Our Blog Site Has Moved

Dear All,

Our blogs have moved to our own website: www.mn-acu.com. From now on, all new blogs will be published in my website. I"ll try to publish a new blog every two weeks.

Thanks for reading and hope you all enjoy good health. Don't forget to do the exercises according to my videos.

Trisha Han, M.S., L. Acu
Mother Nature's Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs

Case Study - 2 - miscarriage

 Femal. 28, married for 4 years, on birth control for 4years. Off birth control for 11 months.

Chief Complaints: 

Trying to get pregnant 2 months off birth control, got pregnant right away, but miscarriage in just 2 weeks.

Diagnosis & Differentiation: 

Cycle for period is 30-32 days. Last 3-5 days with only one day heavy. First 1-2 days a lot of cramps on abdomen and lower back to 70%. Blood is dark with small clots.

Swollen tongue with not much coating. Pulse is weak on both side.  She looks thin and pale to me.  Her energy is good .  She easily feel cold especially with hand and feet.  Differentiation for her is blood deficiency and blood stagnation with some qi stagnation. 

Treatments: 

She had the first session right before ovulation.  The points used to course liver qi and invigrite blood and harmonize chong and Ren.The points used LV3, LI4, GB34, SP6, REN12, REN4, REN3, P3. Used moxa on SP4 and Ren12.  Formula used are Tao Hong Si Wu Tang and Gui Pi Tang.  She ovulated right after the first session .  She came back for follow up on day 21. The same points used and moxa on Sp4 and Ren4.  The third session she came back on day 29 with  positive pregnancy test.  Several more sessions to prevent miscarriage and to relieve morning sickness.  

Suggested life style change, go to bed early to reserve liver yin and blood and drink warm liquid instead of cold icy  to warm up uterus.

Results: 

Her pregnancy was good and the baby was born healthy.

Case Study - 1 - Infertility

Female , 29 , mother of 15-month baby.  

Chief Complaints: trying to get pregnant for several months and unsuccessful.  

Other complaints: Feeling stressed and easily agitated; Low energy around ovulation and menstruation; Severe PMS symptoms; Severe cramps  with small clots, moody , anger,  fatigue  before and during menstruation; Digestion problems, hard to digest oily food , irritable bowel syndrome with abdominal pain, gastritis pain.  

Diagnosis & Differentiation: 

Pulse is weak on both side. Thin and wiry at liver area. Tongue is red with lack of coating.

Liver qi stagnation with liver yin and blood deficiency and spleen qi deficiency with deficiency cold .  

Treatment:

The first session is on day 5 right after period.  The acupuncture points used to course liver qi, tonify spleen qi and liver blood(P6, sp4, st36,ren12, sp15, ren3, lv3, sp6, K8).  Moxa on ren12 and sp4.

The second session and third is on day 10 and day16. The fourth session is on day 24^th. Points are modified by adding local points st21, back points and back points BL18, Bl20, BL23.

Herb formula used: Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan; Xiao Jian Zhong Tang.

Suggested life syle change: go to bed early to reserve liver yin and blood and drink warm liquid instead of cold icy  to warm up uterus.  

Results: Pregnant after four sessions.

Note: This is a rare case of quick result for infertility. Most of our infertility cases took 3 months or more.

Bring the Dead back to Life - A True Story of a Great Doctor

Bian-Que (500 B.C.) is one of the most famous doctors in China’s history. He cured many illnesses that others regarded incurable. One of the most well-known stories was about how Bian-Que succeeded in curing the crown prince of the Kingdom of Guo of his fatal illness. According to the record, the prince of Gua was very ill and as he lay dying, the court physician could do nothing to help. Bian-Que was summoned to treat the prince. However, when he arrived at the palace he found the crown prince being prepared for the funeral.

Bian-Que went to the gate of the palace and asked an officer who had medical knowledge, “What kind of illness did your prince suffer from?” The officer answered, “The illness of our prince was that his Qi and Blood were against the seasons, confused and clogged. His vigor and spirit could not stop Evil Qi and Evil Qi accumulated and could not be expelled. That was when his pulses were Slow Yang and Rapid Yin.  This was the reason why suddenly his Qi flowed backward and he died.”

Bian-Que asked, “When did he die?”

He answered, “This dawn.”

Bian-Que asked, “Did they put him in a coffin?”

He answered, “Not yet. It hasn’t been more than a half day yet since he died.”

