Group B Streptococcus & a Chinese herbal Antibiotic

Written By Eeka King B.H.Sc (Acup)

A Case Study

A female patient, who I have been treating throughout her pregnancy, presents one week with a positive swab result for Group B streptococcal (GBS) Infection.

What is Group B Streptococcus?

Group B Streptococcus, commonly known as Strep B or GBS is a common bacterium that is found in the body. It is usually harmless in adults; however, can cause serious illness and sometimes death, especially in newborn infants, the elderly and patients with compromised immune systems. Up to 30% of women carry the bacterium in their vagina or rectum. Sometimes, a woman who has group B strep can infect her baby during delivery. This can sometimes cause serious illness in the newborn.

Group B strep is not the same as other types of streptococci bacteria, such as those that cause strep throat. Most often, group B strep causes no symptoms (asymptomatic) or problems in adults; however, it can still infect a newborn during birth. Pregnant women are routinely swabbed for strep B around the 36 week mark. This involves using cotton swabs to take samples from the vagina and anus. The samples are then sent to a laboratory. The results show whether you have group B strep (GBS) bacteria in your genital area. These test results cannot say whether or not your baby will become infected with group B strep.

Statistics show that about one of every 100-200 (0.5-1%) babies born to a GBS-colonized mother will develop GBS infection. If group B strep infects your baby, symptoms may take time to appear. Early-onset infection occurs within the first week of life, usually within a few hours of birth. Late-onset infections occur after the first week, usually within 90 days of birth. The baby may have infections in the blood, lungs, brain or spinal cord, or, more rarely, in a single, isolated spot such as a bone or joint. The infection will need prompt medical treatment. The mother may also become very ill from the infection after the delivery.

Treatment for group B strep

If a woman is at risk of group B strep infection, they will be given an antibiotic to help stop the infection. The antibiotic is given through an intravenous line during labour and delivery.

The availability of IV antibiotics has undoubtedly saved the lives of many babies. But, like many other obstetric life-savers, this intervention carries risks as well as potential benefits. The balance of risks and benefits will be different for each family, and as with any offer of medical treatment, it is up to the individual to decide whether to accept it.

In brief, the risks of antibiotics for GBS prophylaxis are:

• IV antibiotics medicalise labour - mother is almost always restricted to hospital.
• Mother may have an allergic reaction to antibiotics, up to and including anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. 1 in 10,000 women receiving antibiotics for GBS can be expected to go into anaphylactic shock, and 1 in 10 so affected will die (ref: RCOG paper on GBS).
• Baby may become more at risk of infection from other, antibiotic-resistant organisms

Case Report

A 28 year old pregnant patient presents with a positive swap result for GBS. She is very upset by this news and her previous positive outlook on her impending labour was greatly diminished. She wanted a ‘natural labour’ and felt that an antibiotic drip would be invasive to the labour and would not be impacting positively on her health and for a healthy start of her baby’s life. She also felt that it was a big consideration for such a small (0.5- 1%) chance that she may infect her baby.

Other than the positive swab for GBS she was in excellent health and had experienced no pregnancy complications.

Is there a natural alternative to antibiotics in GBS infected women?

As a traditional Chinese medical practitioner I wondered if I would be able to help eradicate the Strep B infection before the onset of labour. In TCM, infection is considered to be heat or toxic heat invasion in the body. There is a formula in Chinese medical pharmacopeia that is also known as the ‘natural antibiotic’ and has been known to treat some inflammatory heat conditions.

From a Chinese medical perspective the patient did not present with a great deal of heat signs, she had no symptoms of having been infected with strep B and her pulse and tongue analysis indicated healthy pregnancy signs. The body is also generally slightly hotter and damper in pregnancy than normal.

I decided to try one of the Chinese Antibiotic formulas- Huang Lian Jie Du Tang. There has been no precedent for its use in GBS and it is not a formula that you would often prescribe in pregnancy. So with caution I prescribed a very small dose to be taken every day for the duration of one week. I asked the patient to schedule another swab test for GBS in one week’s time.

