Dear Blog Followers:

I have been super busy over the last couple of months. This is the first time I have had to begin to report to you at  where I have been and what I have been doing for the last while.

In April, I went on a whirlwind herb tour to Beijing and Anguo, China. Mayway – a premier herb company that has supplied us with herbs since the early 1980′s – invited a select group of customers, herbalists, and botanists to visit the Mayway Hebei factory in Anguo, about 2 1/2 hours from Beijing. I could not miss this opportunity as this was the first time that any tour like this has been organized.

Misha Holding Tian Hua Fen

The Mayway Hebei factory and Anguo herb fields were marvelous. It was amazing to see the ancient science
of Chinese herbal medicine preserved and being carried out in a modern factory setting. Also, it was magnificent to stand within Chinese herb fields that stretched for as far as one could see.

While in Beijing, I also had a chance to have a short but great visit through the gardens of the The Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD).

affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. IMPLAD is dedicated to protecting, developing and utilizing medicinal plant resources by means of modern scientific technology.

Thomas Avery Garran and Michael Fitzgerald kindly guided me through the gardens at IMPLAD. I was also honored to meet Professor Yulin Lin, Pharmacognosist and Botanical Resource, one of the top Medicinal plant resource specialists in China who is working with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London at the Chinese Medicine Authentication Center with Christine Leon (also on the Mayway Tour) the project manager at Kew. All of us had the opportunity to have a wonderful lunch in the medicinal herb restaurant associated with the garden.

While in Beijing, I also had the fortune to study with Dr. Wang Ju-Yi, the author of “Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine: Wang Ju-Yi’s Lectures on Channel Therapeutics.”

Dr. Wang Writing Patient Notes

It was a great opportunity to see him in action at both his private practice and in a hospital.

setting. I loved being able to go back to my roots of using channel theory in the practice of acupuncture (ask me more when you see me in clinic!)

And, a big surprise, while visiting friends in Beijing at the People’s Medical Publishing House, the leading medical book publisher in China, I was honored to be offered the authorship of a practitioner guide to hepatitis C. I guess I better get busy

On the last day in Beijing, I made a visit to the Beijing Tong Ren Tang herb store, founded in 1669, the most famous of herb stores in China.

Yours in Health,

Misha Ruth Cohen

AKA Doc Misha

P.S. Be on the lookout for the slideshow from China we will be presenting at the clinic this summer…watch your e-mail for more information.

Hey everyone:

I just wanted to tell you about a new activity I’ll be doing this April.

The Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge hosted by WEGO Health. I will be writing a post a day for all 30 days. I hope you’ll join me in writing every day about health. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’d love to see what you have to say about each of the topics, too.

All you have to do to join is sign up here: http://info.wegohealth.com/HAWMC2012 and you’ll be able to start posting once April rolls around.

Looking forward to writing with you!

Yours in health,

Doc Misha

Dear Friends:

Hepatitis C virus, not HIV infection, is now the leading chronic viral infection leading to death in the United States. The majority of those infected with hepatitis C are baby boomers.

And, the scary fact is that up to 2/3 of those infected do not know it. There is still a silent epidemic of hepatitis C in the United States.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study in the February 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine that hepatitis C had overtaken HIV as a cause of death in the United States by 2007.

While deaths in the United States due to HIV infection have been steadily decreasing, and dropped below 13,000 in 2007,  deaths from hepatitis C infection have been steadily increasing, first surpassing 15,000 per year in 2007.

So, for those of you who already know you have hepatitis C, that is an important first step to getting well.

And, tell friends, family and acquaintances that their lives may depend on getting tested for hepatitis C as well.

Yours in health,

P.S. For more information visit The First Three Steps to Conquer Hepatitis C!

Dear Friends:

This blog is a little different today.

Today is the 30th anniversary of the day that the disease eventually known as AIDS was reported to the Centers for Disease Control.

Thirty years ago today, June 6, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control published a paper identifying a new disease they called Gay Related Immunodeficiency, or GRID. When AIDS was first detected 30 years ago, it was considered a white, gay man’s disease. Hence, the name GRID.

Three decades later, AIDS has claimed more than 30 million deaths worldwide.

Although African-Americans represent only 12.6 percent of the U.S. population, black people disproportionately represent almost half of all new HIV infections and nearly 50 percent of AIDS-related deaths.

