DOZENS of patients lying down on their stomach with a plaster on their upper backs, just below the neck. This has been a common scene recently in some treatment rooms at hospitals around Shanghai that practice Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The patients suffer from various chronic respiratory ailments and are receiving a seasonal treatment called futie (plaster application) as part of dongbing xiazhi therapy, which translates as treating winter ailments in summer.

Beneath the plaster are six medicinal cakes, each placed on an acupuncture point. With the help of a treatment machine, a positive electric current runs through the plaster. The patient puts his or her left hand on another plaster with a negative electric current running through it.

“The electric current helps the medicine permeate through the skin quicker and run through the energy channels, which will shorten the traditional therapy from hours to 20 minutes,” says Yao Liang, chief physician of Yueyang Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Although the treatment is increasingly popular in Shanghai, the theory behind it and its effectiveness are being challenged online. Some even say the treatment has harmful side effects because some patients are allergic to one or more of the herbs in the medicine cake. There are also rumors stating that it does nothing more than provide “psychological comfort.”

TCM doctors explain the therapy and dispel the rumors, but admit the treatment is not suitable for everyone.

"Winter ailments usually refer to illnesses that occur frequently or worsen in winter such as rhinitis, chronic bronchitis and asthma, which, according to TCM theory, is caused by an invasion of pathogenic coldness and the patient lacking yang (hot) energy.

The hospital is receiving about 600 patients for such treatment every day since early July when sanfu (the dog days of summer) starts.

Sanfu refers to the 30 hottest days of the year on the Chinese lunar calendar. Fu indicates yin (cold) energy is being restrained and suppressed by yang energy. This period usually occurs from mid July to mid August. This year it is from July 13 to August 13.

Receiving “cold expelling” therapies during sanfu helps prevent some respiratory problems from relapsing in winter.

Treating ailments months before they cause problems may sound strange to those unfamiliar with traditional Chinese medicine, but one of TCM’s main tenants is “treating disease before it arises.”

“We are not curing these ailments as chronic problems can never be cured,” says Dr Yao. “The therapy actually is designed to help reduce possible triggers for the problem while enhancing immunity.” Balanced yin-yang energy is where good immunity comes from, according to TCM practitioners. Considering most chronic respiratory patients suffer insufficient yang energy, reinforcing them with yang energy will help balance their energy. This is best achieved when the yang energy naturally reaches its peak in the universe during the hot summer.

In addition, the high temperature also helps open the pores for medicine to penetrate and travel through energy channels.

“In our follow-up study, most of the patients who received the treatment regularly found their problems reoccur less and need less medicine after the treatment,” Dr Yao says. “The result proves the theory.”

Yao advises sufferers receive the treatment three times a week for five weeks each summer for three to five years to get the best results.

Xixin (Manchurian wild ginger), baijiezi (white mustard seed), gansui root and yanhusuo (tuber corydalidis) are the four basic herbs used to make the medicinal cakes.

Both xixin and gansui are toxic herbs. Xixin may weaken the respiratory system while gansui can lead to an outbreak of small blisters and diarrhea, says Dr Yao. However, the toxic elements in xixin can be removed by cooking it for 20 minutes, while processing raw gansui into zhi (honey baked) gansui largely mitigates the undesirable side effects.

Dr Yao says that they have never had a patient suffering respiratory depression or diarrhea from the treatment, but that some patients will get blisters.

“Whether it will lead to blisters largely depends on the individual’s skin condition,” Yao says.

If the patients get small blisters after the treatment, they will be advised to cease treatment for a week and come back when they heal. If the blisters are big, patients will be advised to cease the treatment permanently.

Some patients with a strong allergic reaction to the therapy have posted pictures online of large wounds on their back.

Children under 3 years old, diabetes patients who fail to control their blood sugar properly, and those who are currently experiencing symptoms from a respiratory ailment cannot have the therapy.

“Effective as it is, futie therapy is not suitable for everyone. But there are still other options for them to prepare for winter,” Yao says.

For those not suitable for fu tie therapy, they can try therapies like placing magnetic beads on acupuncture points in the ear, injecting dissolvable stitches in certain acupuncture points, or simply taking a herbal decoction.

Clarifying rumors

Rumors often spread quickly when they are packed with some seemingly scientific elements. A monthly “Science Rumor Billboard” caught people’s attention recently as it helps clarify such rumors. It has been released by the Shanghai Association of Science and Technology Spread, Beijing Association of Science and Technology and Beijing Association of Science and Technology Journalists.

Here are some of the rumors spreading this summer.

1. Are additives in watermelon harmful to your health?

Rumors have persisted for years that some watermelon vendors add a sweetener and artificial red dye to the fruit to make it more attractive to buyers.

However, a watermelon can only absorb water and nutrition through the roots while it is alive. The melon can’t absorb a sweetener or food dye that is injected into it. Accumulated foreign elements will only ruin the pulp tissue which leads to quick decay. Therefore, few sellers will take such a risk.

Though some fruit growers use a swelling agent to produce bigger fruit, these agents are safe if properly used.

2. Is sunscreen over SPF 30 bad for skin?

Some rumors say sunscreen lotions with SPF 30 or more actually damage the skin, not protect it.

These rumors probably originated from the National Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics. The standard states that the highest SPF index for sunscreen products be 30. Therefore, most sunscreen products sold in China are labeled as SPF 30+.

Theoretically, the higher the SPF index, the better it is a protecting skin from the sun’s harmful rays. And sunscreens with an SPF over 30 do not damage the skin unless the user is allergic.

Test a sunscreen on the wrist first before applying it to you face or body. Most sunscreen lotions need to be reapplied every 2-3 hours if the user will remain outdoors for an extended period of time.

3. Will Chinese cabbage dressed with formaldehyde cause leukemia?

Reports on some sellers dressing their Chinese cabbage with formaldehyde as a preservative caused a nationwide uproar.

Considering formaldehyde is a widely known carcinogen, this rumor spread online rapidly.

It is true that formaldehyde on cabbage keeps it fresh in hot weather, which explains the motive of the sellers, according to Zhu Yi, an associate professor at China Agriculture University.

Formaldehyde does pose great damage to the respiratory system and related organs, yet residents do not have to panic, says Zhu. Considering its volatility, much formaldehyde will evaporate during transportation. With proper soaking, washing and cooking, very little formaldehyde will be left.

Cabbages that have a pungent odor have likely had formaldehyde spread on it. Getting rid of the exposed layer of the cabbage will help reduce much of the remaining formaldehyde.

 4. Does salt help get rid of pesticide residue?

Many residents wash fruit and vegetables in salt water to help sterilize and remove pesticide residue.

Salt can help kill soft-bodied insects on fruits or vegetables, but it won’t help remove chemical residues. In most cases, it is the water rather than the salt that helps wash away chemical residues.

 5. Does cola kill sperm?

Some husbands planning to start a family quit drinking cola because of an urban myth that cola kills sperm.

According to research on the sperm quality of 2,554 young men and their cola drinking habits in Denmark, such beverages do not affect the quantity, vitality or pattern of a man’s sperm unless he drinks exceptionally huge amounts. A man needs to drink two 1.25L bottles of cola every day for an extended period for it to have a negative impact on sperm quality.

(Joyce Zhang)