Although the February 17 heatstroke death of 23-year-old Baltimore Oriels pitcher Steve Bechler has re-raised concerns about the use of the ma huang herb and its derivative, ephedra , practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine say that Chinese medicinal uses of the herb are both safe and beneficial when prescribed and administered under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist or herbalist . While no therapeutic Chinese herbal formulas have been linked with the serious adverse reactions being reported in the media, the FDA is considering banning the substance from being used.

Ma Huang , which is native to China but is also now found in the Mediterranean region, India , Persia , and the western portion of South America , has been used safely and effectively for centuries among practitioners of Chinese medicine . The herb was first mentioned roughly 3,000 years ago in The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing) . This classical text was the first to lay the foundation for study in Ch inese medicinal herbs . In this text ma huang herb is described as: " Non-toxic, treating mainly a form of the common cold, headache, and warm malaria. It causes the body to sweat, suppresses cough and counter - flow of qi (asthma), eliminates cold and heat, and breaks concretions and hardness, accumulations and gatherings. " 1

Chinese medicine is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical systems in the world, originating in China more than 3,000 years ago. Although it has been offered in the United States for more than 150 years, most Americans were exposed to it in 1972 when New York Times columnist James Reston used acupuncture during a trip to China to provide pain relief from an emergency appendectomy. Chinese medicine is a major healthcare system for over one-quarter of the world's population and the benefit of acupuncture cannot be denied. It is an effective, low cost modality that works in harmony with the body's natural healing ability. Treatment focuses on the well being of the entire person, not simply on the physical complaints and symptoms.

According to the theories of Chinese medicine , all of the disorders or diseases from which people suffer can be related to an imbalance in one's Qi , or vital energy. Qi regulates a person's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance. When Qi flow is disrupted through poor health habits or other circumstances, pain and/or disease can result. Chinese medicine 's aim, then, is to keep the normal flow of this energy unblocked.

Chinese medicine is gentle and free of the side effects of many drugs used for the same conditions. As a form of primary healthcare, it addresses a broad range of conditions that Western medicine finds difficult to treat such as stress, depression, addiction, chronic pain, allergies, migraines and low back pain. In addition to treating primary health complaints, the benefits of Chinese medicine also include pain relief, immune enhancement and increased energy and well being.

A History

Oriental medicine is a non-invasive healing modality that facilitates the body's natural ability to heal itself by restoring harmony and balance to the entire individual. Originating in China more than 3,000 years ago, the medicine is one of the most common medical systems in the world, used by one quarter of the world's population. Although it has been practiced in the United States for more than 150 years , many Americans first heard of Eastern medicine in 1972 when New York Times columnist James Reston used acupuncture for pain relief from an emergency appendectomy during a trip to China .

Many of the side effects and shortcomings of modern Western medicine have come to public attention in the last 30 years. Through the use of Chinese Medicine , many of these shortcomings can be avoided. Compared to Western medicine, Chinese medicine intervenes early-when signs of imbalance occur, prior to significant physical damage to the body. 1 Oriental medicine addresses a broad range of conditions that Western medicine finds difficult to treat. Chinese medicine focuses on the well being of the entire person, not simply on physical complaints and symptoms. Its effects are gentle and free of the side effects associated with many pharmaceutical drugs used for the same conditions. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine have been identified as an effective system of healthcare by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization 2 , and is becoming a serious alternative or complement to conventional pain management and medical treatment.

Malaria is a deadly disease spread by mosquitoes and is estimated to kill one person every 30 seconds, according to the World Health Organization. The majority victimized by this disease are children under the age of five, living in impoverished conditions throughout Africa . Yet, as the epidemic continues to escalate, more than 1.5 million people die from malaria disease each year, and more than 300 million cases are reported in over 90 countries worldwide.

In spite of these staggering statistics, an ancient Chinese herb known as artemisinin (also called ginghaosu) is proving to be a new weapon in the fight against this deadly disease. In recent test trials performed by the WHO, artemisinin-based drugs quickly reduced fevers and rapidly lowered blood-parasite levels, which can keep small outbreaks in mosquito-infested areas from becoming epidemics. Additional research findings showed the use of artemisinin was a cure for malaria in more than 90 percent of cases in certain countries.

Your throat is swollen, and your nose is itchy and runny.  Your eyes are teary, and you just sneezed on the person sitting next to you.  Spring has sprung and so have your allergies.

Millions of Americans share your agony, and a bout one person in 90 suffers from allergies. Treatments can produce harsh side effects that leave allergy sufferers less congested and itchy, but just as miserable.  Luckily, acupuncture and Oriental medicine provide effective alternatives that impose no discomforts such as sinus headache, fatigue and dryness of the nose and throat.

Now that the holidays are over and the long nights of eating and merry-making are behind us, we can start worrying about all the weight we probably gained.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 97.1 million adults are overweight, and 39.8 million of those people also meet the criteria for obesity. America seems to suffer from this disorder more acutely than other countries.

"Acupuncture can change the world," said Robin Tiberi, Clinical Director of the Pacific Center of Health, San Diego 's longest-running acupuncture clinic and the original practice site for the students and faculty of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Tiberi is putting that conviction to work at the Peace Clinic, an informal, drop-in clinic offering free acupuncture treatments to the community of San Diego .

The Peace Clinic is the result of an idea Tiberi and fellow acupuncturist, Lisajeanne Potyk, developed in response to the September 11 tragedies. Since the attacks on the World Trade Center , many people have become riddled with varying levels of discomfort. Problems such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, tension, fear and discouragement are common. As a response to this discomfort, the Peace Clinic helps serve those dealing with emotional and spiritual uncertainty spawned by this tragedy.

While new AIDS treatment has become available in the decades since it first hit the national scene in the early 1980s, there is still no cure for what has rapidly become a 20 th - and now 21 st - century plague.

In 2002 alone, AIDS killed 3 million people and infected 5 million more worldwide. What was first described as "the gay man's disease" now shows itself to be an equal-opportunity killer: Half of all AIDS cases are women, and 80 percent of the new infections between 1997 and 2000 occurred in people under 29 years of age.

For the 42 million people who reported having AIDS in 2002, alternative therapy in health and medicine such as Chinese herbs and acupuncture can offer relief as a new AIDS treatment .

It hurts to get up in the morning. Climbing the stairs isn't as easy as it used to be. Every once in a while, you swear you can hear your joints popping or creaking. Your rings don't fit anymore. Your general mobility is limited, and worse, it's making you depressed. Why? You have arthritis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 70 million Americans have some form of arthritis, and it is the leading cause of disability among people 65 years or older. With no real cure, arthritis management usually consists of simply taking drugs to manage inflammation and pain . Yet many of the drugs prescribed for arthritis have unwanted side effects or don't effectively manage pain . Because of this, more and more patients are seeking a natural cure for arthritis such as acupuncture or herbs. For arthritis sufferers, any relief is welcome. Luckily, acupuncture is such an effective form.

At most hospitals and recovery centers, when a spinal cord injury ( SCI) patient regains motor function and/or the ability to walk, it is considered a miracle. At Project Walk , it's considered the expected result of hard work and dedication.

For licensed acupuncturists and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine graduates Mike Akong, Donna McAdams and Anna Michelle Casco, being a part of the process of spinal cord injury treatment that helps patients walk again is a miracle in itself.