Allergies/asthma, autoimmune conditions and
chronic fatigue are the diseases of our age
July 11, 1990. The sky had darkened with ash as a firestorm swept the seaside community of Santa Barbara. The air was dry and hot, making it difficult to breathe. Despite the temperature outside, forty-one-year-old Heather Daniels had her heater turned up to the highest setting. She shivered in a cocoon of blankets, her hands and feet icy cold. Heather's environmentally related illnesses had frustrated her doctors and had made her a virtual prisoner in her home for three long years. For eight years she had not worked in her profession as a piano teacher. Electrician's tape sealed the cracks around her windows. Her house had been stripped clean of carpeting and otherwise dismantled to remove any detectable synthetic materials. Even with these precautions, Heather was acutely sensitive and fragile. She had recently undergone oral laser surgery, which had left a nasty burn in the back of her throat. The trauma had triggered a bad spell, and Heather lay, head wrapped in a towel, exhausted from two days and two nights of nonstop hiccuping.
Heather is an attractive, dark-haired woman with an exuberance that defies the years she endured illness, isolation and financial ruin. In 2001, at fifty-two, her face was remarkably free of lines. She laughed readily and seemed eager to put her ordeal behind her. “In 1987, when I was thirty-eight, my housemate put in new carpet and repainted the house while I was away on vacation. I went into a toxic shock within a few minutes of coming back to the house. I never recovered from that episode, but experienced an acute shift in my health and became highly allergic. After that I lost everything. I almost lost my life.”
Thousands of years ago, the External Causes Chinese medical doctors dealt with were bacteria, viruses and parasites. In today's world we have eradicated many plagues with immunizations. We can prevent bacteria from multiplying through the use of antibiotics, sanitation, refrigeration and food preservatives. Ancient Chinese medical doctors could not have foreseen the terrible consequences the introduction of modern External Toxins such as industrial chemicals, solvents, heavy metals, hormones, pesticides and herbicides would have on the environment and food chain. At the same time, Chinese medicine is designed to take any disharmonious factors into consideration, including alterations in the environment.
Heather Daniels's illnesses had a direct relationship with our now toxic environment. What made this situation worse is that Heather was born with a sensitive constitution. Repeated exposure to environmental toxins further sensitized her system until it was on overload. Her immune system became overreactive as a result. Heather developed what is known as environmental sensitivities, also known as multiple chemical sensitivities. This type of sensitivity is often triggered by a catastrophic exposure such as Heather's chemical poisoning. The person becomes acutely sensitive and reactive to many things in the environment, and this sensitivity can be further exacerbated by added trauma such as, in Heather's case, the laser burn. There are people like Heather who are born with allergic constitutions who react strongly to typical allergens such as pollen and dust, as well as to everything else from perfume to gasoline. Because our environment is now permeated with substances that have never before been part of the environment and food chain, these more sensitive individuals are developing environmental sensitivities.
Chinese medicine understands that your body constantly interacts with and reacts to the environment. This interaction and reaction create a cascade of physical, physiological and psychological changes. At the same time, the changes that occur are also determined by your unique constitution. For example, some people can tolerate the heat of the desert; others will become distressed in that environment. Some people remain balanced in humid conditions, while others become imbalanced. Some people can tolerate certain toxins, while others are gravely affected by them.
Chinese medicine considers much more than seasons and geographical locations. Ancient Chinese practitioners recognized that humans have varying constitutions and react differently to varying factors. For this reason, Chinese medicine evolved to take all of the factors of one's environment into consideration. As a part of the whole, many other things in addition to seasons and geographical locations are taken into account when a practitioner evaluates and diagnoses a patient. Every recognizable factor that impacts the human body is considered. Some of the relevant factors are your age, your gender, what type of work you do, where you live, your diet, your stress level and all the aspects of your environment—including your reactions to your geographical location and the seasons.
Office workers tend to show different symptoms than construction workers who are outdoors much of the time. People of varying work environments also respond to treatments differently. Women, men, children and adults are treated differently. Some Chinese doctors even pay attention to the time of the day that your treatment is administered because of your body's biochemical and biological rhythms.
