Dr. Arturo M. Volpe

Throughout my years of practice I heard of the amazing results achieved with Chinese herbs and herbal combinations. Compared to Western medicine that only came to be in the past century or less, Chinese medicine has had thousands of years to build its knowledge base. In addition, Chinese medicine uses herbs that have boundless potential whereas in the West we have limited ourselves to synthetic drugs that often cause side effects or are later found to be toxic.

The drug companies would like us to believe that synthetic drugs are used because they are more effective, but in reality they are chosen only because they can be patented and become a source of enormous profit. In fact, not only are herbs powerful medicines, they are far less toxic, and can at times achieve results that are impossible with drugs.

As an example there are Chinese herbal combinations that can help normalize the body’s immune system, thus helping people with immune system disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis, without suppressing immunity, which is the only thing drugs can do.

However, Chinese medicine is not only about treatment. First and foremost it is about prevention. To achieve this, Chinese doctors developed complex methods to analyze the human body in order to detect what might be about to go wrong before illness strikes. Looking at the tongue and the nails is a central component of the Chinese diagnostic system.

Last month I took a very interesting seminar on Chinese nail and tongue diagnosis. Although I had already been looking at my patients’ nails and tongues for years I learned a great deal of new information at this course. I cannot relay all the information covered at this seminar here, but here’s a very basic thirty-second checkup you can give yourself:

First take a look at your tongue. When your mouth is closed, the tongue rests against the upper teeth. However, you should not be able to make out the outline of your teeth when you look at your tongue. If you are able to do so, it means that your body is retaining fluids. This is happening throughout your body, but it is easiest to detect by looking at your tongue.

Fluid retention could theoretically be caused by failing kidneys, but in the vast majority of cases it is simply a result of poor digestion. Your diet might need to be revised, or you could simply benefit from supporting your pancreatic function with digestive enzymes or Chinese herbs.

Next take a look at your nails. At the root of each nail you should be able to see a light-colored, crescent-shaped formation generally referred to as a moon. Healthy adults should have a moon on each nail except for the last finger (the pinky).

Moons are formed in childhood and should last throughout life. However, if blood flow and oxygen at the fingertips is insufficient you will begin to lose your moons, starting from the ones on the ring fingers and ending with the ones on the thumbs.

The fewer moons you have, the longer lasting and more severe the condition. The significance of this is that if your fingertips are not receiving enough oxygen, other peripheral areas of your body – including the brain – may not receive enough either. Associated symptoms might include cold hands and feet, fatigue, or even memory loss. At this point a little more analysis is needed to identify the cause of this problem, but in any case there are effective herbal formulas that can improve circulation and even bring the moons back.

As with all supplements the source is of great importance. There have been many horror stories about contaminated Chinese herbs but in all cases it was because the company was not reputable. If you choose your practitioner with care, Chinese herbs are not only effective and sometimes miraculous, but also in all likelihood the safest form of medicine available.

Tags: Natural Medicine Cabinet, Physical Signs of Disease | 4 Comments »