Fusion Chinese Medicine

You may have noticed I recommend Fusion formulas a lot.  It’s a brand I use myself and for my family and it’s one of the first I recommend at work.  The feedback I get on products I sell is always good and sometimes downright amazing.  I’d like to share some info on the brand as a whole and some particular products they make.

Fusion is Australian made and owned- the parent company, Global Therapeutics, is based in Byron Bay and the manufacturing facility is in Sydney.  The manufacturing stands they adhere to are quite high- they test all raw materials for purity and potency and use cutting edge technology to ensure the products they make are of the highest possible quality.  To see if a tablet will easily digest, you can leave it in a glass of room temperature water and see if it dissolves.  If after about 45 minutes there is no action, you know the tablet will be one that’s hard to digest.  I tried this with a Fusion tablet once, it was completely dispersed in about 15-20 minutes. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is perhaps the most holistic form of medicinal practise in existence.  Herbal formulas will treat an ailment by targeting the cause, addressing the symptoms, and nourishing the Qi (life force) and balancing Yin and Yang, the regulating forces of the body.  You will often find that a formula for one specific thing will treat or nourish other organs- The Kidney tonic increases pelvic blood flow and so nourishes all the pelvic organs.  It helps fatigue, low libido, menopausal flushes, andropause (male menopause), menstrual irregularity and bone health- not bad for something designed as a tonic for a single organ! 

Dosage within the range is quite flexible, with indications ranging from one to six tablets per day.  This is so a higher dose can be taken initially to provide fast relief of symptoms and later reduced to a maintenance dose.  Many of the products are also suitable for children from the age of six (you can dissolve them in water or snap them in half).  The safety of these herbs is such that a two year old can take the liquid formulas (Cold Flu Cough and Astra 8) and most of them are safe while breastfeeding. 

Here are some of my favourite products within the range:

Colds, Flu, Immunity:

Fusion Cold Flu Cough and Astra 8 make a great winter combo to prevent or treat illness. 

The CFC can be taken at a high dose to knock over most infections (any types- includes gastro) in a couple of days.  It acts as an analgesic, expectorant and decongestant as well as anti-infective, antiviral, antifungal and immune stimulator.  I usually take 2 tabs up to 5 times per day- I’ve never had it take longer than 12-24 hours to work!

Astra 8 is taken when well, or after 7 or more days of symptoms.  Great for general immunity or for treating long term infections like glandular fever or Chronic fatigue syndrome.  Contains adaptogens to nourish the adrenals and help to increase energy while convalescing and some symptomatic relief for fevers, pain, coughing, fatigue, stomach upset.

Stress and Anxiety:

This is a formula I have given to my whole family.  My daughter used it when she was having some school related anxiety, my hubby takes it regularly for stress, mood swings and what I call 'cranky man syndrome' and I take it intermittently- I am too scattterbrained to be consistent with it but I find it great for those days that life just overwhelms me.  It starts working after the first dose and the effect builds over a period of a couple of days.  Prescribed for anxiety, mild depression, mood swings, irritability, nerves and chronic stress, it's a gentle formula that is very well tolerated and very effective.  Safe from 6 years, it's a good one for kids who are anxious, or experience things like separation anxiety, angry outbursts or are having adjustment issues.  A great formula for short term use after a stressful period such as moving house, bereavement, divorce or for long term supplementation.

Tienchi Ginseng:

This is one of the very few single ingredient products they make.  Tienchi is a soft tissue healer- I used it from the day I gave birth for about 3 weeks.  I couldn't believe how quickly I recovered!  Not only from the obvious damage (big baby, fast labour... you get the picture) I had also pulled a few muscles when I was lying on my side, having contractions.  Within a matter of days I was feeling well enough to go for short walks, the bleeding stopped very quickly and everything healed up without an issue.  I went back on it after about 2 months for back pain- probably caused by bad posture while feeding and picking up bub.  Again, I could feel it start to work in a couple of days (I had been sore for 2 weeks before starting it).  You can use it after surgery, injury or just to help muscle recovery after working out.

Tienchi also works as a fat mobiliser, breaking down fat cells to be burnt more quickly.  This not only helps weight loss but it's great for conditions like fatty liver.

Menopause:

Ok, I can't say I've tried this formula myself... but my customers love it.  whether coming off HRT or avoiding it all together, women are raving about the efficacy of the Fusion Menopause range.  There is the original Menopause, the Menopause Free (this one contains no Black Cohosh) and Women's Balance, which can also be used for PMS.  The combination of lower dose ingredients is quite different from other products on the market, which tend to focus on one or two single herbs.  It has a hormone balancing effect as well as symptomatic relief for things like flushes, stress and irritability, insomnia and dryness.

Alopecia:

This recent New Idea article tells the story of Willow, a ten year old girl with Alopecia.  She lost all her hair (including her eyebrows and eyelashes) and was told by a dermatologist there was no treatment or cure.  Prescribed a combination of Fusion Women's Balance (this encourages the flow of energy to the head while cleansing the blood), Fusion Multivitamins and a Silica supplement, it only took two weeks for fine dark hairs to start appearing on Willow's head!

If there isn't a formula that addresses your needs or you have a condition that you just can't find help for, I would highly suggest a consultation with a Chinese Herbalist.  I've had customers say they've gone through the medical merry-go-round with little or no success only to find a few visits with a TCM practitioner has made an amazing difference!