Chinese Album

Olympic torch relay concludes in Buenos Aires

2008-04-11T18:00:00.001-07:00

The 2008 Olympic torch relay concluded in Buenos Aires after a 13.8 kilometer journey through the capital city of Argentina on Friday.

This is the first time in Olympic history that the Olympic flame passed through the Latin American city.

Triple Olympic medal winner Carlos Espinola holds the torch

In the ceremony which kicked off the torch relay at Lola Mora amphitheatre in the port district, mayor Mauricio Marci said he was proud that Buenos Aires being selected as "the Latin American representatives" in the Olympic torch relay.

The mayor said that "it is a great joy to be the hosts of a party like the one is taking place today, it is a proud to be the Latin American representatives" in Olympic torch relay.

"The Olympic Games is a moment of brotherhood, of life time sharing, that feed us and made us better as society. We hope to beat the high of the expectations", the mayor said.

The mayor then handed the torch to the first runner, triple Olympic medal winner Carlos "Camau" Espinola who said afterwards that he was hornored to be the first torchbearer.

The 36-year-old windsurfer, who had won two silver and one bronze medals at previous Olympic Games, said he would try to fulfill his "golden dream" at the Beijing Olympic Games.

80 torchbearers took part in the relay through Buenos Aires, among them are field hockey player Vanina Oneto, cyclist Juan Curuchet, swimmer Georgina Bardach, waterskier Jorge Renosto and other sportsmen and former sportsmen.

Large crowds lined the relay route to mark the historic moment of the city and the torch relay turned out to be a "festive event" as promised by Julio Cassanello, president of the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA).

Cassanello, who is in Beijing to attend the 16th conference of national and regional Olympic committees, said on Thursday "we will make the torch relay a festive event for all in Buenos Aires and in Argentina".

"The Olympics is about peace of the world, not violence. We will make the torch relay in Argentina a festive event," said the COA president.

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Xiang Liu

2007-08-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

Liu Xiang was a high jumper until his sports school asked him to give up the event because a bone test showed that he would not grow tall enough to become a world-class jumper. He began training as a hurdler in 1998. In 2002 Liu broke Renaldo Nehemiah's 24-year-old world junior record for the 110m hurdles. The following year he earned a bronze medal at the World Championships of Athletics and stamped himself as a medal contender for the 2004 Olympics, although he was not considered a favourite for the gold. However, in the final, Liu's technique was nearly perfect as he barely touched the sixth hurdle and cleared all of the others cleanly. He powered to a victory of almost three metres. In so doing, he tied the 11-year-old world record of 12.91 seconds. Liu was the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics. Only 21 years old at the time of his victory, Liu vowed to defend his title when the Olympics come to Beijing in 2008.
Xiang LIU of China competes during the 110m heats at the Olympic Stadium. Credit: Getty Images/Clive Brunskill
Born: 13 July 1983
Birthplace: Shanghai (China)
Nationality: China
Sport: Athletics
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Athens 2004
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Gold: 1

What is Healthren

2006-11-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

www.Healthren.com is a website which introduce healthy life , the medical treatment health care , disease prevention and cure , cosmetology , lose weight and slimming , health diet , attending to health medical science of first aid and Traditional Chinese medicine .

Especially about Traditional Chinese Medicine , one of China splendid cultural heritages, is the science dealing with human physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. During several thousand years it has made great contributions to the promotion of health, the proliferation and prosperity of the Chinese nation, and the enrichment and development of world medicine as well. The formation of the theoretical system of TCM was greatly influenced by ancient Chinese materialism and dialectics. The theoretical system takes the physiology and pathology of zang-fu organs and meridians as its basis, and its diagnostic and therapeutic features.

In TCM theory, Yin and Yang are used to explain physiological and pathological phenomena of the body. They are also the principles of diagnosing and treating diseases. According to TCM theory, the occurrence of diseases is the coordination between Yin and Yang and the treatment of diseases is the reestablish of the equilibrium between them .Traditional Chinese Medicine is better for the treatment of diseases of viral infections, immune system, cardio-cerebrovascular system and nervous system without causing any side-effects compared with western medicine.

Memories are made with sleep

2006-10-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

If you're studying for a test, rehearsing for a play, or memorizing a difficult piece of an article, the best thing you can do for your memory is to get to bed on time, Two new studies suggest that we form memories in several stages, and sleep may be the most important stage of all.
In the first study, 84 college students learned to identify a series of similar-sounding words produced by a machine. Right after the training, they performed well on a word recall test. Later in the day, they didn't do as well. After a good night's sleep, however, their performance rebounded to where it had been the morning before.
For the second study ,a different group of researchers taught 100 adults to press a specific sequence of five number keys on a keyboard. The adults had to do it again and again as accurately and quickly as possible .Six hours later, they remembered original sequence even after they had just learned a second sequence . A night's sleep helped them do even better.
The researchers found that memory formation may require more than just one night of good sleep .On the second day, if participants were tested on the first sequence and then immediately learned a second sequence ,their memory for the first faded badly. If they weren't retested on the first before learning a second sequence, the adults remembered both sequences the following day.
These results suggest that briefly recalling something a day after you learned it can actually get it in the way of future recall, especially if you are learning something new right after. Lasting memories don't seem to form all at once . Instead, you need to sleep to help reinforce memories and keep them from fading away.
So if you really want to remember something, study bedtime, but don't stay up all night. You may learn less, but you will remember a whole lot more.

Zhang Yimon to design 2008 Olympic ceremonies

2006-10-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

China's best-known Zhang Yimou will join hands with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg in designing the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Olympic Games.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) unveiled a high-profile crew to produce the most eye-catching cultural events.
Spielberg will serve as an artistic consultant along with Australian Ric Birch, director of the highly successful opening and closing ceremonies at the Sydney Games in 2000, and Yves Pepin, president of French company, ECA2.
"I am very honored to be named the chief director of the ceremonies," Zhang said at a ceremony at BOCOG's headquarters.
"It is a huge task... but I promise that I will fulfill the task successfully."
Spielberg also said he was honored to get involved in the Beijing Olympics.
"Our one goal is to give the world a taste of peace , friendship, cooperation and understanding," he said.
"Through the visual arts, the performing arts, the art of music, the art of dance, and the art of celebration of life, all of us are devoted to making this Olympic opening and closing ceremonies the most emotional everyone has ever seen."
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Games will take place on August 8, 2008.

Finding The Right Health Insurance Company

2006-09-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

There are various ways to look for a health insurance company. The easiest way is to go online and type "health insurance company" into the search engine. Then press enter. A whole list of health insurance companies and their websites should pop up. Try to select a website that lets you compare health insurance company to health insurance company. You may also call individual health insurance companies, but this tends to be more time consuming. This can be done by finding their numbers in your local yellow pages.
When choosing a health insurance company, first decide on if you want your coverage to be for PPO or for HMO. HMO stands for health maintenance organization. With an HMO, you can only see a limited list of doctors or doctors that are contracted with the HMO health insurance company. PPO stands for preferred provider organization. A PPO plan means you can select to see certain doctors on a list, as well as doctors that are not in the network, but they still accept the type of health insurance.
Next, you need to decide how much coverage you need because this affects the price you with pay monthly to the health insurance company. Some coverage is very limited and does not include emergency room visits, lab work, x-rays, etc. Also, some coverage's have varying deductibles for emergency room visits. Deductibles can vary from $100 to $2500. The cheaper the deductible, the higher
your monthly payments are for the health insurance. Also, some coverage's require co pays for doctor visits. The cheaper the co pay, the higher your monthly payment. Lastly, this is the same for prescription drug coverage. You must keep in mind how much you can afford to pay monthly in conjunction with what type of coverage you need.
There are many people in America that are in dire need of health insurance for either themselves or for their entire families. This can be for many reasons. Sometimes their employers do not provide health insurance. Other times, the people are self employed. For either of these situations, you must obtain health insurance on your own. It is often hard for people in these situations to determine which health insurance company to go with. If you happen to be one of these people, then please read on for a guide to finding the right health insurance company.
Hopefully this guide to finding the right health insurance company was helpful to you. There are a lot of important aspects you must consider when selecting a health insurance company. Your health and perhaps your family's health depend on you making the right decision. Utilize this information carefully to help you make a wise decision.

Affordable Health Insurance

2006-09-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Affordable Health Insurance offers you a wide variety of medical insurance policies to protect you and your family against the high costs of health care. Affordable individual health insurance is likely for all of us who are in need of it. We just have to do a little homework to understand what is available, and ask ourselves what we need and what we can afford.
Affordable health insurance can be of different types. It can be like affordable individual health insurance, affordable family health insurance, affordable child health insurance, affordable employee health insurance known as group health insurance, affordable business health insurance etc.
Affordable individual health insurance is likely for all of us who are in need of it. We must have to do a little homework to understand what is available, and ask ourselves what we need and what we can afford. After we have done the research, we can begin to fill out the applications and be on our way to have the health care coverage we need.
The web is amazing in all of its diverse sources of information, and with all the possible that are out there in the insurance world, it is very likely that by using there in the insurance world, it is very likely that by using the internet as a resource, you can find affordable health insurance policies. You can also discuss your possibilities with an insurance broker, or you can call the customer service departments of the major health care providers. There are many ways to obtain the information you need in order to find the right policy for you.

Low Cost Life Insurance

2006-09-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Finding low cost life insurance need not be a complex process. The life insurance market in the UK is extremely cost competitive, with a glut of cost orientated life insurance companies keeping the cost of life insurance at record low levels. Competition in low cost life insurance has increased further over the last few years, with low cost UK supermarkets like Tesco and ASDA now offering cut-price low cost life insurance. A ￡100,000 term life insurance policy for 25 years now has a low cost of around ￡5 - ￡6 per month for a young non-smoker with low susceptibility to health problems.
But, despite the greater accessibility of low cost life policies, the cost of life insurance premiums does vary. Here is a review of the major factors that influence the cost of life insurance policies: -
Low Insurance Age - The age at which a life insurance policy is taken out has a significant impact upon the low cost of the life insurance premiums paid. The younger you are when you start a life insurance policy then the better chance you have of obtaining a life insurance policy at low cost. This is because at a younger age you are viewed as being at a low risk of passing away than someone 30 or 40 years your senior. Life insurance premiums will therefore be at a low cost for young people, but not so low cost for older people.
Health - Life insurance companies will award low cost life insurance to people who have low health risks. To qualify for life insurance at low cost on health grounds you will need a low level of hereditary disease running in your family. If you suffer from a life threatening disease, such as cancer or heart disease, your life insurance cost will not be so low. Also, if asthma, high blood pressure or cholesterol problems exist then a low cost insurance policy could cost that little bit more.
Lifestyle - A low cost life policy is available to those with a low stress / low danger lifestyle. If you drink excessively or you are a smoker or practice extreme or dangerous sports / activities then a life insurance policy that is low cost could be out of your reach.
Insurer Cost - Finally, no matter what type of life insurance cover you have, be sure to check the cost of other life insurance policies regularly. The life insurance market is always changing, so you just might find a better low cost provider of low cost life insurance the next time you search the life insurance market for low cost insurance policies.
About the Author: Matthew Bourne has been working in the loans, mortgage and life insurance industry for over 10yrs and is currently working for http://www.loansgalaxy.com/life-insurance/
Source: www.isnare.com

acupuncture course

2006-08-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

According to acupuncture course, these are the invisible channels through which qi circulates throughout the body. The acupuncture points (or holes as the Chinese term xue is more aptly translated means) are the locations where the qi of the channels rises close to the surface of the body. There are 12 main meridians, six of which are yin and six are yang and numerous minor ones, which form a network of energy channels throughout the body.
In acupuncture, each meridian is related to, and named after, an organ or function, the main acupuncture course are: the lung, kidney, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, large intestine, gall bladder, urinary bladder, san jiao (three heater) and pericardium (heart protector/ or circulation sex meridian).
There are also 8 extraordinary channels in acupuncture that are considered to be reservoirs supplying qi and blood to the twelve regular channels. These are believed to have a strong connection to the kidney. The meridians are shown in the figures.

Location of the meridians and acupoints (acupuncture points) in the body.
Dotted along these meridians are more than 400 acupuncture points, classified by WHO. (There may be as many as 2000 points in use for different treatments.) These are listed by name, number and the meridian to which they belong.
When Chi flows freely through the meridians, the body is balanced and healthy, but if the energy becomes blocked, stagnated or weakened, it can result in physical, mental or emotional ill health. An imbalance in a person's body can result from inappropriate emotional responses such as: excess anger, over-excitement, self-pity, deep grief and fear. Environmental factors such as cold, damp/humidity, wind, dryness, and heat can also cause imbalance so as factors such as wrong diet, too much sex, overwork and too much exercise.
To restore the balance, the acupuncturist stimulates the acupuncture points that will counteract that imbalance. So, if you have stagnant Chi, he will choose specific points to stimulate it. If the Chi is too cold, he will choose points to warm it. If it is too weak, he will strengthen it. If it is blocked, he will unblock it, and so on. In this way, acupuncture course can effectively rebalance the energy system and restore health or prevent the development of disease. The points that the practitioner chooses to stimulate may not necessarily be at the site of the symptoms.

the oldest and famous medical classics of Chinese medicine

2006-08-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

The human body is a very complicated system, but make out with very simple method , so long as a couple are together, will make individuals once being not careful. But the maintenance of the human body is extremely complicated , an extremely outstanding student, must read for seven years in the medical college , then should be after continuing studying for a lot of years in the hospital again, could become a real well-known doctor . But the most famous doctor today, one basket of diseases is that he is at a loss what to do.
the oldest and famous medical classics of Chinese medicine is " Huang Di Nei Ching" which spreading for more than 3,000 years, the completion of this book has been a mystery in history all the time , how could the mankind more than 3,000 years ago build and construct such perfect medical theory? But this book is obviously hidden or lose a lot of chapters , especially the heart and efficacious chapter.
Collateral channels and acupuncture points one are the most special part in Chinese medicine theories, it is some point names with fairy , spirit , soul , soul wording , for example, mind, supernatural hall, soul's door, soul family,etc.. there are close relations cleverly of the clever medical treatmen between these acupuncture points and the most popular of modern prevailing body and mind . That is to say that the earliest Chinese medicine should be to include fairy and treat similar with South America and print the technology with the witch doctor, because political involvement factor of strength, make a part this painstaking deletion perhaps.
Confucius has an eternal famous saying: The son blames the haphazard spirit of strength in silence. After the Confucianists are regarded as the main theory which is most suitable for the times of peace and prosperity by the past dynasties king, the scholar regards strange haphazard spirit of strength as the heresy .so treating of mind has been probably deleted from the ancient book efficaciously on the speech becoming the difficult hall which stepped on the elegance in the medical book.
The witch doctor who is the earliest doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and seal added should be very close, and well-known doctor of successive dynasties should majority have exceptional function too, if Bian que can perspect human ability and well-known doctor's grandson of internal organs think of far away coherent fairy ability, record it in the history . In China, doctors with very sophisticated medical skill are often respectfullied call a highly skilled doctor , in fact the highly skilled doctor is just the witch doctor's laudatory title .
You can find more imformation about this from www.healthren.com soon.

