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Benefits of Herbs

Benefits of Herbs

Acupuncture therapy is becoming common in major hospitals throughout the west and medical doctors have started to refer pain patients to acupuncturists to avoid prescribing opioid medications as a result of the opioid crisis. However, Chinese medicinal herbs are not being integrated at the rate that acupuncture is into these medical centers and clinics. This is not because herbs don't work; the reasons that Chinese medicinal herbs are not being assimilated into western medical centers are multi-faceted:

  1. There are not as many evidenced-based studies for herbs as there are for acupuncture; most empirical information about the clinical use of Chinese herbs has been collected and tested over thousands of years.
  2. There is little information available on drug-herb interactions as it is difficult to justify the cost of these studies as herbs cannot be patented and there is not financial incentive to do costly investigations.
  3. Medical doctors have liable concerns when patients ask if they can take an herb; they are not trained in herbalism so they simply tell patients to avoid or discontinue herbs.
  4. There is fear of tainted or contamination with herbs manufactured in China; this is one of the reasons Dr. Browne started making organic Ageless Herbs formulas for her clinic patients and family!

Natural medicines such as acupuncture, herbs, and essential oils are much more subtle than conventional medical techniques such as pharmaceutical medications and surgery. It takes a concerted effort to achieve great outcomes using holistic modalities when treating difficult conditions such as chronic pain and chronic disease. While acupuncture is efficient at balancing the body's energies, tonic herbs are more nourishing in nature. Most acupuncturists in the U.S. are trained in herbalism and use herbs alongside acupuncture. So while acupuncture is being deservingly touted as the new savior of the opioid crisis, herbs are typically playing a role in these success stories; western medical circles often neglect to recognize the subtle nuances of Chinese medicine.

All-natural herbs have a myriad of uses and benefits:

The fact of the matter is that herbs and acupuncture should be used far before the implementation of pharmaceutical medications or invasive procedures that carry the risk of many known, and unknown, side-effects. Patient care management in the U.S. needs to focus on prevention; our broken health care system cannot afford to ignore preventative medicine. However, the only tools of prevention being utilized are suggestions to adapt better lifestyle habits and diagnostic testing. Chinese doctors scoff at this lack of insight; they are able to read the body and pulses through Chinese medical diagnosis and detect internal imbalances before they develop in to disease. This is a key fact that is missed by western patients and practitioner alike.

By the time patients in the U.S. show up to an acupuncture office or commit to an herbal regimen they typically already have a chronic health condition. Furthermore, they have likely tried every other possible health modality available seeking relief and only end up at the acupuncture-herbalists office as a last resort. Until there is a financial incentive in our health care industry to keep us well, we will have to live in the upside-down-world where insurance coverage is only provided once disease has fully developed and entrenched itself deep within our bodies.