When Dr. Han made a house call and found Heather disabled by hiccups he treated her with acupuncture and stopped the hiccuping. He asked Heather many questions about herself, her lifestyle, history and environment. Because Heather reacted negatively to many foods, Dr. Han knew that she would also be sensitive to herbs. He worked out a formula that would support and desensitize her immune system without triggering an allergic reaction.
Allergies are acquired abnormal immune responses to antigens such as pollen, food, drugs and, increasingly, environmental toxins. For the majority of people, allergy symptoms are seasonal. A stretch of sunny days followed by wind will usually stir up airborne allergens. The most common symptoms of airborne allergies are nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing spells, irritation or itchy eyes and stuffy ears. Severe allergies can result in recurring sinus infections and affect an individual's concentration and cognitive clarity. The drainage associated with an overtaxed immune system can cause chronic irritation, hoarseness and sore throat. Sinus discharge can drain into the stomach and cause upset stomach, or can drain into the bronchi and create a cough. Airborne allergens or food allergies can also trigger asthma attacks.
Food allergies commonly cause a wide range of problems. Some people, like Heather, experience an allergic reaction to certain foods and the toxins in food and suffer headaches, chronic fatigue and attention problems. There are four types of allergic reactions, which run the gamut from life threatening to relatively mild. Type I involves immediate, violent reactions, such as to a penicillin shot, bee sting or shellfish. With Type I allergies, chances are that you will have to avoid that substance for the rest of your life. Eighty percent of all allergies are Type IV, which involves a milder reaction and is often delayed anywhere from two hours or two days. Type II and III are somewhere in between.
Systematic desensitization from food allergies
The logical approach to dealing with food allergies is to avoid the allergen. However, in some cases people begin to avoid some foods, then others and then others and their body becomes increasingly sensitive. Eventually the person is left with an extremely confined selection of foods from which to choose. If you suffer from Type IV food allergies, systematic desensitization is a way to actively address your allergies instead of passively avoiding them. Begin by asking your Western doctor for a blood test to determine what foods you are allergic to and the level of your intolerance.
If your allergic reactions to foods are mild to moderate: The antibodies to the foods that you are allergic to will usually subside if you completely avoid those foods for three to six months. At the end of this period of abstinence, introduce a small amount of one food. Three months later, introduce a larger amount of that food, gradually increasing the amount of food you can eat until you feel that you have reached your allergic threshold. It is important to rotate the food in this process and eat it no more than once every three days. Repeat this process with all the foods on your allergy list.
If your allergic reactions to foods are severe: Consult a physician to ascertain whether or not the desensitization process would be appropriate for you.
Whether your allergic reaction to foods is mild or moderate, in time, and with patience, you should be able to tolerate and even enjoy most of the foods on your list without suffering an allergic reaction. It is important to note that this method is effective only with real food and not processed foods or junk food. Everyone, including those without food sensitivities, would benefit from avoiding these products.
If you are extremely sensitive or debilitated, like Heather, this method may not be the best choice for you. Heather was afraid to try the systematic desensitization method. Instead, she started with a simple herbal formula that she could tolerate, and gradually built up to a stronger formula. As her system desensitized, her immune system became stable and she was able to eat more foods. Heather's recovery using Chinese herbs was long. “Dr. Han had to be very careful with my herbs,” Heather said. “In the beginning I was reacting to just about everything in my environment. But I never had a bad reaction to the herbs. I took them regularly for over two years. Still, I can't say much about that time because I was very ill. I wasn't able to talk or think clearly.”
On a regular herbal treatment program, Heather's immune system slowly began to recover and to protect her from sensitivities to foods and to the environment. One year later, she felt strong enough to teach piano one day a week, progressing to two days a week. Her herbal formula was redesigned weekly for the next several years. Heather is now back to teaching piano full time.
If you are suffering from food allergies, discuss both approaches with your Western and Chinese doctors to determine which approach is right for you.