The effectiveness of acupuncture

2006-08-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

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Several theories have been advanced to explain acupuncture's effectiveness in this regard. There is speculation that the needle insertions stimulate the body's production of such natural opiates (painkilling chemicals) as endorphins or enkephalins. Others have posited that the minor stimulation of acupuncture selectively acts on impulse transmission to the central nervous system, thus closing certain neurological “gates” and blocking the transmission of pain impulses from other parts of the body. Some Western observers studying the method have suggested that acupuncture analgesia is plainly a placebo analgesia—which does not, however, detract from its effectiveness.
A bronze model shows the hundreds of specified points for the insertion of the needle; this was the forerunner of countless later models and diagrams. The needles used are three to 24 centimetres (about one to nine inches) in length. They are often inserted with considerable force and after insertion may be agitated or screwed to the left or right. Acupuncture, often combined with moxibustion, is still widely used for many diseases, including fractures. Recently people in theWestern world have turned to acupuncturists for relief from pain and other symptoms. There is some speculation that the treatment may trigger the brain to release morphinelike substances called endorphins, which presumably reduce the feeling of pain and its concomitant emotions.
acupunctureancient Chinese medical technique for relieving pain, curing disease, and improving general health. It was devised before 2500 BC in China and by the late 20th century was used in many other areas of the world. Acupuncture consists of the insertion of one or several small metal needles into the skin and underlying tissues at precise points on the body.
Acupuncture consists of the insertion into the skin and underlying tissues of a metal needle, either hot or cold. The theory is that the needle affects the distribution of the yin and the yang in the hypothetical channels and burning spaces of the body. The site of the insertion is chosen to affect a particular organ or organs. The practice of acupuncture dates from before 2500 BC and ispeculiarly Chinese. Little of practical importance has been added since that date, although there have been many well-known treatises on the subject.

Acupuncture grew out of ancient Chinese philosophy's dualistic cosmic theory of the yin and the yang. The yin, the female principle,is passive and dark and is represented by the earth; the yang, the male principle, is active and light and is represented by the heavens.The forces of yin and yang act in the human body as they do throughout the natural universe as a whole. Disease or physical disharmony is caused by an imbalance or undue preponderance of these two forces in the body, and the goal of Chinese medicine is to bring the yin and the yang back into balance with each other, thus restoring the person to health.
An imbalance of yin and yang results in an obstruction of the vital life force, or ch'i, in the body. The fundamental energy of the ch'i flows through 12 meridians, or pathways, in the body, each in turn associated with a major visceral organ (liver, kidney, etc.) and with a functional body system. Acupuncture is designed to affect the distribution of yin and yang in these channels so that the ch'i will be enabled to flow freely and harmoniously.
The actual practice of acupuncture consists of inserting needles into any of hundreds of points located over the 12 basic meridians and over a number of specialized meridians. The needles usedmay be slightly arrowheaded or may have extremely fine points. The typical insertion is 3 to 10 mm (0.1 to 0.4 inch) in depth; some procedures call for insertions up to almost 25 cm (10 inches). Once inserted, a needle may be twisted, twirled, or connected to a low-voltage alternating current for the duration of its use. The physician frequently inserts needles at a considerable distance from the point on which they are to act; for example, a needle inserted into the pad of the thumb is expected to produce analgesia in the abdomen. Similarly, successive points on a specific meridian may affect widely different areas or conditions; e.g., the first six points of the yin lung meridian deal primarily with swollen joints, excessive heat in joints, bleeding of the nose, heart pains, mental depression, and inability to stretch the arms above the head. The location of the points is mastered by the use of innumerable diagrams and models.
Acupuncture appears somehow to be effective in relieving pain and is routinely used in China as an anesthetic during surgery. Western visitors have witnessed ambitious (and ordinarily painful) surgical operations carried out on fully conscious Chinese patients locally anesthetized only by acupuncture.
Chinese assertions that acupuncture can actually cure disease defy rational clinical practice and have yet to be substantiated by Western medical researchers.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion

2006-08-01T02:19:00.000-07:00

According to ancient Chinese medical records and archaeological findings, the primitive Chinese people used bianshi (stone pierces), the earliest acupuncture instrument, to treat diseases. Afterward, with the further development of the society, bone needles and bamboo needles replaced stone ones. Then the development and improvement of metal casting techniques brought about metal medical needles, such as bronze, iron, gold and silver ones. Ancient Chinese doctors used nine kinds of needles: the round needle, the blunt needle, the three-edge needle, the sword needle, the round sharp needle, the long needle, the large needle, and the arrowhead needle. At present, stainless steel needle are widely used.Acupuncture and moxibustion, as two important methods of treatment, form an indispensable part of traditional Chinese medicine.
Both these two methods of treatment are based on the theory of points and the theory of jing and luo. A point means a specific spot on the body surface at which acupuncture or moxibustion is applied to evoke a certain reaction in some regions or viscera so as to produce therapeutic effects. According to the theory of jing and luo, stimulating certain points along the jing and luo by inserting needles can cure a disorder of the circulation of qi.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of treating disease or relieving pain by inserting one or more metal needles at a certain point or certain points of the human body. An acupuncturist usually pays due attention to the basic techniques including the way the needle is inserted' rapidly or slowly, the depth of the insertion, the length of time the needle should be left in the body, and the number of needles required for the treatment.
Moxibustion, another effective therapy, was discovered by ancient people when they sat down around a fire. They found that the heat not only kept them warm but also relieved certain physical pains. Then they started to use Moxa leaves for the same purpose. Today, in the treatment Moxa leaves are ignited over certain points on the skin's surface.
Acupuncture and moxibustion have many advantages. First, they are applicable in various kinds of diseases and suit therapeutic needs in internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, as well as in preventive medicine. Second, they produce prompt and appreciable cures; increase resistance to disease by providing stimulation at certain points, and stop pain. Third, they are easily practiced and mastered. Furthermore, they produce no or slight side effects, are generally safe, and can be applied together with other therapies.
Acupuncture and moxibustion play an important role not only in advancing Chinese medical science, but also in promoting medical and health science of the whole world.
The development of navigation after the l0th century resulted in the rapid development of China' s foreign trade and exchanges with other countries. Acupuncture and moxibustion were among the Chinese techniques taken to those countries. Many countries took up these techniques in their clinical practice and research.

How Does Acupuncture Work

2006-07-21T02:53:00.000-07:00

According to the principles of TCM, qi flows through the body via 14 primary meridians or channels. To strengthen the flow of qi,or remove blockages in the meridians, an acupuncturist inserts a number of tiny, sterile, flexible needles just under the skin at certain specific points (called acupoints) along the channels. There are four to five hundred named acupoints along the meridians, some of which are associated with specific internal organs or organ systems. If you are suffering from nausea, for example, needles might be inserted into acupoints on your wrist, while a vision problem might be treated with needles in the foot. (Additional ear, scalp, and hand points are also commonly used by some practitioners.) Acupuncture practitioners believe that the therapy stimulates the body's internal regulatory system and nurtures a natural healing response.
Although Western science has neither proven nor accepted the notion of qi, a large body of evidence is accumulating indicating that acupuncture leads to real physiologic changes in the body. Numerous studies have shown, for example, that inserting needles into the skin stimulates nerves in the underlying muscles. This stimulation, researchers feel, sends impulses up the spinal cord to a relatively primitive part of the brain known as the limbic system, as well as to the midbrain and the pituitary gland. Somehow that signaling leads to the release of endorphins and monoamines, chemicals that block pain signals in the spinal chord and brain.
Historically, acupuncture points were believed to be holes that allow entry into channels. These holes provide us gateways to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease body's vital substance, qi, thus correcting many of the imbalances. Many studies and research were directed since to understand the mechanism of acupuncture.
Effects of AcupunctureAcupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system. It also has affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.
The Gate Control Theory of PainAccording to this theory, pain signals must pass through a number of high-traffic gates as they move from the area of injury upward through the spinal cord into the brain. Like a road or highway, these nerves can handle only a limited number of nerve signals at one time. The pain signals travels very slowly. We can generate other signals which move faster. The faster signals crowd out the slower ones because of the limited capacity of the nerves. (Remember the time sitting in traffic near a construction zone, where the two lanes merge into one. The fast cars on the merging lanes go further and merge ahead of the slower ones, making it nearly impossible for the slow traffic on the lane to move forward. Now think about the pain signals are the slow ones sitting there waiting for an opening to move through. If one can produce enough fast signals, it can effectively crowd out the pain signals.) Acupuncture generates competing stimulus and effectively blocks the slow pain signals from reaching the brain. The result: we never experience the pain.
Electrical Theory of PainThe body continually generates tiny but detectable electrical discharges. This electrical field influences the growth, maturation, and functioning of some types of cells. It is known that acupuncture points are concentrated in regions of low electrical resistance. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the electromagnetic fields in the body and the channels or meridians. So, this electrical theory of acupuncture suggests that acupuncture works by influencing the body's electromagnetic fields. Acupuncture points have certain electrical properties, and stimulating these points alters chemical neurotransmitters in the body.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion

2006-07-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

The practice of acupuncture and moxibustion is based on the theory of meridians. According to this theory, qi (vital energy) and blood circulate in the body through a system of channels called meridians, connecting internal organs with external organs or tissues. By stimulating certain points of the body surface reached by meridians through needling or moxibustion, the flow of qi and blood can be regulated and diseases are thus treated. These stimulation points are called acupuncture points, or acupoints.
Acupoints reside along more than a dozen of major meridians. There are 12 pairs of regular meridians that are systematically distributed over both sides of the body, and two major extra meridians running along the midlines of the abdomen and back. Along these meridians more than three hundred acupoints are identified, each having its own therapeutic action. For example, the point Hegu (LI 4), located between the first and second metacarpal bones, can reduce pain in the head and mouth. The point Shenmen (HT 7), located on the medial end of the transverse crease of the wrist, can induce tranquilization.
In acupuncture clinics, the practitioner first selects appropriate acupoints along different meridians based on identified health problems. Then very fine and thin needles are inserted into these acupoints. The needles are made of stainless steel and vary in length from half an inch to 3 inches. The choice of needle is usually determined by the location of the acupoint and the effects being sought. If the point is correctly located and the required depth reached, the patient will usually experience a feeling of soreness, heaviness, numbness and distention. The manipulator will simultaneously feel that the needle is tightened.
The needles are usually left in situ for 15-30 minutes. During this time the needles may be manipulated to achieve the effect of tonifying the qi. Needle manipulations are generally involved with lifting, thrusting, twisting and rotating, according to treatment specifications for the health problem. Needling may also be activated by electrical stimulation, a procedure usually called electro-acupuncture, in which manipulations are attained through varying frequencies and voltages.
Treatment protocols, frequency and duration are a matter of professional judgment of the practitioner, in consultation with the patient. A common course of treatment may initially involve between ten and fifteen treatments spaced at approximately weekly intervals, and spread out to monthly later in a program.
A professional practitioner will always warn the patient of the possibility of exacerbation at the start of a course of treatment. The patients may find that in the short term after treatment, the symptoms may in fact get worse before an improvement sets in. This is a quite common feature of acupuncture treatment.
Patients should inquire about types of needles used prior to treatment. Most practitioners now use pre-packed and sterilized disposable needles that are only once. If re-useable needles are being used patients should ask to see the sterilization procedures that the practitioner adopts.
The effectiveness of an acupuncture treatment is strongly dependent upon an accurate Chinese medical diagnosis. The needling skills and techniques of the practitioner will also influence greatly the effectiveness of the outcome. Acupuncture can be remarkably effective in many conditions, but in the West, patients often use acupuncture as the last option for their long-term chronic problems. Therefore we sometimes see the treatment as slow and in some cases of marginal benefit. With the gradual establishment of acupuncture as the treatment of choice for many people, the effectiveness of the approach with acute as well as with more chronic conditions is being recognized.
Acupuncture is often conducted in combination with Moxibustion. Moxibustion is the process where moxa sticks, made of dry moxa leaves (Artemisia vulgaris) is ignited and held about an inch above the patients’s skin over specific acupuncture points. Moxa is available in a loose form that can be used for making moxa cones. Alternatively, moxa is packed and rolled in a long stick like a large cigar, about 15-20 cm long and about 1-2 cm in diameter. The purpose of this process is to warm the qi and blood in the channels. Moxibustion is most commonly used when there is the requirement to expel cold and damp or to tonify the qi and blood. A single treatment of moxibustion usually lasts 10-15 minutes. Needle-warming moxibustion combines needling and moxibustion by attaching a moxa stub (about 2 cm long) to an inserted needle. This method enhances the effects of needling and is often used to treat chronic rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis.

Healing Applications of Acupuncture

2006-07-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

Acupuncture is best known for the control of pain. However, acupuncture can treat a wide variety of common and uncommon disorders. The following is a list of disorders that can be treated by acupuncture :
RespiratoryAcute Sinusitis Acute rhinitis Common cold Acute tonsillitis Acute bronchitis Bronchial asthma
Eye Acute conjunctivitis (pinkeye) Nearsightedness (in children) Cataract (without complications)
Mouth Toothache, post extraction pain Gingivitis (gum disease) Acute and chronic pharyngitis
Gastrointestinal Disorders Hiccups Gastritis Gastric Hyperacidity Ulcers Colitis Constipation Diarrhea Paralytic ileus
Neurological and Musculoskeletal Disorders Headache and migraine Trigeminal neuralgia Paralysis following stroke Meniere's disease Neurogenic bladder dysfunction Nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting) Intercostal neuralgia (pain in the ribs) Cervicobrachial syndrome (pain radiating from neck to arm) Frozen shoulder or Tennis elbow Sciatica Low back pain Osteoarthritis
Acupuncture is used frequently for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, headache, athletic injuries, and posttraumatic and post surgical pain. It is also used for treating chronic pain associated with immune function dysfunction such as psoriasis (skin disorders), allergies, and asthma. Acupuncture is also found to be effective for the treatment of mind-body disorders such as anxiety, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, PMS, menopausal symptoms, and depression. Some modern application of acupuncture is in the treatment of disorders such as alcoholism, addiction, smoking, and eating disorders.

