What is Homotoxicology?

Homeopathy is a natural healing method for treating all ailments. It emerged in the late 1700's and is currently the alternative medicine of choice in Germany, France and India. Homeopathic medicines are specially prepared doses of plant and mineral substances which are used to stimulate the body's innate healing mechanisms. Homotoxicology is a form of Homeopathic Medicine based on the theoretical foundation that diseases are the expression of our bodies combating poisons or homotoxins,. Correspondingly, complex combinations of herbal remedies are used to either neutralize or excrete these toxins from the body.

What about training to prescribe Herbal Medicine

I am licensed to practice and prescribe in the state of California, after receiving a Master’s Degree in Oriental Medicine. Additionally, I also have National Certification in Chinese Herbology (NCCAOM). This training has encompassed botany, pharmacology, and herb-and-drug interactions. Please feel free to call me with any herbal-related questions you may have!!

What are the typical costs of herbal prescriptions?

In general, the cost of Chinese herbal prescriptions is very reasonable. This low cost is mainly due to the fact that these herbs are coming directly from Taiwan or China. The raw herbs I carry in my office, from which decoctions or tinctures are made from, are all tested and are free from pesticides and heavy toxic metals. Herbs prescribed as a decoction or tea are priced at a variable rate, based on the weight of the herbal formula. So if a complex formula is prescribed for a complex condition or disease, the cost will be more than one for a simple case. The cost of customized tinctures are $15 for a month’s dosage. Ready-made pill formulas from China are in the range of less than $10 for 100 pills, whereas American-made ones are about $25.

How are the herbs dispensed?

The Chinese Materia Medica includes thousands of herbs. In my office, I have a complete herbal pharmacy. Traditionally, a Chinese herbal formula is a ‘decoction’ or tea of 10-14 herbs, which is cooked and then drank at the usual dosage of 3 cups/day. This is the most clinically effective way to take herbal medicine. The tea is absorbed and distributed to the body by the digestive system in a more gentle and efficient manner than when an herbal prescription is taken in a pill form. However, in order to make customized herbal formulas easier for my patients to take, I have also created a pharmacy of alcohol-extracted herbs, or tinctures. In this case, a patient will take only a small dosage a day, which is almost as clinically effective as drinking an herbal decoction or tea. And finally, I also carry standard Chinese ‘patent’ medicines which are already-made formulas in a pill form. Some of these formulas are directly from China and have been used for many generations, and some are more modern-day equivalents from Chinese-American companies.

What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?

In Chinese Herbology, over 360 plants, minerals and animal substances are used. Herbal prescriptions consist of combining several herbs customized to the patient's condition which are then traditionally prepared as a tea or decoction. In addition to a complete raw herbal pharmacy, for the convenience of the patient, I specialize in having herbal prescriptions available in tincture form. Chinese Herbal Medicine is unique from other types of herbology in that it is based on Chinese Medical theory. Using Chinese Medical theory, a diagnosis is made in order to determine what herbal formula to prescribe.

How is a disease or disharmony diagnosed?

Diagnosis is based on determining the pattern of disharmony. I first look into this by using what is called the ‘Eight Guiding Principles’. These are four polar opposites by which I can interpret the data received from the examination. These include ‘Hot or Cold’, ‘External or Internal’ and ‘Excess or Deficiency’, and ‘Yin and Yang’. Hot and Cold signs and symptoms are easy to understand. Someone may tend to be more Hot or Cold, such as in actual temperature of the body, or may prefer Hot or Cold weather or Hot or Cold drinks, or may have pain that has Hot or Cold sensations to it. External and Internal refer to the location in the body where disharmony lies. An External condition affects the body’s superficial layers of tissue, such as the skin and external areas such as the eyes, ears and teeth, where Internal conditions affect deeper layers of tissues and the internal organs. Excess or Deficiency refers to hyper- or hypo-function of any organ or physiological process. A condition is of Excess when there is obstruction in any organ or increased reactivity to stress or infection, whereas a condition is one of Deficiency if there is decreased resistance to stress or infection. Secondly, I diagnose by taking the Pulse and looking at the Tongue. In Chinese Medicine, we take the pulse at three positions and on three levels on each wrist. This is because each position represents a different organ. I also have patients show me their Tongue. I look at both the shape and color of the tongue, and the location and color of the tongue coating. A normal, healthy tongue should be pink, with a thin, white tongue coating. The organs of the body are mapped on the tongue. The front or tip of the tongue represents the Heart and Lung, the sides of the tongue represent the Liver and GB, the center of the tongue represents the digestive system and the back of the tongue represents the Kidneys/UB. A diagnosis of the patient is then the combination of what I have learned about the patient from discussion with them about their health, current signs and symptoms, and from taking the pulse and looking at the tongue. A treatment plan is then based on this diagnosis, determining which points are treated on the body and what herbal medications are prescribed.