Please join me in making a donation to Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, a nonprofit 501c3, and consider walking with us. It will be a fun day in the park as well as walking to support treatment choice for people with HIV/AIDS.

Friends of Quan Yin

Quan Yin Healing Arts Center provides low cost and subsidized services to people with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

Donate Here to Quan Yin

It is especially important for our community to support Quan Yin Healing Arts Center as Quan Yin provides a choice of treatment to people with HIV /AIDS through subsidized care — acupuncture, herbs, Qi Gong, and acupressure — to help people with side effects of HIV medications as well as improve overall quality of life and decrease the number of medications needed for HIV-related illnesses. Also, people who cannot use HIV drugs can get help with acupuncture and herbs.

Thanks for your support!

Yours in Health,

Doc Misha

Misha Ruth Cohen, OMD. L.Ac.

Dear Friends:

This is Part Two of the series Support the Shen in which you will find out more about natural therapies, integrated Chinese medicine and integrative medicine treatments (both self-care and practitioner based) for the psychological, emotional and mental manifestations of having liver disease.

The focus today is on diet and nutrition. Please see the previous blogs on diet and hepatitis.

In addition to following basic guidelines for sound nutrition for people with liver disease, these additional dietary recommendations are from Chinese medicine.

*Eat foods that regulate or move Stagnant Qi and motivate stuck energy: basil, bay leaves, beets, black pepper, cabbage, chicken livers (organic please!), coconut milk, garlic, ginger, kelp, leek, nori, peaches, scallions, rosemary.                                                 Avoid alcohol, fatty foods, food additives, unnecessary medicines, overindulgence in sweets.

*Eat foods that sedate Excess Liver conditions (Chinese diagnosis): beef, chicken livers, celery, kelp, mussels, nori and plums. Avoid coffee in excess, fried foods, excessively spicy foods, heavy red meat, sugar and sweets.

*Eat foods that help ease Xue Deficiency: oysters, sweet rice, liver, chicken broth. Avoid raw fruit and vegetables, cold liquids or ice.

Look for Part Three of Support the Shen soon!

Yours in health,
Doc Misha (aka Misha Ruth Cohen, OMD, L.Ac.)

P.S. * Recipes for a Healthy Liver: Dietary Therapies to Help You Feel Better is a BONUS book you will get when you order my new e-book 7 Key Facts You Must Know To Choose Your Correct Hepatitis C Treatment.

Dear Doc Misha Blog Watchers:

This the beginning of a series on this blog for with liver disease who are experiencing mental, emotional and somatic issues associated with anxiety, depression and insomnia.

Support the Shen – Part One

Today I am going to focus on the psychological and somatic (body)  symptoms that may appear when a person has some type of liver disease. And, give you some acupressure points you can start to use at home.

Anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms are often found in people suffering from hepatitis or liver disease of any type. Also, people undergoing interferon treatment and chemotherapy of various types have discomfort associated with these issues.

In Chinese Medicine, the mind\body\spirit is understood to be one entity. A peaceful mind and spirit are inseparable from the health of the body. As healthy a body as possible is part and parcel of a balanced mind and spirit. Depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders are not singled out as symbols of an embarrassing failure of character, as they too often are in Western cultures. Instead, they are seen as a manifestation of a network of responses that are physical, spiritual and psychological.

In Chinese medicine theory, Shen (loosely translated as Spirit) imbalances are usually caused by internal emotional disharmonies (traumas such as abuse and neglect) and by suppression of emotions (caused by denial and inability to contend with or express feelings).

There are two types of Shen imbalances: Disturbed Shen and Lack of Shen. Disturbed Shen causes forgetfulness, disorientation, memory lapses, insomnia and lackluster eyes. Extreme disharmony is associated with severe psychiatric disorders. Lack of Shen is associated with a flat affect and inability to communicate. Lack of Shen presents the classic, “The lights are on, but no one’s home.”

Insomnia, anxiety,  depression, chronic headaches, digestive disturbances, alcoholism, panic attacks,  schizophrenia and psychosis may all be manifestations of various degrees of Shen imbalance.

Massage and Acupressure to Support the Shen

Self-massage is soothing to the Shen and provides a period of pleasure and relaxation. One example is acupressure massage. Every day you can massage Liver 3, Pericardium 6, SiShenCong–four points on the crown of the head and Yintang, between the eyebrows.

