Understanding Chinese Herbal Medicine

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Chinese herbal medicine uses natural mineral, plant, and animal substances as medicine. These substances have minimum side effects when taken at the right time for the right condition; taken wrongly, they can be harmful.

For example, the herb astragalus (huangqi) taken alone should be used with caution by those who have high blood pressure or high fevers due to acute infections.

It is essential for anyone who wants to benefit from Chinese herbal medicine to consult a doctor of Chinese medicine for evaluation based on the theories and diagnostic techniques of Chinese medicine, including pulse and tongue reading.

When evaluating a patient, the Chinese medicine practitioner first has to identify which meridians and organ systems are out of balance. For example, liver and stomach meridians are often affected in indigestion. The practitioner has to determine the nature of the energy imbalance, such as too much or too little energy or energy that is stagnated, blocked, or moving in the wrong direction.

Take acid reflux as an example. It may be stagnated liver energy affecting the normal flow of stomach energy, which is now moving in the wrong direction. If it has been a chronic condition, the patient can get very tired and malnourished.

Emotional distress, anger, and especially resentment often cause liver energy stagnation. Patients with this type of imbalance may also suffer from migraines, depression, insomnia, irritable bowel, and chronic pain in deep tissues.

When the Chinese medicine doctor has gathered all the information and comes up with diagnoses of energy imbalance, an individualized Chinese medicine remedy is formulated.

In most cases, four types of herbs are included in the formula. The first is called emperor. The emperor represents the herbs that treat the main symptoms and their underlying causes.

The second is called minister. The minister helps the emperor to do a better job and also treats accompanying symptoms and their underlying causes.

The third is called assistant. The assistant is the herb that helps both emperor and minister but also harmonizes the formula and eliminates possible toxins and side effects.

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Understanding Chinese Herbal Medicine

Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York Reports Results at ASRM 2013 on Findings Related to Motivations of Women …

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NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Manhattan-based infertility clinic Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York) has announced the results of a study aimed at identifying the primary motivations behind women who choose to undergo elective oocyte cryopreservation.

What Makes A Woman Freeze: The Impetus Behind Patients' Desires To Undergo Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation by Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., et al., will be presented in an oral session on Monday, October 14th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to be held from October 12th through the 17th in Boston, Massachusetts.

The research reveals that women undergo elective oocyte cryopreservation, or "egg freezing" for a variety of social reasons. In her presentation, Dr. Witkin reports that women who had electively chosen to freeze their eggs were commonly concerned that someday they might not medically be able to conceive due to health problems. In other words, they did equate social egg freezing as much a "medical" treatment as an "elective" one.

Other women who participated in the study wanted to preserve their option of future fertility because at the time of consultation, they were neither interested in becoming a single mother by choice nor did they have a partner with whom they wanted to create embryos. The authors also found that egg freezing patients were not yet uncertain whether they wanted to have children in the future.

Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, counsels women when they consider options for cryopreservation of their eggs. Witkin speaks frequently to the media regarding the topic of egg freezing, and has contributed to articles with The Huffington Post and the Chicago Tribune, citing egg freezing as a matter of control and choice for women who decide to undergo the procedure. In many cases, women who choose egg freezing as an option are uncertain whether they want to have children in the future, however they do not want to miss the opportunity in case they later decide that becoming a parent is important to them. Others may wish to preserve their fertility until they are able to find a partner with which to have a family.

Witkin reported that egg freezing enables women to relax and think more positively about pursuing a career or other life experiences. It can also allow a woman to think less of potential fertility problems, especially in the realm of dating and relationships, and to focus on other aspects of building relationships and forming more positive bonds with potential partners. In all of these cases, oocyte cryopreservation provides a viable option for women who are uncertain of their future reproductive plans.

Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, as well as an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Science and in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Co-authors of the study include Ann Tran, M.D.; Joseph Lee, B.A.; Lisa Schuman, LCSW; Lawrence Grunfeld, M.D.; and Jaime Knopman, M.D.

About Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York

Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York) is widely recognized as a national and international leader in state-of-the-art reproductive medicine. Led by an integrated team of doctors and scientists with extensive reproductive endocrinology, fertility and urology experience and training, RMA of New York consistently reports IVF success rates to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is internationally recognized for achieving high success rates in the treatment of infertility. RMA of New York maximizes access to care by helping patients explore all insurance coverage and financing options available for treatment. RMA of New York is sensitive to the needs of the LGBT community, women choosing single or same-sex motherhood, as well as women interested in elective fertility preservation. Headquartered in midtown Manhattan, RMA of New York has patient care facilities in Garden City, White Plains, Brooklyn and Cornwall, NY. For more information, please visitwww.rmany.com.

Media Contact: Victoria Andretta, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, 212-756-5777, vandretta@rmany.com

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Latest emergency medicine research highlights social issues

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Public release date: 14-Oct-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie Lloyd 202-370-9292 American College of Emergency Physicians

WASHINGTON Leading researchers in emergency medicine will present more than 400 studies during ACEP13-Scientific Assembly, the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians in Seattle, Washington. Sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Research Forum will be held on Level 3, The Conference Center from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday, October 14th and Tuesday, October 15th. The Conference Center is part of the Washington State Convention Center.

Researcher physicians will present their latest findings in emergency medicine research, focusing on topics ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics, including toxicology, pain, injury prevention and public health. To search Research Forum by topic, presenter, title and time, visit: http://tinyurl.com/on2o3mm

From noon to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 14th, in room 302 of The Conference Center, the Research Forum Awards Luncheon will feature a session on the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute's push for comparative effectiveness research with speaker Eric Hess, MD.

At 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 14th, in room 301 of Level 3 of The Conference Center, Dr. Jeremy Brown, the Director of the Office of Emergency Care Research (OECR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will deliver the keynote address. An ACEP member and emergency physician, Dr. Brown will discuss how this new research center is organized and how it can help emergency care researchers. The OECR coordinates and fosters basic, clinical and translational research and research training for the emergency setting. The NIH is the largest federal agency dedicated to medical research. The formation of the OECR in 2012 was heralded as a significant advance for emergency medicine investigators and emergency patients and the fulfillment of a longstanding goal of ACEP and SAEM.

Each day of the Research Forum will feature a special "state-of-the-art" presentation in room 301 of The Conference Center: Ed Panacek, MD, FACEP, will moderate the presentation on Monday, October 14th at 1:00 p.m.; and Don Yealy, MD, FACEP, will moderate the presentation on Tuesday, October 15th at 8:00 a.m.

The Research Forum will close with a panel session, Cutting Edge: Highlights of Emergency Medicine Research, highlighting some of the most significant emergency medicine research, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15th, in room 301. The session will be moderated by Deborah Diercks, MD, FACEP and panelists for this event will include Judd Hollander, MD, FACEP, William Mallon, MD, FACEP and Scott Weingart, MD, FACEP.

Members of the news media can pre-register until September 30th at http://tinyurl.com/mhqm2vw.

Obtain credentials (and the latest daily news about the conference) in the Media Relations Office located at the Washington State Convention Center in room 212. An adjoining News Media Workroom is available for use by the press, and has telephones, internet connections (computers not provided) and workspace to conduct interviews. Members of the media who display ACEP13-Scientific Assembly press credentials have access to all educational sessions, the general session, the Research Forum, and the Exhibit Hall.

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Latest emergency medicine research highlights social issues

Comprehensive Portfolio Prepared by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Guides Companies Through Reimbursement …

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LA JOLLA, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 14, 2013) - A comprehensive reimbursement guide for regenerative medicine was released today at the third annual Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa Regen Med Partnering Forum. This guide was developed by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), an international organization representing the regenerative medicine community, and comprises a series of white papers designed to help regenerative medicine companies navigate the reimbursement process.