Bian-Que told him, “I am Bian-Que. Let me see if I can revive him.”

The officer first had suspicion about Bian-Que’s ability, and then let him in reluctantly after realizing there is no other choice to save the prince anyway.

After a short pulse examination, he knew that the prince had actually gone into a deep coma. He gave the prince acupuncture treatment to retrieve him and then applied compresses soaked in a decoction of herbs. One of the points he did acupuncture on is Bai Hui which sits on the crown of the head.

Within hours of Bian-Que's arrival, the prince was able to get his feet. The prince was then prescribed herbal tea formula to be taken for twenty days, which helped him to fully recover.

Soon the rumors spread that Bian Que was a miracle doctor who could bring the dead back to life. Bian-Que said "No, I can't bring the dead back to life, the prince wasn't dead. I only woke up a person who still had the ability to survive"

A Longevity Herb - Morinda Root

In Chinese History, most Chinese Emperors have a relatively short life. From Chinese medicine point of view, their short lives were results of their involvement in hectic politics and their excessive indulgence in sex. (As you may know, ancient Chinese emperors are entitled to have dozens of wives). Both took their toll - physically and emotionally.

However, during the Manchu Dynasty (1644-1911), an emperor named Qian Long (1711 - 1799) lived till the age of 89. He had lived the longest life of all the Chinese emperors prior to his time. 89 may not appear to be long life by today's standard. But keep in mind that the average life span of the Chinese people during that time is less than 40.

Emperor Qian Long was very proud of his longevity secret methods and he even called himself the "long-life emperor." That Qian Long had managed to stay youthful and had lived a long life is a historical fact. The British ambassador to China at that time was said to have written something like this in his diary, "When I met Emperor Qian Long, he was already at the age of 83, but he looked as if he was only 60 years old. He was in perfect good health and surpassed young men in energy and spirits."

Many Chinese physicians have attributed Qian Long's longevity to his regular consumption of many herbs, but most notably, medicinal cornel fruit and morinda root. The fruit of medicinal cornel looks like a date, tastes sour and is found mostly in the mountains, which is why the Chinese call it "sour mountain date."

But what makes this sour mountain date capable of promoting longevity? The story behind this is that the flowers of this plant appear as early as May, but its fruit do not become ripe until November, which means that it takes a longer period of time than other plants to bear fruit.

Moreover, in November when most other plants have died, the sour mountain date has not only survived, but its fruit are hanging from it elegantly. The fact that it takes a long time for the sour mountain date to bear fruit signifies that the fruit must have a certain element oflong life in them and the fact that this plant can resist the assault of severe winter cold means that there must be a quality of toughness in it.

The fruit of medicinal cornel was used as the "king ingredient" in a celebrated Chinese herbal formula, called "the eight-flavoured tablets," during the third century A.D. This formula was used to treat many serious disorders, including diabetes, chronic nephritis and sexual weaknesses.

A "king ingredient" means that the ingredient plays a very important role in the formula. A report prepared by the National Peking Research Institute indicates that the fruit of medicinal cornel can promote urination and lower blood pressure for many hours.

What follows are standard, modern descriptions of this herb.

Morinda root is called "never-withering-and-falling" in Chinese because it is a creeping vine that hangs on persistently and "never withering and falling" means longevity in Chinese. The root of this plant, which is used for medicinal purposes, contains vitamin C and carbohydrates.

Simple Breathing Exercises That Will Cleanse Your Organs

Breathing is such a natural, involuntary act that often we disregard it as something insignificant to our health.  However, being closely aware of how our body respires is crucial to our physical and mental well-being.  For example, it is commonly acknowledged that during meditation, one must regulate breathing to achieve the state of calm desired.  The "om" syllable is used to create the environment necessary for the body to achieve peace.  Similarly, the different ways a person exhales is directly correlated with the functioning of various organs of the body.  This breathing method was introduced to China over 2000 years ago from India, and has the ability to cleanse the organs of disease. 

See linked video below:

http://youtu.be/XM0OVCtwSc0

"Ho"-->the heart

"Hoo"-->the stomach

"Hwee"-->the liver

"Chway"-->the kidneys

"Hee"-->the Triple Burner (the endocrine system, esp. the thyroid, thymus and adrenal glands)

"Si (as in riCE)-->the lungs

The syllables themselves are meaningless; the key is in the aperture that the mouth forms when pronouncing these syllables.  Don't read the syllable out loud--rather, whisper it and allow the air to flow through the aperture of the mouth formed by the syllable.

