News

5-Oct-2025: Guardian: Two hours of exercise a week reduces joint pain and visits to GP Exercise has been one of the main methods of maintaining health in Chinese medicine since records began. Acupuncture, massage and herbs can also help to reduce pain and stiffness to facilitate exercise that then produces more lasting changes. 28-Sep-2025: Mail on Sunday: How you can ease the agony of knee pain - and even avoid surgery - with these six simple steps that medical experts say really work Acupuncture is mentioned with one in two people who have tried it reporting some degree of pain relief that enables them to do exercises to bring longer lasting relief. 28-Sep-2025: Guardian: K-cure: South Korea’s booming market for traditional (and novel) hangover remedies Hoevinia dulcis is known as Zhi Ju in Chinese, and has been used in medicine since the Tang Dynasty (7 - 10^th centuries). The seeds and root are popularly used as a hangover cure, and appear to be experiencing a revival in South Korea. 17-Sep-2025: Independent: The common kitchen herb that can reduce inflammation and boost the immune system Nicolas Culpeper wrote that thyme was good for strengthening the lungs, as a a remedy for coughs, and a way to purge phlegm and kill intestinal worms in 1652. 12-Sep-2025: BBC: Japan sets record of nearly 100,000 people aged over 100 Japan has set the record for longest life expectancy for 55 years in a row and it is not due to new drugs or surgical techniques but successful campaigns on diet and exercise, both fundamental pillars of traditional east Asian medicine. 28-Aug-2025: Independent: Scientists discover natural compounds found in popular hot drink that protect brain against Alzheimer’s Nicotinamide – a form of vitamin B3 – and an antioxidant found in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate help restore a key molecule that fuels energy production in brain cells, enabling them to clear proteins associated with Alzheimer’s. 19-Aug-2025: Independent: The common spice found to lower cholesterol and support heart health Ginger is a core herb in Chinese medicine, added many formulas for a variety of purposes. This article explores the modern research on its effects on nausea, inflammation, pain, heart health, diabetes, brain health and cancer. 19-Aug-2025: Independent: New study finds possible link between green tea and Alzheimer’s protection Renowned for its health promoting qualities, this study found one of its constituents, epigallocatechin gallate, restored the brain's ability to clean up plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. 11-Aug-2025: Channel 4: Michael Mosley: Secrets of the Superagers, episode 5 This whole series is great and covers several topics related to Chinese medicine such as the Okinawan diet, martial arts, and research inspired by Chinese medicine, but episode 5 in particular looks at how Tai Chi and green tea can help us maintain a healthy metabolism as we age. 25-Jul-2025: Independent: From Korea to Japan and the Mediterranean: The world’s healthiest eaters (and how to eat like them) As well as mentioning Korean and Japanese diets specifically, it also mentions "aiming for colour, texture and variety on your plate," which is a foundational principle of Chinese dietetics, just adjusting the proportions based on your individual needs. 19-Jul-2025: BBC: NHS using nature to treat poor mental health Chinese medicine has long known about the healing power nature, and not just from herbs found in nature but simply the act of being immersed in nature to absorb its Qi. 15-Jul-2025: Independent: Woman nearly dies after taking dangerous amount of popular supplement: ‘I was very, very, very scared’ As Paracelsus said: "The poison is in the dose." If 3 mg/kg is WHO's maximum recommended dose, then she was taking enough for a 3/4 tonne buffalo! Many common foods and spices have maximum doses that we are very unlikely to achieve in everyday use but are possible in highly concentrated extracts. Green tea and turmeric are some of the worst culprits because people think they are 'just foods.' 14-Jul-2025: The Conversation: From raw garlic cloves to cayenne pepper: why ‘natural’ DIY skincare can leave you burnt, itchy – or worse Skin reactions are some of most common adverse reactions reported from herbs according to a recent review. However, this article is quite alarmist and ignores the fact that herbalists have been using natural skincare routines for centuries and learned what is safe. That is very different from rubbing anything a social media influencer tells you to from your spice rack. In fact, spices are very rarely used in herbal dermatology, except as the article says, sometimes in pain conditions in carefully managed doses. 10-Jul-2025: Men's Health: This 3,000-Year-Old Exercise Builds Lean Mass and Promotes Weight Loss The Chinese have been refining techniques to modify their metabolism for thousands of years, resulting in a system that uses our natural resources to enhance health. It may be harder work than a pill, but it has a long, proven track record of safety and a solid basis in modern physiological sciences, as this article suggests. 