As with all therapies, regenerative medicine products will need to go through a rigorous evaluation and approval process to receive coverage and payment by public health plans and private insurance. This guide was developed to provide information on the coding, coverage and payment processes, as well as address some of the unique issues regenerative medicine therapies may face along the way. While not specific to any one type of regenerative medicine product, these briefs provide companies with early warnings about pitfalls that can be avoided with proper planning and action.

"We believe it is critical to design and implement a reimbursement strategy early in a product's development process, and this guide will offer valuable, timesaving assistance to companies in the regenerative medicine field," said Antonio Montecalvo, Director of Customer Support Services, Organogenesis Inc., and Chair of ARM's Reimbursement Committee. "The potential for regenerative medicine products to cure diseases is tremendous, and we want to help companies bring these therapies to patients as quickly as possible, which, even after FDA approval, will not happen without adequate health plan coverage."

Specific areas covered in this document include:

"One of ARM's goals is to provide our members with the tools they need to succeed in the marketplace, and this resource will certainly provide a lot of reimbursement assistance. We hear over and over from companies and their investors that this is a topic on which they are seeking guidance," said Michael Werner, Executive Director of ARM. "We are also developing additional tools to help regenerative medicine companies with the development and commercialization of their products."

The Regenerative Medicine Reimbursement Guide is available online at http://alliancerm.org/reimbursement

About The Alliance for Regenerative MedicineThe Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is a Washington, DC-based multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM in 2009, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, DC to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today ARM has more than 140 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit http://www.alliancerm.org.

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Comprehensive Portfolio Prepared by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Guides Companies Through Reimbursement ...

Iowa medical school among nation’s best in managing conflicts of interest

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The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. (image via college's Web site)

The University of Iowas Caver College of Medicine has one of the countrys strictest conflict of interest policies limiting industry-related gifts, meals, drug samples and payments for things like travel, according to a new industry report.

The Institute on Medicine as a Profession has released a new study comparing changes in schools conflict of interest policies from 2008 to 2011. The report reveals that most U.S. medical schools have made some strides, but still lag behind national standards.

Only 16 percent including the UI met standards in at least half of the 12 areas studied. No school met all the standards, according to the report published in the October issue of Academic Medicine.

The new report comes in response to an earlier study showing few medical schools have policies regulating conflicts even though research has shown industry ties can bias doctor decisions and compromise patient care. Schools have tried to better manage physician ties to the pharmaceutical and device industries, according to the report, but most programs still have less-than-stringent policies.

The top five medical schools that come closest to meeting national standards include UI Carver College of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston University School of Medicine and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine.

Schools with the weakest policies include Saint Louis University School of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, University of Nebraska College of Medicine and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Areas under the conflict-of-interest umbrella that were reviewed for the recent study include gifts, meals, vendors, samples, purchasing, travel, consulting, scholarships and ghostwriting.

When the groups research began in 2008, no policy was the most common finding in many of the areas, according to an institute news release. By 2011, nearly all the schools had addressed that, with just 2 percent reporting having no policies.

Still, the portion of schools with strong policies barely crept up, prompting officials to urge further improvement across the board.

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Iowa medical school among nation’s best in managing conflicts of interest

Medical School Groundbreaking Tuesday

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October 14, 2013 Updated Oct 14, 2013 at 11:19 PM EDT

BUFFALO (WKBW) Governor Andrew Cuomo, alongside state and local dignitaries, will put the first shovels into the ground to mark the official start to construction on the brand new University at Buffalo Medical School.

White tents have already been set up for Tuesday's ceremony on the site at Main and High Street, right in the heart of the expanding Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

A transfer deal for the land was completed back in March, clearing the way for shovels in the ground beginning Tuesday morning.

"By bringing the best to Buffalo, we can expect tremendous results in treatment studies and approached to care all patients," Medical School Dean Dr. Michael Cain said back in March.

