The Holidays & Diabetes

The holidays are coming soon and so is the season for indulging in chocolates, cookies and pies. Why is sugar so bad, you ask? When you consume simple sugars and refined carbohydrates (cookies, pastries made with refined flour), the pancreas produces and releases insulin, a hormone that empties the sugar in your blood stream into all the tissues and cells for usage. In this case, the action is done too quickly, often inducing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, which causes fatigue, shaking, sweats, difficulty concentrating, mood swings and increased allergy symptoms.

Eventually, the pancreas gives out when it is exhausted from a poor diet. As its function decreases, one's body is unable to uptake the sugar normally from the blood so the sugar level rises until it becomes damaging to healthy tissues. This results is diabetes. In Chinese medicine, it is called "Depletion and Thirst Syndrome." Why should you fear diabetes? Because it is a degenerative condition that literally "eats" away your body. Complications from diabetes include diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness and peripheral neuropathy that can eventually result in gangrene of the foot and possible amputation if infection is allowed to set in, kidney failure, coronary heart disease and skin conditions resulting in itching and infections. Even if you have Type II diabetes, there is still hope that you can reverse the disease and restore your health. It's never too late to start, as long as you follow some simple guidelines and make a commitment to follow through.

The 4 step approach is: 1) Stop eating refined sugar in any form & reduce natural sugars like fruits, honey and maple syrup; 2) Start a program of daily cardiovascular exercises of at least 20 minutes; 3) Start a stress reduction program; 4) Get annual check ups with your general practitioner.

Chinese medicine has a lot to offer both hypoglycemic and diabetic patients. Schedule an appointment today and restore your good health.

Meridian Harmonics

Chinese Herb Ba Jiao Key Flu Ingredient

A Chinese spice that increases the flavor of food has become the center of public attention, thanks to the growing profile of bird flu. Ba Jiao, an herbal fruit mainly grown in China, as well as Viet Nam, is a primary ingredient in the production of an anti-viral drug which helps to fight bird flu symptoms.

More specifically, ba jiao is the basic component for Shikimic acid. Shikimic acid is the base material for the production of Tamiflu, the only drug available that combats the deadly strain of avian flu, which some fear may kill millions of humans. The new market value and soaring fears of a Tamiflu shortage have triggered a price surge for ba jiao in its main production regions of China. Despite its new fame as the key ingredient of Tamiflu, ba jiao, it traditionally is used to treat hernia, abdominal and back pain.

Meridian Harmonics