Jan Koorwinder was the type of woman who never sat still. An immigrant from the Netherlands, she embraced the hectic pace of the United States. She raised three children and made a warm and welcoming home for her family. At the same time, she took care of herself. She jogged and led an otherwise active lifestyle. She was fifty-seven years old when she began to notice an unusual shift in her energy level. The fatigue continued for several months until it became debilitating. “I have always been a very, very energetic person,” Jan said. “Before I got sick I could do anything! Suddenly I began to experience a laundry list of problems. The most debilitating was that I felt intensely tired. In the morning, even after a good night's rest, just to lift a finger felt like too much trouble. It got to the point that, mentally, I was not there anymore. There were times I was reading and when I finished I simply didn't have the faintest idea what I had read. My husband and children would talk to me and I'd look at them, and I do understand English, but what they were saying did not penetrate at all. I was like a zombie and began to fear that I had Alzheimer's disease.”
Jan also began to suffer from infections and a chronic earache. Other elusive symptoms plagued her. “My bones felt painful,”she said.“I would go to the doctor again, and find that there was nothing wrong. My impression was that they thought I was a complaining woman who didn't have anything else to do with my time. I eventually found a doctor who ran a number of tests but found nothing.”
Through two years of doctor shopping Jan understood that there are conditions that Western medicine does not readily recognize. Depression often accompanies chronic fatigue. However, Jan's story is also an example of how the mind influences the body. During her illness, even when she held no hope of a medical cure, she held on to the belief that she would someday feel better again. “I strongly believe that maintaining a positive attitude is half of the battle,” she said. “If you think that you are deathly sick, you become sicker and sicker and more and more miserable. But if you are optimistic, then you have won half of the battle.”
Jan's problem, chronic fatigue syndrome, is a condition that has foiled Western medicine and wreaked havoc in millions of people's lives, yet many go untreated. Many people in Jan's situation are truly sick but are often dismissed as neurotics and referred to a psychiatrist. After a two-year-long search for an answer within the Western medical community, Jan began looking for alternative remedies.
Chronic fatigue is often diagnosed by Chinese medicine as deficiencies in any or all of the Five Major Energetic Systems, so the treatment plan revolves around strengthening those systems affected. Within the repertoire of Chinese herbology are tonic herbs, which are a unique group of herbs. The properties of tonic herbs cannot be found in any other herbology system in the world. Tonic herbs possess strengthening properties. Rather than stimulating or transferring already existing Energy, tonic herbs actually generate new Energy. Therefore tonic herbs can be used to treat any sort of weakness or deficiency condition that requires production of Qi. Tonic herbs are designed to strengthen the body, including the immune system, hematological (blood) system, endocrine system and nervous system. By definition, tonic herbs correct deficiencies and replenish what is lacking in the body. These herbs are unique in treating chronic fatigue and other conditions such as immune system deficiency, adrenal burnout, weak digestive system, low libido and chronic back pain.
“From the time I started taking the herbs, I can only say I went upward,” Jan said. “It was amazing. Within a couple of months I was back to my old self. When I go in to see Dr. Han, he adjusts the herbs absolutely perfectly to my complaints. If I am very tired or my head feels like a cotton ball, he throws a little more twigs or leaves or pieces of bark in the tea and it works. I am in good shape now. If staying healthy means I have to take these herbs the rest of my life, then that's what I will do.”
In cases when an illness cannot be clearly defined and diagnosed, the treatment choices can be severely limited in Western medicine. In Chinese medicine, the objective is to recognize all the signs and symptoms and utilize this information to develop an appropriate treatment protocol. If symptoms are present, a person can always be treated with Chinese medicine.
Forty-nine-year-old Lance Mayamoto grew up on a farm near Omaha, Ne-braska.“When I was growing up, we used to spray 2,4,5-T to kill brush—which is the active ingredient in what the military called Agent Orange,” Lance said. “We also used paraquat—a toxic herbicide chemical formula—by the gallon. We used gasoline as a degreasing cleaning solvent. I worked in electromechanical types of jobs and used carbon tetrachloride that was left over after it was outlawed, then trichloroethane, until it was outlawed. Later I used methylethylketone, acetone and lacquer thinner as solvents. I never used gloves or a mask. I didn't know that chemicals could affect my health, and in fact I was upset when they were outlawed, because it made my work harder.”
