More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles
Anti-Aging With Acupuncture and Medical Herbs
Currently, at least 80% of seniors have at least one chronic condition, and 50% have at least two. These conditions can cause pain, disability, and loss of function. About 12 million seniors living at home report that chronic conditions limit their activities. Three million elder adults say they cannot perform basic activities of daily living, such as bathing, shopping, driving, dressing, or even eating. Their quality of life suffers as a result, and demands on family and caregivers can be a big challenge.
Chinese medicine, acupuncture and medical herbs, may help you stay young longer. It is the belief of Chinese medicine practitioners that Chinese medicine will help restore optimal function to your living cells, which in turn can raise your quality of life and possibly extend your lifespan.
Two different processes control the degeneration of your body's cells one is programmed cell death (PCD), or called apoptosis; another one is necrosis. Apoptosis is auto-controlled by human genes; it is a natural process in life, and it usually does not cause severe and acute tissue inflammation. Necrosis is when our cells die during fierce damage, usually caused by certain injuries, or acute immune reactions, which cause tissue inflammation.
Some of the reasons your body degenerates with age include the use of drugs, chemicals, alcohol, smoking and other bad habits.
Scientists have found that Renshen (Rg1, a Chinese herbal medicine) has a strong anti-aging function, and that it may help regulate endocrines, the cardiovascular and digestive systems, and boost immunity. According to this research, it may be one of the most powerful anti-aging herbs, but use caution, as existing studies have only been performed on lab mice, not on humans.
Chinese medicine uses different terminology than conventional medicine. For example, menopause is a process of ovary degeneration. It presents symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety, and insomnia. These symptoms are due to the body's inability to produce certain hormones in the ovaries. In Chinese medicine the symptoms are explained as a liver and kidney Yin deficiency. The treatment is to nourish Yin of the liver and kidneys, and reduce heat, which can treat the symptoms of menopause.
Animal studies shows that after using acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, female rat's ovaries are bigger in size and heavier in weight, and can produce more hormones than they could prior to treatment. The theory is that Chinese medicine may somehow stimulate and stop the degeneration of the ovaries, but it is not clear how this process works. The increased hormones from acupuncture could very well help woman with anti-aging, improving the appearance of their skin, and increasing fertility.
