Karson Chan CMP

02/09/2020

The Theory of the Five Elements describes the equilibrium condition maintained by the dynamic interactions between the Five Elements, which are WOOD, FIRE, EARTH, METAL and WATER.

Equilibrium is achieved by 1) Inter-generation and 2)Inter-restraint.

One element has the function of promoting the next in the cycle. In that Inter-generation cycle, each Element has 2 roles which are Generating (Mother) and Being Generated (Son). Mother supports her Son to avoid being too weak. The movements in that cycle is:
WOOD -> FIRE -> EARTH -> METAL -> WATER ->WOOD
Wood catches Fire. The wood then becomes ash as soil on the ground, which is Earth. Later, crystal is formed, like Metal. When Metal melts, it became liquid, similar to the form of Water. And then Water is used to plant. Finally it goes back to Wood.

One element has the function of restraining another specific element in the cycle. Inter-restraint can also be domination, controlling or checking relationship. It inhibits another one being too active or too strong. This cycle of Inter-restraint follows the below order:
WOOD =>> EARTH =>> WATER =>> FIRE =>> METAL =>> WOOD
Roots(Wood) catches(controls) Soil(Earth). Soil or Sand(Earth) blocks water flow(Water). Water puts off Fire. Fire melts Metal. Axe(Metal) chops Tree(Wood).

If the one element excessively restrain another one, it is pathological. This is called Over-restraint,
WOOD over>> EARTH over>> WATER over>> FIRE over>> METAL over>> WOOD

Another pathological illness dynamic exists when the restrain relationship gets reversed. This is called Reverse-restraint.
WOOD

21/06/2020

The Theory of Yin (-) and Yang (+) plays a very important role in the framework of Chinese Medicine. Yin and Yang is a concept of dualism. Everything in the universe can be divided into Yin and Yang. This theory has 4 main principles:

1 The unity and opposition of Yin and Yang.
The unity means Yin and Yan always exist together to form as One. The opposition is a relative concept, like negative and positive, moon and sun, night and day, women and men, inside and outside, sky and earth.

2 The inter-dependence and inter-operability of Yin and Yang.
Yin and Yang are mutually dependent because they share the same origin. Yin exists because of Yang and vice versa. Yin alone can’t grow. Yang can’t arise by itself.

3 The mutual consuming and counter-balancing of Yin and Yang.
The transformations and movements of Yin and Yang maintain a constant state of dynamic balance. When Yang is rising, Yin must be falling. When Yin is becoming stronger, Yang must be weaker. In summer, daytime is longer, and nighttime is shorter. While in winter, daytime is shorter, and nighttime is longer.

4 The inter-transforming of Yin and Yang.
Yin can become Yang, and Yang can become Yin. Water v***r in the sky forms cloud as Yang. In the contrary, when it rains and falls to the ground, it then becomes water as Yin.

Then how the Yin and Yang theory is applied in Chinese Medicine?

1 It helps to understand the body structure.
Viscera belongs to Yin while Bowel belongs Yang. Besides, Upper body, Back, Exterior are Yang. Lower body, Front, Interior are Yin.

2 It helps to understand human physiology.
The Yin is inside, it’s protected by the Yang outside. On the other hand, the Yang outside, is supported by the Yin inside too. In normal condition, Yang outside is like forming a protective layer, defending from foreign attack and preventing fluid loss from excessive sweating. For Yang to function externally, Yin has to support and nourish Yang from internal.

3 It helps to understand human pathology.
When Yin and Yang are imbalanced, one will be sick. Excess of Yang(hot) results Heat syndromes. Lack of Yin(cold) also lead to deficiency Heat syndromes.

4 It helps to guide clinical treatment.
Treatments for excess syndromes must use reducing and clearing methods. Treatments for deficient syndromes must use reinforcing and supplementing methods. Cold symptoms (Yin) cure with Hot-natured(Yang) herbs. Hot symptoms (Yang) cure with Cold-natured(Yin) herbs.