Autoimmune processes seem to be linked to certain genetic traits triggered by factors such as viral infections, chronic stress, environmental toxins and hormones, especially estrogen and xenohormones. Xenohormones (xenoestrogens or xenobiotics) are foreign compounds and/or chemical toxins that mimic the effects of hormones in the body. Xenohormones are present in man-made chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, herbicides and pesticides and in industrial by-products from plastics, paper and the incineration of hazardous wastes.
In 1967, Lance's mother, at age forty-nine, was diagnosed with scleroderma, an autoimmune condition which causes hardening of the skin and certain organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart and kidneys. The course of the disease was quick and she died within one year. In 1982, at age thirty-five, Lance began to suffer from migraine headaches. By 1986 other symptoms followed—numbness on the left side of his body, extreme fatigue, limb weakness and joint pain, which progressively escalated until the pain consumed his entire body. “I went to doctor after doctor, and each prescribed pain medication. I had CAT scans, MRIs and blood tests, and my doctors could not find a cause. So I lived with the pain.”
In 1995, Lance moved from Oregon to Utah. For the next five years he continued to see doctor after doctor as his condition worsened. A neurologist diagnosed him with a rare autoimmune condition called vasculitis, which causes the immune system to attack the vascular system.
Twenty years ago, the word autoimmune was not the household word it is today. In the twenty-first century, autoimmune conditions such as thyroiditis, lupus, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Graves' disease, myasthenia gravis, interstitial cystitis and Sjö-gren's syndrome are an increasing problem. Many diseases not previously well understood in Western medicine have been found to be autoimmune problems. Autoimmune conditions occur when the immune system begins to react more aggressively than is appropriate. The first sign might be that you get a raging reaction to bug bites or poison oak, while someone with a healthy immune system would experience only minor itchiness. If your immune system reacts even more aggressively, it can lose the ability to distinguish between normal, healthy cells and destructive foreign invaders. Your immune system begins at tacking your own healthy cells. When this occurs you have an autoimmune condition.
Autoimmune conditions have risen dramatically with the rise in environmental toxins and stress. As we become more technologically advanced and our lifestyle is further separated from the traditional, natural way of life, we will likely see an increasing amount of these problems. The chemical revolution of the past fifty years has produced thousands of man-made chemicals that have not been tested for their effect on the public's health and safety. On March 21, 2001, the Centers for Disease Control released a report documenting the dangerous levels of toxic chemicals that are accumulating in the bodies of average people. High levels of mercury were noted. Women of childbearing age are regularly exposed to a class of chemicals known as phthalates, which are used in plastic products, cosmetics and personal-care products, and which are clearly linked with developmental defects in animals. Extremely high levels of pesticides were detected in 10 percent of those tested.
Because the earth is steeped in poisons, allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue and autoimmune conditions will likely continue to rise. Highly toxic (and now banned) chemical substances were used liberally on the farm and in the workplace where Lance grew up. Both he and his mother developed autoimmune conditions.
“I am third-generation Japanese,” Lance said. “My family was Christian, but my family on my grandmother's side was Samurai, and she taught me the Samurai tradition. Being strong and ignoring pain was part of the culture. When I grew up, I pursued the martial arts, which are the warring arts.” Because of this conditioning Lance had always been able to mentally control his response to pain. But after nearly twenty years the severity of his migraines and total body pain had worn him down.
When the narcotic analgesic Demerol did not help, Lance began a protocol of low-dose antidepressants in an attempt to control his pain. Tricyclic antidepressants have been available for the treatment of depression and pain syndromes for decades. Because this class of medication alters the level of neurotransmitters in specific areas of the brain, they have been found to be effective in managing certain types of pain syndromes by altering the brain's interpretation of pain impulses.
He began taking the anti-inflammatories ibuprofen and naproxen. When these medications did not effectively control the inflammation, he was prescribed prednisone. Prednisone is a synthetic steroid, similar to cortisone, that has been prescribed for some autoimmune diseases to suppress the immune system. Because steroids are typically administered in pharmacological doses— often over and above what your adrenal glands would typically produce—the treatment often introduces a host of other problems. When Lance tapered off prednisone as directed, the pain was worse than before beginning treatment. His doctor put him back on one 10-milligram pill a day, then two. Lance was on prednisone for six months and started to experience some of the typical side effects of daily steroid use such as weight gain.