9-Jul-2025: NBC: Woman says NBC News report made her recognize liver damage from turmeric pills It is a common misconception that because something is safe as a food, it must be safe to take as a supplement, but the doses used in extracts can be far higher than the body can tolerate. Some of the worst culprits for supplement induced liver damage include turmeric and green tea. Higher mortality rates have also been reported for high dose antioxidants supplementation because they can block some of our natural chemicals reactions if consumed in sufficient quantities. This is why it is always wise to consult a herbalist who is trained to know the signs of liver damage and can refer you for testing if necessary, as well as knowing what the best natural prescription for you will be. 3-Jul-2025: People: Kate Middleton Turned to a Traditional Chinese Medicine Technique amid Cancer Journey That She Also Used While Pregnant Many in the Royal Family have been advocates of Chinese medicine, including Kate Middleton, who has used it for her cancer recovery, and during her pregnancy. 3-Jul-2025: Guardian: ‘People pay to be told lies’: the rise and fall of the world’s first ayahuasca multinational This story serves as a warning of how a traditional medicine was taken from its native environment and turned into a multinational company targeting those in need of healing as part of an abusive profit model. 1-Jul-2025: Independent: New study suggests common assumption about aging could be wrong The results of new study suggest that chronic inflammation as we get older is not inevitable but a result of industrial lifestyles. People from the Bolivian Amazon and Peninsular Malaysia did not have increased markers of inflammation as they got older, while those from Italy and Singapore did. The takeaway seems to be that inflammation is not inevitable as we age but is really ingrained into our society's culture of diet, activity and environment that lead us to an increasingly inflammatory physiology as time passes. The solution is not a fad diet or exercise program, but a return to a way of life that is more natural and connected to the way our bodies were designed to age. 26-Jun-2025: Global Times: World’s earliest steel acupuncture needles found in 2,000-year-old Chinese tomb This finding of a complete acupuncture set in a Western Han Dynasty tomb pushes back the earliest date for the invention of acupuncture, linking it to the development of steel manufacture. Notably, the needles were 0.3 - 0.5 mm thick, which is comparable to modern needles. 19-Jun-2025: Independent: Common vegetable extract found to remove most microplastics from water Polysaccharides found in okra and fenugreek were able to remove 70-90% of the microplastics in water, binding to them and making them sink to the bottom for easy extraction. 19-Jun-2025: Independent: Matcha-do about nothing: How the hype around matcha is making a mockery of this deeply traditional drink This article questions if the health benefits touted for matcha drinks are reversed by the amount of sugar and syrups added by commercial chains. These are often seen as necessary because demand is so high that lower quality powdered green tea is often used, whose bitterness needs to be masked with sugar. Furthermore, it investigates the impact on traditional matcha culture, how some manufacturers are fighting to protect the name matcha from being used by powdered green teas that are not grown in the traditional manner, and how the traditional method of preparation is slowly being forgotten, even in Japan, but this has been happening for a long time, so the current trend could also could be an evolution to meet modern needs. 18-Jun-2025: Huffington Post: I Swapped 10,000 Steps A Day For 30 Minutes Of 'Japanese Walking' – I've Never Been More Active Another shorter review focusing on personal benefits. 17-Jun-2025: Independent: I tried the walking method that offers ‘10 times the benefits’ of walking 10,000 steps per day A fairly thorough review of the evidence and practicality of the Japanese Walking method. 14-Jun-2025: Independent: New walking trend promises major health benefits in little time A new study into Japanese walking, which is based on HIIT but involves waking fast for 3 minutes and then at moderate intensity for 3 minutes, repeated for a total of half an hour, and claims to offer similar benefits to other forms of exercise but in less time and is accessible to anybody who can walk. 13-Jun-2025: Independent: Ice baths could be doing more harm than good, according to new research Chinese medicine has long held a scepticism towards ice baths and this research seems to back it up. While they may be useful to prevent inflammation before a big event, that inhibition of inflammation also slows muscle growth after exercise. In Chinese terms, Cold is potentially harmful and exposing your to it will arouse your immune system, sending it to defend against the cold. This will likely make you feel like you have recovered better since this same Qi enables us to defend ourselves with movement, but it will inhibit the flow of Blood and Constructive Qi, slowing the building of more flesh. A worse outcome is likely if you have poor immunity or a weakened ability to produce body heat, as that Cold will then penetrate and lead to disease. 10-Jun-2025: BBC: Why have crows been attacking people in county?