Acupuncture Lowers High Blood Pressure

2006-07-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Acupuncture helps lower elevated blood pressure, according to new research. A University of California, Irvine study found that electro acupuncture treatments lowered high blood pressure in rats by as much as 50 percent. Though few studies on the efficacy of acupuncture to treat blood pressure have been conducted, the latest research shows promise.
This suggests that acupuncture can be an excellent complement to other medical treatments, said Dr Longhurst, the study's lead researcher. Especially for those treating the cardiac system.
These studies suggest that acupuncture triggers the release of chemicals in the brain that dampen the response of the cardiovascular system. This decreases the heart's activity and need for oxygen, which as a result could lower blood pressure. Therefore, acupuncture could promote healing for a number of heart conditions including heart attacks and hypertension.
Electroacupuncture, like that used in the study, is small, low frequency electrical currents that are passed through normal acupuncture needles. The same points are stimulated as with traditional acupuncture. Needles are inserted on specific points along the body and then attached to a device that generates continuous, small electric pulses. The device adjusts the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture employs two needles at once so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously, usually for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
This type of electroacupuncture is only effective on elevated blood pressure levels, such as those present in hypertension, and the treatment has no impact on standing blood pressure rates, Longhurst said. Our goal is to help establish a standard of acupuncture treatment that can benefit everyone who has hypertension and other cardiac ailments.
The National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization have cited acupuncture and Oriental Medicine as an effective means of treatment. Over 15 million acupuncture treatments are performed safely each year, and nearly half of the American population spends $27 billion annually on complementary therapies of this sort. Acupuncture therapy is beneficial for problems such as: pain, arthritis, asthma, upper respiratory conditions, digestive and urinary disorders, insomnia, depression, post-stroke paralysis, addictions and more. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are becoming more popular as patients in increasing numbers are discovering the benefits of Oriental medicine as their primary health care therapy.

Diet Requirements for Cancer

2006-07-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Achieve and maintain a healthy weightObesity is associated with a marked increase in colorectal cancer, and some hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast and endometrial cancers.
Eat more fruit and vegetablesAt least five portions of fruit and veg a day can reduce the risk of many different types of cancer. The exact reason for this is unknown, but it may be related to their fibre content, vitamins and minerals, other plant chemicals such as flavonoids, or the combination of all these nutrients. Vitamin and mineral supplements may be a useful addition to the diet for some people, but they aren't a substitute for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Eat more fibreOn average, most people need to eat about 50 per cent more fibre than they currently do to meet the recommended intake of 18g per day. Fibre is important to increase stool weight, which enables waste to pass easily from the body. Cancer of the large bowel is the second most prevalent cancer in the UK, affecting one in eight people. By increasing stool weight by 25 per cent, the incidence of this disease could be reduced by up to 15 per cent in Britain.
Eat less fatA high-fat diet is linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. (See the advice on fat intake in the cardiovascular section).
Drink alcohol in moderationExcessive intake of alcohol has been linked with an increased risk of cancer of the mouth, liver and throat. Limit your intake to no more than two to three units a day and try to have two or three alcohol free days each week..
Anti-cancer dietsThere are a range of so called anti-cancer diets which claim to prevent or even cure cancer. Often these diets recommend excluding whole groups of foods and are not supported by scientific evidence. Before considering following any diet which claims to prevent or cure disease consult your GP or a Regsitered Dietitian.

How Does Acupuncture Work(2)

2006-07-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Historically, acupuncture points were believed to be holes that allow entry into channels. These holes provide us gateways to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease body's vital substance, qi, thus correcting many of the imbalances. Many studies and research were directed since to understand the mechanism of acupuncture.
Effects of AcupunctureAcupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system. It also has affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.
The Gate Control Theory of PainAccording to this theory, pain signals must pass through a number of high-traffic gates as they move from the area of injury upward through the spinal cord into the brain. Like a road or highway, these nerves can handle only a limited number of nerve signals at one time. The pain signals travels very slowly. We can generate other signals which move faster. The faster signals crowd out the slower ones because of the limited capacity of the nerves. (Remember the time sitting in traffic near a construction zone, where the two lanes merge into one. The fast cars on the merging lanes go further and merge ahead of the slower ones, making it nearly impossible for the slow traffic on the lane to move forward. Now think about the pain signals are the slow ones sitting there waiting for an opening to move through. If one can produce enough fast signals, it can effectively crowd out the pain signals.) Acupuncture generates competing stimulus and effectively blocks the slow pain signals from reaching the brain. The result: we never experience the pain.
Electrical Theory of PainThe body continually generates tiny but detectable electrical discharges. This electrical field influences the growth, maturation, and functioning of some types of cells. It is known that acupuncture points are concentrated in regions of low electrical resistance. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the electromagnetic fields in the body and the channels or meridians. So, this electrical theory of acupuncture suggests that acupuncture works by influencing the body's electromagnetic fields. Acupuncture points have certain electrical properties, and stimulating these points alters chemical neurotransmitters in the body.

How Does Acupuncture Work(1)

2006-07-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

Chinese Acupuncture

2006-07-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

Acupuncture is an ancient technique in which a skilled practitioner inserts hair-thin needles into specific points on the body to prevent or treat illness. Practiced for over 2,500 years in China, where it originated, acupuncture is part of the holistic system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which views health as a constantly changing flow of energy, or qi (pronounced chee). In TCM, imbalances in this natural flow of energy are thought to result in disease. Acupuncture aims to restore health by improving the flow of qi.
While acupuncture was mentioned in Western medical texts more than a hundred years ago (Sir William Osler's Principles and Practice of Medicine, published in 1892, recommended it for sciatica and lumbago), it wasn't until 1971 that U.S. citizens really became aware of the technique. It was then that New York Timesreporter James Reston, stricken with appendicitis while in Beijing, was treated successfully with acupuncture for post-surgical pain. In a front page Timesstory, Reston wrote, I've seen the past, and it works!
This exposure came at a time when many Americans were looking for a more holistic, naturalistic approach to health care, and it caused quite a stir among the Western medical community. Since then acupuncture has become a widely accepted form of treatment in the U.S., practiced by M.D.s, D.O.s (osteopathic physicians), D.C.s (chiropractic physicians), and N.D.s (naturopathic physicians) who have received special training in its methods, as well as by professionally trained acupuncture practitioners (L.Ac.s, M.Ac.s, O.M.D.s), who specialize only in acupuncture and related traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies.

Eating chocolates promotes good health

2006-07-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Good news for chocoholics. The treat favoured by millions not only tastes delicious but is healthy for you, researchers said .
Chocolate contains compounds called flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy heart and good circulation and reduce blood clotting. The researchers found not only an increase in antioxidant capacity after chocolate consumption, but also modulation of certain compounds which affect blood vessels.
The researchers measured the impact of chocolate on platelets in the blood. Platelet activation is thought to be an important risk factor in blood clotting.
Volunteers who consumed the chocolate had lower levels of platelet activity, while the scientists found no change in the group that ate the bread. The results of the study support earlier research which showed that cocoa acts like low-dose aspirin which helps to reduce blood clotting.
These results lead us to believe that chocolate may contribute to a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Why the eyes have it

2006-07-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Neuroscientists have discovered that eye-to-eye contact unleashes a burst of activity in the reward center of the brain
Romantic novelists rarely fail to include in their oeuvre that special moment when two strangers look into each other's eyes across a crowded room and feel the tingle of desire.
The Barbara Cartland school of writing has now been validated by science, for experts have discovered that eye-to-eye contact in fact unleashes a burst of activity in the reward center of the brain.
Neuroscientists at University College London asked eight female and eight male volunteers to look at photos of the faces of 40 different people who were either looking at the camera or gazing to one side.
While the volunteers looked at the pictures, they were given a scan with functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures increased blood flows to the various parts of the brain and thus provides a "map" of cerebral activity.
The guinea pigs were then asked to rate the attractiveness of each face, and their score was matched against the scan.
The result: when volunteer had direct eye contact with the face, there was an increase of activity in the ventral striatum, a central part of the brain that anticipates reward or pleasure. But if the eyes did not meet, there was no activity in that brain area at all.
The activity increase occurred regardless of the gender of the face in direct eye contact.
However, there was a bigger-than-usual increase if the person giving the eye was found to be attractive. Activity in the ventral striatum surged, in an apparent sign of the sexual appetite being sharpened.
But if the cute person gazed to one side, the ventral striatum remained dormant, apparently disappointed that the stranger was clearly not interested.
Interestingly, the ventral striatum also perked up if a plug-ugly person gazed to one side, rather than looked at the volunteer right in the eyes. "Missing eye contact with an unattractive face may be a relief, and thus enhance activity," the researchers suggest.

Health Countermeasures for Women

2006-07-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

20s, 30s, 40s: Health Countermeasures for Women
At different ages, a woman's body changes all the time: in the twenties, she keeps her body in the best status of health; in the thirties, she has to start fighting against senescence; in the forties, she is preparing for the menopause.
In modern cities, women are busy with handling pressures from work and life. Without regular diet and life, many women are in a sub-healthy status. Though they are in their thirties, they have a body in the forties and bones in the fifties. How to keep the body in a good physical status?
Experts point out that women should have a balanced diet with balanced nutrition and take countermeasures to recuperate at different ages.
In the Twenties
In the twenties a woman enjoys the best status of her body. However, serious consequences may result from indulgence of time, disorder of work and rest, omission of meals, etc. At this stage of age, young women just start working. They need enough nutrition to deal with the heavy work load and great pressure. It is important for young ladies to keep healthy and strong. The most important for them have enough food containing protein, like meat, fish, eggs and food made of soybean.
In addition, if a woman gets married and wants a baby in the twenties, she has to pay attention to take some food or tonic containing iron. Animal livers and lean meat as well as green vegetables contain enough iron.
In the thirties, a woman starts to lose the calcium in the body. It would be better if she has stored enough calcium within the body before her thirties. Enough calcium help promote bone health. Milk is full of calcium. It is important to have one or two cups of milk or yoghourt.
In the Thirties
In the thirties a woman experiences the golden period of her life. She may enjoy the achievements in work and happiness in family. However, at the same time, she is faced with greater pressure from work and family, sparing energy for both work and family. Some women appear older than they should be at that age.
At this period, women need to pay more attention to what they eat, having less fried and heavy food. They can have some exercise and keep themselves in good mood, which helps to lessen the pressure. In the thirties women internal secretion and ovary function wear off, resulting in dry skin and the emergence of double chins and fine wrinkles. Women at this age need more fresh vegetables, fruits and animal protein which contain collagen, like fish and lean meat.
Besides, Vitamin B and Vitamin C are important to prevent women from aging. Researches show that free radical is a key element that causes aging. Vitamin C can prevent the emergence of free radical and reduce the influence of environmental pollution to human bodies. Vitamin B helps the synthesis of protein, improving the immunity of human bodies. Chinese dates, oranges and green vegetables contain much Vitamin C.
After the age of 35, the amount of estrogen and the density of bones drop down. Women have to pay attention to eat food contain enough calcium.
In the Forties
Middle aged women are often bothered by bad mood, disorder of sleep, great pressure, bad memory, and so on. During this period of lifetime, it is quite important to have self health care.
Since the metastasis of middle-aged women is not as good as before and their internal secretion and the amount of estrogen also change a lot, cardiovascular diseases may attack them. They'd better properly adjust the proportion of some kinds of food in the diet, attaching more importance to the nutrition of the diet. They should cultivate a diet with less fat, such as food made of fish, vegetables and fruits, and have little sugar every day. Vitamin C and Vitamin E are also essential for them to prevent the emergence of free radical. In addition, Vitamin E is effective for the prevention of cerebral thrombus and clogs as well as other cardiovascular diseases.
On the other hand, microelements are also significant for middle-aged women. In middle ages, the enzyme which plays an important role in oxygenization in the body does not work as well as before. Microelements, such as iron, zinc, selenium, are the important components of this type of enzyme. Those microelements can help to delay the process of aging.
With the coming of menopause, women in the forties may find their skin dry and dark with less flexibility. Wrinkles climb up around their eyes and mouths. It would be better for them to have food containing much Vitamin E, like corn, sweet potato, mushrooms, walnut, cabbage, etc.

Farmers in eastern China live better life

2006-07-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Farmers in east China's Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces have begun living a well-off life as they have more than enough to eat and wear, a report from the Ministry of Commerce said here Tuesday.
The food proportion in local household consumption expenditure, or the Engel's Coefficient, a popular index to evaluate the living standard, has been on the decline over the past few years, says the report.
In 2004, the per capita annual income of farmers averaged 3,642 yuan (about 440.39 US dollars) in Shandong, 4,754 yuan (about 574.85 US dollars) in Jiangsu and 6,096 yuan (737.12 US dollars) in Zhejiang, up 48.5 percent, 40.8 percent and 59.8 percent separately over 1998.
The average consumption expenditure of the three provinces has exceeded 3,000 yuan (372.76 US dollars). In Zhejiang alone, the average consumption expenditure of farmers is as much as 4,600 yuan (556.23 US dollars).
The report also reveals a palpable increase in the expenditure on communications, entertainment, medical care and transportation. Currently, about 50 percent of rural households in the three provinces own television sets; 35 percent of them have cellphones; 3.1 percent of them have computers and 2.6 percent have family sedans.
Meanwhile, the proportions of farmers intending to buy computers, cellphones and family sedans stand at 11.5 percent, 7.8 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively.
Farmers of these provinces have paid increasing attention to the quality and safety of food, says the report.
With a population of 770 million, rural China has been viewed as a burgeoning market with gigantic potential.
If every farmer spends one more yuan, the market demand in China's national economy will grow two yuan. To have another percentage point of Chinese farmers have access to household appliances will require an extra output of 2.38 million, according to estimates of the National Bureau of Statistics.

What price happiness?

2006-07-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

You don't need millions to be happy. At The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may do the trick.
Since the institute opened its doors this year, men and women of all ages have been paying A0 an hour (US0) for lessons in how to feel great.
Businesses are spending as much as A,000 on half-day happiness workshops for their staff.
"You can actually increase your happiness levels. That's what we teach," said Timothy Sharp, founder of institute, which also offers group sessions from A a head.
"We take people from zero and try to put a positive in their happiness bank account. You don't have to settle just for OKness. It's no more OK than having a zero bank balance. You can have a lot more," Sharp said.
Experts say only about 15 percent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 90 percent comes from elements such as attitude, life control and relationships.
"If you're not a natural in any of these areas you can learn to get a lot better at them," Sharp said.
The Happiness Institute is part of what U.S. economist Paul Zane Pilzer calls the "Wellness Revolution."
In his book of the same name, Pilzer says the next trillion-dollar industry after cars and information technology will be in preventative businesses that help people find peace, health and happiness.
While most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, happiness levels haven't changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness.
Even investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has warned not to "equate money with happiness."
"A vast array of individuals seriously overrate the importance of money in making themselves, and others, happy," said strategist James Montier in a recent memo to clients.
"Since the 1950s, people's happiness levels have been remarkably constant despite a massive growth in income-per-head over the same time horizon," he said.

Muscle cells memorize obesity

2006-07-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Oct. 13 -- US researchers now think they know why obese people often fail to keep losing weight despite cutting down the calories.
The scientists from Duke University Medical Centre said the skeletal muscle of severely obese people was "programmed" to amass fat. The muscle bears a metabolic memory of obesity.
"The cells of obese people remembered their metabolic programme, which could help explain, in part, why losing weight and maintaining weight loss is so difficult," senior researcher Dr. Muoio said.
The study, which apprears in the journal Cell Metabolism, said exercise might be more successful in overriding the muscle's memory than a calorie controlled diet.
"The good news is it's possible to change your energy balance through exercise. Exercise can enhance muscle's ability to burn fat," Dr. Muoio said.
The researchers examined muscle removed from lean and obese patients during surgery.
They found that the fat-building enzyme called stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD--1) was three times more abundant in the muscle taken from obese people than the muscle taken from thinner patients.
The researchers said this demonstrated an important link between obesity, diabetes and abnormal fat build-up in muscle.
The scientists said that the evidence suggested that diet during critical periods of development could lead to metabolic adaptations that persisted into adulthood in muscle memory.
"While these findings may be somewhat discouraging news for those wishing to reverse obesity through dietary interventions, they also highlight the importance of exercise," Dr Muoio said. Enditem

Doctors doubt gifts will vanish

2006-07-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Shanghai doctors are expressing doubt that a new Ministry of Health regulation announced late last week will be effective in stopping doctors from taking gifts from patients or commissions from drug companies.
It has long been a open secret that doctors receive money and gift from patients befor conducting a operation. [file]
The ministry called on health officials around the country to stop the practice by threatening to pull the license of any doctor caught breaking the rules.
It has long been a popular practice in China for patients to give doctors a red envelop filled with cash before or after undergoing surgery to express their gratitude. Envelopes would generally contain at least 1,000 yuan (US$120), which would be split between all of the doctors and nurse who take part in the operation.
"The low income doctors earn is the root of the irregular practice," said Lu Ye, an official with Yangpu District Central Hospital.
Lu points out that newly graduated doctors earn about 2,000 yuan a month, less than many other university graduates around the city, and even those who rise to become hospital directors only take home 4,000 yuan a month.
"Those salaries are not in line with a doctor's qualifications and skills."
While the city of Shanghai has been pushing to stop the practice of giving red envelopes over the past few years, many doctors have found new ways to supplement their incomes, such as taking commission from drug companies to prescribe medications not covered by the city's health insurance system, according to those in the health sector.
Some of the money raised that way is put into hospital funds for professional training and academic exchanges, while the rest is distributed to doctors and nurses, said a local pediatrician surnamed Wu.
"It is a public secret in many hospitals. Our income can't support various academic moves and other expenditures. There will still be loopholes even after the ministry's order."
Gao Qiang, China's vice-minister of Health, has called on health officials around the country to set up complaint hot lines and mailboxes and let the public know where they can report doctors taking gifts or commissions.
"Though it is only some medical workers' improper behavior, it has hurt the image of the whole industry," Gao said.

Skin Cancer Warnings

2006-07-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

People at high risk for deadly melanoma skin cancer are no more likely to protect themselves against the sun than other people, Canadian researchers report.
Patients with a personal or family history of melanoma, or that burn easily in the sun, are considered high-risk for melanoma, and should take extra care in the sun. Our results suggest that high-risk patients were no more likely to take proper precautions in the sun than the entire cohort studied, McGill University Health Centre dermatologist Dr. Beatrice Wang said in a prepared statement.
Her team found that people considered at high risk for melanoma exhibited similar patterns of sunbathing, use of indoor tanning beds, and frequency of sunscreen and protective clothing use as other people.
In fact, the study found that the high-risk people used, on average, a lower factor sunscreen than the general population - 11 SPF compared to 18 SPF.
The study did find that, once diagnosed with melanoma, people made major changes to their sun-exposure habits. After being diagnosed with melanoma 79 percent of patients avoided sunbathing, compared to 28 percent prior to diagnosis; 93 percent used sunscreen, compared to 69 percent pre-diagnosis; and 85 percent wore protective clothing, compared to 31 percent before diagnosis.
The study appears in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery.
Prevention is still the best weapon we have in avoiding this killer disease, experts say. In fact, survival rates for metastatic melanoma - the fastest-growing cancer among Americans today - haven't budged for the past 30 years, according to a study presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Fla. Researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., found that just 35 to 50 percent of individuals with stage III melanoma, and 5 to 10 percent of those with later-stage disease, can expect to survive over the long term.
One glimmer of hope may come in the form of maintenance biotherapy - ongoing combination drug therapy given to patients after an initial round of chemotherapy. In another study presented at this week's ASCO meeting, researchers at the Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, also in Santa Monica, report that at 30 months follow-up, 20 percent of patients with metastatic melanomas were still alive, with 12 percent showing no signs of disease.
Malignant melanoma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevention is the key to reducing deaths, as such it is vital that we continually assess and improve our education and awareness campaigns.
Still, experts agree that the best way to stop melanoma is to avoid getting it in the first place.

Sleep and Disease

2006-07-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

Sleep and sleep-related problems play a role in a large number of human disorders and affect almost every field of medicine. For example, problems like stroke and asthma attacks tend to occur more frequently during the night and early morning, perhaps due to changes in hormones, heart rate, and other characteristics associated with sleep. Sleep also affects some kinds of epilepsy in complex ways. REM sleep seems to help prevent seizures that begin in one part of the brain from spreading to other brain regions, while deep sleep may promote the spread of these seizures. Sleep deprivation also triggers seizures in people with some types of epilepsy.
Neurons that control sleep interact closely with the immune system. As anyone who has had the flu knows, infectious diseases tend to make us feel sleepy. This probably happens because cytokines, chemicals our immune systems produce while fighting an infection, are powerful sleep-inducing chemicals. Sleep may help the body conserve energy and other resources that the immune system needs to mount an attack.
Sleeping problems occur in almost all people with mental disorders, including those with depression and schizophrenia. People with depression, for example, often awaken in the early hours of the morning and find themselves unable to get back to sleep. The amount of sleep a person gets also strongly influences the symptoms of mental disorders. Sleep deprivation is an effective therapy for people with certain types of depression, while it can actually cause depression in other people. Extreme sleep deprivation can lead to a seemingly psychotic state of paranoia and hallucinations in otherwise healthy people, and disrupted sleep can trigger episodes of mania (agitation and hyperactivity) in people with manic depression.
Sleeping problems are common in many other disorders as well, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, cancer, and head injury. These sleeping problems may arise from changes in the brain regions and neurotransmitters that control sleep, or from the drugs used to control symptoms of other disorders. In patients who are hospitalized or who receive round-the-clock care, treatment schedules or hospital routines also may disrupt sleep. The old joke about a patient being awakened by a nurse so he could take a sleeping pill contains a grain of truth. Once sleeping problems develop, they can add to a person's impairment and cause confusion, frustration, or depression. Patients who are unable to sleep also notice pain more and may increase their requests for pain medication. Better management of sleeping problems in people who have other disorders could improve these patients' health and quality of life.

The Theory of Yin-Yang

2006-07-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

The philosophical origins of Chinese medicine have grown out of the tenets of Daoism (also known as Taoism). Daoism bases much of its thinking on observing the natural world and manner in which it operates, so it is no surprise to find that the Chinese medical system draws extensively on natural metaphors. In Chinese medicine, the metaphoric views of the human body based on observations of nature are fully articulated in the theory of Yin-Yang and the system of five Elements.
The direct meanings of yin and yang in Chinese are bright and dark sides of an object. Chinese philosophy uses yin and yang to represent a wider range of opposite properties in the universe: cold and hot, slow and fast, still and moving, masculine and feminine, lower and upper, etc. In general, anything that is moving, ascending, bright, progressing, hyperactive, including functional disease of the body, pertains to yang. The characteristics of stillness, descending, darkness, degeneration, hypo-activity, including organic disease, pertain to yin.
The function of yin and yang is guided by the law of unity of the opposites. In other words, yin and yang are in conflict but at the same time mutually dependent. The nature of yin and yang is relative, with neither being able to exist in isolation. Without cold there would be no hot; without moving there would be no still; without dark, there would be no light. The most illustrative example of yin-yang interdependence is the interrelationship between substance and function. Only with ample substance can the human body function in a healthy way; and only when the functional processes are in good condition, can the essential substances be appropriately refreshed.
The opposites in all objects and phenomena are in constant motion and change: The gain, growth and advance of the one mean the loss, decline and retreat of the other. For example, day is yang and night is yin, but morning is understood as being yang within yang, afternoon is yin within yang, evening before midnight is yin within yin and the time after midnight is yang within yin. The seed (Yin) grows into the plan (Yang), which itself dies back to the earth (Yin). This takes place within the changes of the seasons. Winter (Yin) transforms through the Spring into Summer (Yang), which in turn transforms through Autumn into Winter again. Because natural phenomena are balanced in the constant flux of alternating yin and yang, the change and transformation of yin-yang has been taken as a universal law.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that human life is a physiological process in constant motion and change. Under normal conditions, the waxing and waning of yin and yang are kept within certain bounds, reflecting a dynamic equilibrium of the physiological processes. When the balance is broken, disease occurs. Typical cases of disease-related imbalance include excess of yin, excess of yang, deficiency of yin, and deficiency of yang.

Number Of Hiv Infected Persons In China Increased

2006-06-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

According to the prediction of the specialists, if the annual rate of increase of HIV infection is kept at 30 % in China, to the year of 2010 the total number of the HIV infected persons will reach one million. However, in 2001 the rate of increase of HIV infection already reached 40%! Not long ago, the responsible officers of the Ministry of Health announced that the present situation is of far apart from the objective of 10 % and reminded the urgency of further strengthening of working intensity for prevention and treatment measures against AIDS.
By the end of 2001, there were 30736 HIV infected persons reported from 31 provinces throughout the country, among them there were 1594 cases of AIDS and 684 cases died. The route of infection was chiefly blood-born transmission, accounting for 68.0% of intravenous drug users, 9.7 % in blood (plasma) collecting procedures, 1.5 % during blood transfusion or the injection of blood preparations and 7.2 % of sexual transmissions. Among the registered AIDS cases and the HIV infected, the males were predominantly 80.70 % and the females 18 % who were mainly the adolescents and those in their primes of life with the age range of 20-29 in 53.6 %. According to the accumulated data from various sources, the descending order of the incidence in the 9 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions throughout the country is as follows: Yunnan, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Guangdong, Henan, Sichuan, Beijing, Anhui and Shanghai. Some related data show that at present the HIV infected persons in the Western regions are chiefly the drug users, in the central region, the persons with past history of blood (plasma) donation and in the South-Eastern regions, chiefly the sexual transmission among prostitutes.
Throughout last year, a total of 8219 cases of HIV infections were reported all over the country, of them the drug users accounted for 59.7 %, the number of HIV infection resulted from sexual transmissions increased by 3 folds as compared to that of last year. The sum in the annual report of the whole country increased by 58.0 % as compared to the previous year. The related responsible person of the bureau of disease control, Ministry of Health, pointed out that as a result of more HIV infected cases were seen after blood collection and donation around 1995, the actual annual increase of HIV infected person last year was 40.0 %. The specialist of the of STD and AIDS Prevention and Control Center, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that by the end of last year the number of HIV infected persons was accumulated to 8.5 hundred thousand, among them there were approximately 2 hundred thousand cases of AIDS and approximately 80-100 thousand are still alive, while approximately 10-120 thousand were already dead.
Qi Xiaoqiu, Director-general of the Bureau of Disease Control, Ministry of Health said "Wen Lou village is a place of serious HIV infection in China; the health sections of Chinese government at all levels had throw into massive manpower and material resources for the treatment and salvage, for the help of the livelihood of HIV infected and their family members." According to the latest statistics of the department of health, Henan Province, up to the present, the medical expense of AIDS patients in this village in the amount of 556 thousand RMB was exempted one after another; the armamentarium and medical therapeutic articles with a total price of 255 thousand RMB were supplied which basically satisfied the medical treatment requirement of the patients in that village.

Cell phone studies find no 'consistent evidence' of cancer link

2006-06-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

A review of cell phone studies commissioned by the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority has found no "consistent evidence" of an increased risk of cancer from usage, the agency said.
Studies have differed on whether the use of mobile phones increases the risk of cancer as the handsets have become increasingly popular and efficient.
The governmental agency asked Dr. John D. Boice Jr. and Dr. Joseph K. McLaughlin of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Md., to evaluate published epidemiological research on the subject.
The review looked at nine studies since 1996 that included factors such as type of phone, duration and frequency of use and brain tumor location.
"No consistent evidence was observed for increased risk of brain cancer (or other forms)," the scientists said in the review, released Wednesday.
The agency acknowledged public concern about the issue and said many studies were still being performed and continued follow-up was needed on any possible carcinogenic effect linked to mobile phone usage.
"You can never say that something is without risk, but at least we can say that there is no scientific evidence for a causal association between the use of cellular phones and cancer," said Lars-Erik Paulsson, a radiation expert with the agency.
The review singled out research by Swedish oncologist Lennart Hardell, which said that long-term users of old-fashioned analog cell phones were at least 30% more likely than nonusers to develop brain tumors. Newer digital phones emit less radiation than older analog models of the sort studied.
Hardell, whose study was published recently in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, studied 1,617 patients with brain tumors and compared them with a similar-size group of people without tumors.
The review said Hardell's study and some U.S. research with similar findings were "non-informative, either because the follow-up was too short and numbers of cancers too small, or because of serious methodological limitations."
It contrasted those with three studies in the United States, and studies in Finland and Denmark, which Paulsson said used more reliable sampling methods and were based on medical reports rather than interviews with patients.
Those studies found "a consistent picture ... that appears to rule out, with a reasonable degree of certainty, a causal association between cellular telephones and cancer to date," the agency said
最近,由瑞典辐射保护研究所组织进行的一份研究显示,目前尚没有任何"直接证据"表明使用手机会增加癌症的患病几率。
在学术界，关于手机的广泛使用到底会不会增加癌症的患病率这一课题的争论由来已久，但一直都没能得出一致的结论。
作为政府的官方机构，瑞典辐射保护研究所从美国马里兰州罗克维尔的国际流行病研究所请来了约翰·D·布瓦斯·Jr和约瑟夫·K·麦克劳克林两位教授，对目前研究这一课题的众多出版物进行了综合性评估。
两位科学家共分析了1996年以来的9份研究报告，其中包括手机的种类，使用寿命及频率，甚至还有脑部肿瘤通常所在的位置等。
在9月16日公布的研究结果中，他们的结论是："目前还没有发现使用手机和引发脑癌(及其他癌症)之间有任何直接的必然联系。"
考虑到民众对这一问题的普遍关注，瑞典辐射保护研究所表示，他们还将继续这一课题的研究，跟踪调查手机使用中可能产生的所有致癌物质。
研究所的一位辐射专家拉尔斯-埃里克·保尔松指出："不能肯定这(使用手机)绝对没有危险性，但至少我们现在可以说用手机和得癌症之间没有必然的直接联系。"
这份报告中还专门以瑞典肿瘤科医生伦纳特·哈德尔的调查为例进行了分析。哈德尔的调查认为长期使用老式模拟手机的人患脑癌的可能性要比不用手机的人高至少30%。而新型数字机的辐射则要比老式模拟机少得多。
哈德尔共研究了1617名脑癌患者，并将他们的与人数差不多的非脑癌患者进行了比较。他的研究刊登在最近的《欧洲癌症预防》杂志上。
和哈德尔一样，另一些美国科学家的研究也得出了类似的结论。但研究所的分析认为，他们的调查"信息不够充分"，一方面跟踪调查的时间太短，癌症患者的人数太少，另一方面调查方法也存在着局限性。
研究所的分析将他们的调查与另外三位分别来自美国、芬兰和丹麦的科学家所作的调查作了对比。认为这三位的调查进行了更可信的取样，并且是以医学报告为依据，而不仅仅是简单地采访一些病患者。
因此，研究所得出了这样的结论：这三份调查的一致结果更为可信，它们用科学的分析排除了用手机和得癌症之间的直接、必然联系。