Many people believe that controlling the way one inhales is the key to the body's well-being.  Actually, it is just the opposite--the key is in the exhaling.  The way one releases air from the body is closely associated with a calm, healthy state of the body and mind.  People who practice yoga and meditation often will know that this is true. 

The breathing exercise should still feel like a natural process.  Simply inhale a specific amount of air, and then breathe out using the syllable formation until there is no more air left and you feel yourself involuntarily inhaling again. The air should flow naturally back to fill the lungs.  This process can be repeated many times.  Over time, this will not only help you feel calm and relaxed in daily life, but also will cleanse your organs and make your body feel more refreshed overall. 

How to Treat Rhinitis Naturally & Effectively

Rhinitis is one of the most common chronic conditions of today; although it only brings small discomforts, the illness itself is hard to eliminate entirely.  Especially with allergy-induced rhinitis, one must completely change the nature of one’s body, in order to have some hope of treating the illness. 

It’s important to know that rhinitis isn’t only a problem with the nose itself, so focusing treatment on the nose and sinuses isn’t going to be effective in the long term.  In the case of rhinitis, the nose is nothing but a scapegoat; the real problem lies within certain organs of the body, which are not working properly. 

To put it simply, rhinitis can be categorized into two types: one type is accompanied by symptoms such as clear nasal mucus, sneezing, and a stuffy nose.  The other type is accompanied by thicker, yellow nasal mucus and a duller or absent sense of smell.  The former is a condition related to an obstructed Pang Guang meridian and Kidney meridian—it must be treated through dispelling cold from the body’s interior, ridding the spleen of excess dampness, and replenishing the lungs and kidneys.  The latter condition is caused by an obstructed Stomach meridian and Gallbladder meridian, and must be treated by clearing excess heat/inflammation in the liver, dissolving phlegm buildup in the respiratory system, and clearing the pathway of the digestive system.  Now the question is, how must we go about accomplishing this?

Those with the first type of rhinitis—clear mucus and a stuffy nose—can use the Gwa Sha method  on the back, from Du Mai along the Pang Guang Meridian, applying until the skin becomes hot.  If you easily get coughs during the fall and winter, especially if there’s wind, use moxa on the Bei Yu, Yan Feng Men, Fei Yu, Pi Yu, Shen Yu points (see accompanying diagram).  Apply moxa over these areas until the heated skin feels itchy or hurts.  For people who easily get cold or have allergies, it is effective to use the “Make Yourself Sneeze Method” (introduced in an earlier blog post).  Or, you can boil ginger and jujubes (Chinese dates) in hot water and drink the soup. 

People who have clear nasal mucus tend to have what Chinese medicine refers to as “Cold Dampness” in their bodies; if your stomach feels cold often, you should take Fu Zi Li Zhong teapills to bring warmth to it.  If you have a lot of phlegm in your throat, and seldom feel thirsty, it is good to take Shen Ling Bai Shu teapills to dispel the dampness, while drinking little water.  For those of you who often feel the urge to sneeze, but the sneeze never comes out, take Bu Zhong Yi Qi teapills to strengthen the heart and lungs.  If you have dry skin and can’t sneeze, drink Ren Shen Sheng Mai, as this will strengthen your heart and nourish the skin. 

The nose and lungs have an unmistakable relationship.  It is also said that that the lungs are responsible for the skin and pores.  The skin is the body’s first line of defense against exterior harms.  Sweating easily or being afraid of cold drafts are signs that the pores are open when they shouldn’t be, letting the cold air into the body.  Taking Yu Bi Feng San granules will help increase energy in the spleen and lungs, while also preventing cold and wind from entering the body.

However, there are not a great variety of medicines to cure every single illness that exists, and on top of that, everyone’s condition is a little bit different.  Some people also might not find it convenient to go out to an herbal medicine store to buy the medicine.  The best solution is to drink a porridge made of Gorgon fruit, Chinese yam and Job’s tears.  Although this is not as instantly effective as taking herbs, as long as you persist to drink it every day, results will definitely come. 

Another solution is to massage the Wei Zhong point, located at the back of the knee, which will open up the nasal passages temporarily. Stimulating the Pang Guang Yu point will also have the same, but more long term, effect.

