Yesterday I posted some concerns by Shawn and Malia, two of our Blue Poppy Customer Service reps. They were horrified by some of the unethical and even illegal behaviors that seem to be out there among members of our profession. Their concerns echo a couple of other conversations I've had recently. Earlier in the day, Bruce (our GM) and I had been lamenting the sorry state of politics in the U.S. and the decline of our infrastructure and educational system. We were saying that everything seems to be "going to Hell in a hand-basket" with seemingly no way to turn things around. A couple-few weeks ago, one of my relatives was riffing on this same theme and he asked why I thought everything was getting worse and worse and worse. At that time, I didn't really have an answer for him, but, having been mulling this over ever since, I think I do now. Since this is going to be my last Blue Poppy blog (as I move ever forward into my retirement), I'd like to leave all my readers with the following thoughts.

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What in heaven's name could I say more about any of the following. I think your experience speaks for itself.

Hi Bob,

Malia and I [Shawn Kirby, Malia Kirby, practitioners on staff here at Blue Poppy] had a discussion recently and thought we would drop you a line. We both feel that there seems to be an alarming trend emerging in our field. To all appearances, there seems to be a complete and utter lack of basic medical ethics or a working understanding of transference and appropriate patient boundaries.

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by Bob Flaws

Change is an integral part of Chinese medicine on every level. It is inherent in yin-yang theory, five phase theory, and the movement of qi, blood, and fluids. Perhaps this is why so many famous Chinese doctors, such as Sun Si-miao, believed that an intimate knowledge of the Yi Jing (The Classic of Change) was a necessary part of one's Chinese medical education. This emphasis on change can also be seen in Chinese medical formula writing and usage since at least Zhang Zhong-jing's late Han dynasty Shang Han Lun/Jin Gui Yao Lue (Treatise on Damage [Due to] Cold/Essentials from the Golden Cabinet).

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by Bob Flaws

Wu Ling San (Five [Ingredient] Poria Powder) comes from Zhang Zhong-jing's late Han dynasty Shan Han Lun (Treatise on Damage [Due to] Cold) where it is recommended for those with an exterior pattern complicated by an interior accumulation of water. However, today, like so many of Zhang's formulas, Wu Ling San has a broader scope of application. In particular, this formula is excellent for treating damp accumulation resulting in water swelling and bodily heaviness due to spleen vacuity. The ingredients in Wu Ling San are:

Fu Ling
Zhu Ling
Ze Xie
Bai Zhu
Gui Zhi

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by Bob Flaws

In Chinese medicine, there are only three basic causes of any and all uterine bleeding other than due to traumatic injury. These three are qi vacuity failing to manage or contain the blood, evil heat causing the blood to move frenetically outside its vessels, and blood stasis forcing the blood outside of its pathways. Gu Jing Wan (Secure the Menses Pill) is a famous formula created by Zhu Dan-xi for treating the second of these causes of pathological uterine bleeding -- evil heat. Zhu Dan-xi was one of the Four Great Masters of the Jin-Yuan dynasties, and this formula comes from his Dan Xi Xin Fa (Dan-xi's Heart Method). The ingredients in this formula include:

Gui Ban
Chi Shao
Huang Qin
Huang Bai
Xiang Fu
Chun Pi

In Chinese gynecology, when we talk about uterine bleeding, we mean any and all of the following: early menstruation, profuse menstruation, prolonged menstruation, mid-cycle bleeding, bleeding with intercourse, fetal leakage (threatened miscarriage), and flooding and leaking. Under heat causing frenetic movement of the blood outside its vessels, there are several subtypes which can cause uterine bleeding. These are:

Replete heat
Vacuity heat
Depressive heat
Stasis heat
Damp heat

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