Result

A few days after taking the Chinese herbal medicine the patient reported that her vaginal discharge had completely cleared up. She said that she had experienced more discharge recently; however, she had read in all pregnancy literature that it was normal to have a greater amount in pregnancy, so she didn’t think it was a symptom of imbalance. Due to this she had a very good feeling that the herbal medicine was eradicating the infection.

One week later the patient had another swab test for GBS and the results came back negative. The patient was ecstatic.

Conclusion

Chinese Herbal medicine may be an alternative to antibiotics for woman in pregnancy to eradicate Group B Streptococcal infection and its potential risk of illness in a newborn baby.

@ Written by Eeka King for Bayside Acupuncture Clinic

Tips to keep the Kidneys strong this Winter

During the winter months it is important to nurture and nourish our kidney Qi.  It is the time where this energy can be most easily depleted. Our bodies are instinctively expressing the fundamental principles of winter – rest, reflection, conservation and storage.  

In Chinese medicine, there are certain symptoms associated with the kidneys becoming weak, including:

·         bladder and kidney infections

·         low back pain

·         knee pain

·         cavities in teeth

·         weak or broken bones

·         infertility

·         premature gray hair or hair loss

·         ringing in the ears

·         increase of phobias or fears

Here is what you can do to keep your kidneys strong;

* SLEEP-ancient Chinese classics, advised people to go to sleep early and rise late in winter, after the sun's rays have warmed the atmosphere a bit. This preserves your own Yang Qi for the task of warming in the face of cold. More sleep, more rest, more nourishing food and less energy output!

*FOOD IS MEDICINE-warm hearty soups and bone broths, miso soup, whole grains such as Quinao (warms the kidney yang energy), kidney beans and black beans, spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and ginger and roasted nuts help to warm the body’s core, the kidneys and help to keep us nourished. 

*KEEP WARM-The kidney meridian begins at the sole of your feet so warm feet means warm kidneys. Keeping the lower back warm and covered from the elements is also very important so that cold doesn’t penetrate the kidney organ itself. When it is windy make sure you wear a scarf around your neck to prevent getting colds and flu’s from invading through your protective (wei qi).

*ACUPUNCTURE FOR PREVENTION - Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can prevent colds and flu by building up the immune system with just a few needles inserted into key points along the body's energy pathways. These points are known for strengthening the outer defence layers of the skin and muscle (Wei Qi) so that germs and viruses cannot enter through them.

*ACUPUNCTURE FOR CURE - If you've already happened to catch that cold, acupuncture and herbal medicine can also help with the chills, sniffles, sore throat or fever in a safe, non-toxic way that doesn't 't bombard your body with harmful antibiotics.

*HERBAL MEDICINE – An ancient Chinese herbal formula; the Jade Screen Formula is a powerful    complement to these immune-boosting treatments. It is made up of just three herbs: Radix Astragalus, Atractylodis Macrocephalae, and Radix Ledebouriellae. These three powerful herbs combine together to tonify the immune system, strengthen the digestive system (so that we can be sure to gain the nutrients from our food), and fortify the exterior of the body so that we can fight off wind-borne viruses and bacteria. If your immune is already strong other kidney tonifying formulas may be more beneficial such as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehmannia 6) or Fu Gui Ba Wei Wan (Rehmannia 8)

Menopause- Easing the Transition through TCM

By Eeka Berghofer

Whether you are going through menopause right now, or if it is still many years away, knowing what happens physiologically and energetically in your body and having some knowledge of what you can do to help yourself through this transition with ease and grace is very beneficial.

Menopause doesn’t have to be a period explosive hot sweat baths, torrid emotional outbursts, decrepit disturbances and a foreboding sense of vanquished youth. Menopause signifies the true change of life from mother to enlightened and wise being. It can be the most fulfilling, creative and sexually satisfying phase of life.

What is Menopause?

‘Menopause’ indicates the complete or permanent cessation of menstruation. The average age is approximately 51 years. The phase in a woman’s life where she makes this transition from a reproductive stage to a non-reproductive stage is termed ‘climacteric’ and this phase normally spans from 2-5 years whereby discomfort and symptoms may be present. Symptoms vary from person to person and from mild to severe, and are brought on as our bodies try to adapt to decreasing amounts of oestrogen. Symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings, depression, memory loss, vaginal dryness, headaches, increased urination, back pain and weight gain.

