings. When the body does not have enough JinYe (functional fluids in the body), then it results this type of constipation. The treatment calls for Liu Wei Di Huang Wan If you can find a Chinese herbalist store in your area, you can go in and ask them. A lot of times there are some knowledgeable people who can steer you in the right direction. Good luck and hope you find relief.

(4)Yang Deficient Type: Patient may or may not have dry stools, but has difficulty passing them. Patient may experience pain in the stomach, and cold feelings around the stomach. The pain is relieved by applying heat to the affected area. Waist and knees may experience cold feelings and pain. Tongue color pale and with white tongue moss. The goal for treating this type of constipation is warming the middle burner. If the constipation is stemmed from Spleen deficiency, then Wen-Pi-Wan should can relive the symptom; if the constipation is stemmed from kidney deficiency, then Shen-Qi-Wan should be used. As you can see, in Chinese Medicine different types of constipation require different treatment. When the treatment targets the correct diagnosis, it can bring lasting relief rather than temporary relief.

The origin of Chinese Medicine

The origin of Chinese Medicine can be traced back to The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, a book believed to have been written 2500 years ago. The book was a series of Q&A sessions between the Yellow Emperor and his mentor Qi-Bo, a great medicine man at the time. In the book, the men described in detail of their understanding of the human body, it's relationship with nature, and how living in harmony with nature allows us to stay healthy and achieve longevity. They also laid out the fundamentals of the art of diagnosing and treating diseases in Chinese Medicine. For thousands of years this book has served as the classic text which anyone who wishes to practice Chinese Medicine must read. Legend has it that many many years ago along the Yellow River, China had two large tribes. One was the Yellow Tribe, and the other was the Yan Tribe. The two tribes did not get along, they engaged in frequent conflicts. Finally, the Yellow tribe conquered the Yan tribe and formed a unified tribe, and the united tribe thrived many years afterwards. Because of that, the Chinese people are said to be the descendants of the Yellow and Yan people. The Yan people had superior knowledge of the human body and how to treat illnesses. The Yellow Emperor himself was a medicine man with a strong desire to relieve his people of pain and suffering. He asked Qi-Bo, a well respected Yan tribe medicine man to be his mentor. After learning from Qi-Bo, the Yellow Emperor wanted to document what he had learned so that the future generations may benefit from this knowledge. Through many years and countless dynasties, Chinese Medicine remained a mainstay for maintaining health and treating illnesses among the Chinese people. The generations that followed studied the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic and perfected Chinese Medicine through their practices. Throughout the history many Chinese medicine giants have made important contributions to perfect the art and science of maintaining health and curing diseases.

Meridians and Collaterals

Like the geographic coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers and letters, the Chinese Meridian and Collateral system is designed to describe the locations in the human body. More than defining locations, the Meridians and Collaterals are pathways that transport nutrients (Qi and Blood) to the Zang-Fu organs and every cell inside the body. They are vital for physiological functions. The Meridians and Collaterals are also pathways by which exogenous pathogens can invade the body. Pathogens can enter the body through the skin, enter into the Collaterals, then move into the Meridians and ultimately affect the Zang-Fu organs if not treated. Because the Meridians and Collaterals connect the Zang-Fu organs to the outside of the body, diseases within the body can also present outwardly. Therefore the Meridian system is also used as a diagnostic tool to detect changes occurring inside of the body. This is the basis for the "Look" diagnostic technique in Chinese Medicine, where clinicians can detect imbalances and diseases by observing a patient's outward condition.

The lung is like a bell, it rings when it is struck

The Lung is the only Yin organ among the five that has a direct connection to the outside world which is through the nose. Chinese Medicine views the lung as the “tender organ”, meaning that it is the most sensitive to the outside environment. Chinese Medicine describes it this way: The Lung is as a bell, when struck, it will produce sound. Why when we smell something pungent, our first reaction is to sneeze? That’s because when our lung is stimulated by the smell, it reacts by sending Qi up to the nose, therefore causing the sneeze. Also when we catch a cold that could induces imbalances in the lung’s Qi, thus produces sneezes and coughs and other upper respiratory problems.