Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be very effective in treating prostate problems as well as just maintaining prostate health. Two things that this medicine does well is cut inflammation and reduce blood stasis and these are the things that are needed to treat the prostate and keep it healthy. Blood stasis just mean that the blood flow through the tissue is below par. It's easy to see that this will cause health problems to any tissue. Acupuncture is excellent at clearing heat which in western terms just means inflammation, which is common in prostate issues. There are several Chinese herbal formulas that effectively treat the prostate. These are usually modern modifications of very old herbal formulas. Prostate health is one of those things that Chinese medicine might be the best alternative for. 

TMJ is usually just stress held in the jaw muscles that over time can also effect the temporomandibular joint. Because acupuncture is good at cutting stress, reducing pain, and promoting healthy joints, it is really one of the best solutions out there for this condition. We will sometimes add a Chinese herbal formulation help in between treatments. The root of the problem is the stress, so this must be addressed in order to fix the problem.

I remember the first time I got acupuncture and I remember in particular the unusual calm that I felt afterwards. I remember after that visit that I couldn't stop smiling. That has been over nearly 20 years and I still get that feeling after a good acupuncture treatment. I just went in the first time because I was curious about it, I didn't tell them that I was stressed but the treatment still calmed me. From a western perspective some say acupuncture soothes the sympathetic nervous system which is our fight or flight mechanism. From a Chinese medicine perspective a treatment smooths the flow of Qi in the body. Which ever way you look at it, it works. When the Qi moves smoothly in the body good things happen, like peace, as well as better health as all systems work a bit better. 

 Continuing my last post, what are some conditions that we see good results using herbal formulas for? Because allergies are a big problem in the area, one of our best sellers is a formula based on a classic formula called bi yan pian. We have several formulas for allergies actually; for acute conditions, chronic, or where there is infection involved. Many of our patients end up discontinuing their prescribed or over the counter medications. I use more than one formula for migraine that can be great for treating the underlying cause, andwe use a really good formula that treats several skin conditions. We have a weight loss formula that people swear by. There is a formula that is a very good natural way to treat insomnia. And we have more than one formula to treat menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. Some of the best formulas we have treat stress and anxiety. Many of these formulas are tonic formulas, so they are also treating the underlying condition and not just the symptoms. That is really the goal with Chinese herbs, to find the deep underlying cause of the condition and treat that, so we are moving towards cure and not just maintenance.  From 15 years of prescribing Chinese herbs and using the feedback from our patients (and ourselves) we have many formulas that we feel are the best of the best, and those are the only ones we will use.

I am often asked, especially when I suggest Chinese herbs to my patients, whether or not I take Chinese herbs. The answer is yes, often, sometimes daily. The next question is often what I take Chinese herbs for.  The answer is that I take herbs for pretty much any health problem that I have. For instance, as soon as I feel like I might be getting a cold of any sort I immediately start taking yin qiao jie du wan, which, if taken soon enough, will actually stop a cold in in tracks - you won't get sick. If I have any pain that needs addressing my usual go to is shen tong zhu yu tong, sometimes called the great invigorator. These are the same formulas that we give to our patients for the same issues - because they work. So we take the same formulas that we give our patients. If we take them and take them so often, then we must be convinced of their safety and effectiveness. We only use and prescribe  formulas and suppliers that we have found to be the best of the best.
I also take almost daily a tonic formula that I have concocted for myself that consists of several longevity herbs (why not). He shou wu is a famous longevity herb as is ren shen, called ginseng in the West. The Chinese were big on living longer and healthier and using herbs to help them do so.