How does it work? Or what is the theory behind TCM?

TCM is based on a very strong theoretical foundation. The Chinese medical theory is all based on the concept of ‘Qi’. Qi can be generally translated as referring to Energy. For example, we receive Qi from the air we breath and Qi from the food we eat. Correspondingly, all organs and processes in the body need Qi in order to perform their functions in our bodies correctly. It is said that there are energetic pathways or networks in the body, which correspond to various organs in the body such as the Liver and Spleen, etc. Each organ network, or meridian as they are called, has corresponding tissues, emotions, and even seasons associated with it and therefore corresponding patterns of disharmony. These patterns of disharmony are what cause pain or a certain disease.

What medical conditions does it treat

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which is a combination of both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, is a complete medical system that can diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. It is a system of medicine with a history of at least 2000 years!! Most Americans think of acupuncture for the treatment of pain, when in fact it is used to treat all medical conditions, from acute, minor illnesses such as the common cold or influenza, or other viral and bacterial infections, to parasitic or fungal problems such as Lyme’s Disease or Candida, to more serious ‘incurable’ conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and arthritis. Also, many Americans know about Acupuncture for helping in drug detox programs, to help stop smoking or alcohol abuse, or to lose weight.

TCM Therapy

TCM also incorporates Moxabustion Therapy. This is a therapeutic method that prevents and treats diseases by applying heat to certain points on the body. The heat is produced by burning a particular species of the wormwood herb, known for its warmth and healing effects. Another TCM method of treatment is Cupping Therapy. With this method, small glass cups are used to stimulate blood circulation, usually to relieve pain.

What is Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine?

Acupressure, Chinese Herbology and Food Therapy is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a complete medical system that has diagnosed, treated and prevented illness for centuries. TCM utilizes Acupuncture and Herbs to treat all ailments, especially those for which Western Medicine has little to offer or those with which Western Medicine causes undesirable side effects. Unlike surgery and medications, Acupuncture and Herbology have virtually no side effects, yet it yields excellent results for a wide variety of conditions. TCM also uses Auriculotherapy (Ear Acupuncture) as an aid in treating many conditions, as well as being an adjunct therapy to curtail smoking, treat eating disorders, and drug and alcohol addiction. Chinese Medicinal Cooking or Food Therapy is tasty and nutritional, and can be geared both towards your health and your tastes. Therapeutic use of diet and nutrition, tailored to the individual, is a powerful tool to supplement any healing process.

Zhang xiaoping wins China's second boxing gold in light-heavyweight class

(Beijing, August 24) -- China's Zhang xiaoping won his country's second-ever Olympic boxing gold medal in the light-heavyweight class by defeating Kenny Egan of Treland11-7.
The bout between Zhang and Egan was hard-fought and intense from the beginning to the end.
The first round saw the two boxers hustling each other and exchanging punches, but Zhang won the round 2-0.
The Irish boxer fought back in the next two rounds, with the boxers scoring the same amount of points in rounds, 3-3 and 2-2.
Egan was equally aggressive in the last round but Zhang, cheered on by a boisterous home crowd, landed another four stinging point-scoring punches to claim the title.
"I'm really excited," said Zhang, "before the Olympic Games, I was just a normal athlete but now I am a gold medalist. I was perfect today and did very well psychologically and physically. Throughout the Games, I fought with 100 per cent of my skills. I put myself in a low position and tried my best to fight against my opponent."
China's first boxing gold medal was won by Zou shiming in the light-flyweight class earlier today.

