Susan Paul is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Acupuncturists in New York City. Her original presentation was given at the 2nd Annual HIV/AIDS and Chinese Medicine Conference held in San Francisco in July 1994. — Ed.

In reviewing the experiences of those patients in my practice who have been taking Qing Hao for PCP Prophylaxis during the past year, several important issues have arisen which warrant inclusion in this paper.

1. Perhaps most striking of all is the reality of the difficulties encountered while trying to consistently prophylax this population (T-cells under 200) with an alternative to the widely accepted allopathic regimen. Any illness or opportunistic infection (other than PCP) which results in hospitalization often also results in the patients returning, even temporarily, to Bactrim. This has resulted in several patients leaving the pilot study.
2. Of all the many variables in the herbs, supplements and medications that the participants in the pilot study have been taking, the one consistency is that all have been taking Enhance (Health Concerns) 4 times a day, Clear Heat (Health Concerns) 3 tablets, 3 times a day, and Qing Hao (Brion, and at times that Brion has been unavailable, Qualiherb) 6 one gram spoons a day, in either two or three doses per day. It is most important to point out that 6 one gram spoons of this product (Brion freeze-dried granules) weigh 4 grams. Thus, the actual daily dosage which appears to protect against PCP is 4 grams daily. Spoons should be very gently rounded, not flat, not heaping, to maintain this dosage.
3. It is crucial that some form of Spleen/Stomach tonification be taken with Qing Hao. If the patient is not taking Enhance, Composition A (ITM), or a similar formula, it is especially important to monitor spleen/ stomach function.
4. To date of this writing, no patients have experienced any side effects or signs of toxicity while following the regimen described above.
5. I wish to clarify to my fellow practitioners of Oriental Medicine that Pneumocystis carinni, the organism responsible for PCP, is normally found in the respiratory tracts of healthy individuals. It becomes a life threatening problem only when the immune system is suppressed to the point where it is able to overgrow, and create marked lung pathology. In this way, it is similar to Candida, a normal organism in the gut, which likewise can become a major problem when it over-grows due to immune suppression.
6. A serendipitous occurrence highlighted the importance of the 4 gram daily dosage. One patient who was being followed by another practitioner took 4 grams Qing Hao daily, before and throughout a prolonged episode of Hemophilius influenza, from 9-93 to 4-94, for which he was treated with four different extended courses of antibiotics, including Baixin, Seclor and Cipro. In early February 1994, he changed from 4 grams of Qing Hao daily to an unidentified "experimental" compound formula containing an unspecified amount of Qing Hao, from a source unknown to the writer. In early April 1994, he was diagnosed with PCP. He was then treated with Bactrim, and decided to remain on Bactrim Prophylaxis, being by that time in a greatly exhausted and understandably vulnerable frame of mind.
7. Qing Hao should not be used in pregnancy at all or in a post-partum period if Blood Deficiency is present.

   
   The following is a letter from a patient describing his subjective experiences with Qing Hao:

   To all those interested, I would like to share some of my observations and results which I attribute to the herb Qing Hao: During the acute stage of PCP infection, (which) I treated with Bactrim, five days into treatment I added Qing Hao and Belamcanda (ITM) in treatment dosages (as opposed to prophylactic amounts). Immediately, I was aware of a clearing action deep in my lungs and an increased breath capacity. One day later, my lungs started to release mucus which had been stagnant for at least three weeks. On day seven of the Bactrim regime, I started to develop an allergic reaction. Aware that standard treatment is 21 days at high dosage and then prophylactic, low dose continuation for life, I chose to discontinue Bactrim and continue with Qing Hao and Belamcanda. Those results were dramatic. When I stopped the Bactrim, my body temperature stabilized at normal, (I had been fluctuating between 99 and 103 for 14 days). The lungs continued to clear and my energy returned gradually. I chose to do a second bottle of Belamcanda which means my treatment stage will last about 14 more days for a total of five weeks. At that time I will continue Qing Hao alone as prophylaxis. Also, I thought it might be of interest to mention that three different chiropractor/ kinesiologists who each check foods, herbs or supplements by holding them to your body (sounds hokey, but it works), have each said enthusiastically, "What is this stuff? Your body loves it." I strongly believe this herb is very beneficial and powerful. I listen very closely to my body and the information I receive and the remarkable rebound of my health convinces me that my choices regarding treatment with Qing Hao are timely and thorough. To fully place the contents of this paper in perspective, it is essential that the reader be familiar with the original work, entitled "In Consideration of Herbal Prophylaxis for PCP in Immunosuppressed Individuals-Good Medicine, Economics, World View" August 25, 1993. Please contact the author by phone (212) 924-9366 or at 210 West 21st Street, New York, New York, 10011.
    
   
   
   

   e-mail us
   

   ---