An imprint of Elsevier Limited © Elsevier Ltd 2007. All rights reserved. Originally published in German as Das Blutstasesyndrom Copyright © 2001 Verlag für Ganzheitliche Medizin Dr. Erich Wühr GmbH The right of Gunter R. Neeb to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Health Sciences Rights Department, 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 1800, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2899, USA. Phone: (+1) 215 239 3804, fax: (+1) 215 238 3805, email: [email protected]. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com), by selecting ‘Support and Contact’ and then ‘Copyright and Permission’. First published 2007 ISBN 0-443-10185-X ISBN 13: 978 0 443 10185 4 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress Notice Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our knowledge, changes in practice, treatment and drug therapy may become necessary or appropriate. Readers are advised to check the most current information provided (i) on procedures featured or (ii) by the manufacturer of each product to be administered, to verify the recommended dose or formula, the method and duration of administration, and contraindications. It is the responsibility of the practitioner, relying on their own experience and knowledge of the patient, to make diagnoses, to determine dosages and the best treatment for each individual patient, and to take all appropriate safety precautions. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising out of or related to any use of the material contained in this book. Working together to grow libraries in developing countries www.elsevier.com | www.bookaid.org | www.sabre.org The publisher’s policy is to use paper manufactured from sustainable forests Printed in China FM-F10185.qxd 26/8/06 6:47 PM Page vii vii About the author Gunter Ralf Neeb MD TCM (China) was born in Chinese with a Master’s degree in Chinese Inter- Wiesbaden, Germany in 1959. He became inter- nal Medicine. His thesis was titled ‘Physiology ested in Chinese culture at an early stage. As and pathology of acute and chronic Blood stasis a student he read translations of Chinese philoso- and its treatment’. From 1996 he worked as a phers and later on during 3 years of studying doctor of Chinese medicine in the clinical centre of naturopathy he became deeply involved with the Research Institute of Tianjin University and in Chinese acupuncture and Western phytotherapy. addition, has translated many classical texts into After his Heilpraktiker examination (German German. equivalent of naturopath; apart from that of In January 2001 he finished his doctoral thesis medical doctors, the only profession entitled to on geomedical aspects of Chinese medicine and practise medicine – Translator’s note) he carried thus concluded his 12 years of studies in Taiwan out a study on the comparison of herbs used in and China and returned to Germany, being the traditional Chinese and traditional Western medi- first non-Chinese with a doctor’s degree in cine. In order to study Chinese medicine in China Chinese medicine. Following his teaching activi- himself, in 1987 and 1988 he successfully com- ties at the University of Tianjin he was accepted pleted the three-stage Chinese language course at into the university’s teaching staff as a lecturer, the Sinikum, University of Bochum, and then and is now instructing at the Universität Witten- went on to Taiwan in 1988. Herdicke and various other medical institutions in For 3 years at the Taiwan National Normal Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands University he studied the traditional characters of and Spain. modern and classical Chinese to the highest level, So far, he has published articles on Chinese and was awarded two scholarships by the Chinese medicine in English and Chinese and several arti- Ministry of Education in Taiwan, which are only cles and book contributions in German, amongst available to the top 3% of all students. which is Das Blutstasesyndrom. His well-known From 1991 to 1993 he also worked as an homepage www.TCMinter.net publishes exten- acupuncturist in the clinic of Professor Chang sive amounts of new material from modern scien- Cung-Gwo PhD, MD, and completed a 2 years’ tific as well as classical sources of Chinese training in Qi Gong and Taoist techniques with medicine. Master Li Feng-Shan in Taipei. He believes in his aim of combining the tradi- In 1994 he first studied at the College for tional experience of classical sources with the Chinese Medicine in Yunnan province and later on latest findings of research and science into one commenced his Master’s degree at the Interna- system of medicine, which is able to meet the tional College for Traditional Chinese Medicine of requirements of the third millennium. Tianjin. In 1998 he graduated as the first non- FM-F10185.qxd 26/8/06 6:47 PM Page ix ix Foreword This is less a book than a banquet, a banquet beginning to approach the sophistication of with a theme: the understanding and treatment Chinese medicine. of blood stasis. Its various interwoven courses My own field of gynaecology is a good include Chinese and Western, theory and practice, example. Clinical observation and analysis of suc- single herbs and formulae, sprinkled with illumi- cessful treatments over twenty years have shown nating case histories, with the main course being unequivocally that clotting during menstruation is a full translation of the seminal work on blood not only abnormal, but significantly related to a stasis in Chinese medicine, Wang Qing-Ren’s Yi wide variety of disorders such as endometriosis, Lin Gai Cuo from the Qing dynasty. This is fol- menorrhagia, infertility, dysmenorrhea, and many lowed by a rich dessert in the appendices. All in others. The sad fact is that many instances of these all, not something to be attempted in one sitting, conditions could have been prevented by early but rather to be savoured over time. attention to the appearance of clots in the men- Ten years ago I met Dr. Gunter Neeb in Rothen- strual blood, but in the West all is confusion. On burg on the Tauber river in Bavaria, and was the one hand, it is recognised that normal men- immediately impressed. Here was a Westerner strual blood should not clot. On the other it is felt living and practicing Chinese medicine in Beijing, that some degree of clotting is ‘normal.’ “And with several scholarly research articles already besides, trying to clear up clotting just isn’t worth published in Chinese, not to mention German, and the trouble!” one doctor confessed, when tackled some in English. But he did not seem to regard this on why he thought clotting was acceptable. Blood as anything particularly special, and was soon coagulation factors, platelet function, fibrinolysis, entertaining me with his gentle quirky humour. plasma proteins – repeated measurement and Having enjoyed his writings that have since occa- investigation of these cell-level factors are ineffec- sionally appeared in European and Australian tive without a firm guiding conceptual principle: journals, it is a pleasure to greet the English trans- clotting is not normal or acceptable during lation of this comprehensive book, which was menstruation. published in German in 2001. Doctors of Chinese medicine (and most Blood stasis is an area where Western medicine women!) have known for centuries that clotting appears, at first sight, to be more advanced than during menstruation is abnormal. Women know it TCM, an appearance due primarily to the presen- because often they can feel it for themselves; one tation of impressively technical measurements. type of severe dysmenorrhea is directly due to the However technology is only as good as the pain of clots passing, when the clots are cleared, conceptual principles which guide it, and – as the pain goes too. The aetiology of endometriosis, Dr. Neeb shows throughout this book – in this which is by definition a disease of blood stasis in fundamental arena Western medicine is only the Chinese conception, may again be related at FM-F10185.qxd 26/8/06 6:47 PM Page x x FOREWORD least in part to menstrual clotting. How does Gynaecology of course is only one discipline endometrial tissue end up outside the uterus? I in which blood stasis is a significant aetiological believe it may be a result of failure of endometrial factor. Any system, any area of the body nourished debris to pass efficiently down and out vaginally, by the blood – in short, all areas – can be affected due to obstruction from excessive clotting. This of by the obstruction of this essential nourishment, course encourages discharge out through the only with a wide variety of consequences. This broad other exit from the uterus, via the fallopian tubes, area is well covered in this book, along with a into the pelvis where the free floating endometrial wealth of case histories that illustrate the flexibil- cells implant, bleed, and form the disease ity of approach that is the hallmark of Chinese endometriosis. medicine. My teacher in gynaecology, Professor Song It may be, however, that the true significance of Guang-Ji, told me that the main causes for heavy Blood Stasis Syndrome: China’s classical concept in menstrual bleeding were three: heat, qi deficiency, modern medicine will lie in its rich potential for and blood stasis, in that order.