(Beijing , August 24) --China's Zou shiming won China's first boxing gold today by defeating Mongolia's Serdamba Purevdorj in the final of the light-flyweight class. Zou hit Purevdorj with a combo of punches in the first round, earning one point.
The bout ended abruptly in the second round with Purevdorj retiring due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in his bout against Yampier Hernandez G of Cuba
"When I was fighting today I felt a lot of pain in my shoulder and I decided not to force myself," said Purevdorj.
Zou was ecstatic at being able to better the bronze medal that he won at Athens 2004.
"I am very happy because I won the first Boxing gold medal for my country," said Zou after winning the gold medal.
"I wanted to give the spectators a wonderful show, but I did not expect that my opponent would get injured. However, the gold medal is the most important thing."

Ma realizes his gold medal dream

Ma Lin scored a hard-fought win over teammate Wang Hao 4-1 to finally add Olympic gold to his gold medal collection. Ma was fierce and aggressive from the start and enjoyed a 2-0 lead before Wang, who also won the Men's Singles silver medal in Athens, found his pace in the third game. But Ma would come back to win the next two games for the gold medal.
Earlier in the afternoon, Jorgen Persson of Sweden and Wang Liqin in the bronze medal match gave the spectators a great show with a splendid match of many long rallies and slams. Sixth time Olympian Persson, 42, lost the medal but won the applause of the audience for his extraordinary performance and also for the true Olympic spirit he demonstrated during the match as he fought heroically after receiving medical treatment at the start of the fourth game due to pain in his left leg. Wang won the match 4-0.

Photo: Meng/Yang of China retain Men's Canoe Double (C2) 500m gold

(BEIJING, August 23) -- Defending champions China's Men guo liang and Yang wenjun successfully won gold again with a time of 1:41.025 minutes in the final of the Men's Flatwater Canoe Double (C2) 500 meter on Saturday, August 23.
Russia's Sergey Ulegin and Alexander Kostoglod finished 0.257 seconds after for a silver medal, and third place went to Germany's Christian Gille and Thomasz Wylenzek.
The Chinese pair kept the lead throughout the whole 500m. The Russian pair ranked fourth in the first half and sped up to second place in the latter half.
This is the first Olympic experience for Russia's Ulegin, but the fifth time for his partner Kostoglod, who claimed bronze in this event in Athens.
The German pair maintained third place throughout the race. They ranked fifth in this event in Athens.

Chinese Zhang Yining wins Olympic table tennis singles gold

Zhang Yining of China returns the ball during the women's singles gold medal match of Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event against her compatriot Wang Nan in Beijing, China, Aug. 22, 2008. Zhang Yining

BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- World number one Zhang Yining won her fourth Olympic gold, beating teammate Wang Nan 4-1 in an all-Chinese women's singles table tennis Olympic final here Friday evening.
Zhang won 8-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3, becoming the third Chinese table tennis player to pocket four Olympic golds, after legendary Deng Yaping and Grand Slam veteran Wang.
It was also the 19th Olympic gold medal that China won in table tennis since its national sport was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Games.
With a 4-2 win over Singapore's Li Jia Wei, China's Guo Yue finished third, a disappointment for the world champion who had rarely finished lower than second in international singles tournaments in the last two years.
Guo failed to reach the final because of her 4-2 loss to "Big Sister" Wang, who is going to retire and determined to win as much as possible at her last Olympic Games.

Chen Ruolin wins Women's 10m Platform Diving gold

Chen Ruolin of China won the gold medal in Women's 10 meter Platform Diving at the Beijing Olympic Games here on Thursday.
Chen scored a total of 447.70 points for gold, the seventh diving title for host China. The silver medal was taken by Emilie Heymans of Canada at 437.05. Another Chinese diver, Wang Xin, finished third with 429.90.

Elsewhere, the USA displayed the value of team work, by taking two team sport titles and a one, two, three on the track…just don't mention the words "baton" and "drop" to them though.
But where else can we start Day Thirteen's review than the National Aquatics Centre where 15 year-old Chen Roulin produced one of the stellar displays of Beijing 2008 by not just by winning the Women's 10m Platform gold medal to keep China's indomitable quest for eight gold medals on track, but by showing the true mark of a champion - by performing best when it mattered most – under pressure.
Chen may be World No. 1 with an Olympic Team gold medal safely tucked inside her kitbag, but when Emilie Heymans of Canda put in a remarkable fourth round dive worth 95.20, it was looking like as if Day Thirteen would prove unlucky for Chen and for China –this was the very same gold medal that evaded the country's clutches at Athens in 2004.
That is when Chen responded like a great. A dive of 89.10 left her behind, going into the final round behind Heymans, who couldn't quite repeat the magic of her previous effort. But it still looked good enough to win, that is, until Chen produced a near perfect dive with the last leap of the competition.
Despite the almost intolerable pressure mounted on such young shoulders, Chen's final dive earned an amazing 100.30 points – enough to take the title with ease.
Disappointed Haymens could only look on with frustration – she leaves with yet another silver medal while Chen's teammate wang took bronze…….so now it is China all down the Men's 10m platform on Saturday (August 23). Surely they won't miss out now, will they?
Another great story also happened in water today – this time, of human triumph over adversity - with a major surprise as Maarten van der Weijden of the took the Men's 10km Marathon Swissming gold medal at a rainy Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.