Eventually, even when taking prednisone, the attacks of pain and weakness returned as bad as ever. Lance decided to again taper off the prednisone but suffered extreme depression as a side effect. “At that point, I did not think I would live until I could retire at age fifty-five. I had developed bowel problems and stomach problems in addition to the migraines, body pain, numbness and weakness. I felt that death would be a welcome relief from the twenty-plus years of pain I had gone through. My plan was to fight on until I could retire so that my wife would receive my retirement benefits. I felt it was just a matter of time before I was finished.”
In April 2001, Lance's brother came out to Utah on business. “My brother told me about his wife's experience with Chinese herbs,” Lance said. “His wife had had a brain tumor. Although she had had surgery, she was having seizures and her Western doctors couldn't stop them. When she started taking herbs her seizures stopped. My brother took herbs for things like colds and was impressed with Chinese medicine. He started bugging me to go to Dr. Han. I thought it really couldn't hurt. I was flying out to California for a business trip anyway, so I took the opportunity to see Dr. Han.”
Dr. Han is experienced in treating difficult autoimmune conditions. He immediately recognized the urgency of creating an herbal formula that would modulate Lance's immune system. The immune system is not a single biological function but a complex system that involves many actions. If your immune system becomes fatigued, it can be tired and wired at the same time. For example, your immune system might be too fatigued to defend against foreign invaders, so you will come down with colds, flu and other infections, but at the same time the wired aspect of your immune system causes it to turn on healthy tissues, resulting in an autoimmune condition. This example allows you to see that a fatigued and overreactive immune system cannot be effectively treated by simply suppressing the immune system. In the case of autoimmune conditions, Chinese herbal formulas can support the weakness and tune down the hyperactivity at the same time. Chinese medicine takes a completely different approach to autoimmune conditions. Most important, Chinese medicine does not suppress the immune system, but rather strives to balance it.
“I was on my second week in my efforts to wean myself off the steroids,” Lance said.“When I started the herbs, I felt better than I had felt in a long time. Before, when I weaned off steroids the pain level was intolerable. I couldn't sleep or work. Since I started the herbs, there are periods during the day when I actually feel pain free.” He also started on patent herbs to control his stomach pain and migraine headaches. “I've used Tagamet, Zantac and Prevacid for twelve years to control stomach pain. Dr. Han gave me some patent pills that look like BBs. From the day I got started taking them I have not taken any other medications, and I have not had any stomach problems, my incidence of headaches has gone way down and my use of headache medication is almost zero.”
Because of Lance's illness, he had to come to terms with the fact that he was not in control of his life. “There is a dichotomy between my cultural belief, which says to be strong and self-reliant, and my religious belief as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which says not to trust in the ‘arm of the flesh. ’ I always had enough determination and tenacity to work through everything, until the final years of my illness. When I became unable to do a lot of things, it was a humbling process. Prayer has always been a big part of my life. I learned that prayer is not just having a two-way communication with God; it is a conduit of power. I prayed, and members of my church prayed for me. In the early history of the Mormons, they used faith, mild foods and herbs. I have done all three. I believe that Chinese herbs are part of the answers to those prayers.”
One year after starting Chinese herbs, Lance calls his recovery “miraculous.” “I recently did some concrete work at my house and spent hours manually digging up a pipe. Before, I wouldn't have been able to do it without extreme pain. But now, I was only mildly sore afterward. I'm sleeping better. I have fewer headaches. Everything has improved. I'm off the painkillers entirely, and I'm calmer. I haven't been able to do push-ups in years, but I can do push-ups with one hand now.” Although Lance experiences ups and downs in his recovery, his condition is relatively stable. He continues to take herbs regularly.
