Blake Faulkner 
B is for Brain Power
(Well, I knew you thought it would be B is for back pain, but everyone knows acupuncture treats back pain.)
Did you know that Chinese medicine is helpful to keep your cognitive ability as well as it's intended to be?
There are three main presentations I see in the clinic:
- Due to exhaustion
- Due to clouding
- Due to deterioration
I think the first two are more amenable to treatment, but that is probably because by the time the deterioration kind presents to my care, it is pretty advanced. (Note to reader: please don't wait until the problem is profound--read that as difficult to treat. I can never say enough that so many problems are easily treated if you come in early for care.)
Exhaustion
The first presentation is typically due to vacuity of qi/vitality and blood/nourishment, also "essence" (genetic function) in which acupuncture is great to supplement qi and herbs great to supplement both qi and blood, and also essence. I'm thinking of 2 acupoints in particular, one called "walk three li*" the other "hundred convergences". I'm also thinking of many herbs, such as peony, rehmania, ginseng, cordyceps, ligusticum, atractylodes, to name just a few. Finally I am thinking of famous formulas such as Bu nao wan(Clear mind), Ba zhen tang(Tang kuei and ginseng eight combination), Liu wei di huang wan (Rehmania six formula),and Shi quan da bu tang (Ginseng and tang kuei ten combination).
(Please note reader, this is not a one size fits all medicine! I am not talking about folk or home remdies. I am highlighting professionally administered Chinese medicine given under a highly trained medical professional. Points discussed, herbs and formulas mentioned are done so at the top of my head, so to speak, but clinically would be based on a professional pattern differentiation that is in turn based largely upon pulse and tongue assessment. I could discuss many, many more acupoints and even more herbs, as well as countless other formulas, and this is the profession and art of the medicine.)
Clouding
As for clouding that obscures the ability to think clearly, herbs that sharpen the wit by dispelling pathological influences (phlegm) are numerous in quantity and effect, most notably acorus, astragalus, bupleurum, and cimicifuga. A clean healthy diet (read whole, real, slow, unadulterated foods) is essential also.
The natural healing ability of Oriental medicine has come down through the ages--about 5000--and it's so ready to help humanity.
Here's hoping that clear thinking will help us all to think wisely and so live wisely!
And that is how Chinese medicine is good for brain power.
*A li measures approximately 1/3 of a mile. Traditionally, besides vitalizing cognitive function, this point was stimulated to help messengers walk the 3 li between villages to transfer communication by foot.