Finding Solutions for Your Type of Osteoarthritis (OA) with Traditional Asian Medicine
How you can relieve OA pain with dietary strategies, herbal medicine, and acupuncture.
Dear Friends and Patients,
I’d like to share information about a common health issue, osteoarthritis, OA. Part 1 of today’s newsletter review the western allopathic concepts of OA. If you like, you can skip straight to the Traditional Asian Medicine assessment section to see if your joint pain falls into one or more of these diagnostic categories.
Recently I attended a seminar by Dr. Jimmy Chang in which he reviewed each type and provided new herb formula solutions for each one.
I am very excited to add these new solutions to my toolbox of treatment for OA. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint condition affecting over 60 million Americans, approximately 31% of our population. It is often misdiagnosed as "wear-and-tear" aging.
Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM), including acupuncture and herbal therapy, offers precision diagnosis and natural treatment by classifying OA into distinct patterns based on root causes unlike Western medicine’s one-size-fits-all approach. Here are the typical causes according to allopathic medicine.
Defined by allopathic medicine. Note that 1-6 area all different types of wear & tear.
Aging (most common): Cartilage wears out with age and its ability to repair decreases
Overuse of joints: Long-term repetitive movements (such as porters, athletes, standing for a long time, running, etc.) accelerate wear
Joint trauma: Fractures, ligament ruptures, meniscus injuries, etc. can lead to joint instability and degeneration
Obesity: weight puts additional stress on the knees, hips, etc., accelerating wear and tear
Genetics and family history: Certain genotypes are associated with collagen structural abnormalities associated with cartilage degeneration
Congenital or developmental anomalies: For example, hip dysplasia and abnormal joint alignment causes abnormal stress
Metabolic diseases: Such as gout, hemochromatosis, and diabetes may also affect joint health
Inflammation and infection: Although osteoarthritis is mainly non-inflammatory, if you have had rheumatoid or septic arthritis, it will accelerate degeneration!
How is Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) different? If we study a problem from a different view or paradigm we will arrive at different solutions.
If you or someone you care about is suffering from joint pain, see if you can spot which of the following TAM diagnostic patterns apply to your condition.
Below is a breakdown of the six key TAM osteoarthritis types, self-assessment guidelines, and dietary modifications that either alleviate or worsen symptoms.
1. Wind, Cold, and Dampness (Early-Stage OA)
Symptoms:
Joint pain made worse with cold weather
Localized redness and heat over affected joints
Heavy, sluggish movement, especially in the morning
Feeling heavy like “waterlogged” is the classical indication of dampness
Greasy or excessively moist tongue coating
Root Cause: Pathogenic wind-cold-dampness invades the channels, disrupting blood flow.
Natural Solutions: Acupuncture Points to Target:
ST36 (Zusanli) – Strengthens Qi and blood circulation.
SP9 (Yin Ling Quan) to disperse dampness.
GB40 (Qiuxu) – Disperses wind and dampness from the lower limbs.
🍴 Foods That Help:
Warming spices: Ginger, cinnamon, turmeric (anti-inflammatory), rosemary and basil.
Bone broth (rich in collagen and glycine for joint repair), beef, lamb,
Basmati Rice and rice in general disperses dampness.
Garlic & green onions (contain sulfur compounds that support cartilage health).
❌ Avoid:
Cold drinks/foods (ice cream, raw salads).
Processed sugars (promote inflammation via AGEs).
2. Damp-Heat Type (Inflamed, Swollen Joints)
Symptoms:
Joints are red, swollen, and burning hot
Pain worsens with heat exposure
Thick yellow tongue coating
Root Cause: Excess dampness + internal heat disrupts blood circulation.
Natural Solutions: Acupuncture Points to Target:
LV3 (Taichong) – Regulates liver qi flow (critical for detox).
SP9 and SP10 (Yinlingquan) – Drain excess dampness from the lower limbs.
🍴 Foods That Help:
Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, kale (must be cooked) (support liver detox), mustard greens.
Dandelion root tea (a cooling herb that is also diuretic to reduce inflammation and flush dampness). Peppermint tea is cooling and drying.
Pineapple & papaya (bromelain enzyme reduces inflammation).
❌ Avoid:
Greasy/fried foods (exacerbates heat and dampness).
Hot spicy foods.
Alcohol (adds heat and disrupts liver detox).
3. Blood Stasis Type (Chronic, Fixed Joint Pain)
Symptoms:
Nighttime joint pain, worse in the evening.
Pain that is localized, hard, fixed, and with swelling.
Purple/dark tongue with ecchymosis or spots.
Root Cause: Poor circulation → stagnant blood flow impedes nutrient delivery to joints.
Natural Solutions: Acupuncture Points to Target:
PC6 (Neiguan) – Disperses stasis and reduces pain.
ST34 (Liangqiu) Lv8 – Moves qi and blood in the lower extremities.
🍴 Foods That Help:
Beets & beet juice (natural nitrates improve circulation).
Dark leafy greens: Spinach, Swiss chard (high in magnesium for muscle relaxation).
Pomegranate (anthocyanins break down blood clots).
