Dr. Na Zhai Clinic Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

  Dr. Na’s Advanced Herbal Formulas

# 16-1 Intestinal Clean

Intestinal Clean and Body Clean -- What is the difference between the two?

In the summer of 1997, I moved to Springfield From New York City. While applying for an Illinois acupuncture license, I rented a house near the North Grand Shop-n-Save grocery store. Later, I began to practice in the place. A classic lady, let's call her Laurie, made her appointment with me in September of the same year. With her husband, they had a very successful business and traveled the world. She talked about China and Hong Gong, which immediately brought us close. Today, we are remaining a great friendship.

Laure was in her 60s. She had been suffering from severe constipation, which started in her teenage. At the beginning of my practice, I didn't have any herbal formulas. I gave her a couple of acupuncture treatments, and she felt good, but her constipation was unchanged. Could acupuncture alone solve her constipation?

How does TCM practice in China?

In China, TCM, like Western medicine, has separate departments. TCM doctors in Internal medicine, Gynecology, Dermatology and Pediatrics only use herbs, while in the Acupuncture section only use needles, depending on patients' choice. It seems to suggest that acupuncture alone works.

But patients in China have acupuncture treatment daily continuously for months or even years. They knew healing needed time, and the government covered most their payment. While in the US, acupuncture treatment is limited mainly due to no coverage from health insurance.

Here, come American patients who desperately suffered, failed with modern medicine, and could not afford to come as often as needed. I can not depend on acupuncture alone for patients like Laurie or Nancy. I have to use herbal medicine, with acupuncture together, to secure the healing process.

How does herbal medicine practice in China?

If you were in China to see a TCM doctor, you would get seven bags of herbs for seven days. Each pack usually weighs one to two pounds and usually contains 10 to 14 raw herbs. Which means you should return to the doctor after seven days. (During healing patient in China usually return to their TCM doctor every 7 days while every-day for acupuncture.)

At home, you soak them, cook them for a couple of hours, and drink the herbal decoction in the morning and before night with an empty stomach. Most Chinese herbs taste bitter, often mixed with strange smells. This is the way of using herbal medicine thousands of years ago, which is still the same in China.

Can you imagine drinking a bowl of black liquid? Not to mention the terrible smell filling the entire house while cooking it. Most Chinese doctors in the US use the same method for their American patients. When I was in New York, I saw many American patients return their bags herb to their TCM doctors, simply can't handle the process and can't drink it.

My biggest challenge was replacing the bag herb with five capsules, yet have to be more effective than the decoction. It seemed impossible. At that time, I had two choices — 1. Give up and go back to China, and 2. Make impossible possible. I was an Associate Professor at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Life in China was easy for me, but I couldn't leave. I hate to say NO to people who devastated needed. Immediately, I ordered a stack of raw herbs from New York, a company I knew and trusted products. Bravely, I started my journey.

I made it.      

Six months later,

"Dr. Na, My eyes are bluer, my face is cleaner, and I lost a couple of pounds," Laurie said excitedly. The herb formula #16-1 Intestinal Clean was born.

It was my first try, and later, many changes had been made for its effectiveness which came to the number of 16-1. Today, there is not only one effective formula in capsule form but many. I sincerely appreciate my pals: Mr. Bob Snyder, Mr. Vern Duiker, Mr. Tom Cameron, and many more, for their tremendously input.

The difference between Intestinal Clean and Body Clean is that, the former is by dissolving the clots in the colon circulation, and the latter by cleaning the infection in the colon tissue.

That is all for today. Good night and sleep well.