Traditional Chinese Medicine and The West

2006-06-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

western medicine can cure my ailments
Western medicine is generally the use of synthetically manufactured single compounds that are administered to the body in highly concentrated doses.These drugs can obviously be highly effective and cure many diseases.Interestingly, many conventional synthetic compounds are derived from plant materials.Aspirin and Cisplatin (one of the world’s leading anti cancer drugs) are both derived from trees.
Chinese herbal medicine uses lower dosages of more dilute herbal extracts to help the body retain or maintain its balance in a step-by-step fashion. Perhaps the philosophy of Chinese medicine is best expressed by the writings of one 7th-century physician:Superior treatment consists of dealing with an illness before it appears.Mediocre treatment consists of curing an illness on the point of revealing itself.Inferior treatment consists of curing the illness once it has manifested itself.
what's the difference
Conventional Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine take different approaches to health and diseases. Each medicine develops its advantage in some areas, such as chronic diseases and syndromes; functional and emotional disorders; pain conditions; gynecological, neurological, muscular, and gastrointestinal problems for traditional Chinese medicine; trauma, acute conditions, and catastrophic problems for conventional Western medicine.
Traditional symptom-based approaches to disorders such as cough, palpitations, constipation, insomnia, vomiting, and pain are treated holistically using TCM internal medicine.
To determine when an herb, a food or an acupuncture point is appropriate for a patient, recognition of the right pattern from the patients’ constitutions, main complaints, general body conditions, and tongue and pulse is fundamental.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Came To The West

2006-06-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

How did it come to the west?
There has been a record of significant interaction between Eastern and Western medical systems for several hundred years.References to acupuncture and pulse diagnosis occurred in the writings of Dutch physicians in the 17th century.
Much of what is now known as Swedish massage originated from China and there has been a long history of exchange in herbal products with Cinnamon bark being exported from China to ancient Rome and herbs such as American Ginseng being incorporated into the Chinese tradition in the nineteenth century.
The first part of the twentieth century however was very much a one way flow of information as the developments in Western medicine flooded into China and, in the spirit of “progress” threatened to overwhelm what was then perceived as a rather dated looking system of traditional medicine.
Things slowly started to change in the second half of the last century and a process of government support and medical standardisation began which has now resulted in the current situation in China and other Asian countries where TCM now operates in large teaching hospitals, side by side with the latest developments of Western medicine.
So why is it so popular now?
In Western countries TCM was relatively unknown until President Nixon’s groundbreaking visit to China in 1971 and the accounts of the use of acupuncture for pain control appeared in the New York Times.
Since then there has been a rapid growth in the awareness and use of TCM in Western countries so that currently Universities around the world are now teaching degrees in TCM and in the UK there are several thousand practitioners offering herbal medicines, acupuncture and other techniques within a Western clinical setting. (links to UK unis and colleges)
There are several reasons for this rapid rise in popularity. The initial appeal of the exotic was replaced by anecdotal and increasingly research reports indicating the effectiveness of TCM treatments. The groundbreaking studies on the successful use of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of eczema at Great Ormond Street Hospital hit the national headlines and learned medical journals (Sheehan MP, Rustin MHA, et al. Efficacy of traditional Chinese herbal therapy in adult atopic dermatitis. Lancet 1992).
TCM is now frequently used for this and many other forms of skin disease. Alongside the evidence supporting the use of TCM there was also a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the limitations of modern medical treatments. The lack of a holistic perspective, short consultation times and the often debilitating side effects of pharmaceutical drugs have meant that more and more people are seeking additional forms of health care.
In recent years improved standards of education and professional organisation, and a new emphasis on quality control have meant that now there is a network of well qualified TCM practitioners offering the benefits of this ancient tradition to the Western public. Sen primarily works with the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine who support Government efforts on self-regulation of practitioners.

Secondhand smoke may increase risk of breast cancer

2006-06-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

California regulators became the first in the U.S. Thursday to classify tobacco smoke as a "toxic air contaminant", a move
that could toughen state regulations on cigarette smoke.
Being exposed to secondhand smoke may increase the risk of breast cancer for women under 50, study found.
The unanimous decision by the state Air Resources Board relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk
of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke.
The report also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, as well as other cancers and
numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director
of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
The report was done by scientists at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
Its key new finding is that women under 50 exposed to secondhand smoke had a 68% to 120% greater risk of breast cancer
than women who weren't exposed. Women past menopause, however, were not at significantly higher risk.
The report also found that secondhand smoke concentrations in vehicles with smokers is 10 times higher than in the homes
of smokers.
Major cancer groups, including the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, said evidence that
secondhand smoke causes breast cancer is inconclusive. The disease kills about 40,000 women in the U.S. each year.
Tobacco companies, in public comments filed with the board, said the report gave too little weight to studies that found
no link to breast cancer. Chinese album.

FDA approves Pfizer drug treating stomach, kidney cancer

2006-06-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the Pfizer drug Sunitinib that treats a rare stomach cancer
and advanced kidney cancer.
The FDA said the drug, to be sold under the name of Sutent, is the first cancer drug to simultaneously win its approval
for two conditions.
Sutent, which received a priority review and was approved in less than six months, works by depriving tumor cells of the
blood and nutrients needed to grow. It is meant to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and advanced kidney cancer.
The FDA said Sutent should be used by GIST patients whose disease has progressed or who are unable to tolerate Gleevec,
the current treatment for GIST patients. Studies show Sutent slows the growth of tumors in those patients.
The agency based its approval for Sutent in the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) on its
ability to reduce the size of the tumors.
The FDA said it worked with Pfizer to make the drug available to patients not involved in the clinical trial before
approval. Currently, more than 1,700 patients are being treated with the drug, it added.
The most commonly reported side effects of Sutent included diarrhea, skin discoloration, mouth irritation, weakness, and
altered taste.Chinese album.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

2006-06-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

The roots of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) date back more than 2000 years. Its rich history tells of the many influences on its development, including the Japanese, Europeans, and the Communist revolution. The changes that followed these influences explain why both terms--Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM)--are seen in the literature. Although these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, TOM generally refers to the system of Chinese medicine practiced until the early 1900s.
Before western medicine had been brought in modern China, the Chinese people knew only one system of medicine; Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). With a practiced history as long as the Chinese civilization itself, this was the sole means of treatment for countless people and generations. Its tried and true methods are found at the core of our modern treatment principals. The using of Chinese medicine is the treasure of our traditional culture. With a history of 2000 to 3000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has formed a unique system to diagnose and cure illness. The TCM approach is fundamentally different from that of Western medicine. In TCM, the understanding of the human body is based on the holistic understanding of the universe as described in Daoism, and the treatment of illness is based primarily on the diagnosis and differentiation of syndromes.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a comprehensive system of medicine based on thousands of years of knowledge and understanding of the human body and mind. It joins the power of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and energetic exercises to right imbalances found in the body. This not only allows the body to heal itself but also prevents further illness from starting. It is accepted around the globe as a safe, effective and holistic complement to conventional western medicine.

Dark chocolate may help reduce blood

2006-06-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

Natural yoghurt beats bad breath
Dark chocolate -- but not white chocolate - may help reduce blood pressure and boost the body's ability to metabolize sugar from food, according to the results of a small study.
Investigators from the University of L'Aquila in Italy found that after eating only 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate every day for 15 days, 15 healthy people had lower blood pressures and were more sensitive to insulin, an important factor in metabolizing sugar.
In contrast, eating roughly the same amount of white chocolate for the same period of time did not affect either blood pressure or insulin sensitivity.
This is not the first study to demonstrate potential health benefits of dark chocolate, which contains high levels of a kind of antioxidant called flavonoids. Research shows that flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy heart and good circulation and reduce blood clotting, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
Dr. Claudio Ferri and co-investigators explained that flavonoids help the body by neutralizing potentially cell-damaging substances known as oxygen-free radicals, which are a normal byproduct of metabolism.
However, despite dark chocolate's apparent benefits, Ferri urges caution when interpreting the results. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants, but also a lot of fat and calories, Ferri said, and people who want to add some chocolate to their diet need to subtract an equivalent amount of calories by cutting back on other foods, to avoid weight gain.
He added that each 100 grams of dark chocolate contains roughly 500 calories.
Other research validates that when it comes to chocolate, type does matter. One study found that eating milk chocolate did little to raise antioxidant levels in the blood, perhaps because milk interferes with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate.
Another study showed that elderly people with high blood pressure experienced a drop in pressure after eating dark chocolate bars, but not white chocolate, which contains no flavonoids.
Ferri and colleagues asked 7 men and 8 women, all healthy, to eat 100 grams of dark chocolate or 90 grams of white chocolate every day for 15 days. The subjects consumed no chocolate for the next 7 days and then switched to the other chocolate type for 15 days.
"The identification of healthy foods and the understanding of how food components influence normal physiology will help to improve the health of the population," Dr. Cesar G. Fraga of the University of California, Davis, notes in an editorial.

一項小規模研究的結果表明，黑巧克力可能有助於降低血壓、促進人體對食物中的糖分的代謝能力，而白巧克力則沒有這些功能。
義大利拉奎拉大學的調查者們發現，在連續15天每日食用100克或3.5盎司黑巧克力之後，15名健康的受試者的血壓有所降低，而且對胰島素更為敏感--胰島素是促進體內糖分代謝的重要成分。
相比之下，同樣在15天中食用大致相同數量的白巧克力對血壓和胰島素的敏感性並沒有影響。
這已經不是有關黑巧克力可能有益健康的第一項研究。黑巧克力富含一種叫作類黃酮的抗氧化劑，研究表明類黃酮有助於保持心臟的健康和血液迴圈的暢通，並減少可能導致心臟病和中風的血栓。
克勞迪奧·費裏教授與他的合作者們解釋說，類黃酮能抑制對細胞有破壞能力的氧自由基(新陳代謝的副產品)的產生，從而有利於人體健康。
然而，儘管黑巧克力具有以上種種顯而易見的好處，費裏教授在解釋研究結果時還是勸告人們提高警惕，他說，黑巧克力含有抗氧化劑，但也含有大量脂肪和卡路里，因此希望在飲食中添加巧克力的人們需要從其他食物中“扣除”等量的卡路里，以免體重增加。
他補充說，每100克黑巧克力包含大約500卡路里。
其他的研究也證實了不同種類的巧克力確實功效不同。一項研究表明食用牛奶巧克力並不能增加血液中的抗氧化劑，這也許是因為牛奶阻礙了巧克力中的抗氧化劑的吸收。
另一項研究結果表明，患有高血壓的老人在吃了黑巧克力棒後血壓下降，但是不含類黃酮的白巧克力則沒有這個功效。
費裏教授和他的同事們找了七名健康的男性和八名健康的女性，讓他們連續15天每天食用100克黑巧克力或90克白巧克力。受試者們在隨後的七天內沒有吃任何巧克力，然後在接下來的15天內轉而吃另一種巧克力(白巧克力或黑巧克力)。
“對健康食物的定義以及對食物成分如何影響正常生理功能的理解，將有助於改善人口的健康狀況。”加里佛尼亞大學大衛斯分校的愷撒·G·弗拉革博士在一篇評論中寫道。

Cola not coffee linked to blood pressure

2006-06-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

Women who love drinking coffee can keep on loving it, researchers say.
BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Drinking coffee will not result in high blood pressure in women, however, there is a link between hypertension and colas consumptions, said a new study on Tuesday.
"We found strong evidence to refute speculation that coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of hypertension in women," said the study, which was published in the Nov. 9 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
In fact, women who consume the most coffee may even get a protective cardiovascular effect.
However, there was an association found between hypertension and consumption of caffeinated colas, independent of whether the soft drinks were sugared or diet. The current study did not look at non-cola soft drinks.
"We speculate that it is not caffeine but perhaps some other compound contained in soda-type soft drinks that may be responsible for the increased risk in hypertension," wrote study author Wolfgang Winkelmayer of Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health.
"This is good news for women who enjoy drinking coffee," said Dr. Winkelmayer. Enditem

