Yi-Po Anthony Wu, MD, M.P.H.
Medical Director and founder of PCMC

• Western medical training at National Taiwan University, Worcester City Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical Center
• Masters degree in Public Health, University of Hawaii
• Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
• Acupuncture training in Taiwan and at New York University
• Director of Pacific Pain Clinic 1988-93
• Director of Pacific Complementary Medicine Center since 1999
  

Although you probably would rather hear from me that these diseases can be treated and fixed, the reality is that the best treatment is prevention. In most cases, age-related diseases developed not mereley from your age, but from the culmination of your lifestyle in earlier years - stress, eating habits, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, use of alcohol, nicotine or other drugs, and other indulgences. All these age the body and weaken immunity.

Prevention is always the best medicine. If you have missed the boat and developed hypertension, diabetes, arthritis or some kind of immune disorder, there is still an opportunity for you to improve your health by making lifestyle changes while working with your doctor to control symptoms.

By integrating Eastern healing philosophy and treatment modalities with Western medicine, I have the satisfaction of seeing many patients regain their health and reclaim control of their lives. They did most of the healing themselves, but our practitioners at PCMC certainly helped. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yoshiko Kage, Dr. Brian Loh, Dorel Rotar, and Dr. Susan Wang for their commitment. This November marks the 11th anniversary of Dr. Loh’s joining PCMC and he is a great asset to the center as well as to the community.

Teresa Chen's cookbook on healthy Chinese soups from the Pearl River Delta area in China is in its final stage of completion. The cookbook includes over a hundred traditional soup recipes and detailed descriptions of Chinese food ingredients complete with color-photo illustration and discussion of health benefits.

          Yi-Po Anthony Wu, MD

Dr. Brian Loh:
Celebrating 11 Years At PCMC

Brian Chee C. Loh is a state-licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who has practiced at Pacific Complementary Medicine Center for ten years.
A graduate of Tungji University School of Medicine in Wuhan, China, Dr. Loh is a former surgeon from Beijing Medical University where he practiced both Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine. After coming to the United States, he did further studies at the San Francisco College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and has since dedicated himself solely to the practice of acupuncture for more than twenty years. He has used acupuncture to treat various conditions including asthma, arthritis, headache, back pain, skin disorder, menopause syndrome, stress, stroke, and for weight control, smoking cessation, and wrinkle removal.

Dr. Loh is well known in the field of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is the president of the United California Practitioners of Chinese Medicine and of the American Institute of Chinese Medicine. Dr. Loh is active as an organizer and spokesman for professional acupuncturists. With his knowledge and experience, Dr. Loh broadens the scope of PCMC’s services and activities and strengthens Pacific Complementary Medicine Center’s commitment to providing the best of Western and Chinese medicine for patient care.


Ten Recommendations for Prolonging Life

by Brian Loh, L.Ac.

When I was young I never thought about old age and illness. Now, after seventy-two years of journeying through life, my concerns have changed. I am committed to taking care of my health to prolong my life. I would like to share with you my ten recommendations for longevity:

1. Health is not for the lazy. It takes hard work and commitment.
2. Don’t complain about past adversities or unhappy events, and don’t carry poisonous resentments. Don’t have extravagant hopes for the future either. Just strive for peace of mind and heart.
3. Take good care of yourself through balanced nutrition and satisfying accomplishments.
4. Forget obsession with aging, money, and fame. Forget old insults.
5. Understand and appreciate that you are fortunate on so many accounts: you’re reasonably healthy, you’re able to read, you have friends and family who care about you, and you have the freedom to do whatever you want.
6. Be delighted that you can still work after retiring, that your children are independent now, that you are not consumed with burning desire but content with clean conscience, good friends, and a good mood.
7. On happiness: Peace is the highest happiness. Be happy, at peace, and content with your lot in life. Keep a carefree mood and take pleasure in doing works of charity and helping other people.
8. Eight pointers: Maintain kind speech, sharp thinking, a good disposition, generous attitude, and peaceful mind. Work more, talk less, and smile more :-)
9. Do something often: click your teeth, swallow your saliva, massage your nose, practice circular movements with your eyeballs, rub your face, ground your feet, and stretch your legs. These are simple but effective ancient oriental exercises intended to promote good health.
10. Finally, here are 10 basic rules to promote your health: Eat less meat and more vegetables, take less salt and more vinegar, consume less sugar and more fruit, chew longer before you swallow, bathe frequently, talk less and work more, desire less and give more, worry less and sleep more, drive less and walk more, and let go of anger.

Your life cannot always overflow with happiness, but it can be healthier if you stand on the firm ground of personal commitment to self-care.

Working With Dr. Loh: A Testimonial

By Connie Tracy*

It has been an honor and a pleasure working with Dr. Loh. I was in the medical field for 15 years before I came to PCMC and had never heard of acupuncture. Since joining the PCMC staff I have seen many injured patients come in unable to stand, some in wheelchairs or with canes. After only a few treatments they tell me their pain is lessened or gone. People who have smoked for more than 40 years no longer desire to smoke after six treatments. I have enjoyed working with Dr. Loh because of his caring and gentle attitude not only with his patients but with everyone. He always comes in with a smile and when he leaves he thanks me for my help.

