Diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease have emerged as major threats to
human health, and the risk of developing these chronic conditions is
increased in individuals with abdominal obesity and the metabolic
syndrome. Excess visceral abdominal tissue (VAT) accumulation appears
to be a key feature of abdominal obesity contributing to the
development of the metabolic syndrome. For instance, excess VAT is
accompanied by elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and/or
elevated fasting plasma glucose. In addition, the rather normal or
only marginally elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
concentrations in patients with excess VAT could provide misleading
information as viscerally obese patients have an increased plasma
concentration of small, dense LDL particles. Prospective studies have
suggested that even among patients with LDL cholesterol concentrations
within normal limits, an increased concentration of small LDL
particles is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
With the treatment of abdominal obesity and excess VAT, an increase in
patients' LDL particle size and improvements in other cardiovascular
risk factors (eg, insulin levels, glucose tolerance, HDL, C-reactive
protein [CRP], and adiponectin levels) can be achieved. Waist
circumference can be used in clinical practice as a first approach and
as a crude index to identify patients who have excess VAT,
particularly when the elevated waistline is accompanied by the
clinical features of the metabolic syndrome, among which an elevated
fasting triglyceride concentration appears to be predictive of a
reduced LDL particle size and of further metabolic abnormalities
frequently referred to as the metabolic syndrome."

- herbal medicine chinese

Chinese Herbal

It's often said that the older we get the more stuck in our ways we become. In fact, studies have shown that it's around the age of 35 when folks stop listening to new music or trying out new foods etc. However, this observation does not seem to apply with regards to alternative medicine and healing methods, and in particular Chinese herbal remedies. Is it that we're loosing faith in conventional medicine or just that older folks are more concerned about the potential adverse reactions caused by traditional treatments?

There's one thing that can't be argued about, and that is Chinese herbal remedies have been around a lot longer than all the stuff we see on the pharmaceutical shelves these days. In some cases, the Chinese have been using herbs to treat certain ills for 1000's of years. One of the main benefits of Chinese herbal healing over man made cures is that there's a much reduced risk of any harmful side affects. This has to be one of the major benefits that Chinese herbal remedies have over typical medications.

There is a bit of hocus pocus hype in some of it though and I can speak from personal experience here. I remember once I cut my toes in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. About a week later, I saw worms had gotten under my skin and were causing immense soreness and irritation. As soon as I got to Georgetown on the island of Penang, I visited a Chinese drug store as recommended by a local doctor.

A scrawny little chap on the other side of the counter gave me a small plastic container which was full if spiders legs, and a bagful of herbal tea. The spider's legs had to be rubbed into the effected area twice daily and the tea drank morning, noon, and night. It goes without saying that I eventually had to get proper medical care for my infected toes and this particular Chinese remedy did nothing to alleviate or cure the condition.

But that was one incident, for one condition, at one moment in time, and it's easy to focus on the negative. The fact of the matter is that millions of people around the world swear by Chinese herbal remedies which can be taken topically or internally for all manner of ills. I've included some of the more common uses for Chinese herbal remedies below, but the real list is in fact quite exhaustive.

Acne, Alcoholism, Allergies, Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain, Burns, Cancer, High Cholesterol, Colds and Flu, Constipation, Depression, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Eczema, Hair Loss, Head Lice, Headaches, Heart Problems, Hemorrhoids, and Immune Disorders

Although the use of herbs in itself is not considered harmful, I would not recommend anyone try to self diagnose any illness and prescribe their own treatments. Being who I am and where I come from, my first port of call is always to the surgery of my local doctor. However, now that I've learnt a bit more about the potential benefits of Chinese herbal remedies, I will always let the doctor know of my findings and try them out based on his or her suggestions. From what I believe, a lot of folks are using Chinese herbal remedies in conjunction with conventional treatments and not instead of.

The internet has a plethora of useful and interesting sites based around Chinese herbal remedies, acupuncture, and massage techniques. It's a fascination subject and will make a great read for anyone interested in alternative treatments.

Kevin Lee is a proficient writer and webmaster for Oriental Cures dot com where he has articles on Acupuncture School and A Natural Cure for Depression He also has many other cure related pieces on the site.

herbal medical

Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. The green, leafy part of the plant is often used, but herbal medicine makes use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (cambium), berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions. General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant, typically using the leaves. By contrast, spices are the seeds, berries, bark, root, fruit, or other parts of the plant, even leaves in some cases; although any of these, as well as any edible fruits or vegetables, may be considered "herbs" in medicinal or spiritual use. Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that they are used in small amounts and provide flavor (similar to spices) rather than substance to food. In this sense, some herbs contain phytochemicals that when consumed in small quantities can be healthy, yet in large quantities can be toxic to the liver. Some types of herbal extract, such as the extract of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort), or the Piper methysticum (kava plant) can be used for medical purposes to relieve depression and stress. However, administering high amounts of these herbs may lead to poisoning, and should be used with caution.