How to use Korean ginseng

2006-06-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ginseng, known in many Asian countries as the king of all herbs, is a knobby root light tan in color. Occasionally the center part of the root is said to resemble the human body as string like shoots stem off from the root and can be seen as arms and legs.
Due to Korean ginseng's unique appearance, herb doctors who lived centuries ago interpreted this perception to mean that ginseng was a cure-all for the entirety of human illness; subsequently many cultures do use ginseng to treat almost anything. Ginseng is also used by the Chinese culture to not only cure nearly everything, but also as a symbol of longevity, strength, and wisdom to its users.
The ginseng plant is identified by its leaves that form a circular pattern growing around its straight stem. Yellowish-green flowers bloom in the center of the plant and produce red berries from their umbrella-like blossoms. It is important to note that the age of the plant can be identified by counting the number of wrinkles around the plant’s neck, seeing as the ginseng root is only ready for use once it has completed approximately 4-6 years of maturity. Panax ginseng, commonly known as adaptogen, is a substance that offers some assistance in helping individuals who are dealing with physical and/or emotional stress. Ginseng, the traditional cure-all, has been said to relieve almost every ailment from anxiety to cancer and panax, according to traditional Chinese medicine. At present, several Asian countries are prescribing this particular type of Ginseng as treatment for several illnesses, including heart conditions and to enhance overall health.
Studies of Western herbal medicine show that panax ginseng’s ability to regulate the immune system has potential advantages in effectively preventing colds, flu, and some forms of cancer. Case studies show that panax ginseng proves effective in lowering the sugar content in the blood and cholesterol levels. Consequently, panax ginseng may prove beneficial when used in connection with type 2 diabetes and those suffering from high cholesterol. All potential uses of the ginseng root have not been fully defined; however, in both laboratory studies of humans and animals, panax ginseng proved successful in relaxing the muscles of the lungs. By relaxing the muscles of the lungs that control the airway, ginseng may be able to provide some relief for the symptoms associated with asthma, constriction of the airways, and other lung diseases. Further studies show that a combination of panax ginseng and gingko may increase memory capacity and enhance the thinking processes. However these are merely possible effects that are undergoing more research at present.
Panax ginseng can be given orally or topically. Direct application to the male genitalia may prove beneficial in treating erectile dysfunction in men. One large study involving the oral application of panax ginseng resulted in the increase of sperm count, quality, and movement, ultimately improving male fertility. An exact and thorough explanation for panax ginseng’s ability to improve fertility in males has yet to be determined. However, it is hypothesized that the chemical make up of panax ginseng helps activate certain hormones in the body leading to induced or increased production. This theory has led to the addition of panax ginseng in popular sports drinks or supplements in an attempt to increase athletic performance, despite the fact that no substantial evidence has been given to supports this use.
Ginseng supplements are mostly made from the ginseng root’s long, thin offshoots called root hairs. The main chemical ingredients in Asian ginseng are the ginsenosides (Rg1 as marker); glycans (panaxans); polysaccharide fraction DPG-3-2; peptides; maltol; and volatile oil.
Korean Ginseng Dosage Recommendations
The suggested dose for Korean ginseng is 1,000 to 2,000 mg of fresh root, 600 to 2,000 mg of dried root, or 200 to 600 mg of liquid extract daily. If you are healthy and are using ginseng to increase your physical or mental performance, to prevent illness, or to improve resistance to stress, you should take ginseng at the recommended dosage in cycles. For example, take 1,000 to 2,000 mg fresh root, 600 to 2,000 mg dried root, or 200 to 600 mg liquid extract daily for 15 to 20 days, followed by two weeks without taking ginseng.
For help recovering from an illness, the elderly should either take 500 mg twice a day for three months and then stop or take 500 mg twice a day for a month, followed by a two-month break. Repeat if desired.
When taking ginseng, use only standardized products. Standardization is the only way we have of assuring quality in herbal products. Choose white or red ginseng, standardized to 1.5 percent ginsenosides, designated as Rg1.

Ginseng

2006-06-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ginseng is probably the most famous chinese herb. It has been used in Asia for more than 5,000 years. In China, ginseng has been treasured since the dawn of written history. In the Qing Dynasty of ancient China, ginseng was prized more than gold.
Ginseng is available in literally thousands of tonic formulations and it is featuring the most of the traditional preventative herbal remedies. Many people seeking to improve energy and vitality use ginseng daily.
Ginseng requires about six years to mature, but it is difficult and expensive to grow. Its value is found in its stained root which contains a complex mixture of carbohydrate compounds, nitrogenous compounds, fat-soluble compounds, vitamins and minerals. The curative powers of ginseng are unique in the way they affect the whole body. Ginseng has also been recognized as a potent immune system tonic by modern researchers.
There are several types of ginseng available: Asian ginseng, also called panax ginseng, American ginseng, Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), and Japanese ginseng (Panax japonicum). Panax ginseng, which is grown especially in Korea, China and Japan, is the most widely used. American ginseng grows commonly in wooded areas from Quebec to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Oklahoma. Siberian ginseng grows in forests of Russia, China, Korea, and Japan.
Only Asian and American ginseng are known for their exceptional curative properties. These two species of ginseng look very similar and have also similar chemical compositions. These days, North American Ginseng is cultivated in British Colombia, Ontario, and Wisconsin, and is a valuable export. North American ginseng is often considered the most valuable and beneficial.

Breastfeeding may lower women's diabetes risk: Study

2006-06-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Nov. 23 -- A US study has found that the longer women nursed the lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The new study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, involved 157,000 nurses who participated in two long-running health studies. They filled out periodic health questionnaires and were followed for at least 12 years. Researchers found that women who breast-fed for at least one year were about 15 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who never breast-fed. For each additional year of breast-feeding, there was an additional 15 percent decreased risk. "We took into account diet, exercise, smoking status, whether or not the women took multivitamins -- which is a marker of whether they are health-conscious or not -- and we still found that 15-percent benefit," said Dr. Alison Stuebe, the study's lead author and a researcher at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Beyond 15 years after the last birth there wasn't so much of a benefit, but for at least the first 15 years there seems to be some long-term association that protects women from diabetes," Stuebe added. The researchers say breast-feeding may change mothers' metabolism and these metabolic changes may help keep blood sugar levels stable and make the body more sensitive to the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin. Breast-feeding has numerous health benefits for babies, too, so encouraging mothers to nurse "is kind of a win-win from a public health standpoint," Stuebe said. Enditem

Non-Drug therapy---Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Massage, Cupping.

2006-06-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

(P = 病人 D = 医生)
(P = patient D = doctor)
医生：你好，史密斯先生。今天感觉如何？
D：Hello, Mr. Smith. How are you felling today?
病人：好多了。谢谢!今天我可以坐直了。针灸的确很棒。
P： Much better, thank you! I can sit straight today. The acupuncture is really great.
医生：不错。中医有五千年的历史。它对疾病的发生，发展和治疗都有着完整的理论体系。针灸只不过是治疗像你的椎骨侧突疾病的一种最有效的方式。
D：Yes, Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM)has a history of more than 5,000 years. It has a complete theory about the occurrence, development and treatment of diseases.
Acupuncture is only one of the most effective ways to treat diseases such as your pleurapophysis.
病人：尽管如此，我的许多同事对中医还是有些不解。你能否多给我讲点？
P：All the same, many of my colleagues feel much puzzled about TCM. Would you please tell me more about it？
医生：没问题。根据中医理论，疾病的发生是阴阳失调所致。而疾病的治疗就是阴阳的平衡。
D：Sure. According to TCM theory, the occurrence of diseases is the incoordination between Yin and Yang and the treatment of diseases is the reestablishement of the equilibrium between them.
病人：嗯，什么是阴阳？
P：Oh, what's Yin and Yang？
医生：它们是中国古代哲学的两个概念并代表一切事物的两个对立面。中医学运用阴阳理论来解释人体的生理和病理现象。同时, 阴阳也是诊断和治疗疾病的法则。
D：They are the two concepts from ancient Chinese philosophy and they represent the two contradictories in everything. In TCM theory, Yin and Yang are used to explain physiological and pathological phenomena of the body. They are also the principles of diagnosing and treating diseases.
病人：那么你们中国医生是怎样用这一理论来给病人治病的呢？
P：Then how do you Chinese doctors treat your patients by using this theory?
医生：大体说来，中医有两种治疗方式：药物治疗和非药物治疗。
D：Roughly speaking, there are two common ways of TCM curing diseases: drug therapy and non-drug therapy.
病人：真有趣。你们通常都用什么药？
P：That's very interesting. What drugs do you often apply?
医生：至于药物治疗, 中医常用草药，矿物质，动物药等。
D：As for drug therapy, traditional medicines are used such as herbs, mineral, animals, etc.
病人：那非药物治疗呢？
P：And how about non-drug therapy?
医生：非药物治疗包括针灸，按摩，拔火罐等。
D：As for non-drug therapy, there are acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, cupping.
病人：关于针灸和按摩，我略知一二。拔火罐是怎么回事？
P：I know a little about acupuncture and massage. What's cupping？
医生：拔火罐就是把一个真空的杯子放在皮肤上引起局部充血的一种治疗方法。通常，医生把一个点燃的酒精棉球放在杯子里一会儿以排出里面的空气使它成为一个真空杯，接着快速地把空杯子放在选定的皮肤上。
D：It is a congeted treatment using a vacuum cup sucked firmly on the skin. Usually, the doctor fires an alcohol sponge and puts it inside the cup for a short while to make the cup a vacuum one, then he places the vacuum cup instantly over the selected spot of the skin.
病人：有效吗？
P：Is it effective？
医生：就像我们治疗你的病用的针灸一样有效。但是拔火罐特别适合痛症。
D：Just as effective as acupuncture which we are using to treat you. But cupping therapy is specially good for pains.
病人：太绝妙了。
P：That's really fantastic.
医生：实话告诉你，据资料统计，与西医相比，中医更擅长于病毒感染性疾病，免疫系统疾病，心脑血管疾病和神经系统疾病的治疗，而且无任何副作用。
D：To tell the truth, according to statistics, Traditional Chinese Medicine is better for the treatment of diseases of viral infections, immune system, cardio-cerebrovascular system and nervous system without causing any side-effects compared with western medicine.
病人：非常感谢!医生。我现在对中医的理解要好点了。
P：Thank you very much! Doctor. I've got a better understanding of TCM now.
Related Sentence
Is there any relation between the pain and the weather?
疼痛和天气变化有关吗？
The pain becomes more intense when the weather is bad.
天气不好时，疼痛加剧。
Acupuncture may cause a little pain, and it also causes a certain feeling of numbness and distention.
针灸可能有点痛，而且也会使你感到有点麻木和发胀。
Acupuncture may have effect, but a prolonged treatment is needed.
针灸可以有效，但需要长期治疗。
Insomnia can be cured by massage and the cure rate is very high.
按摩可治失眠症，且治愈率很高。
Your disease should be treated with combined therapy of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
你的病应该采用中西医结合治疗方法。
1. The acupuncture is really great. 针灸的确很棒。
2.Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM) has a history of more than 5,000 years. It has a complete theory about the occurrence, development and treatment of diseases.
Acupuncture is only one of the most effective ways to treat diseases such as your pleurapophysis.
中医有五千年的历史。它对疾病的发生、发展和治疗都有着完整的理论体系。针灸只不过是治疗像你的椎骨侧突疾病的一种最有效方式。
3.According to CTM theory, the occurrence of diseases is the incoordination between Yin and Yang and the treatment of diseases is the reestablishement of the equilibrium between them.
根据中医理论，疾病的发生是阴阳失调所致。而疾病的治疗就是阴阳的平衡。
4.They are the two concepts from ancient Chinese philosophy and they represent the two contradictories in everything. In CTM theory, Yin and Yang are used to explain physiological and pathological phenomena of the body. They are also the principles of diagnosing and treating diseases.
它们是中国古代哲学的两个概念并代表一切事物的两个对立面。中医学运用阴阳理论来解释人体的生理和病理现象。同时，阴阳也是诊断和治疗疾病的法则。
5. There are two common ways of CTM curing diseases: drug therapy and non-drug therapy.
中医有两种治疗方式：药物治疗和非药物治疗。
6.As for drug therapy, traditional medicines are used such as herbs, mineral, animals, etc.
至于药物治疗，中医常用草药、矿物质、动物药等。
7. As for non-drug therapy, there are acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, and cupping.
非药物治疗包括针灸、按摩、拔火罐等。
8.Cupping therapy is a treatment using a vacuum cup sucked firmly on the skin. Usually, the doctor fires an alcohol sponge and puts it inside the cup for a short while to make the cup a vacuum one, and then he places the vacuum cup instantly over the selected spot of the skin.
拔火罐就是把一个真空的杯子放在皮肤上引起局部充血的一种治疗方法。通常，医生把一个点燃的酒精棉球放在杯子里一会儿以排出里面的空气使它成为一个真空杯，接着快速地把空杯子放在选定的皮肤上。
9. Just as effective as acupuncture which we are using to treat you. But cupping therapy is specially good for pains.
就像我们治疗你的病用的针灸一样有效。但是拔火罐特别适合痛症。
10.To tell the truth, according to statistics, Traditional Chinese Medicine is better for the treatment of diseases of viral infections, immune system, cardio-cerebrovascular system and nervous system without causing any side-effects compared with western medicine.
实话告诉你，据资料统计，与西医相比，中医更擅长于病毒感染性疾病、免疫系统疾病、心脑血管疾病和神经系统疾病的治疗，而且无任何副作用。

A story of cinnamon bark

2006-06-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Today, we'll tell the story of paris. The herb was related with a pretty and brave girl and her seven brothers who had given their lives for the ordinary people in fighting the big boa. So, people named the herb "qiye-yizhi-hua" (one flower with seven leaves), i.e., paris. Now have a look at the story… Once upon a time, there lived an old couple in a small village called East Mountain in Yunnan. They had seven industrious and brave sons and a beautiful and pretty daughter. The family lived a very happy life by planting and breeding. The villagers all felt envy at them. One year, there appeared a big boa in the village. It was very fierce and cruel and often goes out to eat the sheep as well as the human, which made the people live in terror and uncertainty. In order to rid the people of an evil, the brave brother decided to wage a life-and-death battle against the boa. But they all lost their lives during the struggle against the boa unfortunately. The little sister was so sad that she made up her mind to avenge her brothers. So she got up very early and went to bed very late to practise martial arts. One day she wore her clothes weaved with the embroidery needles and went to struggle with the boa. She consumed all her strength and was swallowed by the boa at last. But the boa died the next day. It was because that the clothes the girl had on were weaved with the embroidery needles which stabbed the boa through its viscera. So the village was calm ever since. Some days had passed and a strange plant appeared where the big boa died. It had one flower on its top supported with seven pieces of leaves. While pounded and applied on the wounds or decocted and taken orally, it can treat swelling sores and the one who was bitten by poisonous snake. In order to make people remember the seven brave brothers and their sister, the villagers termed it
今天，我们将讲述七叶一枝花的来历的故事。它是一个关于一家七兄弟与他们的妹妹为保护家乡百姓而献身的故事。看一看吧……
1、相传，很久以前在我国云南有个名叫东山的小村庄，住着一对老年夫妇。他们有个美貌又聪明的女儿和七个勤劳勇敢的儿子。
2、一家人耕地播种，采桑摘茶，日子过得很幸福。村民们都非常羡慕他们。
3、有一年，小村里突然出现一条大蟒蛇，十分凶残，夜间常出来捕羊吃人，弄得村子里人心惶惶，鸡犬不宁。
4、勇敢的七兄弟决心为民除害。但在与大蟒蛇搏斗中，兄弟七人个个丧生。
5、妹妹为此悲痛万分，一定要替哥哥们报仇。她天天起早摸黑练习武艺，然后穿上绣花针编织的衣裤与蟒蛇拼搏，由于体力不如蟒蛇，最后也成了蟒蛇的腹中物。
6、但在第二天，蟒蛇也丧命于草丛里。原来是姑娘衣裤上的绣花针象万支利箭刺伤了蟒蛇的五脏六腑。从此，小村庄又恢复了昔的平静。
7、过了一些日子，人们发现在在蟒蛇葬身之处长出了由七片叶子托着朵鲜花的奇异植物。把它捣烂外敷创口或煎水内服，可治毒蛇咬伤，疮疖痛肿。为了纪念为民除害而献身的七兄弟及妹妹，乡亲们把这种奇异的植物取名“七叶一枝花”。

The Same Age Next Year

2006-06-16T05:16:00.000-07:00

A grocer once had a daughter born to him. One day a friend of his made a match for his babygirl, and told him the future husband was only one year older than she was. The grocer discussed this marriage in private with his wife. "Our daughter is just one, the boy's
age is the double of hers; when she is twenty and gets married, her husband will be forty," be said. "How do we have the heart to marry off our daughter to such an old husband?" His wife smiled and said, "You're really dumb. Our daughter is now one year old, in one years time she'll be the same age as the boy, now won't she?"

