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
  

Last November when I lectured at Delta College on the subject of herbs and health, a lady in the audience asked me about Ma Huang and weight control. Ma Huang is a very effective Chinese herb, but it is not the right herb for weight control.

Her question leads to my concern about the misinformation and misuse of herbs. It must be remembered that herbs, too, can produce undesirable reactions and side effects if they are misused or abused. The public has been inundated daily in popular literature by information about health products, including vitamins and herbs.

Almost every day at my office patients ask about the use of certain herbs. Upon examination, I found that even though certain herbal products are labeled as arthritis, breathing or digestive aids, the ingredients are not appropriate. Accurate information and proper use of herbs has become very important for the American population, 70% of which use herbs.

The FDA has tried to set up guidelines for health products, but unfortunately, it has not helped consumers obtain the right product information. Herbs have been used in China for health and healing for thousands of years. In traditional Chinese medicine terms, each herb has its characteristics and a proper function.

For example, Ma Huang is used to release excessive wind or heat from our body through perspiration. It is also beneficial for fever, asthma and allergies. The scientific name for Ma Huang is Ephedra Sinica. One of the ingredients is ephedrine which causes rapid heart beat and exhaustion. Several fatal incidents of overdose of Ma Huang have been reported in this country. Ma Huang is never sold over the counter at PCMC Herb Center. Our weight control tea, Bojenmi, does not have Ma Huang as an ingredient. Our licensed acupuncturists and herbalists, however, may prescribe Ma Huang for respiratory conditions in herbal formulas.

At PCMC, we have always placed a priority on the effectiveness and safety of our treatment. Each acupuncturist-herbalist has at his/her disposal more than three hundred kinds of Chinese bulk herbs to combine in herbal formulas. All our practitioners are familiar with the dosage and indications of herbs and take great care when combining herbal remedies with Western medicine.

For example, Ginko Biloba and St. Johns Wort should not be mixed with aspirin or other blood thinners unless they are done so under the supervision of a physician. The PCMC staff is doing a good job at what we are doing. Hopefully, our patients and friends in the community will learn to use herbal products properly through our educational effort. Please join us at our Spring Health Seminars for six consecutive Mondays in April and May (see flyer insert). We welcome your input and participation.

 In Peace & Health,

          Yi-Po Anthony Wu, MD

TOPIC OF THE DAY - Weight Control

"We are too fat and it's killing us."

Teens take in about 9% of their calories from soda pop.

Obesity has become epidemic in this country for the last two decades. Researchers declare that it has affected our health to a point only next to smoking. The many complications of obesity include hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease and signs of mental illness.

According to statistics, obesity is associated with 300,000 deaths each year in the United States. Obesity is not only an individual problem, but also a social ill. Fifty percent of Hispanic women and African American women are overweight.

With increasing numbers of obese teens in the U.S., we are also seeing an increase in teens with type II diabetes. Many proposals for treatment of obesity have not been successful. In the past, physicians tried to use medicines which usually are effective but short lived with complications. We recognize that diet and lifestyle changes are the most effective methods of weight loss.

Pacific Complementary Medicine Center offers a spectrum of treatment from traditional medicine to alternative methods. For those with an acute need to lose weight due to complications, drugs such as appetite suppressors and fat absorption blockers will be prescribed. However, most people will be encouraged to try a combination of herb products, acupuncture, exercise and diet counseling at the center.

More than half of all adult Americans reported no regular physical activity; while 25% get none.

There are two types of obesity: the yang type occurring in healthy people with exceptional absorption and the yin type due to inefficient calorie burning. The herb tea Bojenmi is quite effective in treating obesity and diabetes in China. After its introduction in this country, I have used it in my practice to help people lose weight. Bojenmi can help both types of obesity. At PCMC we also offer capsules for our own Formula 1 and Formula 2 made from Chinese herbs.

Formula 1 is for yang type obesity and formula 2 is for yin type. Other herbal remedies include Chromium for diabetes to keep the blood sugar stable and stevia, a natural sugar substitute. As for aspartan and Nutra-Sweet, most studies show that they contain a chemical that can cause cancer and other illnesses.

Children's levels of obesity can be predicted by the number of hours of TV they watch each day.

While acupuncture has been used in this country for treating addiction with good results, it is also effective for reducing appetite through relaxation and the balance of Chi (qi). Herbs, exercise and diet counseling are usually added to complement the effects of acupuncture.

As obesity is a chronic condition, it normally takes a course of eight to ten treatments to curb one's appetite and to reduce weight. After the initial treatment, a few follow up sessions in subsequebt months are required. This is a safe and healthy way to deal with obesity.

The treatment of obesity is often initiated by the patient. The success of the program depends on the persistence of the patient and the therapist as a team. We offer an individualized care program that will allow the patients not only to lose weight but to restore their health.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF CULINARY MUSHROOMS
- PORCINI & SHITAKE -

Most mushrooms have some protein along with essential minerals and Vitamin B1. Dan Bava of Fungi Finders maintains that the protein content of dried mushrooms is closer to the protein content in animal food products such as meat and cheese than it is to the protein in plant foods such as beans and grains.

