GV 26

The blood-brain barrier is a defense mechanism in our body to protect our brain.  It works to protect us  from harmful substances, while allowing substances required by the brain such as water and oxygen.  There are a range of potential therapeutics that may aid, for example, central nervous system…

Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition in which the trigeminal nerve, a nerve that goes from the brain to the face, is affected. In most cases, the nerve is pinched or compressed and causes a shooting facial pain, or even unexplainable sensations in the face in some patients. It often affects only one…

Persistent vegetative states (or "unresponsive wakefulness syndrome") arise following brain damage leaving the patients in a state of partial arousal. While potential outcomes will vary depending on the causal factors, after 3-6 months chances for a complete recovery are considered low and genera…

Around 18% of people who have a stroke or TIA end up experiencing varying degrees of depression.  This can be due to changes in the brain, of course, but also the anger, frustration, and other associated emotions involved in trying to regain functioning.  Further there is some overlap between pre-…

In the west this is far less common than in China, but acupuncture is very commonly used along with general anesthesia (or in lieu of in some cases).  Acupuncture anesthesia is safer with regards to be non drug induced and much less expensive and can be used on cases where general anesthesia cannot…

This exploration of the heart system is the third in a series demystifying Chinese Medicine Theory for Patients and the General Public. As we learned previously in the Liver and Kidney system articles, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides us with unique and illustrative ways of looking at ou…

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the US and the third leading cause of death. Every year strokes effect 15 million people worldwide with 5 million of those resulting in death. Of the remaining 10 million survivors at least 5 million of those will be disabled to varying degr…