17/05/2020

Chinese Medicine Practitioner asks menstrual blood "Period, Flow, Colour and Texture" in diagnosis.

The 4 Diagnostic Methods of Chinese Medicine, "Inspection Listening & Smelling, Inquiring, Palpation", which are not new to many patients. But for some female patients especially young Ladies who have never consulted with Chinese Medicine, they will be taken aback by the question from Chinese Medicine Practitioner, or they will not able to answer.

"Q: When was the last menstrual period? A: I forgot, didn’t mark it down ... I don't remember." "Q: How many days it became clean? A: I have no idea.”

"Q: How was the menstrual blood flow, was it a lot? A: Not really ... it should be normal." "Q: Then how many napkins were changed in a day? A: Normally once in a day."

"Q: Were they a lot of blood clots? Dark colours? Answer: I didn’t check cause it’s dirty."

Chinese Medicine Practitioner does ask female patient's menstrual history to help diagnose. It generally includes asking about the menstrual cycle, duration, flow, colour, and texture, and other symptoms like headaches, lower back pain, breast tenderness, or abnormal emotions during menstrual period, before and after menstruation. Some patients think that being sick often belongs to " Deficient Constitution" body type. While dislike hot but cold drinks belongs " Hot Constitution" body type. The characteristics of the following symptoms can be used to determine different body types.

Excess of Heat - early menstrual cycle, large menstrual blood flow, deep red or purple in colour, thick texture, or with blood clots, or with chest pain, or thirsty and bitter taste in mouth.

Deficiency of Heat - early menstrual cycle, large or small flow, red colour, thick texture, or flushed cheeks, feeling hot in hands and foots, or hot flashes and sweating when sleeping.

Excess in Cold - late menstrual cycle, small flow, light colour, with blood clots, cold abdomen, abdominal pain and refuse to be pressed.

Deficiency in Cold - late menstrual cycle, small flow, pale colour, thin texture, cold abdomen and pain, feels better with warmth and when pressed.

Kidney Deficiency - late menstrual cycle, small flow, dull colour, thin texture, feeling weak in waist and legs.

Qi Deficiency - early menstrual cycle, large flow, light colour, thin texture, short breaths and reluctance to talk.

Blood Deficiency – late menstrual cycle, small flow light colour, thin texture, dizziness and palpitations

Liver Depression - irregular menstrual cycle, large or small flow, dark purple colour, with blood clots, two flank pains, poor mood.

Qi Stagnation - late menstrual cycle, small or normal flow, dark red colour, or with blood clots, pre-menstrual or menstrual lower abdominal pain, bloating is more severe than pain.

Blood Stasis - purple colour, large amount or continuous bleeding, with blood clots and tingling in the abdomen, the pain decreases after the blood clot is discharged, pre-menstrual lower abdominal pain, pain is more severe than bloating.

Phlegm-dampness - late menstrual cycle, small flow, pale colour, sticky texture, obesity, and large leukorrhea.

Chinese Medicine Gynaecology has its unique advantages. It is ideal for the treatment of infertility, menstrual diseases, leukorrhea, pregnancy and postpartum conditioning. I hope that all ladies will be ready to answer the "Period, Flow, Colour, and Texture" of menstrual blood before consulting a Chinese Medicine Practitioner.

11/04/2020

Can Chinese medicine prevent Coronavirus infection? Is it a must to take medicine for prevention?