"I do Tai Chi, so I was ready to go on the defensive." It is unusual to see Tai Chi in the news in a martial, real-world context. It's a shame it does not go into more detail but it is encouraging to think it gave her some defensive skills against a wild animal. 3-Jun-2025: Independent: Diet containing foods with this key component can lead to longer life, study finds Flavonoids are an important class of compounds found in many medicinal herbs responsible for their health benefits. 27-May-2025: NBC News: Rates of liver injuries rise in the U.S. as supplements grow in popularity As the popularity in self-prescribing supplements increases, so do reports of supplement induced liver damage. Natural does not always mean safe and the dosages used in supplements are sometimes far higher than would be expected in dietary or even raw herbal prescription. Thus shows why it is always better to consult a professional herbalist who can advise the best herbs for you and monitor you for signs of liver toxicity. 26-May-2025: The Barrister: Chinese Medicine in the UK at a Regulatory Crossroads Article about the regulatory challenges facing Chinese medicine in the UK as regulators try to balance safety against preserving the diversity of different traditions. 12-May-2025: The Conversation: Is matcha a healthier alternative to coffee? Here’s what you need to know Written by my PhD supervisor, assessing the evidence for the health benefits and potential harms of coffee and matcha tea. 9-May-2025: New York Times: 'How Do I Survive?': Tariffs Threaten U.S. Market for Traditional Chinese Medicine Unfortunately this article is behind a paywall but it is pretty obvious what it says. For many Americans using Chinese medicine, the costs are set to rise to unaffordable levels due to his tariff war with China. However, many drugs and medical instruments are also manufactured in China so many western medical treatments will become even more costly than they already are in the most expensive medical system in the world. Americans may be limited to only herbs and drugs that the US can make or grow on home soil. It is a sad day for medicine when your prognosis depends on the geography of where your treatment is made. 1-May-2025: Independent: Warnings issued for spice that can interfere with prescription medicine effectiveness Chinese cinnamon, or cassia bark, is one of the most foundational herbs in Chinese medicine so it is no surprise to discover that a new study found its main active ingredient, cinnamaldehyde, can alter the effects of medicines. Another constituent of cinnamon, coumarin, has previously caused fears of interaction with blood thinners, although this appears to be due to similarity of its name to coumadin, the trade name for warfarin, and there is little evidence that coumarin has any effect on clotting. 22-Apr-2025: Independent: What is TMJ and how to treat jaw pain, according to experts Acupuncture and massage are mentioned as potential treatment options. Traditional acupuncture can also be used to address the root causes with treatments to help relieve stress, instruction on exercises and breathing to better manage it at home, and discussion of thought patterns and lifestyle factors that can be contributing to tension. 9-Apr-2025: New York Times: Massage Can Help After a Workout, but Not for the Reason You Think There is surprisingly little research on massage, often being allowed to bypass scientific scrutiny because we just "know" it is good for us. The theories of therapists who claim it flushes out toxins and invigorates circulation are often accepted without question but these do not match with scientific investigation or the modern understanding of physiology. Instead, modern theories think it may be a neurological, psychological and social response, or in other words, another example of "placebo effect," demonstrating just how powerful these can be. There is actually far more research on acupuncture because of its exotic nature and implausibility in the mind of sceptics, than on massage. 28-Mar-2025: Guardian: 'We live in both worlds': how teachers of Gullah Geechee herbal medicine are cultivating tradition Article on how slaves brought to America carried their own herbal remedies with them and cultivated them. Now the elders of the community are cultivating the tradition with the younger generations. 26-Mar-2025: Guardian: Three-quarters of UK fertility patients using unproven add-on treatments It is unfortunate to see acupuncture classed as an ineffective treatment using the same poor quality trials that rely on problematic controls as other reports that underestimate its usefulness. For starters, acupuncture is more than just sticking needles into people, it tries to address a complete lifestyle imbalance with needles as just one tool in their toolbox. With this approach it seems inevitable that acupuncture will help by making the person in the best shape they can be, mentally and physically, in order to go through the process of IVF. 25-Mar-2025: Independent: Unique marks on 2,000-year-old skeleton of ‘Red Princess’ shed light on ancient Chinese civilisation The red