The Chinese treatments worked. Worked pretty much as well as the prescription medications. “Pretty much” because they did not bring my blood pressure as quickly. The end result, in terms of blood pressure numbers, were about the same.
When I started the Chinese process, my family “regular” doctor—concerned that I had stopped prescription medications—referred me to a “regular” specialist. At that point I had been on the Chinese treatment of herbal “tea” and acupuncture for about a month and a half. The specialist was happy enough about where my blood pressure readings were, and approved my continuing the Chinese medical treatments. His only concern was licorice root—licorice root was “contraindicated”. But the Chinese doctor contacted him and explained that a small amount of licorice root was necessary as a balance for the other herbs, so he said ok.
I took that was a specialist giving the stamp of approval, that there was no difference for him in terms of the results. I continued with the Chinese treatments because the side effects were much less negative, and I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the Chinese Medical Doctor. The real issue for me were the side effects, trading serious weakness/difficulty in focusing for morning stomach cramps and diarrhea. I preferred less weakness compared to more frequent washroom visits.
At least until my blood pressure readings abruptly went up again.
Personally I am certain they went up again due to a joint conspiracy involving international pharmaceutical companies and the CIA.
For several months, the CMD had regularly changed the herbs. I progressed from “tea” to capsules to pills. She continued to regularly monitor my progress, and I recall her medications changing regularly. But it was smooth progress, with my blood pressure steadily dropping. As I noted, they worked more slowly—the Western meds hit you like Darth Vader’s light saber—but they worked.
And then, they didn’t.
We had no idea why—okay, she had no idea, she’s the doctor. She gave me a different batch of the same pills, perhaps thinking maybe that particular batch of herbs was not effective. Nope. Then different pills altogether. Nope. It was a downhill slide, losing ground which had been gained for five months.
This went on for a month or two. In July, 2006, my wife and I attended at a peace conference in British Columbia, for former war resisters from the United States (guess I haven’t told you everything about myself—and I bet if you’ve read this far, you’d thought I’d told you not only everything, but TOO MUCH!). I should have been super relaxed--a peace conference for goodness’ sake, held in the gorgeous Kootenays, fabulous valleys and mountains, driving through some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada (which means: some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere). We heard George McGovern talk, Gandhi’s grandson (a great figure in his own right) make a speech, Holly Near sing, heck, even Country Joe MacDonald was there.
If I was going to be relaxed, without stress, and with low blood pressure, I was in the ideal setting.
But on my second day in Lotus Land (as British Columbia has been called) I slipped my arm into the cuff of a blood pressure machine at the local drugstore: 191/115 (maybe a little worse). Not just high readings, but higher than ever. As if I was taking no medication at all. I was stunned. Talk about a slap in the face. I knew it had been going up again, but this was approaching Danger! Stroke! territory.
I started to take a reading each day, and my blood pressure never dropped. 190 or higher, day after day, for five days. Even George McGovern could not bring me peace!
When we returned to Winnipeg I got a quick appointment with my specialist. And in his office my reading was…131 systolic.
Huh? Whazzat about? I never had such a low reading. Probably when I was a baby I never had such a low reading!
The specialist, who was a very nice fellow, and, well, a specialist (he really knew his stuff—at one point he’d told me that in only ten percent of Hypertension cases do doctors know why the patient developed the condition, making the treatment that much easier.) explained that the higher readings might be because the drug store machines were not always properly calibrated. It could also be that the cuffs the machines used were too small for my fat arm. And, anyway, blood pressure readings can go up and down unpredictably.
I left his office relieved. Really relieved. He kept me on the herbs—obviously what I was taking was working.
But…at his suggestion…I finally bought a home device to take my own blood pressure. He suggested two possible makes, and I went across the street from his office to one of those huge drug stores. There were several spiffy devices on the shelf, and I bought a good one, with a memory and other functions.
I took it home and, after work, tried it, following the directions. Ready? None of the readings were near the low end of the pool, at 131. Instead, they were between 160 and 180. When I went back to his office three weeks later, for the regularly scheduled appointment, my device’s accuracy was confirmed—this time, his office machine’s readings were also sky high.