❌ Avoid:
Caffeine (constricts blood vessels, worsening stasis).
Excessive red meat (creates heat and stagnation).
4. Liver-Kidney Deficiency Type
Symptoms:
Dull joint pain especially around the waist/knee weakness
Fatigue, loss of motivation, dizziness, or tinnitus may be additional symptoms.
Pale/pink tongue if the yang is weak or a red-dry tongue if the yin is weak.
Root Cause: Kidney qi deficiency (lack of jing qi) and liver blood stagnation.
Natural Solutions: Acupuncture Points to Target:
KI3 (Taixi) – Nourishes kidney essence.
LV3 (Tai Chong) – Regulates liver function.
🍴 Foods That Help:
Bone marrow soup (nourishes deep tissues).
Black sesame seeds, black beans, kidney organ meat (rich in minerals for bones/joints).
Prunes & blackberries (high in potassium and antioxidants).
❌ Avoid:
Spicy foods (overstimulate liver heat).
Processed meats (deplete kidney qi).
5. Qi and Blood Deficiency Type
Symptoms:
Joint pain with fatigue, poor circulation
Cold intolerance.
Pale face, thin body, weak constitution.
Root Cause: Weak qi and blood leading to nutrient deprivation in joints.
Natural Solutions: Acupuncture Points to Target:
ST36 (Zusanli) – Strengthens qi.
GV4 (Mingmen) – Warms the kidney meridian.
🍴 Foods That Help:
Liver & heart: High in iron and B12 for blood production. Beef, chicken, and lamb can also be warming and build energy.
Cook vegetables with warm spices such as ginger and garlic, cooked vegetable, cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato.
Basmati or jasmine rice and rice in general, oats, millet, soups and stews.
Drink a cup of warm water, broth, soup or tea with meals, incorporate moderate amounts of warm-hot spices, including black and white pepper, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or fennel, poultry, lamb, beef, broth, trout, salmon, tuna, shellfish, black beans.
Yellow, orange or red root vegetables: carrots, beets, squash (squash is cool and damp in general, should not be include in diet, unless it is cooked with ginger or warm herbs), yams, and sweet potatoes.
Cooked leafy greens: kale, collard, bok choy, watercress, spinach, and broccoli.
Best fruits: cherries, red grapes, and raspberries: preferably cooked or dried
Shiitake mushrooms (contain ergothioneine, a potent antioxidant).
❌ Avoid:
Raw foods (hard to digest → depletes vital energy).
Cold showers/baths (worsen deficiency symptoms).
6. Phlegm-Dampness Obstruction Type
Symptoms:
Joints feel heavy and sluggish
Body weight struggles
Chest tightness, phlegm in lungs, sinus, or chronic postnasal drip
Root Cause: Excess dampness + phlegm stagnates in the body
Natural Solutions: Acupuncture Points to Target:
LU7 (Liuru) – Opens the lung meridian
BL20 (Pishu) – Strengthens spleen qi for digestion
🍴 Foods That Help:
Citrus fruits: Lemon, lime, grapefruit (alkalinize, dries damp, and detoxes)
Basmati, jasmine, and other rice, (drain dampness from the body) Warm, cooked foods, cooked vegetable, rice, soups and stews
Drink a cup of warm water, broth, or tea with meals
Incorporate moderate amounts of warm-hot spices, including black and white pepper, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or fennel
Rice milk is a good substitute for milk
Choose sprouted wheat bread over processed wheat bread
Green tea with roasted rice and with lemon (this catalyzes fat metabolism). (green tea is cold, adding roasted has a warm function that protects the stomach)
❌ Avoid:
Excess intake of oils and fats, including fatty meats, raw fruits, raw vegetable, raw salads.
Dairy: milk, cream, yogurt, cheese and ice cream, sugars, sweets and artificial sweeteners.
Nuts and nut butters, wheat products, alcohol, oats.
Final Recommendations for all OA Types
Eat Organic, Non-GMO Foods: Pesticides and GMOs disrupt gut health → inflammation, Avoid soft drinks especially cola type drinks.
Hydrate with Structured Water: Avoid fluoride/chlorine; use spring water or filtered water.
Exercise Mindfully:
Yin Yoga (low-impact stretching for joint mobility)
Qi Gong/Tai Chi, (my favorite), regulates qi flow
Supplement Wisely:
Turmeric + Black Pepper (curcumin is a natural COX-2 inhibitor).
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) – 1–3 g/day for sulfur-based joint repair.
Collagen Peptides – 10–20g/day (from grass-fed sources).
A high quality general vitamin regime is also recommended.
Herbal Therapy, Acupuncture, Trigger Point Injections, Diet, and exercise produce the Best Results
At Stellar Physical Medicine, we use all of the following:
Acupuncture to literally hack the nervous system that stimulates a variety of healing processes.
Trigger point injections are a method to address localized pain that produces immediate results and can speed up local tissue healing.
Herbal formulas and diet recommendations address root imbalances and organ dysfunctions to produce long term results. Unlike pharmaceuticals (NSAIDs → gut damage) or steroids (accelerate joint degeneration), our approach is safe, sustainable, and effective.