The epidemic in recent days seems to be aggravating. New cases are on the rise, and the public are getting nervous. From time to time, there are Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions that can help preventing Coronavirus infection. Some patients asked me whether these prescriptions are effective and suitable for them. It is known that most of these prescriptions are recommended by practitioners with clinical experiences, which are helpful to certain extents. "Preventative Treatment" is the strength of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Those prescriptions are good references. But in the end, it still depends on the region and individual’s body constitution. The temperature and humidity in the northern China are relatively low (ie dry and cold), so Spicy flavour types like ginger, garlic and onions are recommended. They are also supplemented by the Sweet flavour type like shāshēn(沙參), Mài Dōnɡ(麥冬) and brown sugar. But these are not entirely suitable for people in Hong Kong. In this southern coastal area, the climate after spring is relatively hot and humid. In addition, each person's body Constitution is different, that is, there are differences in excess or lack of substances (Chinese medicine divides the body Constitution into 9 categories). Therefore, it is difficult to have a Chinese Medicine prescription that is suitable for all ages and has preventive effects throughout the year. However, you can still refer to the recommendations by Chinese medicine practitioners in Hong Kong or Guangdong. Most of them mention the precautions for different types of physique.

It should be noted that prevention doesn't mean treatment, and so medication must be different. The same disease or symptom can be treated with the same prescription, such as the "Lianhua Qingwen Capsule" recently used in the Mainland. However, avoid taking medicine randomly without any illness of infection. There is a chance that will make the body ill and sick. For people with Yang-deficiency or Phlegm-Dampness constitution, eating too much Clear-hot and Cold foods may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea, or even freezing hands and legs. These symptoms misleading you to think that you are infected. It’s found these are some other problems after consulted with doctor.

Is it a must to take medicine for prevention? In addition to beware of personal hygiene, you can also pay attention to other aspects.

Prevention means Conditioning the body. In terms of diet, it is appropriate to choose light, digestible and nutritious food, which is easy to understand. In addition, do more exercise, and pay attention to keep your emotions stable and comfortable. There are four types of "qi" in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Among them, Defense Qi (Weiqi) regulates the opening and closing of the pores and warms the muscles. It protects the body from foreign diseases and Evil qi, similar to human immunity. For Defense Qi to function well, it needs the promotion of Pectoral Qi (Zongqi). Pectoral Qi is a combination of inhaled fresh air and Food Esesnce(digested nutrients), which explains why more exercise and proper diet are essential.

Emotional discomfort can slow down the movement of the Qi inside the body (and it can be related to Liver malfunction to dredge channels and collaterals, and to discharge bodily excretions and secretion). Therefore, being optimistic and cheerful improves immunity, which helps preventing from infection.

I wish you good health! And hope the epidemic will subside soon!

04/04/2020

Dizziness, hand pain and numbness, weakness, repeated medical treatment, is an early indication of stroke? In fact, have you considered Cervical Spondylosis?

Don't be panic. There are many causes of stroke. You may not rely on a few symptoms to determine it is a stroke. However, when symptoms appear and the body has issued a warning signal, we must pay more attention to find out the cause and treat it as soon as possible to prevent deterioration.

Without history of trauma, but the shoulder, neck and hand are pain, numb and weak, the time is long (more than a few hours), the pain gets intense after prolonged working, and it is difficult to relieve by itself. Or when the neck is twisted, dizziness occurs. If only accompanied by neck discomfort and pain, but no other sensory and movement dysfunction, cervical spondylosis may be considered. Stroke is more complicated and will be discussed in detail later.

Chinese Medicine believes that the Tendon relies on Liver and Bone relies on Kidneys. For people older than 50, the liver and kidneys functions are getting weak, and the muscles and bones were malnourished, resulting in hypercalcification of the cervical ligaments and degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc. External force, or excessive twisting, such as wrong stretching, can cause cervical spine displacement. The neck position is fixed for a long time, such as working with a head down or using a computer, headphone, etc., which makes the neck muscles tensed or fatigue, which unable to support the weight of the head, and stimulates the cervical bone hyperplasia (hyperostosis) to increase the support force. The enlarged bone increases the pressure on nearby nerves, blood vessels, and muscles, making cervical spondylosis worse. These conditions narrow the intervertebral foramen and compress the spinal nerves, resulting in numbness in the upper limbs. Blood vessels are compressed, blood flow is not smooth, and pain is occurred when less bloods are supplied to surrounding tissues.

From Chinese Medicine point of view, there are two common types of cervical spondylosis: Nerve Root type and Vertebral Artery type.