stains on the princess's teeth are identified to be cinnabar, a natural mineral that was held in high regard by most ancient civilisations for its brilliant red colour and extraordinary ability to turn into mercury when heated. Unfortunately, as a mercury compound it was also highly toxic and so it is no longer used in Chinese medicine today but this skeleton is the first piece of evidence that it was also used as a tooth dye. 19-Mar-2025: Guardian: Only 10% of non-surgical treatments for back problems kill pain, says review In this meta-analysis of studies, acupuncture was found to be inconclusive but looked only at placebo controlled trials where acupuncture was compared against sham acupuncture, a method often criticised for also being an active intervention and not truly inert. In fact, several styles of acupuncture use these "sham" methods of shallow insetion or needling non-traditional spots as the mainstay of their treatments, especially in musculoskeletal conditions. These trials also do not account for clinical practice where acupuncture is rarely applied as an isolated intervention but combined with massage, manipulation, electrical stimulation, heat, exercises and topical or internal herbs, which provide varying levels of reduction in pain, with the intention of generating a cumulative effect that provides substantial benefit. The BAcC released a response to this study explaining why its conclusions were flawed. 5-Mar-2025: Men's Health: David Beckham Reveals 'Cupping' is a Big Part of His Recovery Routine – Here's Why Cupping originates from ancient western medicine but is more associated with Chinese and Islamic medicine today. This report includes some of the more recent theories on its mechanisms through triggering an inflammatory response that kick-starts healing. 19-Feb-2025: Guardian: ‘Gaba is the off switch of the brain’: Is it also the answer to better sleep, sobriety and less anxiety? A new wave of GABA enhancing products is hitting the market, aiming to have many positive effects on mental health. Among the natural sources for these are several traditional herbs including: magnolia bark, ginseng, schisandra berry and ginkgo leaf used in Chinese medicine; ashwagandha and tulsi leaf from Ayurvedic medicine; linden and passonflower from western herbalism; and liquorice and rose that are used in all three traditions. It also makes note of how GABA does not cross the blood brain barrier easily and so may be exerting its effect via the gut, which has a long history in Chinese medicine where various psychological conditions are treated through the bowels. 1-Feb-2025: BBC News: Breathing techniques a 'powerful aid to healing' The breath is recognised as a fundamental requirement for health in nearly all ancient medical systems and exercises to gain conscious control of it are taught in all Asian healing practices. Modern medicine is also waking up to rediscover this knowledge, incorporate it into western healthcare and hopefully start researching it with the seriousness it deserves. 18-Jan-2025: Independent: TikTok told me kundalini activation could change my life – this is what happened We could all use some more spiritual awareness in our lives but, as this article covers, there usually needs to be a period of integration and it can be harmful to people with unresolved mental health issues, who are often exactly the people often drawn to this as a quick fix. Sometimes acupuncture can bring about powerful spiritual experiences too and it is important to have regular contact with someone who can help you ground and provide support if needed. 9-Jan-2025: Independent: Drinking this juice daily may be potent for weight loss, scientists say It is a small trial into elderberry juice but the results are indicating that it may modify the gut microbiome, reducing blood glucose and increasing fat metabolism. Elderberry has long been used for modulating the immune system but this may indicate another novel use. 4-Jan-2025: BBC: 'Ancient movement practice transformed my life' Qigong is a term used to refer to a number of exercises from China that combine movement and meditation to promote health. This article describes one woman's journey with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome who found that it helped her restore her life. 4-Jan-2025: Guardian: Simon never linked the pain in his hands and feet to multivitamins – but a pathology test did The UK has a similar problem with an almost completely unregulated vitamins and supplement industry under the false assumption that they can do no harm. Excessive vitamin intake has been linked to poorer outcomes in many health conditions and high doses of antioxidants may inhibit natural processes that are initiated by oxidative stress. 4-Jan-2025: Guardian: Polyphenols: the natural chemicals that could give you a small waist, healthy heart and low blood pressure Polyphenols are a diverse group of chemicals responsible for many of the beneficial effects in herbal medicines and healthy foods. Many of them interact with mitochondria to affect our redox status resulting in antioxidant or adaptogenic effects.