Having Cakes

2006-06-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

A man was very hungry, and went to buy cakes at a snack bar. When he finished a cake, he found he hadn't had enough, and so ate a second one. He felt so hungry that after eating six cakes in succession, he still hadn't satisfied his hunger. Not till the seventh cake was eaten up, did he feel satisfied. Then, suddenly, he had a feeling of regret.
"Ah, if I had known this before, I would have eaten the seventh cake first and that would have been enough and there would not have been any need to eat those six others."

A story of one of the four beauties in ancient China---Xi Shi

2006-06-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

It is special to treat swelling sore of the throat with cinnamon bark. The cinnamon bark has the actions of invigorating primordial yang, warming spleen and stomach, eliminating cold accumulation, and making the meridians through. It contains cinnamic aldehyde which has apparent sedation action to the central nervous system. The compound aconite and cinnamon bark can treat renal hypertension. The cinnamic oil it contains has strong sterilization action and is especially effective to the gram-positive bacterium. If used by application, it can treat stomachache, flatulence, etc. and if taken orally, it can invigorate stomach and expelling wind.
肉桂用于治喉间痈疮，属特殊情况。但它确有补元阳，暖脾胃，除冷积，通血脉之功。肉桂中含有桂皮醛，对中枢神经系统有明显的镇静作用；附子、肉桂复方对肾性高血压有降压作用；所含桂皮油有强大的杀菌作用，对革兰氏阳性菌效果尤佳。外敷可治胃痛，胃肠胀气等；内服可用健胃和驱风剂。

It was said that Xi Shi, one of the four most beautiful women in ancient China, suddenly felt pain in the throat when she sang the Falling Leaves of Phoenix Tree. It was difficult to drink.1、相传中国古代四大美人之一的西施，抚琴吟唱自编的《梧叶落》时。

So she took large amount of heat-clearing and fire-purging drugs. The symptoms were relieved after taking the drugs but reoccurred if she stopped taking them.2、忽感咽喉疼痛，饮漱难下，遂用大量清热泻火之药，症状得以缓和，但药停即发。

She had to invite another famous doctor to treat her. After examining her, the doctor found that her four extremities was cool, the urine was clean, and the pulse was deep and thin, so he prescribed 1 jin (about 800 g) of cinnamon bark. 3、后另请一名医，见其四肢不温，小便清发，六脉沉细，乃开肉桂一斤。

The shopkeeper of the drugstore also knew the disease condition of Xi Shi. After seeing the prescription, he laughed grimly and said, "Xi Shi is suffered from swollen pain throat which pertains to heat syndrome. How can the cinnamon bark which is pungent and warm cure her?" So he didn't give the retinue the drug. The retinue had to return empty and reported the situation accurately. Xi Shi said, "The doctor was famous for his medical skill and he should be seriously. And I have no choice at present. I will take small amount of cinnamon bark at first to find whether it works."4、药店老板对西施之病略有所知，看罢处方，不禁冷笑：“喉间肿痛溃烂，乃大热之症，岂能食辛温之肉桂？”便不予捡药，侍人只得空手而归，如实回报。西施道：“此人医术高明，当无戏言。眼下别无他法，先用少量试之。”

Xi Shi took small piece of cinnamon bark at first and felt it sweet-smelling and delicious. After taking half jin of the cinnamon bark, she felt her throat painless and could take foods as usual. When the shopkeeper heard of that, he had to ask for the doctor's advice sincerely. The doctor said, "Xi Shi was suffered from pain throat which pertains to vacuity fire due to yin deficiency and it can be treated only by directing fire to its source." 5、西施先嚼一小块肉桂，感觉香甜可口，嚼完半斤，疼痛消失，进食无碍，大喜。药店老板闻讯，专程求教名医。名医答曰：“西施之患，乃虚寒阴火之喉疾，非用引火归元之法不能治也。”

A story of crataegus (4)

2006-06-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

Tang Xuanzong half believed and half doubted him. But the imperial concubine's disease was cured unexpectedly after taking the medicine for half a month
7、唐玄宗将信将疑，谁知用药半月之后，贵妃的病果真痊愈。

The crataegus was sweet and sour in taste, and warm in property. It has the actions of dispersing food accumulations, dissipating blood stasis, expelling tapeworm, and decreasing blood-lipid and activating blood. It is indicative for food accumulation of meat-type, dysentery, lumbago, hernia, and intestinal wind, especially for postpartum persistent flow of lochia, infantile feeding accumulation and hyperlipemia.
8、棠球子，就是今日所说的山楂。其味甘酸，性微温，有消食积，散瘀血，驱绦虫，降脂活血之功效。主治肉食积滞、痢疾、腰痛、疝气、肠风。对产后恶露不尽，小儿乳食停滞以及高血脂等效果尤佳。

A story of crataegus (4)

2006-06-01T02:53:00.000-07:00

So, he prescribed ten crataegus and 15 g of malt sugar for her and then swaggered off.6、于是，挥毫写出：“棠球子十枚，红糖15克，熬汁饭前饭用，每日三次。”然后扬长而去。

A story of crataegus (3)

2006-05-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

After examining the pulse of Yang Yuhuan, the Taoist priest found that the pulse had been deep, replete and slippery, and there had been thick and slimy tongue fur on the tongue, which was the syndrome of retention of food at the middle stomach due to spleen-stomach vacuity and dietary irregularities. But the herbs used by the imperial doctors were enriching and slimy in properties, which acted in a diametrically opposite way. 5、道士牵线拿脉，贵妃脉象沉实而滑；视舌，舌上布满厚腻舌苔。道士思忖道：此乃脾胃柔弱，饮食不慎，积滞中脘，御医所用之药，滋补腻滞，实反其道也。

A story of crataegus (2)

2006-05-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

In late autumn, a Taoist priest passed by and recommended himself that he could treat the imperial concubine. So Tang Xuangzong invited the Taoist priest himself.4、深秋，一道士化缘路过皇宫，自荐能为贵妃治病。唐玄宗亲自屈驾前往。

A story of crataegus

2006-05-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yang Yuhuan, the most favorable imperial concubine of Tang Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, once suffered from distention and fullness of the stomach duct and abdomen, diarrhea, and poor appetite.

1、唐代唐玄宗的宠妃杨玉环，脘腹胀满，大便泄泻，不思饮食。

So, Tang Xuanzong felt uneasy whether sitting or bedding. 2、唐玄宗为此坐卧不安。

Though all the imperial doctors had treated her and many rare medicinal herbs had been used, the disease condition was not improved but deteriorated.3、御医盈庭，名贵药品用尽，贵妃的病不但没有好转，反而加重。

Home-Thoughts on a Quiet Night

2006-05-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Tang Dynasty by LiBai
The bright moonlight ahead of my bedI take for a frost layer on ground. I look at the moon,raising my head;Lowing it, I think of my hometown.

静夜思
唐朝李白
床前明月光，疑是地上霜。举头望明月，低头思故乡。

Ginseng Decoction

2006-05-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

A youngster from a rich family saw a poor porter lying on the ground as he was walking along the road one morning. He asked the onlookers, "Why is this man lying here?"
Someone answered, "He had no food to fill his stomach and is so hungry that he is lying on the ground to catch his breath."
The rich youngster said, "Since he has nothing to eat? why didn't he have a cup of ginseng decoction before leaving home in the morning? This would support him for half a day."

Let’s learn Chinese

2006-05-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

With the developing of China, more and more foreign friends want to know more about China. They want to know about Chinese custom, Chinese culture, and the events which happened in China. So I make my blog---Chinese album, in my blog I write down my thoughts, my life and something about China. I hope more and more bloggers will enjoy my blog.
In some countries, learning Chinese is more and more popular now. And many schools start to teach students Chinese. I often chat with my English-speaking friends on net by Yahoo! Messenger, many friends tell me that they would like to learn Chinese, and ask me to teach them Chinese. So I become an oral Chinese teacher when I was chatting with my foreign friends on net every weekend .It is interesting for me. Because I am a teacher of English in China, I enjoy my job very much, and now I have another job to teach my foreign friends speaking Chinese on every weekend. It is satisfied for me to do this. Do you want to learn Chinese follow me? I can teach you by my blog, and you can chat with me on net by Yahoo! Messenger every weekend, my Yahoo! Messenger ID is chinesealbum.
Let’s learn Chinese! my dear friend, I will wait for you in Yohoo !

Nothing in the Head

2006-05-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

A scholar was preparing to take the civil examinations. His wife was very puzzled by his constant worrying. "Look at you, you worthless wretch," she said. "You probably think that it's more difficult for a man to write an essay than for a woman to give birth to a child." "It is easy for you women to give birth to children," the scholar sighed. "How's that?" she asked. "You women can bear children easily because you carry the child in your stomach," the scholar said. "But I have nothing in my head, so how do you expect me to think of something to write?"

Hi friend,I need a Gmail,if you have a mail,can you help me,my email: chinesealbum@yahoo.com

Body For Life

2006-05-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Body-for-Life is an intense exercise and nutrition program based on the premise that you're more likely to stick with a diet and workout if you see results quickly. Indeed, founder Bill Phillips makes this promise: Follow his program for 12 weeks and you'll have the best body you've ever had. The program is challenging. It involves training with weights for 45 minutes three days a week, then alternating with aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes three days a week.
The diet involves eating six small meals each day for six days a week, drawing from a list of healthy foods such as vegetables, brown rice, poultry, and fish. On the seventh day, you rest -- free to eat anything you want and take a day off from the rigorous workout.
Open the best-selling Body-for-Life book and you'll see before-and-after photos of people who went from flab to fab. They don't just look slimmer. They look terrific. Their fab abs and chiseled muscles in the after photos are in stark contrast to the before pictures that look, well, like most of us. But remember, strenuous exercise virtually every day is the key to this program. Odds are, your body would improve significantly with such workouts, even if you weren't also dieting.

How Blogs Make Money

2006-05-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

If you have a blogger,you can let it make many money.Maybe you do not believe this,but it is true.

If that $20 a month increases by 20% every month in a year you’ll be earning $178.32per month at the end of the year. Of course that sounds small for a year’s work and I’m sure many bloggers would give up at that point but lets take it further.
If earnings continued to rise by 20% per month for another 12 months and you begin to see the power of exponential growth with a figure of $1589.92per month. Do it for another year and the figure is $14176.02per month.
Do those figures with the figure of 30% growth per month and the figure after 12 months is $465.96per month, after two years its $10856.00and after three years it’s $252924.00per month!
I’m a strong believer that to be successful you need to be willing to work hard. While there are plenty of people selling "easy money" on the web I’m yet to find a method of money making that doesn’t have at least some element of work to it.
thanks for sharing.

If I have one million dollar

2006-05-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

If I have one million dollar, I will build an elementary school .Maybe someone will not understand “Why do you want to build a school? You can do anything else with this money.’’But when you see these pictures which I show you, you must know the reason.
In some poor areas of China, the education situation is very bad. There is not enough money to build or rebuild school. The students often study in the damp and dark houses .Sometimes the poor
children even study in an open air. Though the situation is so bad, the children also study hard. They eager to learn more and don’t care this situation. When look at these children, I feel very sorry. I think I must do something for them.
If I have one million dollar, I can build a school for these poor children. In my school, there are many new desks, chairs, and big blackboard in every classroom. Of course, there must be a large library in my school, and then the children can read many interesting books after class in the library. There also will be a computer room, then children can play computers .As you know the computer technology is very important today.
This is my dream, and I hope it can come true one day.

Learning to Speak Chinese

2006-05-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Learning to speak Chinese has been more than a little difficult,but it difficult,but it didn’t seen so at first.We began with vocabulary.We know we needed to greet people so,”Ni-hao” was the beginning.This was simple because the two parts of the greeting used common English words:”knee”and “how”.So far,so good.
The next thing we noticed was that Chinese often had repetition in a word.For example,”Nai-nai”and”Ya-ya”are similar to English structures,”John John”and’Bye bye”are two examples that come to mind.So,we were on the alert for such words,Quickly,I learned I could introduce my wife using “tai-tai”or “wode tai-tai”.Later,when learning that “pearl” was translated as “zhenzhu”,it was possible to expand an introduction of her as “zhenzhu,wode tai-tai”.Hearing children calling her”Nai-nai’,That was also added.Now the introduction was lengthened to”zhenzhu nai-nai,wode tai-tai”.Chinese wasn’t going to be so difficult after all!
One afternoon,we were at a friend’s house talking about a trip to Guiyang.We were planning to go to Chinese to see friends who had been to the U.S as part of the Guizhou exchange program,a program between educational institutions in Guizhou and Oakland University.Upon completing their studies,the scholars returned to China and we were anxious to see them again.Also,it was our 32nd wedding anniversary and this would be a good way to celebrate.
Mooney the 3-year-old daughter of our friends.,had listened to our concersation and suddenly asked,’Ye-ye”do you speak Chinese?”
“We don’t know the language,but we did learn some phrases,Mooney.”.
“I can teach you something that will help you on your trip”,she said,”tu-tu”means’rabit’."
Our hearts were warmed by Mooney’s attempt to help us,Little did we realize what an effect”Tu-tu”would have on us.especially me.
Finally,we were in Guangzhou,happily discovering the Pearl River.Two days later we were on the Li River in Guilin,enjoying the marvelous scenery with the river,hills and special mountains of China.Then,we flew to Guiyang where we planned to stay for five days.It was in Guiyang we hoped to use what little Chinese we learned,here,we were among friends.
Once again we met and dined with our acholar ftiends,only this time it was in China.My opportumity to introduce Pearl came when meeting one scholar’s parents.Taking a big breath,I blurted out loudly for all to hear.”Zhenzhu nai-nai wode tu-tu.”This was greeted with loud laughter.I was puzzled.Why would introducing my wife bring such a respnse?When I gave Pearl a questioning look.She whispered that I had introduced her as “…my rabbit”.Then,our laughter was added to the merriment was truly funny.
So,it was in Guiyang that the difficulty of learning Chinese became clear;it wasn’t going to be easy after all,Yes,we joined in the laughter,but I still felt like a dodo.It was all too,too much.

