A Word About Supplements
While the Chinese materia medica has used herbs for thousands of years, as do many native healing traditions, the
inclusion of supplements as part of TCM practice is a bit more recent, but not outside the scope of our medicine. If we
go back to the concept of qi cultivation, or life force energy, and include all the dynamics that happen at the level of
the cell, we can include all the advances made in chemistry and cell biology, and use them to our advantage within the
scope of oriental medicine. Food is how we provide the body with the building blocks needed for cellular processes
including repair, and missing even a few micronutrients can make the
process much more difficult.
It is helpful to be realistic: it is difficult, if not impossible to get everything we need from diet without a lot of work -
the shopping, chopping, scrubbing, cooking, stewing and chewing…Oy. Save yourself some anguish and find a good
multi-vitamin, with additional herbs or supplements as needed.
The Wisdom of Professionals
I cannot stress enough the importance (and ultimate cost savings) of working with a licensed practitioner to help guide
you. All of us have yielded to, at one time or another, the temptation to try that one new supplement that our friend
raved about, thinking it might help (and did it?). Confession time, how may of us have an entire shelf or section of the
counter devoted to various bottles, lotions, and potions? It adds up. The clinical training required by a licensed
practitioner is much deeper than the theoretical knowledge obtained by reading about herbology from a text book. In
the brief encounters when you seek a recommendation from someone over the counter at Henry’s or Whole Foods,
there is simply not enough patient information obtained to make a safe and informed recommendation. For folks who
require several western medications, who are immuno-compromised or undergoing chemotherapy, drug and herb
interactions are no joke. It is extremely important to for these individuals to work with someone who is competent in
both eastern
and western biomedicine.
A few things you may not be aware of:
1) The over-the-counter herb and nutrient industry is fairly unregulated. Not all supplement companies are honest –
you cannot guarantee purity, manufacturing grade, etc. It is worth the few extra dollars to buy professional grade herbs
and supplements from a licensed practitioner. Many OTC supplements and herbs often pass through the stool without
being digested at all. Professional herbs and supplements are many times formulated to improve absorption. Your
practitioner will know how to take them in a way to maximize their potential. In addition, patients who self-medicate
with herbs and supplements run the risk of a) not taking enough of what they need, b) missing something or c) taking
far too much. There is a reason that some of these are called micronutrients, micro as in small, tiny. More isn’t
necessarily better; sometimes it’s just more.
2) Ask your practitioner to discuss in detail how and why they think a particular herb or supplement can help you,
and give an estimate of how long they anticipate that you might need it. Supplements and herbs are expensive, and I
think it behooves us all to keep costs down. That being said, there are herbs and supplements that have been
miraculous for my patients. We could never have achieved that kind of success with acupuncture alone, and for some,
they may needed long term. But we work hard to find the lowest dose possible that will achieve the desired effect.
Every few months or so, check in with your practitioner and ask them to help identify specific changes that can be
attributed to the herbs or supplements. There may internal changes to your condition that are not obvious to you, but
are vital for a full recovery. If cost is an issue, work with your practitioner to help prioritize what is most important
medically.
Let me end our discussion of supplements by saying that there is no treatment, not once or even twice weekly
acupuncture visits, and all the herbs that money can buy, that will replace what you put into your body every single
day. It is unfortunate that our medical advances have minimized the consequences of repeatedly denying good
nutrition to the body long term. (on to part 3)
Wholistic Acupuncture facelifts!
Incredible before and after
photos.
Fertility and Acupuncture
How acupuncture and Oriental
medicine can help you conceive
naturally.
medicine, but will interest his patients in
the care of the human body, in diet, and in
the cause and prevention of disease."
Thomas Edison
