Chinese Medicine Opinion of IC

 IC, Acupuncture & NAET Treatment

Articles of IC


Letters from  patients

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Acupuncture      and NAET

 

   


Chinese Herbs may help IC pain



Herbs for pain relief and healing are also used by acupuncturists either alone, or in conjunction with needle or acupressure therapy. In 1994, Dr. Kristene Whitmore, a Philadelphia urologist and ICA Medical Advisory Board Member who treats many IC patients, began referring a few patients to Dr. Ching Yao Shi, a licensed acupuncturist who received her MD degree in China and now runs a Long Distance Oriental Medical Care Program from her offices in Philadelphia. Dr. Shi has formulated a special tea made from more than a dozen Chinese herbs designed to reduce IC pain. Many of Dr. Whitmore's patients reported a reduction in IC pain, so she, her associate Dr. David Gordon, and Dr. Shi decided to conduct a formal study. They asked patients to keep a "pain diary," a chart on which patients rate their pain on a scale of one to ten each day, and noted days of menstruation and any acupuncture treatments.

The study included 25 women who have had IC from four to 20 years and were diagnosed by NIH criteria. The participants drank one cup of tea twice a day for six days, skipped a day, then began the sequence all over again. After three months, the dosage was reduced to one cup a day. In the first month of the study, 61% of the patients experienced a decrease of more than three points on the pain scale. Twenty-two percent had a similar response after three months. Eighteen percent did not improve.

Dr. Shi provides herbs by mail to over 100 IC patients around the country. For more information about this program you can write to Dr. Ching Yao Shi at 1737 Chestnut St., Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19103 or call (215) 751-9833. Outside Philadelphia, call 1-800-558-9833

The ICA does not engage in the practice of medicine. It is not a medical authority nor does it claim to have medical knowledge. In all cases, the ICA recommends that you consult your own physician regarding any course of treatment or medication. Any products or therapies described in the Update should not be construed as recommended or endorsed by the ICA.
(c) 2005 Acupuncture Medical Practice