OHTC Health Care System

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What is Eastern Medicine?

Eastern Medicine has been practiced throughout the world for over five thousand years. The traditional Eastern medical techniques - Acupuncture, Herbology and Tai Chi Chuan - have proven astoundingly effective both in the treatment of a variety of illnesses and in the promotion and maintenance of general health conditioning. Along with traditional Eastern treatments, today's Doctor of Eastern Medicine also has the benefit of modern Western diagnostic techniques. The proper incorporation of these two medical systems, specifically of Western diagnostics with Eastern treatments, results in the highest success rate among patients.

How does Acupuncture work?

Acupuncture is a method of treatment using well-sterilized disposable needles to pierce the skin. Acupuncture needles were first made simply of stone and bone. Over the years, many other materials have been used to make needles, even precious metals such as gold and silver. Today, the needles are made of the highest quality stainless steel and would be impossible to break during usage. Acupuncture needles vary in length from one to four inches and are inserted into the body at designated locations called Acupuncture points. Typically, the needles are inserted while being rotated between the thumb and forefinger.

In most cases, the needle isn't felt at all. Sometimes, there is a sharp prick, but this is only momentary. Thus, the point, depth and angle of insertion as well as the time involved all affect the intensity of stimulation caused by the needle. Acupuncture is the preferred method of treatment for muscle and nerve disorders and has no risk factors or serious side effects (see below).

What is Herbology?

Herbology consists of using natural herbs to help with various internal disorders, general health conditioning and internal cleansing. We use only the highest quality natural herbs available. In some cases, the antlers from young deer are used in our prescriptions. We do not use any other type of animal matter. Nor are there any artificial additives or chemicals in our herbal formulas. The herbs generally consist of the bark, stems, roots and leaves of plants. The prescription is a dry formula that our clinic makes into a tea for the patient to drink. Herbal medicine is unlike most of the chemical drugs used today in the West, which have many harmful side effects. In Eastern Medicine, herbal prescriptions can be used consistently for long periods of time, unlike most Western medical drugs. There is no risk or harm to you in taking our herbal prescriptions.

Why are the Herbal prescriptions so costly?

The cost of Herbal prescriptions relates most directly to the obtaining and preparation of the herbs themselves. We use only absolutely pure and natural herbs in our treatments. Unfortunately, many of the herbs we need can only be found deep within the Korean and Chinese mountains and are difficult to harvest. Invariably, there are a few people living in the mountains who harvest and sell herbs for their livelihood. There are also the exportation and shipping cost to consider. In other words, by the time the necessary raw herbs reach our clinic, they are already quite expensive. The preparation of the actual herbal teas also figures into the overall price of the treatment. There are three ways to prepare raw herbs for medical use: in peels, in powders, and in teas.

The first of these methods, Hwan or peels, involves crushing the raw herbs and then mixing them with honey, for consistency, and ingesting the pellets.
Powder or San preparation simply requires pulverizing the raw herbs into powders and directly ingesting the powders.
Tang or tea preparation consists of brewing the raw herbs into a tea and drinking it.

Powder preparation is the cheapest but the least safe method of preparing herbs. There is simply too great a risk of spoilage and contamination involved in this process to make it safe.

Peel preparation is slightly more expensive than powder preparation but also runs the risk of contamination. When preparing powders or peels, there are serious concerns about sanitation, because during these processes, the herbs cannot be properly rinsed and cleaned. The reason being that both the powder and peel processes require completely dry herbs. Thus, in both cases, the patient must directly consume the unclean raw herbs, which is why their risk factor is very high.

On the other hand, tea preparation is by far the safest method of preparation but also the most costly. In tea preparation, the herbs are thoroughly cleaned and rinsed and then refined to the highest degree possible, eliminating all of the risks associated with ingesting raw herbs. However, the actual amount of tea produced from a given batch of herbs is quite small in comparison to the amount of raw herbs used. For example, a given amount of raw herbs that can produce a two month supply of peel or powder treatments can only produce about one week of tea prescriptions! But, tea preparation has proven to be a much more effective form of treatment than the other methods. After all, the human body is already set up to digest liquids efficiently, thus the body naturally extracts the nutrients and medicines from the herbal teas quite easily.

Thus, for reasons of safety and effectiveness, the OHTC Healthcare System has chosen to use only the tea or Tang method of herbal preparation in nearly all cases. Only in extremely rare situations will the use of other methods of herbal preparation be considered.

Are there any reactions or side effects?

After the first few treatments, sometimes patients feel a little weak and/or possibly experience some sweating or other symptomatic responses. On the whole, this discomfort is mild and will not prevent the patient from leading a normal everyday life. There may also be a general aggravation of symptoms, but this will not last for long. One of the laws of natural medicine states that if one is to affect a cure, then the disease must go from within outward, from above to below, and that the symptoms will return in the reverse order in which they appeared. An aggravation of symptoms can be seen as the start of this outward movement on the part of the disease. Plus, any such aggravation is always temporary.

Reactions and Side Effects:

Herbal prescriptions work as medicine for the body but have no real side effects. In other words, if these herbs had no medicinal effect whatsoever, then they would simply have the same effect on our body as food does. Therefore, when we are referring to the "side effects" of herbs, we are also referring to the "side effects" of the food we eat everyday. For example, we all need the protein found in red meat. However, if we eat too much red meat, then it may damage our body (through higher cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.). As with food, there must be proper balance when we take herbal prescriptions in order for them to be effective. Your O.M.D. is here to help insure that such a balance is maintained both during and after your treatment.

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi Chuan is a traditional form of Chinese martial arts. However, it is also used as a method of therapy in Eastern Medicine. There are many health benefits that result from regular Tai Chi exercise. Improving mental and physical conditioning and balance as well as the development of internal and external power are just a few. Today, this ancient, traditional form of martial arts continues to demonstrate its effectiveness on general health as it has for thousands of years.

The Natural Healing Art

The Natural Healing Art came from the Martial Arts exercise. Martial Artists modified those exercises to help control certain pain and injuries due to physical activities. Common physical injuries are neck pain and back pain, as well as Sciatic Nerve pain and nerve pain on the upper limbs caused by neck and back pain.

What is an O.M.D.?

O.M.D. stands for Oriental Medical Doctor and refers to a Doctor of Eastern Medicine. It is a recognized academic Degree, and an O.M.D. is also a licensed acupuncturist. A Doctor of Eastern Medicine specializes in the examination, diagnosis and treatment of all general health conditions from an Eastern medical point of view.

What are the qualifications of an O.M.D.?

Today, students earn a four-year Bachelors Degree while studying at a recognized College of Eastern Medicine. After two more years of study, a student may fulfill the requirements for an O.M.D. degree. Further studies then fulfill the necessary credits to receive a Ph.D., a Doctor of Philosophy in Traditional Medicine. Upon graduation from a recognized institution, the student is eligible to take the State board examination for their license to practice. Today's Doctor of Eastern Medicine is an active member of the health care team alongside other modern medical systems in the U.S. and around the world.

How often will I need treatment?

The number of treatments is based on each person's individual needs and depends on the patient's condition, illness(es), what drugs have been or are being taken, and the patient's diet. Also, the age of the patient and length of time they have been suffering the illness in question play a role in diagnosis and treatment. We also recommend to most of our patients that treatment continue for at least five to ten treatments after the symptoms subside. This is done to insure the effectiveness of the treatment. Of course, permanent relief is our goal and every effort will be made to achieve success. However, human body science is so complicated that we cannot absolutely guarantee the success or effectiveness of a specific treatment or series of treatments. The fact is that Eastern Medicine has thousands of years of "clinical" experience and a very high success rate.