China's Wu Jingyu wins gold in women's taekwondo 49kg category

Wu Jingyu of China celebrates after defeating Buttree Puedpong of Thailand during the women’s 49kg gold medal match at the Beijing Olympic Games taekwondo event in Beijing, China, Aug. 20, 2008. Wu Jingyu won the match and got the gold medal.

BEIJING, Aug. 20 -- China's Wu Jingyu claimed title in the women's 49kg category taekwondo event on Wednesday, beating Thai Buttree Puedpong 1- (-1).
With the deafening cheerings from home fans, Wu launched aggressive attacks as soon as the final began and scored one point with a side kick and made the opponent get a warning penalty.
She took the lead into round 2, and in the third round, her furious attacks made Buttree almost give up counterattacks, which lead to another warning penalty and finally an one-point reduction.
The responsive fans made countdowns in the last six seconds and roared to the newly-crowned who burst into tears.
The 21-year-old won the preliminary round and quarterfinals both with a seven-point advantage. She stepped into an intense competition with old rival Yang Shu-chun of Chinese Taipei, who beat her at the Asian championships in April.
Although Wu took a two-point lead from the beginning as she successfully loaded an axe kick on Yang's head, Yang kept making defensive kicks and managed to get one point in the second round. However, Yang failed to score more points in rest of the game and was defeated by Wu with 1-4.
With the victory against Yang, it seemed the final is not a big deal for her.
Yang lost her last opportunity to get a bronze as she lost the repechage game to Cuban Daynellis Montejo, who settled for the bronze together with Dalia Contreras Rivero of Venezuela.
According to a rule newly introduced at Beijing Olympics, losers to the finalists can play in the repechage to compete for two bronze medals

China's Yin Jian wins gold in in women's RS:X windsurfing

BEIJING, Aug 20 -- China's Yin Jian won gold today in the women's RS:X windsurfing. Italy's Alessandra Sensini won silver and Great Britain's Bryony Shaw claimed bronze.

(Beijing, August 19) -- China's dominance in Diving continued at the Water Cube on Tuesday, August 19, with He chong winning the Men's 3m Springboard with 572.90 points. The host nation has won all six Diving competitions contested in Beijing thus far and has won the Men's Springboard in three consecutive Olympic Games.
Alexandre Despatie of Canada continued a streak of his own, winning silver in the event for the second straight Olympic Games. He Chong's compatriot,Qin kai , won bronze.
He Chong finished on top of the field in the preliminary round and semifinal, showing from start to finish why he is ranked No. 1 in the world. He punctuated his performances with a final dive -- a 5156B -- that earned him a 100.70, the highest individual score of the final.
Three-time Olympian Alexandre Despatie won his second Olympic silver with a consistent performance in the final, following closely behind He Chong from the second dive to the end.
Qin Kai, who, like He, was also making his Olympic debut, won his second medal of the Games. He won gold with partner Wang Feng in the Synchronized Springboard event.
Legendary diver Dmitry Sautin of Russia an eight time Olypmic Medal ist, finished in fourth -- falling short of the podium despite a spectacular 99.75-point final dive. Sautin won silver in the Synchronized Springboard last week.

Chinese Lu Chunlong wins men's trampoline Olympic gold

China's Lu Chunlong competes during trampoline men's final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Lu claimed the title of the event with a score of
BEIJING, Aug. 19 -- Chinese Lu Chunlong won the men's trampoline gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games here on Tuesday.

Lu scored the winning 41.00 points, while Canadian Jason Burnett had the silver in 40.70 and Dong Dong of China got the bronze in 40.60.