Supplements & Medicines According to the Five Elements

Almost everyone who seeks advice about their health today brings a list of supplements: vitamin D, magnesium, omega 3, probiotics, perhaps a multivitamin, often alongside medicines prescribed by a doctor. But what do these substances actually do, and how do they fit into the thinking of Chinese Medicine? In Supplements & Medicines According to the Five Elements Georg Weidinger MD, doctor of general medicine and Chinese medicine, builds a bridge between the two worlds. For each common supplement and medicine he explains what it does in Western terms, how it works from the point of view of Chinese Medicine and the Five Elements, and what it takes from the body. Throughout, the book labels the state of the scientific evidence, so that readers can tell established knowledge from tradition and experience.The starting point is a simple observation: our modern food no longer contains what it once did. After the foundations being kind to the Middle, gluten, animal protein, carbohydrates and sugar, fats, triglycerides and cholesterol Georg Weidinger presents the Big Five of basic supply: vitamin D, magnesium, omega 3, probiotics and prebiotics, and vitamin C with antioxidants. A comprehensive section on micronutrients covers the fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins as well as minerals and trace elements, from chromium and iron to iodine, selenium, zinc and lithium.The main part is arranged by the Five Elements. Under Earth he discusses exhaustion and depression, reflux, the metabolic syndrome, hypertension, type II diabetes and metformin, high blood lipids and statins, fatty liver, irritable bowel syndrome and gout. Metal covers bronchial asthma, COPD, eczema and susceptibility to infection, with remedies such as echinacea, elder, ginger, ginseng, astragalus and reishi. Water deals with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, dementia, sleep problems, menopause and andropause; Wood with stress, adaptogens such as ashwagandha, roseroot, maca and cordyceps, migraine, menstrual complaints and allergies.An extensive chapter is devoted to autoimmune diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimotos thyroiditis to coeliac disease, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis, each assigned to its element. It explains the usual medicines, from cortisone to TNF-alpha blockers and JAK inhibitors, shows what micronutrients and medicinal plants can and cannot achieve, and says openly what the author advises against. A further chapter looks at cancer from the Western and the Chinese point of view.Georg Weidinger has worked as a doctor for more than thirty years, first in hospital, then in private practice, and has taught Traditional Chinese Medicine for over twenty years. He writes clearly, personally and without dogma, valuing both the wisdom of the East and the science of the West. The book is written for therapists who want to deal competently with their clients supplement lists, and for everyone who wants to understand what they take as a companion to medical care, not a replacement for it.