In 2009-2010 I completed a fellowship at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City researching Chinese herbal therapies for asthma and allergies.
One day in a meeting we were discussing an herbal formula’s effect on asthma.
The study showed that the herbal formula had a long lasting positive effect on reducing asthma and the inflammatory reaction even 3 months after the animals stopped taking the medication.
Many of the researchers were perplexed. Generally medicine only has an effect while it is still in the body, but these were positive effects for months afterwards.
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How can Herbal Medicine Have a long Lasting Effect?
One scientist asked if the medication had stayed in the body for a long period of time. But this we knew was not the cast.
Rather, the herbs changed the immune response of the cells. The correction pointed them to be healthy once again.
Resetting the Body
I like to describe the way acupuncture and Chinese medicine creates long lasting effects as resetting the body.
When we are chronically ill, it is often because the normal healthy process has been altered. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine help to reset this pathway and bringing the body back to a healthy path.
This is certainly true with many conditions, like allergies and asthma. For example, Chinese herbs have been shown to balance the TH1/Th2 in allergic rhinitis.
Once the problem has been reset, the treatment can have a long lasting effect.
What Herbal Medicine Is Used for Treating Asthma?
Herbal medicines are customized to each person’s condition. Herbs for one person may not be used for the next.
Often, for kids with asthma we may approach this by boosting the kidney qi. A legendary formula for preventing asthma and allergies is Jade Wind Screen. If there is a lot of coughing for phlegm herbs that clear dampness and phlegm can be added.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before taking herbal medicine.
