Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine differs from over-the-counter supplements in a few respects:

Custom Formulated Just For You
Chinese herbal medicines are most often combined into custom formulations that contain 10 to 15 herbal products. These formulas are created by professional acupuncturists/herbalists to treat your specific “pattern of disharmony” to fundamentally improve your health, not just address a few minor symptoms. OTC supplements are manufactured on a mass scale in a one-size-fits-all approach.

Clinical Research Shows Results

Research has shown that the effects of Chinese herbal medicine can often be seen through changes to lab reports and blood work. Rarely do clinical studies demonstrate that OTC supplements are very effective. It is often difficult to see positive health benefits with measurable outcomes when taking OTC supplements.

Available Only By Prescription
In general, the Chinese herbs that are most effective may also have adverse effects if not used properly—they are not sold to the public, but are only available through licensed acupuncturists/herbalists. In an effort to protect the public and regulate these powerful medicinals, the Chinese herbal medicine industry in the United States restricts the trade of these products. Acupuncturists/herbalists are trained on when to avoid using a certain herb due to a medical contraindication or a adverse drug interaction. The high standard of training and ethics has given acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine a tremendous track record of safety over the years.

Chinese herbal medicine is absolutely safe when prescribed by professional acupuncturists/herbalists within the framework of a fully informed patient-practitioner relationship.

The Herbal Products
The components that make up a formula are overseen and evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration for safety. The FDA does not allow the prescription and sale of herbal products to the public that it does not consider safe. As licensed acupuncturists, we are legally and ethically bound to only use safe and effective medicinals that are of the highest quality for our patients.

Patient-Practitioner Relationship
As licensed healthcare professionals, acupuncturists should take a complete medical history of their patients at the beginning of care. This comprises a patient’s current health history including current and past disease diagnoses, surgeries, medications (both prescriptions and over-the-counter), and known allergies. This information ensures that your acupuncturist can prescribe a formula that will be both safe and effective. Chinese herbs are powerful medicinals that can have contraindications for certain diseases and known drug interactions that produce adverse effects. To avoid any potential adverse effects, it is of the utmost importance for patients to fully and accurately provide a health history to their acupuncturist when beginning herbal treatment.

The Dangers of DIY Herbal Medicine
Today, it is possible to find all kinds of medical advice on social media, touting a cure for this condition or the latest supplement for that disease. Rarely, however, is this advice provided by a licensed healthcare provider. It can be tempting to look for herbal products to aid in weight loss, sexual dysfunction, or to boost energy—and then buy these products off of the internet, having them delivered straight to your door. You may believe that these herbal products are absolutely safe because they are considered “food” by the FDA, but understand that Chinese herbs are powerful substances that should not be taken casually in a DIY approach to medicine. Chinese herbal medicines are very safe and effective, but only when prescribed by a licensed acupuncturist for your specific condition.

When compared to almost any other form of medical treatment, Chinese herbal medicine is far and away one the least expensive and most cost-effective therapies available. The average cost for a herbal formula prescribed by our acupuncturists is about $4-5 per day, much less than the cost of a latte at your neighborhood cafe.

Herbal medicine is not typically covered by most major healthcare insurance plans in the area. However, it may be possible to use a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) for reimbursement of herbal medicine purchases, if your doctor provides a letter of medical necessity (LMN).

Some people have used herbal teas, such as peppermint, cinnamon, or ginger, to help with with an upset stomach or nasal congestion. These are food grade herbs and usually have a pleasant flavor. They can be effective for minor issues, but most people wouldn’t consider them medicines.

Most of the herbal products we use at Alleva Acupuncture are powerful medicinals that can be used to treat serious internal disease. Scientific research has discovered that they often contain many powerful, bioactive phytochemicals, such as alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids, which have become the basis of many of today’s most effective pharmaceuticals. And just like a pill that you let sit in your mouth for too long, these herbs can have a very disagreeable flavor. But this flavor is exactly what makes them work as medicines, you can’t have one without the other.

However, there are ways to make taking Chinese herbs easier. At Alleva Acupuncture, we use premade herbal granules, which are freeze dried powers made from the liquid of decocted herbs. These granule can then be taken in a few ways to reduce the strong flavor. First, they can be mixed with only a ounce or two of warm water that can be swallowed in a single mouthful. Second, they can be mixed into a fruit juice or water sweetened with honey. Or the can be put into capsules and swallowed with no flavor, just like every other pill.

Although acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are becoming more accepted by mainstream conventional medicine, most doctors will not have a detailed understanding of the herbs contained in your formula or how each herb works to produce a desired effect. Sometime doctors will be concerned about a treatment method that they do not understand and may caution a patient about taking Chinese herbal medicine. They may be concerned with herb-drug interactions or contraindications for your condition. At Alleva Acupuncture, we understand and appreciate the care that doctors have for their patients. We are always happy to talk with your doctor about their specific concerns, to give them detailed scientific information on our prescribed herbs, and to work with them to adjust any formulas to address their concerns. Ultimately, we see ourselves as just another part of your healthcare team whose goal is to safely and effectively restore your health.

For most conditions and most formulas, herbal medicine is taken orally, either as a tea or in a pill or capsule form. As discussed above, some may find the taste of herbal medicinal tea to be disagreeable and will avoid taking the medicine for this reason. For these patients we can often prescribe herbal pills or capsules. Sometimes, depending on the condition and the herbal formula, it may be possible to apply the herbal formula topically to the skin to produce a beneficial effect. This is especially true for conditions effecting superficial veins, such as varicose veins, or superficial nerves, such as peripheral neuropathy. Other conditions like constipation, lung congestion, or muscle pain can benefit from herbal formulas that have been prepared as liniments in grain alcohol that can carry the healing effects of the herbs directly through the skin to provide relief.