The primary basis for the progressive decline of reproductive power in woman is in the ovary itself, as ovarian follicles are greatly depleted by the time of menopause.  This decline starts from the moment of birth, so it is not an event that takes place suddenly but it is a gradual physiological process throughout her lifetime.  A woman’s lifestyle and dietary habits from childhood onwards affects this biological functioning and determines what kind of menopause she is going to have.

Menopause and Chinese Medicine

Menopause is a natural process that alters the balance of Yin and Yang in the body and the distribution of kidney essence or ‘jing’ (constitutional life-force energy). After menopause many women step into the more Yang (energetic, aggressive) side of themselves. As men grow older, they tend to discover their yin (passive, yielding) side. This also fits with the stereotypical image of the strict and disciplined grandmother and the soft push over grandfather!

Chinese Medicine considers menopause to be a time when a woman's body begins to preserve blood and energy in order to sustain her vitality and longevity and allow for the maximum available nourishment for her body, especially her kidneys. The kidney is the organ Chinese Medicine sees as the root of life and longevity. Therefore, the body, in its wisdom, reserves the flow of the energy in the channel that sends blood and energy down to the uterus. Instead, blood and essence from the kidneys are conserved and cycled through the body to nourish the woman's spirit and extend her longevity! Thus, in the Chinese Medicine, menopause is seen as true change in life from ‘mother’ to enlightened and wise being.

TCM considers all menopausal symptoms to be signs of unbalanced health. The biggest factors in determining your comfort through this time will be the dietary and emotional health you have maintained throughout your adulthood and the pre-existing state of the kidney energy. Emotional stress, overwork, poor diet, too many children too close together, or having an active sexual life at too early an age, all contribute to depleting the kidneys. However, even though it may be too late to turn back the clock, Acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas can eliminate your discomfort and restore internal balance.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Menopause

From a Western viewpoint, menopausal problems are almost exclusively related to oestrogen deficiency and the ‘cure’ is therefore the administration of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There is much debate over HRT, which is routinely prescribed when the first symptoms of menopause appear. While they may alleviate hot flashes and allegedly prevent osteoporosis and heart disease, they will also increase the risk of breast, ovarian, endometrial and uterine cancer, and have a number of significant side-effects. But HRT isn't the only solution.

Menopause is an area in which Chinese Medicine shines. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have the ability to detect energetic changes that occur in the body and quickly relieve symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, and irritability.

Chinese medicine acknowledges that ‘climacteric syndrome’ is fundamentally due to a decline of kidney essence reserves which can take the form of Kidney- Yin, Kidney- Yang or combined Kidney-Yin and Kidney-Yang deficiency. A combined deficiency of yin and yang is the most common; however, one usually more predominates over the other.  Your Chinese medical practitioner will analyse your signs and symptoms, check your pulse and tongue to determine the best course of treatment and to ascertain if there are any other patterns of disharmony that need to be addressed.

Chinese medicine with its gentle and steady tonification of the Kidney-Essence without side-effect, can offer a safe, effective and logical alternative to HRT, even though its effect will never be as rapid as HRT. Bear in mind, the two may be combined because HRT and Chinese medicine work in different ways. HRT works by ‘tricking’ the body into thinking that it is still ovulating, but it does not tonify the kidneys. Chinese herbs and acupuncture boost the kidney essence to help a woman transition through this time of life.

Dietary and Lifestyle advice

*Decrease sugar and all refined, processed foods

* Increase Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Vit E, Vit B3, C, CoEQ10, fish oils and phyto-oestrogens.

*Avoid alcohol, smoking and stress

*Increase exercise and lose excess weight

*Get adequate rest and relaxation

*Calm the mind and settle the emotions- try yoga, meditation, tai chi and qi gong

*receive regular massages

*boost and balance your energy with acupuncture and herbal medicine