Complementary Therapy with Traditional Chinese Medicine for Ischemic Stroke

Stroke has remained the leading cause of morbidity or mortality worldwide over the past decade. Stroke survivors suffer various degrees of disability and also contribute to the large socioeconomic disease burden. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serves as an important alternative or complementary therapy in many countries. This chapter aims to explore the utility of TCM for ischemic stroke, including a review of recent literature on the mechanisms of herbal medicine and acupuncture therapy on ischemic stroke, a summary of clinical trial results for the safety and efficacy of acupuncture, and finally a discussion of acupuncture as a preventive therapy for ischemic stroke in clinical practice. On the basis of these reports, more and more scientific evidences suggest that TCM use was safe for ischemic stroke at acute and subacute stages. Moreover, TCM has benefit for stroke recovery as well as it reduces the likelihood of hospital readmission for cardiovascular or subsequent stroke events

Complementary and Alternative Therapy with Traditional Chinese Medicine for Infertility

Infertility results in a country with a low birth rate and an aging population, and thus there is vested interest in treating this problem by using both complementary and alternative therapies, in addition to conventional western medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used for healthcare in the Eastern world for thousands of years. This chapter describes the evidence to support the role of TCM in the management of male and female infertility

Complementary Therapy with Traditional Chinese Medicine for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common, heterogeneous, complex, endocrinopathic condition that causes menstrual dysfunction and infertility in women. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used for PCOS in Far-East countries for thousands of years. There are significant advantages in treating PCOS with TCM. This chapter aims to investigate the current developments in TCM therapy for PCOS

Complementary Therapy with Traditional Chinese Medicine for Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of the most significant causes of morbidity, mortality, and lifelong disability in newborns. The diagnosis of neonatal HIE is based on the dysfunction of neurogenic signs and classification according to the Sarnat staging system, which evaluates conscious level, neuromuscular control, complex reflexes, autonomic function, seizures, electroencephalogram readings, and duration of neurologic sign. There is no standard treatment for neonatal HIE, but it is widely accepted that hypothermia therapy is a safe and effective method for treating neonates with HIE. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has recently been used to treat cases of neonatal HIE, especially herbal medicine prescriptions. Acupuncture is a common method used in TCM and is another promising therapy for neonatal HIE due to its demonstrated effective treatment of the disease in animal models. While there is a lack of direct evidence in clinical practice, we have observed acupuncture to be useful in adult HIE and in animal studies; therefore, we believe a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in neonatal HIE treatment is worthwhile. Taken together, TCM is a promising technique that can be integrated into the conventional therapies for neonatal HIE