Green tea ‘may keep HIV at bay’

BBC – Drinking green tea could help in the fight against HIV, research suggests.

Scientists found a component called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) prevents HIV from binding to immune system cells by getting there first.

Once EGCG has bound to immune system cells there is no room for HIV to take hold in its usual fashion. Read more

Acupuncture boosts sperm quality in infertile men

CM NEWS – Researchers have demonstrated that specific aspects of sperm quality were significant improved following a period of acupuncture use.

acupuncture appears to be a simple method for improving the ultrastructure, and therefore quality, of sperm in men with unexplained infertility, research indicates. The study was done by researchers of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

“The treatment of idiopathic infertility could benefit from employing acupuncture,” states the team, led by Jian Pei from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the People’s Republic of China.

acupuncture for men undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) has already been shown to have positive effects on sperm quality, fertilization rates, and pregnancy rates.

To evaluate its effects on sperm structure in detail, the researchers used transmission electron microscopy to study ejaculates from 40 men with with idiopathic oligospermia, asthenospermia, or teratozoospermia, 28 of whom received acupuncture twice a week for 5 weeks. The samples from the treatment group were randomized with semen samples from the 12 men in the untreated control group.

After acupuncture, a statistically significant increase in the percentage and number of sperm in the total ejaculate without ultrastructural defects was observed, in comparison with controls, with improvements in the shape of the acrosome and nucleus. No change in specific pathologies, such as apoptosis, necrosis, or immaturity, however, was apparent.

Encouraged by these results, Pei et al recommend: “In conjunction with ART or even for reaching natural fertility potential, acupuncture treatment is a simple, noninvasive method that can improve sperm quality.”

[Fertility and Sterility 2005; 84: 141-7]

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Green tea might cut colon cancer risk by 60%

International Health News – More good news for tea lovers. A joint study by Chinese and American scientifists have identified the specific contents in green tea that could prevent the occurrence of colon cancer by as high as 60%.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, Rutgers and the Shanghai Cancer Institute recently reported on what they claim is the first study to examine the association between specific biomarkers of tea polyphenols and the risk of colorectal cancer in humans. Read more

Ginger does ward off flu: study

CM NEWS – It appears that moms are right when they make us consume ginger in time of flu.

A research indicates that ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc), long believed to have the ability to ward off flu as our moms have been telling us, might have potential clinical applications as a preventive and therapeutic agents for flu virus infection.

The study was led by Dr. Hiroshi Ochiai at the Department of Human Science, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.

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In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger has been used as one ofthe principal herbs to treat a “cold” causing a functional decrease in the livingbody, or to improve blood stagnation and symptoms of acute respiratory infections suchas the common cold and influenza.

The influenza virus enters our body through the upper respiratory tract and encounters pulmonary phagocytic cells including alveolar macrophages. In many cases, macrophages are the first barrier of the defense system responding rapidly and creating an environment for a subsequent immune response. As part of the defense system, macrophages produce various cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α.

In a previous report, TNF-α was identified as an anti-influenza cytokine and recent studies have indicated that this cytokine serves as the first line of defense against influenza virus infection in the body.

What are macrophages? Macrophages are cells within the tissues that originate from specific white blood cells called monocytes. Monocytes and macrophages are phagocytes, acting in both nonspecific defense (or innate immunity) as well as specific defense (or cell-mediated immunity) of vertebrate animals. Their role is to phagocytize (engulf and then digest) cellular debris and pathogens either as stationary or mobile cells, and to stimulate lymphocytes and other immune cells to respond to the pathogen.

What are cytokines? Cytokines are a group of proteins and peptides that are used in organisms as signaling compounds. These chemical signals are similar to hormones and neurotransmitters and are used to allow one cell to communicate with another. While hormones are released from specific organs into the blood and neurotransmitters are released by nerves, cytokines are released by many types of cells. They are particularly important in both innate and adaptive immune responses. Due to their central role in the immune system, cytokines are involved in a variety of immunological, inflammatory and infectious diseases.

What is tumour necrosis factor? Tumour necrosis factor is a protein produced by several of the body’s cell types, such as white blood cells, red blood cells, and other cells that line the blood vessels. It promotes the destruction of some types of cancer cells. In addition to tumour cell-killing activity, TNF-α has been noted for its role in the inflammatory response and the body’s resistance to pathogens. Moreover, the use of pure recombinant TNF-α has demonstrated that this cytokine can inhibit the replication of several viruses including the influenza virus.

Therefore, drugs that lead to TNF-α production in the alveolar macrophages might express an anti-influenza virus effect.In the present study, the inhibitory effect of ginger on the growth of influenza A/Aichi/2/68 (Aichi) virus was investigated in dog’s kidney cells. Direct addition of ginger extract to the infected cells did not have any inhibitory effect. However, ginger could exert its effect via macrophage activation leading to production of TNF-α.

When 100 μg/ml ginger extract was cultured with alveolar macrophages for 8 hours, there was an apparent reduction in viral production to 25% of the control. Finally, a 12-hour stimulation led to a reduction of 8.2% of the control. This was sufficient for an induction of the inhibitory effect. Stimulation longer than 12 hours demonstrated a plateau.

The researchers write that: “This study contributes to not only an explanation of the various biological activities of ZOR (ginger) but also to the promotion clinical applications of ZOR as a preventive and therapeutic agent for influenza virus infection.”

[The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2006;34(1):157-69.]

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Alternative Medicine: Seasonal eating in spring

Seattle Post Intelligencer – Diet therapy in traditional Chinese medicine is based on the principle that humans are an inherent part of nature. One way to align with nature is eating according to seasons, for as the natural world fluctuates with seasonal changes, so do we. Spring is the time for growth and renewal. As it approaches, Chinese diet theory suggests we should consume foods that help transition into this season:

# Leafy green vegetables (chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens, bok choi)

# Young plants such as asparagus, pea shoots and chives

# Sprouted beans and grains (alfalfa, clover, mung bean sprouts, wheat grass)

# Flavorful herbs like rosemary, dill, and basil

# Light teas: green, rosebud or chrysanthemum

In Chinese medicine, such foods are filled with the energy of spring and particularly useful as we enter this season. Best ways to prepare these foods are lightly steaming or sauteing (cooking briefly over high heat), so they retain the most nutrients and are easier to digest.

It also is appropriate during spring to avoid heavy foods, since they tend to bring the body into a sinking, passive, inward-moving state. Foods to avoid in spring:

# Heavy or fatty meats

# Greasy or oily foods

# Foods high in salt

For traditional Chinese dietary recommendations suited to your constitution, seek the advice of a qualified practitioner. One great resource for Chinese diet therapy is Paul Pitchford’s “Healing With Whole Foods.” There you will find more details about seasonal eating.

By Ara Jane Olufson, acupuncture and Oriental medicine resident, Bastyr University Center for Natural Health

Bastyr is a non-profit, private university offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, with a multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural medicine. The university’s Seattle teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, is the Northwest’s largest natural medicine clinic. Go to bastyr.edu or bastyrcenter.org.

Swiss crazy for Chinese medicine

NZZ Online – People in Switzerland are increasingly turning to Chinese medicine to cure ailments such as back pain, asthma, allergies and stress problems.

But practitioners say there is still a long way to go before the profession is fully recognised and are calling for it to be covered by the basic health insurance.

Alternative therapies are on the rise. It has been estimated that around a third of the population has tried complementary medicine at least once in their lives.

Acupuncture by a registered doctor is covered by the health insurance and around 70% of people have extra health coverage for other alternative therapies, according to the Federal Health Office.

Making inroads is the ancient art of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is carried out by both qualified doctors and non-medical practitioners.

“Chinese medicine is a medical system that’s not based on the western idea of the body but the Chinese philosophy of the body. It explains diseases and health in a different way,” said Simon Becker, president of the Swiss Professional Organization for traditional Chinese medicine (sbo:tcm) : the largest association of non:medical TCM therapists.

“Chinese medicine tries to influence with different modalities, such as acupuncture and herbs, the harmonies that take place in the body when you get sick.”

In 1999 it was provisionally included, along with four other alternative therapies, into basic health insurance.

But in 2005, after carrying out an assessment, the government decided to strike these out, saying they were too costly.

Becker’s 1,200 member association has joined with other groups, including medical ones, to lobby for the therapies to be reinstated by putting the matter to a nationwide vote. But the move has been rejected by the government.

Polls have, however, indicated widespread public support for the initiative.

Becker says many patients try Chinese medicine after having unsuccessfully tried more conventional methods.

This includes former Mr Switzerland and organic farmer Renzo Blumenthal, who used acupuncture to treat a chronic back problem.

“To an outsider it seems like nothing special and that it won’t have a big effect; after the first treatment my digestion was already a lot better, as was the tension in my back,” he told swissinfo at a recent sbo:tcm event.

Another convert is parliamentarian Simon Schenk, a former national ice hockey player, whose sporting career was dogged by a wrist injury.

“I tried everything, I had several operations, I tried potions, injections, diet, everything and it always stagnated,” explained Schenk.

He described his Chinese medicine treatment as a “moment of revelation” after he could finally start playing again without bandages.

However, wrong impressions of TCM still abound, with people still believing it is linked to the use of tiger bones or rhino horns. No serious practitioner would use these, said Becker, adding that it is illegal.

Chinese medicine is also gaining in acceptance in medical world, some clinics offer it and some midwives are, due to popular demand, using it during childbirth, said Becker.

However, non:medical therapists are still not recognised professionally in Switzerland. This is another goal of the alternative therapies vote.

Many Swiss therapists have trained abroad. Becker himself qualified in the United States, but the association ? which has mostly Swiss members : now offers its own standards.

“In Europe we belong to the leading countries as far as hours and quality of education is concerned,” Becker told swissinfo.

“But in terms of professional recognition we’re still a bit behind other countries such as the United States and Germany… it’s an unbalanced situation which we need to balance.”

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China’s traditional medicine to use scientific help to expand market

Xinhua – The Chinese government is to fund scientific research into traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to improve standards and to study new applications in order to expand its appeal abroad as an effective alternative to Western remedies and chemicals.

In a development outline on TCM, jointly prepared by 16 ministries, the government said that in the next 13 years, it would concentrate scientific support for traditional medicine as it might become “the breakthrough of Chinese innovation on the world stage”.

“Science might solve the key problems of traditional medicine’s development in modern times, so as to complement the ways we view and treat diseases,” the outline said.

It also set a goal to help traditional healing methods and herbal medicines gain a footing on overseas “mainstream” health care markets by 2020.

The government also aims to launch international research programs to promote TCM and establish two influential traditional medicine research institutes and information exchange centers.

Over the past five years, the government has invested $740m yuan (US$92.5m) in TCM research and development.

The plan also said the central and local governments would increase funding for TCM scientific research and actively seek investment from domestic businesses and overseas sources.

It said government will also try to establish a better system of standards for TCM treatments, drug production, medical scientific research and market entry.

Long before the start of modern medical science, the Chinese had developed complex theories in treating illness. Folk doctors used simple tools such as acupuncture needles and concocted remedies from natural ingredients, such as wild plants and animal parts.

The first Chinese medical classic — The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine — dates back to between 403 BC and 221 BC. Ancient urn fragments suggest the Chinese might have a history of brewing herbs to treat diseases going back 8,000 years.

But TCM declined in the mid 19th Century due to the growing popularity of Western medicine. TCM was even officially banned for a time under the rule of the Kuomintang Party.

After the founding of the people’s republic, TCM was rehabilitated and developed along side Western medicine. About 3,000 hospitals in China provide TCM treatments to nearly 234 million patients each year.

Despite its popularity, TCM is not widely used in health care systems abroad and faces criticism at home. Among the accusations, critics say TCM’s theories lack scientific evidence and its remedies are ineffective and, in some cases, unsafe.

A nationwide debate erupted over the survival of TCM last year after an on-line proposal by Zhang Gongyao, a professor with Central South University, that health authorities remove TCM practices from national health services.

The Ministry of Health has strongly opposed the proposal, saying, “TCM is an inseparable and important component of China’s health sector.” Many outraged opponents said Zhang’s ideas “ignored history and might kill off Chinese culture”.

Other health experts say TCM is and should be widely used in China’s public health care system as many low-income families cannot afford Western medicines. If developed well, TCM could even reverse the perception of the money-obsessed culture of health care caused by expensive Western treatments and chemical drugs, they said.

Speaking on TCM’s shortcomings, Liu Gengtao, a research fellow with Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said TCM practitioners could learn more about diagnosing illnesses using Western medical techniques.

He welcomed the government plan, saying it could prompt researchers to use science to interpret the values and unique theories of traditional medicine and speed up the development of marketable and effective herbal medicines by combining the best of Eastern and the Western practices.

“China will develop a number of new herbal medicines in the next 10 to 20 years,” Liu said.

“Unlike western medicine, which focuses solely on the disease, Chinese traditional remedy takes a holistic approach.” said Wang Jie, president of the Guanganmen Hospital.

He said the co-existence of TCM and Western medicine was unique to China’s health system, and by incorporating the two, China might invent an advanced system of medicine and take the global lead in medical science.

He thought TCM could have “more advantage” in treating chronic illnesses such as cancers, but said more research should be done to gain the scientific evidence.

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