Wellsprings Words
Issue No. 7
In This Issue
Mini-Medical School
Tai Chi News
Upcoming Events
Mini-Medical School #5
October 5, 2013 at 12:30 at Chautauqua Hall
 
Stephanie Taylor, M.D., Ph.D.
will be our speaker on Vitamins and Supplements.

We will focus on a few of the most popular supplements in some depth. If you have questions for Dr. Taylor, she would appreciate your submitting them in advance to [email protected]/
Look forward to seeing you then!

Tai Chi starts again August 3rd, 2013.
Current Beginners Tai Chi Schedule:

Saturday at 10:30 AM
Introduction to Sun Style Tai Chi.
This is the most contemporary Tai Chi Style. It is particularly suited for health and has powerful Qi Gong exercises. 
 
Saturday at 11:30 AM
Yang Style 24 Form
This is a gentle and fun introduction to Yang Style Tai Chi, the most popular form in the world.
  
Let us know if you are interested as soon as possible.
Call 831-622-1994 and leave a message with your contact information or e mail: [email protected]
 
2013 Mini-Medical School Schedule
 

April 6-Food and Nutrition

June 1- Aging with Vigor-special guest

August 3-Herbal Medicine

October 5-Vitamins and Supplements

December 7-Environmental Health/Politics

All times at 12:30

Chautauqua Hall, Pacific Grove, CA

You are welcome to bring friends and family

logo
Health
Education
Community

Greetings!

Welcome to the seventh in a regular series of newsletters from our office to you! We have many enriching services to offer in addition to our office practice of Wellness Medicine. 
 
Sincerely,
Stephanie Taylor MD, PhD
Woman's Wellspring 
  
Woman's Wellspring Report
Mini-Medical School #4
with Michele Kennedy

 

Mini-Medical School #4, August 3, 2013

Herbs for Aging by Michele C. Kennedy

(Summarized by Stephanie Taylor)

 

Michele gave an authoritative tour de force of plant medicine from both the Chinese and Western Medical Traditions. Michele is a highly skilled herbalist with more than twenty years of teaching experience.

 

The United States had an official herbal medical tradition in the Eclectic physicians. The name "Eclectic" was created by a physician, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1784-1841).  He lived with the Native American peoples and studied their use of plants for healing. Eclectic medical practitioners made use of any reasonably beneficial therapy, especially herbs, and were opposed to the purges and bloodletting of more traditional physicians. The largest Eclectic Medicine School was located in Cincinnati and graduated its last class in 1939. In 1910 the Flexner Report called for medical schools to observe only "evidence based" medical practice, and did not approve the Eclectic Medical Schools which gradually faded under the pressure. Fortunately, the schools transferred their books and manuscripts to the Cincinnati school and its Lloyd Library is now the largest collection of herbal lore from that era.

 

Michael Moore, one of the most renowned contemporary herbalists, said, when visiting the Lloyd Library, "...there they all were, holding on by the slimmest thread, the writings of a discipline of medicine that survived for a century, was famous (or infamous) for its vast plant material medica, treated the patient and NOT the pathology, a sophisticated model of vitalist healing."

Those of you familiar with Chinese medicine will note the similarity in vitalist approach. Both traditions emphasize the individuality of the person and treat the root causes of disease rather than the symptoms, which are called "branches" in Chinese medicine.

 

Michele's most important take home message was to discriminate between herbs that you take for a short time to treat a specific condition, and herbs that you take over years for deeper strengthening. The former are called Specific herbs, and the latter are Tonic herbs.

Examples of Specific herbs within the immune stimulating class are Echinacea, Goldenseal and Osha. They are taken for a short time to treat an acute event, such as a cold or flu. They become ineffective or dangerous if taken daily over a long period of time.

Examples of Tonic herbs within the immune stimulating class are Reishi and Shitake mushrooms, Astragalus and Foti (He Shou Wu). These are taken for years to support a deeper strengthening and are generally recognized as safe for long term use.