UB's current medical school is located on the South Campus. The new location brings students right next to the future Children's Hospital and steps from Buffalo General and Roswell Park.

With a new school comes improvements to technology and research capabilities. But there is also an expansion when it comes to enrollment. Currently only 715 students can be accommodated in the med school. Once the new one is complete, that number will rise to 850.

The target date for completion of the new school is fall of 2016.

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Medical School Groundbreaking Tuesday

Building begins for a new UB medical school and culture

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The University at Buffalos new medical school will be the size of three Walmart supercenters when it opens on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in 2016.

But the projects designers aim to do more than provide ample space, with a glass atrium and terra cotta facade to reflect the citys classic architecture.

The construction work following todays groundbreaking ceremony also starts a culture change.

The big picture is that it lets us start to transform a medical culture into one that achieves excellence from internal collaboration instead of from competition, said Dr. Michael E. Cain, the dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and UBs vice president of health sciences.

When finished, the $375 million, eight-story medical school will be a key component of a long-sought vision to bring hospitals, research and doctor-training facilities to one downtown location.

The two L-shaped buildings connected by a glass atrium at Main and High streets give the medical community a chance to better align and improve scientific research, medical education and patient care among the different institutions and health-related professions.

Its a seminal event for us," said William Joyce, chairman of the Medical Campus board of directors. If you are an aspirant to be an academic health center of national significance, and we are, you need to integrate research, education and clinical care.

The medical school will return close to where it started in 1846 next to Buffalo General Medical Center.

Officials say the new school will serve as the entrance and connecting hub to the rest of the Medical Campus.

The project coincides with other developments in the Medical Campus five-block area, including Kaleida Healths Gates Vascular Institute and UBs Clinical and Translational Research Center.

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Building begins for a new UB medical school and culture

NY foots the bill to reopen Statue of Liberty

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Lady Liberty is back in business!

The Statue of Liberty reopened on Sunday after the state agreed to eat the cost of running the statue during the government shutdown much to the delight of tourists, who said the Big Apple isnt the same without a trip to the iconic landmark.

Excited tourists cheered the reopening after a 10-day-long closure in Battery Park as they awaited boats to take them across New York Harbor.

Its so patriotic and it opened the day we got here, so yay! said Heidi Jonsson, 40, who was visiting from Georgia.

Another visitor, Joleen Gorgen, 64, of Iowa described hearing news the statue would reopen while riding on a tour bus.

We were on the bus and everybody just whooped and hollered. That was the big thing, Gorgen said.

Were so appreciative to the state of New York I think weve stopped everybody on the island to thank them for doing this, she said.

Gov. Cuomo was on hand and said its crucial for New Yorks economy to have Lady Liberty up and running.

The economic damage done by closing the Statue of Liberty is profound you have thousands of vendors who rely on it, Coumo said.

You have to remember the Statue of Liberty is one of the main tourist destinations [it's] a very big draw, he said.

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NY foots the bill to reopen Statue of Liberty

Libertarian Sarvis Campaigns In Leesburg

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Libertarian gubernatorial candidateRobert Sarvis met with voters at The Q Company in Leesburg Sunday evening to remind them that they have a third choice in the governor's race.

Minutes before the event officially began, voters some supporters and others curious passersby lined up to speak with Sarvis.

Elections are about accountability," he told one in attendance. "If youre not getting what you want from Republicans and Democrats, and theyre really just demagoguing all the issues, you have to vote against them."

Sarvis has focused his small campaign force on introducing himself to as many Virginians as possible as the moderate candidate in the governors race.For a third party candidate, public polls show Sarvis has appealed to a notable following among voters who are not excited about either major-party candidate.

Sarvis said he believes in more freedom across the board, both economic and personal freedom. If you like that idea, the idea that Virginia is open-minded and open for business, then you have someone you can be proud to vote for.