The essential minerals found in mushrooms are iron, copper and various trace elments. Mushrooms are also rich in B vitamins, especially B1. They are rich in Vitamin D and Vitamin K. Mushrooms have a low fat and carbohydrate content -almost no calories- nad high in protein.

On a dry weight basis the Boletus Edulis mushroom (porcini) contains more protein than any common vegetable except soybeans. Some of this protein is indigestible, so mushrooms are not a viable substitute for meat or other high protein foods. Cooking mushrooms maximizes their nutrient value by increasing their digestibility. Italian recipes for fresh and dried porcini mushrooms are available at PCMC Herb Center, courtesy of FUNGI FINDERS, Inc. of Stockton, California.

The shitake mushroom which tops the list of Oriental fungi for its flavor, is a natural source of interferon, a protein that appears to induce an immune response against cancer and viral diseases. Another compound found in the shitake mushroom, eritadenine, lowers cholesterol in animals and humans. Dried porcini and shitake mushrooms are available at PCMC Herb Center.

STEVIA

My husband, Gary, was diagnosed with Type II diabetes about five years ago. However that has not stopped his sweet tooth. Trying to find that perfect sugar substitute to bake goodies was difficult. I then was told about Stevia. I tried it by baking by baking his favorite dessert - apple pie. Needless to say, hew was very surprised and happy to learn that dessert can taste wonderful again.

-Sandy Lawrence

I can tell you from my own that Stevia, even though many times sweeter than sugar, does not produce mood swings, hyperactivity, and addiction as does sugar.

-Jeffrey Goettemoeller, author of "Stevia Sweet Recipes"

On the highland of Paraguay, Peru, Columbia and Mexico, grows the sweet herb Stevia whose dried leaves and twigs have the benefits as a sugar substitute for diabetics. Tests have shown that the plant's sweetening agent, Glycoside Stevioside, is three hundred times as sweet as granulated table sugar.

Potentially, Stevioside is far more than a nonfattening sugar substitute: it actually triggers hypoglycemic activity, reducing blood sugar level as it sweetens. Hence it can be a true lifesaver for many diabetics. Both Goettemoeller's recipe book and packages of Stevia are available for sale at PCMC Herb Center.

HIERBAS BUENAS - Tea (Camellia Sinensis)

Tea is an evergreen shrub. This plant was first mentioned in the Book of Odes, approximately 600 B.C. Due to its stimulating aroma and pleasant taste, tea had soon become the beverage of China. Freshly picked leaf buds and tender leaves are dried in a furnace, pounded and pressed into a mold to form a cake.

By taking slices or slabs from the cake, grinding the packed leaves into powder, passing it through a sieve and then swishing the powder in hot water, a bowl of tea is prepared. The use of tea powder prevailed in the Tang Dynasty and spread to Japan in the ninth century.

Loose-leaf tea such as we use today became popular during the Song Dynasty(960-1280 A.D.). Tea is made by steeping dry leaves in hot water. Most Chinese prefer drinking their tea without additives. Aromatic flowers and fruit such as jasmine, roses, and hawthorne berries were added to tea to give new characters.

The Manchus, like the Mongols and Tibetans, often added butter or milk to their tea. As tea drinking reached England in the eighteenth century, the English adopted the Manchu way of drinking tea with milk. Besides milk and sugar, we may use lemon and honey, mint and barley. Other medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, chrysanthemum, eucomia, and honeysuckle can also be added to tea.

Tea leaves can be partially or fully fermented before roasting, resulting in three classes of tea, green tea (unfermented), wulong tea (partially fermented) and black tea (fully fermented). As the fermentation process destroys some of the antioxidant properties, green tea would offer more preventative benefits than black tea, which, while retaining the caffeine after fermentation, becomes more of a stimulant and an antidote to excess alcohol for rich food.

In the past decades, scientific studies point to the benefits of drinking green tea:

• Support the anti-oxidant defense system of the body
  in the presence of pollution, stress, and toxins.
  
• Prevent normal cells from turning cancerous.
  
• Suppress the formation and growth tumors.
  
• Help regulate cholesterol levels.
  
• Help with the control of blood pressure and blood sugar level.
  
• Lower the risk of stroke by making blood platelets less "sticky"
  
• Assist in weight loss by blocking the breakdown of starch
  
• Ward off viruses, fungi, and food borne pathogens.
  
• Fight bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities and bad breath.
  
• Slow the aging process

Free radicals may form inside the body through daily exposure to stress, diaetary and pollutional (occupational and enviromental) toxins. The antioxidant polyphenols in green tea, especially the catechins, have been shown to be more powerful than the antioxidants Vitamin E,c and beta carotine with respect to its ability to eliminate some types of free radicals in the body.

PCMC Herb Center carries all sorts of fine teas, including, green tea, wilong tea, caffeine free tea, ginseng tea, Dang Gui tea, etc. for your health and enjoyment. Please drop in or call us at (209)946-1935 for inquiry.