More people are flocking to doctors with symptoms similar to those experienced by Heather, Jan and Lance. These people characteristically suffer from a conglomerate of serious problems traditionally considered independent of one another, such as chronic fatigue, immune weakness, hypersensitivities or allergies, chronic viral or candida infection. These are the illnesses of our new age. Western-managed care often refers to those people as “heavy utilizers.” Western medical doctors are trained to consider anyone with more than six symptoms to be a psychiatric case, which is why many people with environmentally related illnesses end up being told their problems are “in their heads” and are referred to psychiatrists.
From a Chinese medicine point of view, all symptoms are considered legitimate. Chinese medicine understands that environmentally related illnesses are complex—the profound deficiencies and the pronounced stagnation are tightly entangled. These types of illnesses are stubborn and chronic and present a significant challenge to heal.
Consult with a health care professional
If you are ill, you need to see a health care professional to work with you and follow your healing progress.
Have your adrenal hormones tested, as depleted adrenals are a major contributing factor in lowered immunity.
Have your amino acid levels tested. If your body is not breaking down the proteins you eat into amino acids, this can result in decreased neurotransmitter production, which will result in fatigue and symptoms of depression. Amino acid supplementation can boost your energy as well as supply your body with the necessary precursors to neurotransmitters.
Stool, hair and blood tests can determine if you have (1) high levels of accumulated heavy metals in your system, (2) sensitivities to foods or (3) dysbiosis, which is an imbalance of the healthy and unhealthy bacteria and yeast in the gut, any of which may be weakening your immune system and draining your energy.
See page 431 for a laboratory that can refer you to a health care provider in your area who does these types of tests. If you test positive for any of these factors, your health care practitioner can treat you on an individual basis.
Protect yourself from further chemical exposure
Environmentally related illnesses can result from overexposure to External Toxins. External Toxins influence the Energy systems differently depending on each individual and his or her situation. External Toxins come from air, water and food. Become an active participant in your health by learning as much as you can about the chemicals in our environment and actively avoiding exposure. To protect yourself, David Steinman, a nationally recognized authority on environmental toxins and author of numerous books on the subject, advises:
Avoid exposure to home and garden pesticides.
Use biodegradable, toxic-chemical-free, environmentally safe products.
Avoid electropollution. Electropollution is the stray electromagnetic radiation propagated through the atmosphere. That most harmful to humans usually comes from broadcast towers, radar installations, microwave appliances and the magnetic fields surrounding electrical appliances and power lines.
Avoid chemical solvents.
Use toothpaste without fluoride and avoid drinking fluoridated tap water. Studies on animals have shown that fluoride may contribute to the development of cancer, and recent government tests have demonstrated that fluoride appears to be carcinogenic.
Take antioxidant vitamins and minerals.
Avoid heavy-metal exposure such as 1) lead in tap water—drink bottled water, 2) mercury in dental fillings—have fillings removed by an expert in this procedure and/or opt for composites rather than amalgams; mercury in fish such as shark and swordfish, 3) cadmium in plastics, stabilizers, pigments, animal products and vegetables—use environmentally safe self-care products and eat organically grown meats and produce, 4) aluminum exposure—do not cook with aluminum foil and pots. (Note: these are only some of the heavy metals you can be exposed to in the environment. See page 432 for David Steinman's books for further reading on this subject.)
Modify your diet
Americans have come full circle from the excitement about and dependence upon processed foods that began in the forties to a growing understanding that the human body needs and thrives on a consistent diet of real, whole foods. More people are turning away from a diet consisting of overly processed or adulterated foods that come from a factory and moving toward a diet consisting of foods that could, in theory, be picked, gathered, milked, hunted or fished.
Food is medicine. There is a long tradition in China whereby food is used as a means of treatment or of correcting certain imbalances. In fact, there is a rather significant overlap in Chinese herbology between food and medicine. There are a large number of herbs that can be consumed as a food and still provide strong medicinal effects. In China there are restaurants that specialize in cooking dishes that taste good, promote wellness and also treat a certain imbalance or illness. Each restaurant has an herbalist who recommends certain dishes to customers. In chapter 21 you will find medicinal recipes that have been created especially to treat a specific condition(s)—they use real, whole foods that are delicious, nutritious and medicinal.