 

This brings us to the topic of adaptogens. Adaptogens are herbs that help the body adapt to all forms of stress-noise, environmental pollution, radiation, emotional, chemicals, and long hours of work or study. Each culture develops its own adaptogens. They are used to prevent fatigue and in situations of extreme stress, such as mountain climbing. A classic example is Panax Ginseng from Asia. An excellent Panax Ginseng root can be worth thousands of dollars. Because it is a very potent herb, it is not appropriate for everyone, especially if you have high blood pressure. A milder alternative is the American Ginseng. This is so popular in Asia that the wild stands of American Ginseng are threatened with extinction. Over harvesting is a problem for any plant that is harvested for the root, as opposed to the fruit or the leaves. Siberian Ginseng is actually another species, and is a popular and gentle adaptogen. The mushrooms are a fascinating series of adaptogens. Reishi mushroom is a type of wood mushroom, jutting laterally from old logs. Shitaki mushrooms are familiar from Chinese cuisine. There are actually therapeutic restaurants in Asia which blend the therapeutic and culinary traditions to prepare a meal using the herbs appropriate to your medical condition.

 

When you shop for herbs for medicinal purposes, quality is paramount. Excellent manufacturers use a multi-step process to assure quality. The plant material needs to be identified as the correct herb by DNA "fingerprinting" as well as visual inspection. They need to be tested for potency and for contamination with bacteria, molds and heavy metals. The potency is usually assessed with chromatography, and the percent of a marker molecule is listed on the label. Some herbs that are endangered species should not be wild-crafted, since this further depletes the native stocks. Herbs are available dried, powdered and encapsulated as well as prepared as a tea or a glycerite/ alcohol extract. The extracts are not equivalent to the whole herb, because not all the elements will extract into the liquid. Whether this is a problem depends on your goals for treatment. Extracts are, generally, a more stable preparation. The oil extract of aromatic plants compose the discipline of Aromatherapy. These oils are used primarily by inhalation, but in Europe are also taken internally.

Basic Resources for further study:

 

HerbalGram-the flagship journal of the American Botanical Society (ABC).

The German Commission E published by ABC   

www.herbalgram.org

 

Essential Oils for Aromatherapy; Original Swiss Aromatics at www.originalswissaromatics.com

 

 

 

 

 

Tai Chi News
 
Our Saturday Tai Chi Chuan classes have resumed. The 10:30 Class is an Introduction to Sun Style Tai Chi. We are learning the Tai Chi for Arthritis form that is based on the Sun 73 Form. The class will also explore the differences between Yang and Sun style Tai Chi and get a chance to experience the very enlightening Tai Chi Seated Form. 
 
The 24 Form Yang Style Tai Chi class returns. Some are reviewing and some are learning for the first time. 24 Form Yang style is the most popular form in the world. This is a graceful and elegant Tai Chi Form. 
 
For those of you who want a time to practice with friends, Dr. Taylor created a Tai Chi on the Monterey Peninsula Meetup group. Just go to www.meetup.com and type Tai Chi in the search box. We have had three meetings so far and had a great time together. 
 
The more senior Tai Chi participants  gave a great demonstration for world Tai Chi day. Their happy picture is posted on our business Facebook site- Womanswellspring on Facebook
 
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi was just published. It is written by a noteworthy Harvard researcher, and published by a noteworthy martial arts publishing house. Isn't that an interesting combination? It will be an excellent reference for all the research supporting Tai Chi's health benefits. 

About Woman's Wellspring

Logo large "True wellness and deep healing is more than the application of a pill to a diagnosis. I have pioneered a new approach to healthcare that is based on personal and community wellness. Here is what this means:

The first community is you. Each person is a composite of their own life experiences and their own circle of support. Every factor needs to be evaluated to develop a picture of the whole person. Each element can then be recruited into the healing process.

The second community is where you live. The majority of public health research shows that the health of individuals is not separate from the health of the community. We have an obligation to ourselves to care for our community. This means taking the ecological initiative and also supporting the small businesses that are based in our community, especially our local farmers. Over time the community that you care for will also care for you.

The center of the program is the office visit. We offer 30 and 60 minute patient visits. This gives us enough time to really get to know you. The relationship does not end at the office visit. You will enter a supportive community linked by regular newsletters and educational programs. You will have the opportunity to re-discover yourself and the joys of living on the Monterey Peninsula. Visit Medical Program and Educational Program and see how this unique holistic program can benefit you and assist you in achieving your life's purpose."