Harmony, Fall 2006
All articles from the Fall 2006 issue of Harmony are available below. You can also download the entire issue as a PDF (you'll need software like Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader to open it).
Body in Balance
More than half of all American adults are overweight or obese. Traditional Chinese medicine considers excess weight a symptom of a greater health problem and approaches this health issue in a completely unique way.
ABCs of TCM: Yin and Yang
"If you can understand Yin and Yang you can hold the universe in your hands." This is the power ancient TCM texts invested in these two opposite yet complementary Universal energies.
Life Cycles—Harmony Talks with Dr. Yongli Ni
Dr. Ni discusses why women's health is more complicated than men's and offers sound advice from the TCM perspective on self-care for women and men.
Advocating an Alternative Approach for Chronic Liver Disease: Part 1 of an Interview with Dr. Dan Wen
Roughly half of the estimated five million people infected with hepatitis C in the United States are untreatable with conventional therapies. Dr. Wen discusses his optimism for the integration of traditional Chinese medicine treatment for hepatitis C and chronic liver disease.
Proving the Efficacy of TCM for Chronic Liver Disease: Part 2 of an Interview with Dr. Dan Wen
TCM treatment for chronic liver disease is undergoing several rigorous clinical trials in the United States. Dr. Wen talks about these studies as well as the early work in this area in China in the 1970s and 1980s.
TCM This Season: Late Summer
Five seasons? Not so surprisingly, in the TCM Five-Element framework there are five seasons, each corresponding to an element. Late summer corresponds to the Earth element, and the Spleen and Stomach are predominant at this time of year. Learn how these two organ systems are key to good digestion and maintaing normal weight.
Beyond the Mind: Healing Beyond the Physical
Dr. Nan Lu discusses the true cause and purpose of health problems.
Firsts: Inoculation
It is a contagious, systemic viral disease, and it had plagued humans from ancient times. Learn who first discovered the process to inoculate people against smallpox.
Ancient Story, Modern Message: Who Knows?
This engaging traditional Chinese story reveals how the meaning of any event is relative to the changing circumstances and conditions around it.
Your Right to Know: East Meets West
Is it really wise for TCM practitioners to integrate their practice with Western medicine and Western practitioners? Legal expert Michael Taromina weighs in on the liability implications of several integration scenarios.
In the Media
Read about recent developments around the world related traditional Chinese medicine. In this issue: TCM for AIDS/Recent studies show that common spices look promising in treating difficult cancers/Acupuncture and fibromyalgia
Taste of TCM
It is important to eat intelligently and in harmony with the seasons. Autumn is the season associated with the Metal element and the Lung. Make a traditional recipe using pears that is beneficial for autumn coughs.