Sarvis, 37, has worked as an attorney and is now running for governor full-time. He previously worked as a software developer, and was named by Google as a Grand Prize Winner for their Android Development challenge. In 2011, he ran for state Senate in the heavily Democratic-leaning 35th district. He lost to Democrat Dick Saslaw.

Sarvis grew up in West Springfield and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. He and his wife Astrid live in Annandale and have two children.

Learn more about Sarvis atwww.robertsarvis.com.

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Libertarian Sarvis Campaigns In Leesburg

Libertarian Sarvis Campagins In Leesburg

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Libertarian gubernatorial candidateRobert Sarvis met with voters at The Q Company in Leesburg Sunday evening to remind them that they have a third choice in the governor's race.

Minutes before the event officially began, voters some supporters and others curious passersby lined up to speak with Sarvis.

Elections are about accountability," he told one in attendance. "If youre not getting what you want from Republicans and Democrats, and theyre really just demagoguing all the issues, you have to vote against them."

Sarvis has focused his small campaign force on introducing himself to as many Virginians as possible as the moderate candidate in the governors race.For a third party candidate, public polls show Sarvis has appealed to a notable following among voters who are not excited about either major-party candidate.

Sarvis said he believes in more freedom across the board, both economic and personal freedom. If you like that idea, the idea that Virginia is open-minded and open for business, then you have someone you can be proud to vote for.

Sarvis, 37, has worked as an attorney and is now running for governor full-time. He previously worked as a software developer, and was named by Google as a Grand Prize Winner for their Android Development challenge. In 2011, he ran for state Senate in the heavily Democratic-leaning 35th district. He lost to Democrat Dick Saslaw.

Sarvis grew up in West Springfield and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. He and his wife Astrid live in Annandale and have two children.

Learn more about Sarvis atwww.robertsarvis.com.

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Libertarian Sarvis Campagins In Leesburg

Born Libertarian: Doug Casey on Ron Paul and the Price of Freedom

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By The Gold Report

The Gold Report: Doug, we are at your conference in Tucson, Arizona, the day after former Congressman and presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul gave the keynote speech to a sold-out crowd. How did you two first meet?

Doug Casey: It was about 30 years ago. Ron used to attend my Eris Societynamed after the Greek goddess of discordmeetings in Aspen, Colorado. Everyone from Sonny Barger of the Hells Angels motorcycle club to Burt Rutan, inventor of SpaceShipOne, would meet to discuss ideas.

TGR: In those 30 years, have Ron Paul's ideas changed much?

DC: Ron believes he was born a libertarian. He's right. I believe in Pareto's lawthe 80-20 rule. I prefer to think that 80% of humans are basically decent, which is to say that they were born libertarian oriented. But it takes a while to crystallize what that means. Ron and I, and many others, have moved beyond gut libertarianism to a structured, intellectual libertarianism.

Some people see the same things we see through a totally different lens, however. Those people tend to be the other 20%, or perhaps 20% of that 20%, or even 20% of that 20% of that 20%. They range from being wishy-washy on ethical subjects to being sociopaths or even outright criminals. These people are at the opposite end of the spectrum from us in every way.

TGR: One of the things Ron Paul mentioned last night is that a true libertarian advocates for the freedom of everyone to do what he or she wants as long as it's not hurting someone else. This includes people who don't agree with your views.

DC: Exactly. As opposed to busybodies who want to tell everybody else what to do. They think they know best and are perfectly willing to put a gun to your head to make sure that you do what they think is right.

TGR: We are meeting in the midst of a government shutdown. Ron Paul called it a paid holiday for federal workers. Are we doomed to an endless cycle of these manmade crises?

DC: I would like nothing better than to see the shutdown go on forever, but unfortunately the government is only shutting down things that inconvenience people, like monuments and national parksthings that should not be owned by the government to start with. I wish they would shut down all their praetorian agencies, like the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA. Shut down the IRS. I am much more concerned about Silk Road being shut down than I am the US government being shut down.

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Born Libertarian: Doug Casey on Ron Paul and the Price of Freedom