By now, I was not only on an emotional roller coaster, I was a yoyo on an emotional roller coaster. And back at square one. The specialist was alarmed, and prescribed a prescription medication, Teveten.
I could have continued with the Chinese Medical Doctor, whose work I trusted. I believe she would have found the right combination of herbs and acupuncture. However, there was now another problem. The specialist was licensed and “recognized” by my employer, the government’s health care system, and Blue Cross. The Chinese Medical Doctor, for Hypertension treatments, was not.
Well, it’s a class society, and I was in class, learning. I was only a student--if I wanted help, the Principal had to agree.
Showing posts with label Chinese Herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese Herbs. Show all posts
Monday, November 20, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Hypertension 9: Western Medications vs. Chinese Herbs
In terms of the medications, what are the differences between mainstream Western medical treatment for Hypertension and the “alternative” Chinese treatment?
Western prescription medications are easy to take: just pop 'em like cheeseburgers, onion rings & a coke.
Herbs? Initially they came in a variety of small packets. I opened each packet and dumped the contents into a cup, then added hot water to the contents, stirred and drank.
The Chinese medications were changed regularly, depending on my reactions. The prescription medications were changed after I set up an appointment with my doctor to tell him I was concerned about the negative side effects—often after taking the prescription medications for two months.
Prescription meds worked just like anything Western: blunt, unsubtle, direct—like a hammer to the head. But they worked. Each brought my blood pressure down.
Side Note: actually I did not take my blood pressure every day, as I did with the Chinese treatments. So, who knew what the actual impact of the prescription meds were? During the Western treatment, I took my bp two or three times a week, in the mornings, using one of those semi-accurate blood pressure machines in the local drug store. After starting the Chinese treatment, the Chinese Medical Doctor took the readings herself three times a week. I continued to take readings two or three times a week at the drug store, in the mornings.
My blood pressure was generally higher in the mornings—155 or so--and then dropped by the end of the day (when the CMD would take it). I did not take my own readings more frequently while taking the prescription medications because I wanted to avoid becoming “overmedicalized”. Some people become obsessed with their Hypertension, taking readings all day long. I did not want my condition to dominate my life. A good Western Boy, I wanted to pop a pill and forget about it. Or, drink some tea.
The Western pills worked from the waist up, the herbs from the waist down. The Western meds’ negative side effects were generally all in my head (memory, energy, focus). With the Chinese treatments, the negative effects were more below the waist: I pooped a lot, which left me, well, pooped…at times, I had cramps. It was more work, in its way, to continually adjust to the regularly changing herbs than it was to the less frequently changed prescription medications.
In both situations I was a guinea pig. Each medication had to be tried on me to see its impact. There was no way to know in advance how either treatment would affect me. Until we reach that future promised us by Walt Disney on his tv show in the 1950's (I am STILL waiting for my rocket boots, Walt!), medications remain a crap shoot (with the herbs, quite literally). Everyone is different, everyone reacts differently. You only know what impact the medications will have after you have taken them.
As a patient, I still had no real control.
Western prescription medications are easy to take: just pop 'em like cheeseburgers, onion rings & a coke.
Herbs? Initially they came in a variety of small packets. I opened each packet and dumped the contents into a cup, then added hot water to the contents, stirred and drank.
The Chinese medications were changed regularly, depending on my reactions. The prescription medications were changed after I set up an appointment with my doctor to tell him I was concerned about the negative side effects—often after taking the prescription medications for two months.
Prescription meds worked just like anything Western: blunt, unsubtle, direct—like a hammer to the head. But they worked. Each brought my blood pressure down.
Side Note: actually I did not take my blood pressure every day, as I did with the Chinese treatments. So, who knew what the actual impact of the prescription meds were? During the Western treatment, I took my bp two or three times a week, in the mornings, using one of those semi-accurate blood pressure machines in the local drug store. After starting the Chinese treatment, the Chinese Medical Doctor took the readings herself three times a week. I continued to take readings two or three times a week at the drug store, in the mornings.