Liver 3 is on the top of the foot in the depression towards the body at the junction of the 1st and 2nd toes. Pericardium 6 is palm side of the forearm, 3 of your fingers width above crease of the wrist, between the wrist/arm tendons.

Probe around the point until you feel tenderness and a slight emanation of energy. Apply a steady, even pressure, press down–don’t stab–and then rock your finger gently around the point. Alternate holding the point steadily for about 10 to 30 seconds, with periods of active massage.

In addition, receiving a professional massage once a week will provide the kind of thorough Shen relaxation on areas that is difficult to do for yourself. You should choose the style of massage that is most soothing to you.

Look for Part Two on Support the Shen. I will continue to give you hints using diet, meditation, exercise, herbs and nutritional supplements.

See you soon!

Yours in health,

Doc Misha (Misha Ruth Cohen, OMS, L.Ac.)

Dear Friends of Doc Misha:

The Hepatitis C Caring Ambassadors Program has released a series of DVDs. One video is an interview by Doc Misha with a patient with hepatitis C.

• What are the goals of TCM therapy in a hepatitis C patient?
• What can a patient expect from a TCM practitioner?
• How does Acupuncture help in a person living with HCV?
• How can western medicine be complemented by Chinese medicine for a hepatitis C patient?

Here is a description from the Caring Ambassadors Web site:

Hepatitis C Choices in Care DVD Series

Hepatitis C

Diverse Viewpoints and Choices for Your Hepatitis C Journey
The Caring Ambassadors Program (CAP) would like all persons with hepatitis C to  be are aware of their disease status, and have accurate and sufficient information to make educated management decisions that match their personal medical circumstances and health goals. In a climate wherein even many health care providers lack an adequate knowledge base, chronic hepatitis C patients are often confused about their treatment/management options.

Hepatitis C: Choices in Care DVD Series is here for you.

The DVD is an abbreviated version of the Hepatitis C Choices Book, 4th Edition. This DVD offers those infected with hepatitis C evidence-based information on treatment and disease management options.

As part of the series of DVDs, there are three that feature Doc Misha and Integrative Chinese Medicine for hepatitis C and hepatitis C symptoms. Please take a look at these videos and make them go viral!

Learn more about Chinese medicine treatment for Hepatitis C in my e-book “Doc Misha’s Special Guide: 7 Key Facts You Must Know To Choose Your Correct Hepatitis C Treatment”.

Yours in health,

Doc Misha

Dear Friends:

Here is a video of the Hepatitis C Rally held on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco with the San Francisco Mayor’s Hepatitis C Task Force on May 19th, 2010.

San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force Rally 2010

San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force

Slideshow and Photography by Alice Heimsoth
Music By Canned Heat “Lets Work Together”

This is dedicated to the life and work of Randy Allgaier.

I am proud to be a member of this Task Force.

Yours in health,
Doc Misha

Dear Friends:

Today, I am writing to you to tell you about an important document that has just been released by the San Francisco Mayor’s Hepatitis C Task Force.

Hepatitis C Task Force

I am proud to have been appointed to the Task Force by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and participated in 2010 as an active member of the Task Force’s Care & Treatment Committee alongside advocates, physicians and city health workers.

As you know by now from this blog, HCV infection is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States; approximately 4-6 million persons are chronically infected.

What you may not know is that San Francisco has the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation, most of which is attributed to high rates of viral infections hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

In 2009, Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed a diverse group of individuals to form the San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force and develop recommendations about how to strategically address hepatitis C in the city. In 2010, the Task Force met on a monthly basis to develop a program of recommendations designed to be carried out in the San Francisco public health system.

In addition, the Hepatitis C Task Force committees met monthly to develop draft recommendations in specific topic areas (i.e., Care & Treatment; Prevention, Education, Awareness & Testing; Public Policy; and Research & Surveillance).

At the end of 2010 the Task Force approved its final report. It has now been published and released to the public. Please download your PDF copy at “Recommendations for Strategically Addressing Hepatitis C in San Francisco.”

In 2011, the San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force will continue to meet as a community group to ensure implementation of its recommendations.

Yours in health,
Doc Misha
Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine