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East Joins West: The Rise of Integrative Medicine

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East Joins West: The Rise of Integrative Medicine

An ancient practice developed thousands of years ago and still used by millions of people all over the world, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has undoubtedly played a role in the field of medicine. But just what is TCM? Is it effective? And can it ever be integrated with Western medicine?

The techniques of TCM stem from the beliefs upon which it was founded. The theory of the yin and yang balance holds that all things in the universe are composed of a balance between the forces of yin and yang. While yin is generally associated with objects that are dark, still, and cold, yang is associated with items that are bright, warm, and in motion.1 In TCM, illness is believed to be a result of an imbalance of yin or yang in the body. For instance, when yin does not cool yang, yang rises and headaches, flushing, sore eyes, and sore throats result. When yang does not warm yin, poor circulation of blood, lethargy, pallor, and cold limbs result. TCM aims to determine the nature of the disharmony and correct it through a variety of approaches. As the balance is restored in the body, so is the health.2

Another fundamental concept of TCM is the idea of qi, which is the energy or vital force responsible for controlling the functions of the human mind and body. Qi flows through the body through 12 meridians, or channels, that correspond to the 12 major organ systems, and 8 extra meridians that are all interconnected with the major channels. Just like an imbalance between yin and yang, disruption to the flow causes disease, and correction of the flow restores the body to balance.2 In TCM, disease is not viewed as something that a patient has. Rather, it is something that the patient is. There is no isolated entity called “disease,” but only a whole person whose body functions may be balanced or imbalanced, harmonious or disharmonious.3 Thus, TCM practitioners aim to increase or decrease qi in the body to create a healthy yin-yang balance through various techniques such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and mind/body exercise (tai chi, yoga). Eastern treatments are dismissed by some as superfluous to the recovery process and even harmful if used in place of more conventional treatments. However, evidence exists indicating Eastern treatments can be very effective parts of recovery plans.

The most common TCM treatments are acupuncture, which involves inserting needles at precise meridian points, and herbal medicine, which refers to using plant products (seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers) for medicinal purposes. Acupuncture seeks to improve the body’s functions by stimulating specific anatomic sites—commonly referred to as acupuncture points, or acupoints. It releases the blocked qi in the body, which may be causing pain, lack of function, or illness. Although the effects of acupuncture are still being researched, results from several studies suggest that it can stimulate function in the body and induce its natural healing response through various physiological systems.4 According to the WHO (World Health Organization), acupuncture is effective for treating 28 conditions, while limited but probable evidence suggests it may have an effective value for many more. Acupuncture seems to have gained the most clinical acceptance as a pain reduction therapy. Research from an international team of experts pooled the results of 29 studies on chronic pain involving nearly 18,000 participants—some had acupuncture, some had “sham” acupuncture, and some did not have acupuncture at all. Overall, the study found acupuncture treatments to be superior to both a lack of acupuncture treatment and sham acupuncture treatments for the reduction of chronic pain, suggesting that such treatments are a reasonable option for afflicted patients.5 According to a study carried out at the Technical University of Munich, people with tension headaches and/or migraines may find acupuncture to be very effective in alleviating their symptoms.6 Another study at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found that twice weekly acupuncture treatments relieved debilitating symptoms of xerostomia--severe dry mouth--among patients undergoing radiation for head and neck cancer.7 Additionally, acupuncture has been demonstrated to both enhance performance in the memory-related brain regions of mild cognitive impairment patients (who have an increased risk of progressing towards Alzheimer’s disease),8 and to provide therapeutic advantages in regulating inflammation in infection and inflammatory disease.9

Many studies have also demonstrated the efficacy of herbal medicine in treating various illnesses. Recently, the WHO estimated that 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some part of their primary health care. Researchers from the University of Adelaide have shown that a mixture of extracts from the roots of two medicinal herbs, Kushe and Baituling, works to kill cancer cells.10 Furthermore, scientists concluded that herbal plants have the potential to delay the development of diabetic complications, although more investigations are necessary to characterize this antidiabetic effect.11 Finally, a study found that Chinese herbal formulations appeared to alleviate symptoms for some patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a common functional bowel disorder that is characterized by chronic or recurrent abdominal pain and does not currently have any reliable medical treatment.12

Both TCM and Western medicine seek to ease pain and improve function. Can the two be combined? TCM was largely ignored by Western medical professionals until recent years, but is slowly gaining traction among scientists and clinicians as studies show that an integrative approach has been effective. For instance, for patients dealing with chronic pain, Western medicine can stop the pain quickly with medication or interventional therapy, while TCM can provide a longer-lasting solution to the underlying problem with milder side effects and a greater focus on treating the underlying illness.13 A study by Cardiff University’s School of Medicine and Peking University in China showed that combining TCM and Western medicine could offer hope for developing new treatments for liver, lung, bone, and colorectal cancers.14 Also, studies on the use of traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of multiple diseases like bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, and IBS showed that an interdisciplinary approach to TCM may lead to the discovery of new medicines.15

TCM is still a developing field in the Western world, and more research and clinical trials on the benefits and mechanisms of TCM are being conducted. While TCM methods such as acupuncture and herbal medicine must be further examined to be accepted as credible treatment techniques in modern medicine, they have been demonstrated to treat various illnesses and conditions. Therefore, while it is unlikely for TCM to be a suitable standalone option for disease management, it does have its place in a treatment plan with potential applications alongside Western medicine. Utilizing TCM as a complement to Western medicine presents hope in increasing the effectiveness of healthcare treatment.