My blood pressure was generally higher in the mornings—155 or so--and then dropped by the end of the day (when the CMD would take it). I did not take my own readings more frequently while taking the prescription medications because I wanted to avoid becoming “overmedicalized”. Some people become obsessed with their Hypertension, taking readings all day long. I did not want my condition to dominate my life. A good Western Boy, I wanted to pop a pill and forget about it. Or, drink some tea.
The Western pills worked from the waist up, the herbs from the waist down. The Western meds’ negative side effects were generally all in my head (memory, energy, focus). With the Chinese treatments, the negative effects were more below the waist: I pooped a lot, which left me, well, pooped…at times, I had cramps. It was more work, in its way, to continually adjust to the regularly changing herbs than it was to the less frequently changed prescription medications.
In both situations I was a guinea pig. Each medication had to be tried on me to see its impact. There was no way to know in advance how either treatment would affect me. Until we reach that future promised us by Walt Disney on his tv show in the 1950's (I am STILL waiting for my rocket boots, Walt!), medications remain a crap shoot (with the herbs, quite literally). Everyone is different, everyone reacts differently. You only know what impact the medications will have after you have taken them.
As a patient, I still had no real control.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Hypertension 8: Herbs and Needles
The Chinese Medical Doctor (CMD) who treated me was very nice. A fourth generation doctor, she told me that, after about a year, she could 'cure' my Hypertension. Her belief was backed up by the testimonials of her patients, including one I spoke with. The staff who worked with her were dedicated, and believed in the efficacy of her treatments. They had seen people get better, and I believed them.
Chinese Hypertension treatment came in two forms: an herbal "tea" you drink (later followed by pills—but herbs, not chemicals), with the second aspect of the treatment being needles (stuck in your legs, feet, right elbow and left hand). I took the herbs once a day, and saw the doctor three days a week for the acupuncture. Each visit to the doctor took about an hour.
The "tea", I was warned repeatedly by the doctor and everyone who worked for her, tasted bad. Real bad. It was not tea, of course, but herbs in water. I was given ten to fifteen packets of granules and powders for each daily dose. I dumped the packet contents into a glass of water, heated the water, and then drank. Hot water was necessary to dissolve the packet contents completely. The taste was not nearly as bad as the warnings--but it was not choice root beer either.
In Western terms, the herbs contained a natural diuretic, very similar to one of the prescription medications I had taken. So there was a similarity, actually, between the herbal medication and the prescription medication. The 'tea' was 2/3 of the treatment, the needles 1/3.
She never grinned when she stuck the needles in me.
Here is how each visit went:
She would ask me how I felt, look at the colour of my tongue, and inquire about my poops (I am being delicate). She frequently adjusted the herbs, depending on whether my poops were hard, soft, chunky, bulky, runny, sneezy, sleepy, dopey.... Then I would lie down on a bed in a private room for a while. Once rested, my blood pressure would be taken, and then she would bring in the needles.
My pant legs were rolled up to my knees, my right sleeve to my elbow. She would then stick special needles (she never sewed with them, never said "So", never had me in stitches, never lost the thread of what she was doing, never spun me a yarn….) into my feet, calves, right elbow and my left hand. She was very precise—each needle went into a point through which energy flowed (I think it was called ‘chi’).
It rarely hurt, although if I moved my hand or leg AFTER the needle was in, it could feel like I was wired into a socket. Especially my hand, where it felt like an electric jolt! Once I was properly needled, I would lay in the room, often listening to relaxing music without lyrics, for up to an hour.
Because I have sleep apnea, I fall asleep at the slightest opportunity. Certainly that happened most times I was lying on the bed, needles sticking in me. However, It was not a restful sleep--I was not using my CPAP machine, which pumped air into my nose through a special breathing mask that makes me look like elephant man. I would wake groggy, and out of it. Later, I cured much of the grogginess by avoiding falling asleep—it was not hard, I just sat up in a chair, reading. That left me feeling a lot more energetic.
