Chinese medicine prevents nocosomial fungal infections
by Bob Flaws
Yesterday I translated an article on the prevention of nocosomial fungal infections with Bu Zhong Yi Qu Tang (with one or two added ingredients). Nocosomial infections are infections contracted or developed in hospitals which are not the reason for the person being hospitalized in the first place. Such nocosomial infections have been on the rise in U.S. hospitals since the 80s. They especially attack those with compromised immune systems (due to cancer, chemo, diabetes, AIDS, etc.) and those who have taken antibiotics and corticosteroids, and Candida albicans is a major culprit (along with several other, lesser known fungi, such as Aspergillus) involved in fungal nocosomial infections.
In any case, I translated this article from China comparing a bunch of patients in ICU who were treated either with supportive therapy alone (IV saline and electrolytes, balancing pH) or supportive therapy plus Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang. Those patients who also got the Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang preventively had 1/3 less positive fungal cultures in their mucus, blood, and urine at one, two, and three weeks of hospitalization and 1/3 less actual nocosomial fungal infections. (I should hasten to add that all patients in both groups did meet the criteria for a qi vacuity pattern.)
Just think about this: What if every patient admitted to ICU were screened for a CM qi vacuity pattern? Of course, the overwhelming patients in ICU will meet this criterion. Lack of strength, fatigue, disinclination to speak due to fatigue, possible shortness of breath, qi vacuity fever. Then, what if every such qi vacuous patient in ICU were prophylactically administered Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang? This would be huge! It would be a huge benefit to patients and practitioners alike and a huge savings in money spent on treating such nocosomial infections. It could even be hugely life-saving. Fifty percent of patients with candidemia, a Candida infection of the bloodstream, die. This would really put CM on the map in the world of Western health care. Just this one protocol could change forever how Chinese medicine is seen in the U.S., and along with this would, undoubtedly, come increased usage of CM for other things as well.
This translation will be posted a our Blue Poppy Free Articles section/TCMinfoline. If you know any hospital administrators or ICU docs, see if you can get them interested in doing an American trial.
Copyright Blue Poppy Ent. Inc., 2009. All rights reserved.