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Traditional Chinese Medicine

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“Don’t eat too much chocolate, it's very heaty!” 
“Fever ah? See lah told you need to drink more coconut water!”
“Ah boy stressed ah? Should try acupuncture”

These are just some of the things my parents told me as I was growing up. And when I was little, I still believed in them!, but as I got older and started learning more about science in secondary school, I started to become more skeptical on  the effectiveness and actual benefits of Traditional Chinese Remedies. Do they have actual benefits or is it simply a placebo? What is the scientific basis of these remedies and how useful is TCM still in our modern world? These are some of the questions I will be tackling in this short article, but please take my opinions with a spoonful of salt :P

Heaty Vs Cooling Foods

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Heaty foods

What is heatiness?

I’m sure we have all heard our parents say things like “don’t eat that lah, very heaty for you”, but when actually questioned on what “heatiness” means our definitions seem to vary. According to healthhub.sg, the concept of “heaty” and “cooling” foods first stems from the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang. Yin represents the cooling foods and Yang represents the heaty foods. Hence like the famous Yin-yang spiral symbol, a balance of heaty and cooling food is needed to maintain a healthy body. This actually makes quite a lot of sense, even without taking into account the scientific basis, the principle of this is to advocate eating in moderation and a balanced diet, which is something I think everyone can agree upon.
 

Heaty foods are defined by HealthHubSG as calorically dense foods which have the ability to warm and improve circulation, dispel colds and invigorate the body. This includes red meats, fried food, Durian, chocolate and spicy foods. Excessive consumption of said heaty foods can lead to symptoms such as fever, sore throat and mouth ulcers which TCM practitioners attribute to the “heat” in the food rising up in our bodies and overheating our heads and brain.

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Cooling foods

On the other end of the spectrum is cooling foods. Cooling foods are defined as being less calorically dense, with the ability to eradicate heat and toxins with a nourishing effect on the body. Counteracting the “heat” from heaty foods and maintaining balance in the body. Examples of cooling foods are like teas and most fruits and vegetables. However, excessive consumption on cooling foods also has its downsides, with TCM practitioners attributing it to colds, pale complexion, weak or sore muscles and a feeling of fatigue and lethargy.

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Hence a balance of heaty and cooling foods are needed to maintain a healthy body! So eat your vegetables kids, but also don't forget to eat your chocolates or else you may catch a cold!

Dispelling superstitions

  1. Drinking salt water from durian husks after eating the fruit helps dispel the heatiness.

    • Now I'm a bit of a scientist myself, so this is raising so many red flags for me simply from a logical standpoint. Speaking scientifically, drinking salt water would do nothing other than making you dehydrated and thirsty.

    • So what I'm hypothesizing is that this myth or superstition arose from a scientific basis where gargling salt water helps to remove the toxins and relieve inflammation from mouth ulcers. So perhaps they thought drinking it would be even more effective in preventing such symptoms?

  2. Eating too much papays and or pineapples during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.

    • Surprisingly enough, this is actually somewhat supported by scientific evidence although the facts may be a bit exaggerated.

    • Pineapples and unripe papayas do contain an enzyme called bromelain which does induce earlier contractions. However, alot, and I'm talking a metric tonne of papayas and pineapples, have to be taken before there are any noticeable effects.

After looking into the food theories of TCM, I turned my sights to their treatment methods, namely Acupuncture and Tiger balm as these two, at least in my opinion, are the most widely known and used forms of TCM remedies.

The science behind Acupuncture

Well let's start off by clarifying what acupuncture actually is. Acupuncture, as defined by John Hopkins medicine institute, is the practice of penetrating the skin with needles then stimulating those needles with a variety of methods such as the practitioner's hands, electricity and heat. It is most commonly used as a treatment method to relieve stress and certain body aches and pains. In TCM, it is believed that the body has over 2000 “acupuncture points” which are connected to each other via a series of pathways allowing energy or “Qi” to flow within our bodies. Hence the purpose of acupuncture is described as the opening of these pathways to promote the flow of Qi within the body and maintain an internal equilibrium.

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Digging deeper into my research of acupuncture, I was surprised to find that there is actually some scientific basis for the benefits of acupuncture and several studies have actually been conducted to show these benefits.

Mechanisms

Acupuncture and the use of needles is believed to stimulate the nervous system, releasing chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord and brain which stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities and promotes greater physical and mental well being. Anecdotally, I have actually gone for several acupuncture sessions and I can attest to a feeling of euphoria after the fact and greater relaxation in my head and neck muscles with a decrease in soreness and faster recovery time.
Studies conducted by the US national institute of Health Nausea have found acupuncture to be an effective treatment method for:
Dental pain after surgery, Addiction, Headaches , Menstrual cramps, Tennis elbow, Fibromyalgia, Myofascial pain, Osteoarthritis,Low back pain, Carpal tunnel syndrome and Asthma just to name a few. (published on the HopkinsMedicine website). So clearly there are benefits to acupuncture and TCM as a whole, even if its scientific basis has not yet been fully established

Rubbing tiger balm

Finally, let's talk about tiger balm, which is something that I remember fondly since childhood as an “all in one” remedy for body aches and pains, and truthfully, It does help to relief muscle pains and sprains I had in the past.