The herbs and acupuncture worked.
They brought down my blood pressure. It went from 180 systolic or higher down to, on average, 150 or less. The Chinese treatments did not work as quickly as the prescription medications, but while the herbs left me weak, I felt not nearly as “out of it” as I did with the prescription medications. I was not dizzy periodically, as with the prescription meds. However, I still did feel tired a lot, and it remained hard to concentrate at times. My emotions also were hard to control, probably because I felt tired so much, and frequently had diarrhea. As the strength of the medications increased, they frequently left me feeling as if I had a brief stomach flu each day—but only for a few hours in the mornings, when I first took them.
Overall, I felt better, but at times it was hard to judge. Certainly I felt I was getting more attention, and had a more personal relationship with my doctor, seeing her three times a week.
Chinese Hypertension treatment came in two forms: an herbal "tea" you drink (later followed by pills—but herbs, not chemicals), with the second aspect of the treatment being needles (stuck in your legs, feet, right elbow and left hand). I took the herbs once a day, and saw the doctor three days a week for the acupuncture. Each visit to the doctor took about an hour.
The "tea", I was warned repeatedly by the doctor and everyone who worked for her, tasted bad. Real bad. It was not tea, of course, but herbs in water. I was given ten to fifteen packets of granules and powders for each daily dose. I dumped the packet contents into a glass of water, heated the water, and then drank. Hot water was necessary to dissolve the packet contents completely. The taste was not nearly as bad as the warnings--but it was not choice root beer either.
In Western terms, the herbs contained a natural diuretic, very similar to one of the prescription medications I had taken. So there was a similarity, actually, between the herbal medication and the prescription medication. The 'tea' was 2/3 of the treatment, the needles 1/3.
She never grinned when she stuck the needles in me.
Here is how each visit went:
She would ask me how I felt, look at the colour of my tongue, and inquire about my poops (I am being delicate). She frequently adjusted the herbs, depending on whether my poops were hard, soft, chunky, bulky, runny, sneezy, sleepy, dopey.... Then I would lie down on a bed in a private room for a while. Once rested, my blood pressure would be taken, and then she would bring in the needles.
My pant legs were rolled up to my knees, my right sleeve to my elbow. She would then stick special needles (she never sewed with them, never said "So", never had me in stitches, never lost the thread of what she was doing, never spun me a yarn….) into my feet, calves, right elbow and my left hand. She was very precise—each needle went into a point through which energy flowed (I think it was called ‘chi’).
It rarely hurt, although if I moved my hand or leg AFTER the needle was in, it could feel like I was wired into a socket. Especially my hand, where it felt like an electric jolt! Once I was properly needled, I would lay in the room, often listening to relaxing music without lyrics, for up to an hour.
Because I have sleep apnea, I fall asleep at the slightest opportunity. Certainly that happened most times I was lying on the bed, needles sticking in me. However, It was not a restful sleep--I was not using my CPAP machine, which pumped air into my nose through a special breathing mask that makes me look like elephant man. I would wake groggy, and out of it. Later, I cured much of the grogginess by avoiding falling asleep—it was not hard, I just sat up in a chair, reading. That left me feeling a lot more energetic.
The herbs and acupuncture worked.
They brought down my blood pressure. It went from 180 systolic or higher down to, on average, 150 or less. The Chinese treatments did not work as quickly as the prescription medications, but while the herbs left me weak, I felt not nearly as “out of it” as I did with the prescription medications. I was not dizzy periodically, as with the prescription meds. However, I still did feel tired a lot, and it remained hard to concentrate at times. My emotions also were hard to control, probably because I felt tired so much, and frequently had diarrhea. As the strength of the medications increased, they frequently left me feeling as if I had a brief stomach flu each day—but only for a few hours in the mornings, when I first took them.
Overall, I felt better, but at times it was hard to judge. Certainly I felt I was getting more attention, and had a more personal relationship with my doctor, seeing her three times a week.
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