Yoga & Qigong — A Self-reliant Practice for Health of Body & Mind

Yoga originated from India and is becoming popular worldwide. Qigong originated from China and is less known outside China. Interestingly, both Indian Yoga and Chinese Qigong emphasize on three common components in their fundamental practices, viz. (i) stretching of muscles, tendons and ligaments when thousands of proprioceptive receptors which initiate the “gate theory” of neurological control of pain perception are stimulated; (ii) controlled breathing which harmonizes the somatic and autonomic systems of neurological activities; and (iii) the wonderful outcome after such simple voluntary efforts, a state of tranquility of the mind, which could be understood as Meditation. A comprehensive review on the reports on Yoga and Qigong practices affecting the important physiological processes and mental states of the practitioners is completed to provide reliable information about the value of the practices. Result of the review shows that there are sufficient evidences today, after many carefully planned research studies, on the supportive effects of both Yoga and Qigong on not only neuromuscular pathologies but also problems in cardiovascular, pulmonary and most remarkably, mental health. Yoga and Qigong practices are good for both the body and mind

Chinese herbal medicine research in eczema treatment

Eczema is a chronic relapsing atopic dermatitis (AD) associated with pruritus, sleep disturbance and poor quality of life of the patient. Treatment of eczema includes use of emollient, topical and systemic antimicrobial agents, corticosteroid or immunomodulating agents. Many patients also seek alternative treatments such as dietary avoidance, supplementation or both. This article reviews the basic pathophysiology of eczema and clinical trials involving Chinese medicine in the treatment of eczema. Research reports on Chinese herbal medicine for eczema were retrieved from PubMed and the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews for this review. Only a few RCTs demonstrated the efficacy (or lack of efficacy) of Chinese medicinal herbs in treating atopic eczema. Further larger scale trials are warranted

Use of dietary supplements by breast cancer patients undergoing conventional cancer treatment

<b>Background</b> Many breast cancer patients use some form of dietary supplement (DS) to complement their conventional cancer treatment, in the hope that they might lessen the side effects of treatment, improve quality of life, give a greater sense of control, and reduce stress. This pilot study assessed the level of DS usage by breast cancer patients undergoing conventional cancer treatment, and their concerns about the use of DS. <p></p> <b>Method</b> A cross-sectional descriptive survey in three breast cancer centers in Hong Kong using face-to-face interviewing was performed. <p></p> <b>Results</b> Of 82 female Chinese breast cancer patients who completed the survey, 99% reported that they had been using DS since their cancer was diagnosed. The most frequently used DS were Chinese herbal medicines, and patients spent about US$258 on DS every month. The reason given for using DS was to enhance their recovery from cancer, but at the same time the patients had safety concerns. However, most patients did not feel able to discuss these concerns with health professionals. <p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> The majority of the patients had some safety concerns, and said that they would welcome detailed and reliable information on DS. The lack of reliable information on the potential risks and benefits of using such supplements as an adjuvant to conventional treatment and the reluctance of patients to discuss their use of DS with health professionals is a major area of concern that warrants further attention

Overview of Contraindicated Chinese Medicines for Pregnancy

Chinese medicines should be classified into drugs, which have both beneficial and harmful effects. For centuries, Chinese medicines have been widely used to relieve many symptoms and to treat complications during pregnancy. It is not clear how safe the Chinese medicines are being used during pregnancy and if there is any adverse effects to embryo-fetal development and prenatal and postnatal growth. Some Chinese medicines are indicated that they cannot be used in pregnancy. In this chapter, we will conduct a systematic review to summarize and characterize in details the Chinese medicines classified as contraindicated, not recommended and cautiously used for pregnancy in most updated version of Pharmacopeia of the People’s Republic of China. Clinical reports including clinical trials, case reports, case series and animal studies including short-term and long-term toxicity, specific organ toxicity and different species of the Chinese medicines will be studied. Unlike those pharmaceutical drugs not recommend for use during pregnancy because of known or suspected adverse or teratogenic effects evident by animal studies and/or clinical trials, most of the Chinese medicines were utilized for long history in culture which, however, has very limited scientific data regarding the adverse pregnant outcomes

The Ethanol Extract of Fructus trichosanthis Promotes Fetal Hemoglobin Production via p38 MAPK Activation and ERK Inactivation in K562 Cells

Pharmacological stimulation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression may be a promising approach for the treatment of beta-thalassemia. In this study, the effects of Fructus trichosanthis (FT) were investigated in human erythroleukemic K562 cells for their gamma-globin mRNA and HbF-induction activities. The role of signaling pathways, including extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), was also investigated. It was found that the ethanol extract of FT significantly increased gamma-globin mRNA and HbF levels, determined by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, in dose- and time-dependent manner. Total Hb (THb) levels were also elevated in the concentrations without cytotoxicity (<80 μg mL−1). Pre-treatment with p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 blocked the stimulatory effects of FT extract in total and HbF induction. In contrast, no change in HbF was observed when treated with ERK inhibitor PD98059. Furthermore, FT ethanol extract activated p38 MAPK and inhibited ERK signaling pathways in K562 cells, as revealed in western blotting analysis. In addition, SB203580 significantly abolished p38 MAPK activation when the cells were treated with FT. In summary, the ethanol extract of FT was found to be a potent inducer of HbF synthesis in K562 cells. The present data delineated the role of ERK and p38 MAPK signaling as molecular targets for pharmacologic stimulation of HbF production upon FT treatment

The osteoprotective effect of Herba epimedii (HEP) extract in vivo and in vitro

Herba epimedii (HEP) is one of the most frequently used herbs prescribed for treatment of osteoporosis in China. In the present study, the in vivo effects of HEP extract on bone metabolism were evaluated using 4-month-old ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-operated (Sham) female Sprague-Dawley rats orally administered with HEP extract (110 mg kg(−1)d(−1)), 17ß-estrogen (2 mg kg(−1)d(−1)) or its vehicle for 3 months. HEP extract significantly decreased urinary calcium excretion, suppressed serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and urinary deoxypyridinoline levels in OVX rats (P < 0.05 versus vehicle-treated OVX rats). Histomorphometric analysis indicated that HEP extract could prevent OVX-induced bone loss by increasing tibial trabecular bone area and decreasing trabecular separation in OVX rats (P < 0.05 versus vehicle-treated OVX group). The in vitro effects of HEP extract were also studied using rat osteoblast-like UMR 106 cells. HEP extract significantly stimulated cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01 versus vehicle-treated) and increased ALP activity at 200 μgml(−1) (P < 0.01 versus vehicle-treated) in UMR 106 cells. It modulated osteoclastogenesis by increasing osteoprotegrin (OPG) mRNA and decreasing receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) mRNA expression, resulting in a dose-dependent increase in OPG/RANKL mRNA ratio (P < 0.01 versus vehicle-treated). Taken together, HEP treatment can effectively suppress the OVX-induced increase in bone turnover possibly by both an increase in osteoblastic activities and a decrease in osteoclastogenesis. The present study provides the evidence that HEP can be considered as a complementary and alternative medicine for treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis