In his newly released book, Radical Healing: 2nd Ed., (Himalayan Institute Press), Rudolph Ballentine includes a comprehensive chapter on detoxification, drawing from Ayurveda, homeopathy, and Chinese Medicine. One of his detox strategies that can be done by anyone is called the Cilantro Detox, which simply involves eating 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro per day, for […]

The invention of insulin has had a profound and destiny-changing impact on people with IDDM (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, also known as Type 1 diabetes). Proper use of insulin can significantly prolong life expectancy for patients with IDDM. However, insulin use does not guarantee that the patient will avoid diabetes complications. Today, even with modern […]

One category of skin diseases with interesting visual manifestations is the “lichen” group, so named because the different types resemble the lichen that grows on rocks and trees. They are generally dry, rough, thickened, or hardened clusters of skin bumps or plaques, and rather than showing the fiery-red inflammation of psoriasis, eczema, and other forms […]

Please note: While herbal “teas” can be brewed from a variety of leaves, flowers, or roots, in this article we focus on tea leaves. Tea – Oolong, green, and black – comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference in taste and health benefit comes from the way the tea leaves are […]

Gallbladder removal is the most common surgery performed in North America. Every year, more than half a million people in the U.S. and over 50,000 in Canada undergo surgery to remove their gallbladders because of painful gallstones. Approximately 80% of all gallstones show no symptoms and may remain ‘silent’ for years. Once symptoms arise, they […]

Irritable bowel is a catch-all name for abdominal pain and bowel problems that do not have another explanation. For the sake of this article, I am going to include diseases that would normally come under the label of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We don’t use these labels in Chinese […]

Fungal and yeast infections of the skin are some of the most common and tenacious dermatological complaints. Parasitic organisms that colonize the skin of susceptible individuals produce these infections. They particularly like warm, moist places such as the feet and groin. If the infection is recent and has not occurred before, it might easily be […]

You would do anything and everything for your child, including the best treatment possible when they are not well. As children grow, they go through natural stages of development, and with that comes health complaints. Chinese Medicine has been used for more than 5,000 years on children and infants, and is a safe, natural means […]

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is fast becoming global medicine, spreading from its traditional home in Asia to all of Europe, Australia, North America and Africa. The professional online forum that I belong to has members in all of these regions, some of whom work in hospitals or alongside medical doctors. In Japan, China and Taiwan, […]

The burden of rhinitis is nothing to sneeze at! Americans spend over $3 billion annually on prescribed antihistamines. Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of this condition has risen dramatically in industrialized countries, with England, Sweden, and Australia reporting a doubling in rate. This is a trend similar to that which is witnessed with […]

Eczema of the hands is a very interesting skin condition, although this quality may well be lost on sufferers whose lives are undeniably impaired by it. It is indeed very difficult to attend to daily tasks while the hands are covered in blisters, open wounds or deep fissures. However, hand eczema is a very satisfying […]

Vitiligo is characterized by loss of pigment (melanin) in the skin, leading to bleached white spots, which may spread over a large part of the body. Auto-immunity is suspected as the cause of this condition. Western medicine prescribes some form of immunosuppressive therapy, such as topical steroids, but readily admits that it doesn’t work, and […]

Insomnia can be described as: difficulty or inability to fall asleep, waking throughout the night, restless sleep, waking in the early hours of morning with the inability to fall back asleep, and dream-disturbed sleep. Insomnia is considered chronic if it persists over a couple of months. Approximately one third of adults experience some sort of […]

Crohn's disease and Colitis are inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Colitis affects only the rectum and occasionally the lower colon, whereas Crohn's may affect the GI tract from mouth to anus, but most commonly the small intestine. The main symptoms, common to both conditions, are relapsing bouts of severe and frequent diarrhea occasionally mixed […]

Allergic disorders are varied in kind and increasing in frequency in the industrialized world. They range from respiratory conditions such as seasonal “hayfever” and asthma to food allergies and skin disorders such as atopic eczema. Potentially deadly anaphylactic allergies to peanuts are becoming more and more common, despite the fact that we in the West […]

Updated August. 15, 2021 Psoriasis is a relatively common skin disease, occurring in about 2% of the population. Onset is usually between 10 and 30 years of age, and tends to run in families. In its most common form. it presents itself with thickened patches of inflamed, red skin, covered with waxy silvery scales which […]