*Connie Tracy is also celebrating 11 years at PCMC along with Dr. Loh.

Good Habits for Flu Prevention

1. Avoid Close Contact
Avoid close contact with people who are sick, and return the favor, when you are sick. Keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too.

2. Stay Home When Sick
If you can, stay home from work, school, and running errands when sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3. Cover Your Nose and Mouth
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4. Clean Your Hands
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

5. Avoid Touching Your Eyes, Nose, or Mouth
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice Other Good Habits
Sleep well, be physically active, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Preparing For Flu Season:
An Herbal Approach

Flu season is almost upon us. For many, the flu is only an uncomfortable nuisance, a temporary disruption from the normal flow of life. For others, the flu represents a major health hazard, a potential gateway to pneumonia or bronchitis. Regardless of your age and immune system, it is always wise to take preventative measures and avoid illness.

Also, remember that others may be more adversely affected by the flu, so if you do get sick, please take care not to spread the illness. Here are some herbal treatments that will help you get through flu season.

Prevention Strengthen your immune system by using one of these herbal regimens: Vitamin C 500mg 1x2/day Vitamin E 400 IU 1x2/day Green Tea 1 cup 3 times daily Yin Chiao 2x2/day or Echinacea 1x2/day (NOTE: Take Echinacea 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. There can be negative side effects to continual use.)

Treatment Once the flu has struck, use the following regimen to help lessen the strength and duration of your illness: Vitamin C 500mg 1x3/day Vitamin E 400 IU 1x3/day Yin Chiao 3x3/day Flu Formula-I, steam and drink twice a day for 3-5 days

Flu Vaccine For patients of Dr. Wu who would like to receive a flu vaccine, it will be available at PCMC starting the second week of October.

PCMC Herb Center You can find everything you need to prepare these formulas at the PCMC Herb Center, located inside our offices at 645 W. Harding Way. The PCMC Herb Center is having a sale on these and other herbal formulas in celebration of its tenth anniversary.

Acupuncture: A Beginner’s Guide

by Dorel Rotar, L.Ac.

Acupuncture is based on Taoist philosophy, the concept of Yin and Yang, and the idea that the Macrocosm and Microcosm are reflections of each other at different levels of manifestation. Through this understanding, the sages of China realized that proper health and longevity are a result of energetic balance and harmony between humans and their environment (including lifestyle). All the internal organs have an energetic system based on meridians or channels, which connect them with the body’s exterior, and they start or end up at the tips of the toes and fingers. Along these meridians there are specific points that act as small energetic vortexes (whirlpools) which have specific functions and can influence the flow of energy inside the internal organs.

The vital energy inside these channels is called Chi or Qi in Chinese. By using small stainless needles at these acupuncture points, the blocked, obstructed, excessive, or deficient energy can be regulated and balanced. There is no pain during needling, but the patient may experience a “Chi sensation” called Da Qi in Chinese, which is often described as a distending, swelling, or tingling sensation along the energetic meridian. This sensation may be unpleasant for new patients but after a couple of treatments patients feel very comfortable, and often fall into a relaxing sleep.

Very often, in my own practice, I treat patients with chronic pain, migraine headaches, depression and metabolic diseases. About 60-70 percent of them are returning patients or referrals, strong evidence of the efficacy of this ancient yet also modern healing art.

The number of treatments required varies for each condition, and it depends upon whether the condition is chronic or acute, and on the strength of a patient’s Chi. Patients with stronger constitutions or Chi will experience faster recovery, while the elderly and weak Chi patients will require more treatments.

Healthy Chinese Soups
- Flavor of the Deltas

A New Cookbook by Teresa Chen, PCMC Health Educator

by Teresa Chen, Ph. D.

It is sad that in our society, where food is in abundance, people are malnourished. For many Americans, eating well is equivalent to eating out. At home, to save time and effort, many people rely on ready-made frozen dinners with little nutritional value. Do we really prefer to eat like astronauts in space?

People often associate healthy food with food that is uninteresting, bland and boring. The delicious traditional soups presented in Healthy Chinese Soups will show you otherwise. They will entice you with their aroma, flavor, color, and texture — what the Chinese refer to as “mouth-feel.” They are fortified with healthful intent and good nutrition. Assembled from research and interviews with Chinese immigrants from around the Pearl River Delta region in southern China, these authentic recipes contain the healing wisdom from many generations of traditional Chinese cooking. The end products are not only delicious and gourmet, but also healthy. Every soup in the book contains ingredients known to have beneficial health properties.

We invite you all to pause and smell the delightful aroma of soup cooking on the stove. Many of the soups are remarkably easy to make and are a part of everyday traditional Chinese meals. Others are for special celebrations. Entertain your taste buds with the myriad flavors nature has to offer and nourish your family and yourself with ancient Eastern wisdom in the modern Western kitchen.