Some More

2006-05-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Once there was an old grandmother who believed in taboo. On New Year's Day and other festival days, she would try only to say nice things, and never let the word "no" rashly fall from her mouth.
One lunar New Year's Day, as soon as the grandmother got up, her little granddaughter passed her a bowl of sweet rice porridge. She drank it up joyfully.
"Grandma, will you take another bowl of rice porridge?" asked the granddaughter
"All right," replied the grandmother.
The little girl passed her the second bowl of rice porridge and quickly she drank it.
"Some more rice porridge?" asked the granddaughter.
The grandmother thought that during New Year's Day she couldn't say "no", and so she replied promptly, "O.K., I'll drink a third bowl." In this way the grandmother drank six bowls, and her stomach was like a big drum.
The little girl who wasn't very sensible still asked persistently, "Grandma, would you like to drink some more sweet rice porridge?"
The grandmother couldn't help shaking her hand, and said hurriedly, "No, no, no more, no more! If I drink any more, I'll bloat myself to death."

Chaozhou Kaiyuan Buddhist Temple of China

2006-05-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Chaozhou Kaiyuan Buddhist Temple is located at the centre of Chaozhou City---one of the famous historical and cultural cities of China,originally named as Lifeng Temple,and was rebuilt and renamed as Kaiyuan Temple in the year of Kaiyuan 26(A.D7380)of the Song dynasty.The Temple has been well known to the world and being the first ancient temple in easteen Guangdong province because of its grand scale,magnificent halls and pavilions,dignity of its Buddhist figures,a big amount of cultural relics,and a galaxy of high skilled artworks,attracting a large numbers of pilgrims at home and abroad. The Temple occupied several hundred must of land for its original scale, but was reconstructed more than ten times in the long and changing historical processes. No matter how it changed the three sections layout remainsunchanged with the building structures at the central axis as the Screen Wall,the Main Entrance,the Heavenly God Temple,the Daxiong Temple,the Scripture Hall,and the jade Buddha Pavilion.On the east side(right side)are the Guest rooms, the Ground God Temple,the Fast Dinning Room,and the monk’s houses, with fine decorated houses and the founder’s memorial halls. On the west side(left side)are the Buddhist Abbot Hall,the Guangyin Pavilion,the Huiyei Hall,the monk’s houses, the Heavenly Gods Pacilion,and the Lingdong Buddhism Academy newly built in recent years, thus forming the ancient architecture groups with the characteristics of Chinese quadrangle courtyard,and keeping the solemn silence architecture style of the palace of Song and Tang Dynasty,well known to the world as the pear of art of ancient Chinese architectures.

Having Cakes

2006-05-13T01:36:00.000-07:00

Cutting off the Arrow Shaft

2006-05-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Long, long ago, in a battle a soldier was shot in the leg, and suffered from constant pain. An officer in the troop sent for a surgeon versed in external medicine to treat the soldier's wound.
The surgeon came to have a look, then sain, "This is easy!" He cut off the arrow shaft at the leg with a big pair of scissors, and immediately asked for fees for the surgical operation.
"Anyone can do that," the soldier, getting upset, cried, "The arrow head is still in the leg, why haven't you taken it out?"
"My surgical operation is finished. The arrowhead in your leg should be cured by a physician who practices internal medicine."

Get the kid

2006-05-10T05:06:00.000-07:00

A bit of advice for those about to retire. If you are only 65, never move to a retirement community. Everybody else is in their 70s, 80s, or 90s. So when something has to be moved, lifted or loaded, they yell,'Get the kid.'

A Hot Day

2006-05-10T03:18:00.000-07:00

It is a hot day today.Summer is coming soon.Maybe most girls like summer very much,because in summer the girls would put on many beautiful skirts and wear beautiful high-heeled shoes as they like.
But I do not like summer.It's too hot in the south of China.And in southern,it often rain in summer.The damp and hot air almost make me crazy,I think I can't do anything in these days. I just turn on the air conditioner,shut myself in the room,read some books or watch TV.It's boring.Do you think so?
I wait for a cool season,As you know,it is autumn after summer.

Why the tea can prevent and cure stomach cancer?

2006-05-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Preventing and curing stomach cancer is best to have the green tea, and the black tea is the next in order.
The tea has the function of preventing and curing stomach cancer flowing:
(1) The tea can kill the wound tumor cell directly: Some compositions of the tea inside, especially caffeine in the green tea, falconoid, tea polyphone etc. various efficacies of medicines composition synthesizes, having the anti-cancer function;
(2) Can strengthen the machine immunity dint with the nourishment: The tea implies the essential many nourishments composition in human body, such as protein, amino acids, carbohydrate, mineral quality, vitamin A, C, E, K, little chemical element selenium, zinc...etc., this not only add the deficiency disease, but also increases the immunity of the organism.
(3) Can help organism dissolve the harmful materials: In ancient times some effects of the tea has recorded, which has already been confirmed by scientists, some compositions of the tea can make poisonous material put out live, counteract poison with excrete;
(4) Repress second nitric in cancer-causing thing an synthesize, especially drinks the green tea after meals, the function will be better;
(5) Resist the harm of cigarettes and wine: Taking tea can promote the alcohol to eject from the urine, repressing the cancer-causing function of the wine; the tea inside caffeine also can resist the harmful function of the smoke;
(6) There is a kind of sweet smell oil in the tea, which can stimulate the stomach liquid secrete, can clean up the accumulation of stomach, reducing the occurrence of the stomach cancer.

I'll Make Your Son Suffer and Catch Cold, Too!

2006-05-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

In the Song Dynasty there was a Grand Commander who spoiled his children. One day he came home and saw his son kneeling on the snow covered ground without a coat on. Having asked his son the reasons for such behavior, he disoovered that his own mother was punishing her grandson for a wrong-doing. He then took off his own coat, and ordering the servants to tie him up, knelt down on the snow covered ground beside his son.
His mother hearing about this went to ask him what the matter was.
"You're making my son suffer and catch cold. So now I'll make your son suffer and catch cold. too!" said the Grand Commander.

Yao tops Forbes' celebrity list again

2006-05-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Houston Rockets'star Yao Ming has topped Forbes magazine's list of Chinese celebrities again.
Yao signed a five-year,$75 million contract,and earned the ranking again.The 7-foot-6 basketball player and three-time NBA All-star has one year left on his first contract,which will pay him more than $5.5 million next season.
Yao earned $18.5 million in 2004,about 25 percent higher than the year before.As an international sports icon,Yao has been in advertisements for Apple Computer in the past year and has a multimilliom-dollar contract with Reebok International this year.
Second on the list was actress Zhang Ziyi,an Academy Award presenter this year,followed by Olympic gold medal winner Liu Xiang.Due to his strong showing in last summer's Olympic Games,Liu jumped from 90th place last year to third place this year.
Other athletes on the list included Olympic chaimpion divers Tain Liang and Guo JingJing ,ranked 16th and 17th ,Manchester City soccer player Sun Jihai,34th,and Sheffield United player Hao Haidong,55th.
The list looked at the income and popularity of celebrities in film,sports, media, music and publishing.Those listed had to have been born and had to have grown up in mainland China.Celebrities from Hong Kong, Taiwan,Macao and other parts of the Chinese-speaking world were not included.

How Big It Has Become Overnight!

2006-05-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

One day a scholar taught his son to read the Chinese word "one". Soon the boy learnt it by heart.
The next day while the scholar was wiping the table, he happened to write on the table top a "one" with his wet rag to quiz his son. The boy couldn't read it at all.
"This is the word 'one' I taught you to read yesterday, now isn't it?" said the scholar.
"Oh! But how big it has become overnight!" said the boy in surprise.

Chinese beauty standards

2006-05-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

What makes a woman beautiful in a Chinese person's eyes? NOW we have some standards to follow.
Mirror newspaper in Beijing reported that the China International Beauty Week had just found a set of Chinese beauty standerds.
According to the standerds,a Chinese beauty must have an egg-shaped face,willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows and a mouth that looks like smilling.
The length of a woman's eyes should be 24 to 28 millimeters,with a distance of 35 millimeters between the two eyes.
A poll on China's web http://www.sohu.com/ has just come up with the list of the ten most beautiful Chinese women that represents"China's beauty".The top one is big-eyed actress Zhao Wei.
The China International Beauty Week is the biggest global event of China's beauty and cosmetics industry. The third China International Beauty Week that was held last year brought up the concept of "beauty economy",and also gave a report on the beauty economy.
The year 2005 was called the "Year One of the Beauty Economy".This year's China International Beauty Week uses"2006 China Beauty"as its theme and builds up the concept of "China's beauty".

Welcome to my other blog for fun: http://chinaalbum.blogspot.com/

I Taught the Teacher

2006-05-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

Mother asked little LiPing,"Darling,what did the teacher teach you today?"
"nothing,Mum,"answered little LiPing proudly,"instead,she asked me how much one plus two was,and I told her three."

my picture

2006-05-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Who Is Stupid?

2006-05-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Li Ping is my little brother,the teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses.
She started her class by saying,”Everyone who thinks you’re stupid,stand up!”
LiPing then stood up.
The teacher said,”Do you think you’re stupid, LiPing?”
“No,I am not,but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!”

A Successful Woman--Yang Lan

2006-05-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Yang Lan was born in 1968 in Beijing. Her mother was an engineer,and her father taught English literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University and sometimes served as the official translator for fomer Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
When she was 21 in 1990,that is,in her last year at the Beijing Foreign Studies University,Yang Lan auditioned for -and won-the position of host of the Zheng Da Variety Show on China Central Television.Within a year Zheng Da Variety Show ,a prime-time-Saturday celebrity quiz and talk show,was China's top-rated TV program,with an audience of 220 million.
Despite this success,four years later,Yang Lan leff the show and went to New York where she spent two years earning a master's degree at Columbia University's School of Intermational and Public Affairs.
Yang's TV skills were matched by a keen mind for business.In 1999,with her husband,Wu Zheng,she started her own media company,Sun Television Cyber networks(Sun TV),At its peak,Sun TV was valued at $179 million in stock market.Yang Lan owned 35%of the shares,which were worth $63 million.
Yang Lan,who holds a master's degree from Columbia University in the United States,is one of China's 50 most successful entrepreneurs and China's third richest self-made woman.

Who on Earth Lost?

2006-04-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

My brother likes gambling very much.
Once he gambled with his boss,saying,"A mole is on your chest,if you don't believe it,let's bet 500 on it."
The boss said seriously,"Give me your money."Saying that,he took off his clothes,as a matter of fact,nothing was on his chest.The boss got the money happily .he told one of his colleagues that he beat my brother in gambling.
His colleague got angry, saying,"Stop it.With me,he said he could make you take off your clothes in five minutes,And the price was 1000."

Flowers To My Distant Friends

2006-04-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, my distant friends.

We,distant in China.

Cherish for you a memory.

Our heart is with you,

You are always in our mind.

Standing as one,we are strong in unity.

Bonded in friendship,We overcome any difficulty.

Let's build our earth and a life brand new for all.

Flowers around you everyday.

NO war forever.

Hand in hand,shoulder to shoulder,

We stand with your family and your country.

We are one!

Attended A Wedding

2006-04-30T04:10:00.000-07:00

Today I would attended a wedding.I rang my friend up"Where is the wedding?"
He said "You have to cross a bridge and then turn to the right."
"And is the bridge long?"
"Very .Twenty meters."
The telephone was rung when I would go
"Stop!"My friend was shouting."I've just remembered:the bridge is 40 meters long.If you go 20 meters and then turn on the right,as I told you to do, you'll fall into the river!"

I attended the wedding.One of the guests not only ate a lot of the sweetmeats offered,but stuffed his pouch with them.When I saw what the guest was doing,I picked up a tea pot and quietly,from behind,poured some tea into the guest's pouch.When finding what he had done ,the guest was not at all ashamed but reproached me,"what's my pouch got to do with you that you come and pour tea into it?"
"I meant no harm,"was my defence."When I saw so many sweets your pouch had tucked away,I was afraid it would get thirsty.That's why I gave it a drink."

The World's Best Anti Cancer Diet

2006-04-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

In you quest to reduce your cancer rish,don’t overlook the obvious:Improving you diet can play a substantial role in preventing the disease.
Food offers a formidable team of antioxidants and phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that help counteract the cellular processes in the body that can lead to cancer .But the typical American diet is meat –centered and focused on fast food .aprofile that doesn’t offer much cancer pritetion.
To cancer-proof your diet ,take note from other countries. Steven Jonas, MDprofessor of preventive medicine and coauthor of The 30 Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Cuisines, Offers the following suggestions.
Choose plant power.
Eating a variety of plant-based foods –fruits and vegetables—is the number one rule for cancer prevention,because such foods offer a cornucopia of antioxidants and phytochemicals that help make your cells less susceptible to cancer.
Need proof? In rural China, the incidrnces of breast, colon and rectal cancers are fractions of the rates reported in the U.S There,vegetables are revered and eaten in much greater quantities than meat.
The American Cancer Society recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day,but the average American falls far short of that. To add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, you don’t have to eat Chinese stir-fries event night. Instead, just import the Chinese way, sneak fruit and vegetables into foods you already eat.
Add mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions and carrots to pasta sauce, meatloaf, soup, stew and chili. Meanwhile, use meat in smaller, condiment-size quantities. Consider meat a flavoring agent.
Add Mediterranean flavors.
Studies show that aromatics, such as rosemary, garlic and parsley, do more than add zest to foods. They contain antioxidants that have potent cancer-fighting properties. In Mediterranean countries, the incidence rates for all forms of cancer are nearly 50 percent less than in the United States.
Parsley, in particular, is used in large quantity in Mediterranean salads and sauces. It’s packed with vitamin C and beta carotene, which have been linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer.
Rosemary and garlic are believed to boost your body’s arsenal of detoxifying enzymes that help break down the cancer-causing chemicals you’re exposed to,such as secondhand smoke.
The Mediterranean people’s generous use olive oil also contributes to their healthfulness.
Select grains.
Robust tye and barley bread is to Scandinavians what baguettes are to the French and white rice to Asians.
It’s a tradition worth importing.There has been abundant scientific evidence in recent years showing people who consume there or more servings of whole grains per day have a lower risk for heart disease,diabetes, digestive, disorders and possibly some forms cancer.