For the sake of completeness, l shall also define tiger balm. Tiger Balm is an Over-the-counter product which claims to provide temporary relief for muscle aches, bodily pain and headaches.

The science behind Tiger balm

Well the effectiveness of Tiger balm as a treatment method can be tied to its composition. According to MedicalNewsToday, Tiger balm contains approximately 15% methyl salicylate, 5% menthol and 3% camphor. Methyl Salicylate is actually a analgesic which numbs the skin and dulling the sensation of pain in the area. Menthol works by restricting the blood vessels, reducing the inflammation and causing a therapeutic cooling sensation while camphor improves circulation in the area and provides either a cooling or warm sensation on the skin. Hence when using in tandem with each other and rubbed directly onto the site of discomfort, it would be likely that these compounds provide temporary symptomatic relief. In actuality, several small studies have already shown that rubbing tiger balm has improved aches and strains, headaches, colds and congested nose, neck and shoulder tension and joint pain.

When the West meets the East: introduction of Evidenced based medicine to TCM

Now after discussing the validity of TCM practices and their effectiveness, I followed up on this by asking myself the real world benefits that TCM has had on current western medicine, and what I discovered was astonishing!

Story of Tu youyou

Born on december 30th 1930, Tu youyou is a chinese pharmaceutical chemist that has been making her rounds around social media and the medical world recently for her groundbreaking discovery of a treatment for malaria. In fact, she was the first female citizen from China to receive the Nobel for physiology or medicine in 2015 for her discovery of Artemisinin. While researching malaria, Mrs Tu investigated the Chinese Medical Classics and consulted with several TCM practitioners. From her research, she discovered the compound “sweet wormwood” (artemisia annua) was frequently used by TCM practitioners for its effectiveness in treating intermittent fevers, the trademark for malaria. Through incorporating evidence based science to traditional chinese medicine, Mrs Tu eventually obtained artemisia which is now used as a treatment for malaria is Asia,saving millions of lives in the process.

The science behind Tiger balm

Hence, it is clear that although there are certain aspects of TCM and Chinese philosophy which are mainly superstitions, some are actually based on real scientific principles and bring quantitative benefits to the patients. I believe that TCM has its place in our current healthcare system as a form of alternative medicine IF more evidenced based research is incorporated into the remedies.

References

  1. 7 facts you should know about traditional Chinese medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-medicine/facts.htm

  2. Acupuncture. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/acupuncture

  3. Cherney, K. (2019, April 10). 18 tiger balm uses, benefits, side effects, and precautions. Healthline. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/tiger-balm-uses

  4. Efficacy, safety and tolerability of Tiger Balm® ointments ... (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco-Valussi/publication/336669180_Efficacy_safety_and_tolerability_of_Tiger_BalmR_ointments_a_systematic_review_and_a_meta-analysis_of_prevalence_Eficacia_seguridad_y_tolerabilidad_de_los_unguentos_Tiger_BalmR_una_revision_sistematica/links/5dab066e299bf111d4bed4f0/Efficacy-safety-and-tolerability-of-Tiger-BalmR-ointments-a-systematic-review-and-a-meta-analysis-of-prevalence-Eficacia-seguridad-y-tolerabilidad-de-los-ungueentos-Tiger-BalmR-una-revision-sistemat.pdf

  5. Evidence‐based traditional Chinese Medicine Research: Two decades of development, its impact, and breakthrough. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jebm.12420

  6. Karima Williams on August 25, Karima Williams on October 14, & *, N. (2018, November 20). Acupuncture points: Charts and meanings. Won Institute. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.woninstitute.edu/acupuncture-points/

  7. MediLexicon International. (n.d.). 6 Tiger Balm uses: Benefits and risks. Medical News Today. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323771#when-to-see-a-doctor

  8. MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Acupuncture: How it works, uses, benefits, and risks. Medical News Today. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156488

  9. Myth or fact: The effects of Heaty and Cooling Foods. gutCARE. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.gutcare.com.sg/myth-or-fact-the-effects-of-heaty-and-cooling-foods/

  10. Myth or fact: The effects of Heaty and Cooling Foods. gutCARE. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.gutcare.com.sg/myth-or-fact-the-effects-of-heaty-and-cooling-foods/

  11. Quah, J.-A. (2021, April 7). Heaty and cooling foods - what's it all about? Asian Food Network. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://asianfoodnetwork.com/ph/articles/heaty-cooling-foods-what-about.html

  12. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Acupuncture: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/acupuncture-in-depth

  13. What do 'heaty' and 'cooling' really mean? HealthHub. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/800/Heaty-and-cooling-09Nov2015-NHG#:~:text=p%3EMr%20Yan,of%20the%20skin%20and%20irritability.

  14. Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, December 21). Tu Youyou. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_Youyou

  15. Writer, Although she was born in Canada, Lo, A., Dewolf, C., Li, Z., & Leung, R. (2021, November 19). Pop Cantonese: Word of the month – 熱氣/寒涼 heaty and cool. Zolima City Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://zolimacitymag.com/pop-cantonese-word-of-the-month-%E7%86%B1%E6%B0%A3-%E5%AF%92%E6%B6%BC-heaty-and-cool/

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