1) Nerve Root type - clinically common, mainly painful and numbness, lightning-like of pain radiates from the neck to the fingers. The cervical spine has 7 stacked bones and 8 pairs of nerves, each controlling different limb movement and sensory areas. The joints between the 5th, 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae are relatively movable, relatively unstable and so easily injured. The 6th cervical spine nerve is located in the middle of the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae. When the it gets hurt, it can make the affected side of the upper limb and the index finger feel numb. When the 7th cervical spine develops a lesion, the affected side index and middle fingers feel sensory diminished or numb. And for the problem of the ring finger, tail finger and medial upper limb, it is related to the 8th cervical spine. (Refer to Spinal Nerve System of Cervical Spine Nerve Distribution)
2) Vertebral Artery type - The main feature of this type is dizziness especially when the neck is twisted. The second segment of the vertebral artery passes through the lateral foramen of the cervical spine and lines beside the vertebral body. When hyperostosis or dislocation of the cervical spine compresses or stimulates the cervical vertebral artery, it affects the blood supply to the upper brain, causing dizziness and headache, or even loss of vision and hearing.

There are also Spinal Cord type and Sympathetic type. If there are other shoulder pain and limited mobility, one may consider periarthritis of shoulder (Frozen Shoulder).

The treatment effect of traditional Chinese medicine is effective, and the treatment can address the problem of narrowing of the intervertebral foramen caused by the displacement of the cervical spine, and it can also hyperostosis, which is more efficient than acupuncture or internal medicine alone.

For those with mild symptoms, it may observe obvious improvement in 1-2 days, and can be recovered after around 4-5 treatments. For patients with repeated or severe symptoms, treatment takes 2-3 weeks or more, depending on the condition.

In terms of treatment, first apply muscle reinforcement and traction on the neck to relieve muscle tightness, expand the intervertebral space, relieve compression of nerves and blood vessels, and let blood flows smooth. Then operate the manipulation method to adjust the cervical spine misalignment. Manipulative massage can ease hyperostosis. Then use acupuncture to help the circulation of blood. It can also be used in conjunction with internal medicine to relax muscles and tendons, supplements liver and kidney.

In daily work or physical work, avoid fixing your posture and posture for a long time, such as reducing the amount of long-term viewing of mobile phones and computers, or holding the phone between neck and ear. Pay attention to the thickness of the pillow and maintain a good sleeping position. You can do simple neck exercises, Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, soft stretch, etc.

22/03/2020

Recuerred Stiff Neck dues to poor quality of sleep? Or indeed there are some other causes?

Normally after woke up in the morning, one may feel neck and shoulder muscles are tensed up, soreness is worse on one side, movement of neck is limited. This is commonly called Stiff Neck.

One of the most common causes of Stiff Neck is due to improper sleeping posture leading to excessive bending of neck. Or it’s because of inadequate support from sleeping pillow which hurts neck muscles after prolonged muscle contraction to support the neck. Besides, neck and shoulder suffering from cold air, eg under air conditioning outlet or near opened window, also leads to muscle contraction and then inhibit blood circulation. This resulted in soreness.

Chinese Medicine treatment on Stiff Neck is effective. It takes 1-2 days to observe remarkable progress. And it takes 1 week to recover generally. For the treatment, it is done by naprapathy and cervical traction to ease muscle tension, followed by acupuncture to restore normal blood circulation. It can also be supported by taking Chinese Herbs. The picture below shows the effect after cupping.

To prevent Stiff Neck, try to avoid static position for long time in daily work or exercise. For instance, minimise looking down on a cell phone or tablet for very long period. Avoid cradling a phone between the ear and shoulder. Pay attention to the appropriate firmness of your pillow in which allows your neck and shoulder muscles to relax. Also, try to cover your neck and away from cold winds.

If Stiff Neck keeps happening, there may be cervical issues. It is advised to consult with your Doctor for further examination.

22/03/2020