Malnutrition in this country is primarily a result of the processing of foods. Much of the processing actually depletes the food source of its vital minerals, vitamins and other nutritional aspects. If you suffer from brittle nails, constipation, cravings, dry and thinning hair, scaly and itchy skin, infertility, insomnia, mood swings, depression or weight gain, chances are you may be suffering from some degree of malnutrition and are Energetically imbalanced. David Steinman advises:
Eat certified organic meats, dairy, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Avoid processed or chemically adulterated foods.
Avoid genetically engineered foods.
Avoid irradiated foods.
Over-the-counter and prescription medications for allergies work by blocking histamine receptors. Flavonoids prevent the release of histamines. Fruit and vegetable juices contain bioflavonoids, which are a crystalline compound found in plants that is responsible for the deep colors. They possess antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antihistamine properties. Drinking vegetable juice can prevent allergic reactions. See pages 291–295 for more on vegetable juicing.
Many chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CIDS) patients feel worse after drinking fresh vegetable juices because they are Kidney and/or Spleen Yang deficient. Energetically Cold foods such as raw vegetable juices are too Yin and Damp for these types. Some of these patients also have systemic candida, which is a Cold and Damp disharmony, and juicing can aggravate this disharmony. On the other hand, juicing can be a powerful means for these patients to get a tremendous amount of nutrients and for them to cleanse their systems of certain toxins. Because CFS and CIDS are not singular imbalances in Chinese medicine, the only way for a CFS or CIDS patient to use juicing safely and effectively is to have a customized juicing program for his or her condition—just as with everything else in Chinese medicine. Dr. Han often creates a cleansing program with different juicing formulas to target the imbalance or disharmony of different Energetic systems based precisely on the diagnosis. For example, there are juicing formulas for Liver cleansing, Heart cleansing, Spleen cleansing, Lung cleansing and Kidney cleansing. Each can be used alone or in combination with other cleansings. For patients with Yang deficiency or Damp stagnation, juicing formulations must be carefully balanced to minimize the Cold or Damp nature of the juice. At the same time, an herbal formula will be designed to support the patient's Qi and counteract the Cold and Dampness from the juice. Under Dr. Han's close supervision, patients with conditions inherently incompatible with juicing can drink reduced doses for ten days or less. If you are suffering from CFS or CIDS, do not attempt a juice cleansing unless closely supervised by a doctor of Chinese medicine or an herbologist who is experienced in treating CFS or CIDS.
Quit caffeine, nicotine or other stimulant chemicals
Seven hundred volatile substances have been identified in coffee, including more than two hundred acids, alcohol, aromatic compounds, carbonyl compounds, esters, hydrocarbons, heterocyclic compounds and terpenoids. Nonvolatile substances in coffee include caffeine and other purines, glycosides, lipids, melanoidins, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. Coffee often contains pesticide residues and other contaminants such as nitrosamines, solvents and mycotoxins. The chemical decaffeination process leaves decaffeinated coffee tainted with methylene chloride, which is carcinogenic (Swiss water processing removes some of the caffeine from coffee using nontoxic means and is therefore a safer choice).
In addition, it is a well-known fact that burning food can create carcinogens, and coffee beans are often burned in the roasting process. The numerous acids in coffee contribute to gastrointestinal distress. Caffeine depletes your body of calcium, potassium, iron and trace minerals.
Many soft drinks contain harmful chemicals, especially diet sodas containing aspartame. Aspartame has been linked to breast cancer, brain cancer, seizures, neurobehavioral symptoms, headaches, blurred vision, depression, nausea, insomnia, danger to a developing fetus, memory loss, hyperactivity, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, ringing in the ears, diarrhea and loss of control of limbs (symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis). See pages 148–155 for guidelines to restore neurotransmitters to help quit caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants.
Detox on a regular basis
If you are suffering from an environmentally related illness, practicing regular detoxification can help to break up stagnation and get your Qi moving to speed your recovery. Since detoxification can be hard on the body, if you are seriously ill, do not attempt detoxification on your own. You must be supervised closely by a health care practitioner. If you are not suffering from a particular illness, our toxic environment makes it important to practice regular detoxification. See pages 291–296 for more on detoxification.