References

  1. Yin and Yang Theory. Acupuncture Today. http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/yinyang.php (accessed Dec. 15, 2016).
  2. Lao, L. et al. Integrative pediatric oncology. 2012, 125-135.
  3. The Conceptual Differences between Chinese and Western Medicine. http://www.mosherhealth.com/mosher-health-system/chinese-medicine/chinese-versus-western (accessed Dec. 15, 2016).
  4. How Acupuncture Can Relieve Pain and Improve Sleep, Digestion, and Emotional Well-being. http://cim.ucsd.edu/clinical-care/acupuncture.shtml (accessed Dec. 15, 2016).
  5. Vickers, A J. et al. Arch of Internal Med. 2012, 172, 1444-1453.
  6. Melchart, D. et al. Bmj. 2005, 331, 376-382.
  7. Meng, Z. et al. Cancer. 2012, 118, 3337-3344.
  8. Feng, Y. et al. Magnetic resonance imaging. 2012, 30, 672-682.
  9. Torres-Rosas, R. et al. Nature medicine. 2014, 20, 291-295.
  10. Qu, Z. et al. Oncotarget. 2016, 7, 66003-66019.
  11. Bnouham, M. et al. Int. J. of Diabetes and Metabolism. 2006, 14, 1.
  12. Bensoussan, A. et al. Jama. 1998, 280, 1585-1589.
  13. Jiang, W. Trends in pharmacological sciences. 2005, 26, 558-563.
  14. Combining Chinese, Western medicine could lead to new cancer treatments. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130928091021.htm (accessed Dec. 15, 2016).
  15. Yuan, R.; Yuan L. Pharmacology & therapeutics. 2000, 86, 191-198.

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Engineering Eden: Terraforming a Second Earth

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Engineering Eden: Terraforming a Second Earth

Today’s world is faced with thousands of complex problems that seem to be insurmountable. One of the most pressing is the issue of the environment and how our over-worked planet can sustain such an ever-growing society. Our major source of energy is finite and rapidly depleting. Carbon dioxide emissions have passed the “irreversibility” threshold. Our oceans and atmosphere are polluted, and scientists predict a grim future for Mother Earth if humans do not change our wasteful ways. A future similar to the scenes of “Interstellar” or “Wall-E” is becoming increasing less fictitious. While most of the science world is turning to alternative fuels and public activism as vehicles for change, some radical experts in climate change and astronomy suggest relocation to a different planet: Mars. The Mars rover, Curiosity, presents evidence that Mars has the building blocks of a potential human colony, such as the presence of heavy metals and nutrients nestled in its iconic red surface. This planet, similar in location, temperature, and size to Earth, seems to have the groundwork to be our next home. Now is when we ponder: perhaps our Earth was not meant to sustain human life for eternity. Perhaps we are living at the tail end of our time on Earth.

Colonizing Mars would be a project beyond any in human history, and the rate-limiting step of this process would be developing an atmosphere that could sustain human, animal, and plant life. The future of mankind on Mars is contingent on developing a breathable atmosphere, so humans and animals could thrive without the assistance of oxygen tanks, and vegetation could grow without the assistance of a greenhouse. The Martian atmosphere has little oxygen, being almost 95.7 percent carbon dioxide. It is also one percent of the density of Earth’s atmosphere, so it provides no protection from the Sun’s radiation. Our atmosphere, armed with a thick layer of ozone, absorbs or deflects the majority of radiation before it hits our surface. Even if a human could breathe on the surface of Mars, he or she would die from radiation poisoning or cancer. Fascinating ways to address this have been discussed, one being mass hydrogen bombing across the entire surface of the planet, creating an atmosphere of dust and debris thick enough to block ultraviolet radiation. This feat can also be accomplished by physically harnessing nearby asteroids and catapulting them into the surface. The final popular idea is the use of mega-mirrors to capture the energy of the sun to warm up the surface to release greenhouse gases from deep within the soil.1

However, bioengineers have suggested another way of colonizing Mars--a way that does not require factories or asteroids or even human action for that matter. Instead, we would use genetically modified plants and algae to build the Martian atmosphere. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pursuing research in developing these completely new life forms.2 These life forms would not need oxygen or water to survive, but instead would synthesize a new atmosphere given the materials already on Mars. The bioengineering lab at DARPA has developed a software called DTA GView which has been called a “Google Maps of Genomes.” It acts as a library of genes, and DARPA has identified genes that could be inserted into extremophile organisms. A bacteria called Chroococcidiopsis is resistant to wide temperature changes and hypersalinity, two conditions found on Mars.3 Carnobacterium spp has proven to thrive under low pressure and in the absence of oxygen. These two organisms could potentially be genetically engineered to live on Mars and add vital life-sustaining molecules to the atmosphere.

Other scientific developments must occur before these organisms are ready to pioneer the human future on Mars. Curiosity must send Earth more data regarding what materials are present in Mars’ soil, and we must study how to choose, build, and transport the ideal candidate to Mars. Plus, many argue that our scientific research should be focused on healing our current home instead of building a new one. If we are willing to invest the immense scientific capital required to terraform another planet, we would likely also be able to mediate the problem of Earthly pollution. However, in such a challenging time, we must venture to new frontiers, and the bioengineers at DARPA have given us an alternative method to go where no man or woman has ever gone before.

References

  1. “The ethics of terraforming Mars: a review” iGem Valencia Team, 2010, 1-12 (Accessed November 2, 2016)
  2. Terraforming Mars With Microbeshttp://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2013/06/terraforming-mars-with-microbes.html (Accessed November 4, 2016)
  3. We are Engineering the Organisms that will terraform Mars.http://motherboard.vice.com/read/darpa-we-are-engineering-the-organisms-that-will-terraform-mars (Accessed November 4, 2016)

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