CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION
A chronic condition is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.
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Examples of chronic illness includeasthma, allergies, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell disease, varicose veins, arthritis, cirrhosis of the liver, renal disease, and mental illness. As these examples suggest, chronic illnesses range in severity from those that are relatively mild and can be controlled by medical therapies and changes in health behaviors to those that are severe, degenerative, and terminal, causing disability and creating the need for long-term, extensive medical care.
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Long-term users of prescription drugs will risk health problems that include:
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Organ damage and failure, especially to the kidneys and liver
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Tolerance to the medication characterized by needing more and more of the drug to experience its effects which leads to physical dependence
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Psychological addiction and cravings
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Withdrawal symptoms when without the drug
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Increased mental health symptoms like paranoia and depression
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Decreased cognitive function
Chronic Health Condition and TCM
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history of experience and proven successful treatment for Chronic Health condition and has also played an important role in the provision of health care in China.
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A large number of TCM clinical studies, including a substantial number of available randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, have shown that TCM is effective and safe in the treatment of Chronic Health Condition.
TCM should be able to provide worldwide contribution for the patients who are suffering from Chronic Health Condition. The application of TCM pattern classification in diagnosis with corresponding prescribed treatment using herbal formulae in the relief of Chronic Health Condition can be linked with modern biomedical parameters (biomarkers) as treatment outcomes.
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