Drink plenty of clean water
In addition to detoxifying your system, there are daily detox precautions you can take, such as drinking eight to ten eight-ounce glasses of pure water every day. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that one in R five Americans consumes tap water that violates EPA safety standards under the Clean Water Act. Studies have identified more than 2,110 contaminants in the nation's water supplies. Because it is expensive to treat your entire incoming water supply, it is most efficient to treat water at points of use, such as at cooking and drinking sources. There are two basic processes to clean water: filtration and purification. Some systems combine both methods. Begin by testing your water so that you know what issues to address. Buy a system that addresses those problems. Water testing and purification systems can be found online at ancientherbsmodernmedicine.com.
Have your environment tested for mold
The presence of mold in your environment can be a factor contributing to your environmentally related illness. The presence of mold in the environment is generally considered by Chinese medicine as a form of Dampness or Toxins. You can test your home and office for mold contaminants. For information on where to buy mold-testing kits log on to ancientherbsmodernmedicine.com.
It is important to find out what kinds of mold are in your environment. Some are more dangerous than others. Testing allows you to identify dangerous molds and the ones that you may be highly allergic to. The level of mold will provide an indication of the contamination. The type of mold will also dictate the seriousness of that contamination. If you test your environment and get a very high reading but you do not know where the excessive moisture is coming from or you are not aware of any structural damage, an on-site inspection by an industrial hygienist could possibly identify the source. There are many professionals who know what to do to identify the problems but not as many who know what to do to prevent the problems in new construction or how to solve the problems in existing structures.
Keep your indoors free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Cigarette smoke and dust mites are obvious pollutants. Building materials and interior furnishings can emit gaseous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, many of which can be toxic, including new carpeting, draperies and other fabrics, vinyl tiles and wallpaper, paints, stains and solvents. Products as diverse as spray deodorants, hairspray, air fresheners, bug sprays, appliances, dry-cleaning fluid and office equipment and supplies all emit VOCs. There are too many VOCs to list here. You can purchase air-purification systems that dehumidify, deodorize, kill germs, bacteria and mites and absorb fumes. Also available are desktop units and air-to-air heat exchangers that blow stale air out of your home and pull fresh air in without significant heat or cooling loss. Product information can be found online at ancientherbsmodernmedicine.com.
Exercise caution when having vaccinations
If you travel out of the country frequently, be aware that there has been much discussion and significant evidence indicating that multiple and frequent vaccinations can indeed trigger significant autoimmune reactions.
Chinese herbs and Western supplements
If you suffer from any type of environmentally related illness, find a health care practitioner who can give you vitamin B injections or intravenous vitamins such as vitamin C, or a “Meyer's cocktail,” which is a combination of calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin B complex.
Routinely, thirty to forty-five minutes before breakfast and dinner take 1,000 milligrams free-form amino acids.
Routinely, before each meal, take the digestive formulas on page 102.
To prevent allergy attacks, drink Allergy Season Tea—available at health food stores. This tea is made with ginger root, licorice root, peppermint leaf, anise seed, tulsi leaf, gotu kola, skullcap root, cardamom seed, eucalyptus leaf, orange peel, black pepper, clove bud, cinnamon bark, amla extract, angelica root, magnolia flower, peony root and poria mushroom.
When you have an allergy attack take 1,000 milligrams of buffered vitamin C crystals two to three times a day with 500 milligrams quercetin. If you do not see any improvement after one day, increase to 2,000 milligrams vitamin C and 1,000 milligrams quercetin—but do not go above this. If you experience diarrhea, reduce the vitamin C.
Your body cannot detoxify if you are constipated, since the toxins will remain in your intestines and be reabsorbed. If you suffer from constipation, you can take a Chinese herbal formula along with a detoxification formula. Drink eight to twelve eight-ounce glasses of purified or filtered water per day. You can use Chinese medicinal herbs in recipes to treat the symptoms of environmentally related illnesses. See chapter 21 for recipes. Environmentally sensitive individuals can also benefit from taking Chinese herbal formulas created to prevent illness when traveling. These formulas and Western supplements specifically formulated to treat environmentally related illnesses can be purchased online at ancientherbsmodernmedicine.com.