If, after using the “Making Yourself Sneeze” method, you feel that your nose is even more clogged than before, you may use some nasal spray to relieve this temporary side effect. 

Having weak kidneys is the root cause of allergy-induced rhinitis; to eradicate all traces of the illness, one must make the kidneys stronger by using moxa over the Guan Yuan point above the belly button, the Shen Yu point on the back (you can use cupping here too), and the Tai Xi point on the Kidney meridian. 

Now let’s talk about the second type of rhinitis.  Remember, this is the type accompanied by a loss in the sense of smell and thick, yellow mucus, and sometimes headache in the front area.  Compared to the first type of rhinitis, the second type is much easier to treat—one of the reasons is that there are more herbal medicines intended to treat this type of rhinitis. This kind of rhinitis is caused by a weak digestive system, so one of the ways to treat it is to apply the “Rub Your Stomach” method, and applying pressure to the stomach meridian often, especially to the Feng Long point. 

Some people don’t really like the idea of taking medicine, so I will introduce another method to you.  It is effective in treating both types of rhinitis. 

Lie facing upwards on the bed so that your legs are lying flat against the wall and your body is forming a 90 degree angle.  Flex both feet so that the soles are parallel to your chest—this is the starting position.  Then, reach both feet at the same time so that they are flat on the wall, with the soles of your feet touching the wall—at this point, your lower back will naturally lift up and your knees will bend.  Do this every day for at least 5 minutes, and symptoms of rhinitis will start to go away.  The reason this method works is that it exercises the Pang Guang meridian and Stomach meridian.  Maybe you can try to invent your own methods, too!  

Why Asian Dandelion is called "Fishman's Herb" in Chinese?

The 16-year-old daughter of a government official in ancient China was suffering from mastitis, with a triangular lump underneath her left breast. She was in pain and very worried, but she dared not tell anyone about it, because deep down inside she felt ashamed. But her maid eventually noticed her illness and disclosed it to her father, pleading with him to hire a doctor.
  
Inquiring into his daughter's condition the official became angry as he suspected that his daughter must have done something immoral to have caused this. He rushed to his daughter's room and slapped her in the face. "How could you do such a shameful thing? You are a disgrace to your family," shouted the father. The maid insisted that his daughter had never gone out alone and could not have possibly done anything immoral. The father wouldn't listen. The daughter ran away from home that night out of shame and desperation.
   
She went to the river bank and thinking that no one would be around at that hour to see her, quickly jumped into the river in an attempt to commit suicide. A fisherman was fishing from a rowboat nearby with his 16-year-old daughter. When they heard that splash, the fisherman's daughter instantly jumped into the river to save her. Once they were both on board the fisherman was surprised to see that the girl was just about the same age as his daughter.

The fisherman's daughter changed the girl's clothes and in the process discovered the swelling in the young lady's left breast. She immediately understood the reason for her attempted suicide. Telling her father about it the fisherman replied, "We will go dig some [healing] plants for her breast first thing in the morning."
 
The plant was a perennial herb, with white milky juice in it, yellowish flowers and straight but fleshy stem and thick roots. They found the plants along the roadside not far from the river. They dug out a few plants that weighed about 100g, washed them clean and boiled them in water. Then they told the girl to drink the liquid. In the meantime they crushed some of the plants and applied them to her breast.

Hearing of her whereabouts and their daughter's attempted suicide the official and his wife, greatly worried and deeply regretful, rushed to see the fisherman and to take their daughter home.

Their daughter, grateful and in tears, said good-bye to the fisherman and his daughter and went home with her parents, bringing a bunch of the plants with her. Before she left, the fisherman kept reminding her to continue using and applying the herb for her illness.
 
After she had recovered she told her maid to plant the herb in their garden. So that she would always remember the fisherman, she named the plant after him; not knowing his name she called it "Fisherman's Herb."
 
The Chinese use Asian dandelion to treat such symptoms by decocting 50g dandelion in two glasses of water ( medium size glass) until the water is reduced by half, then they strain and drink the liquid once daily.

In the treatment of eye disorders, take a cotton ball soaked in the fluid and gently press it on the closed eyelid for about half an hour daily. Unlike most Chinese herbs, when Asian dandelion is used to treat inflammatory diseases, both internal and external methods should be applied - whether in treating mastitis, tonsillitis, or mumps.

More information, Asian dandelion is effective to treat

1. indigestion and chronic constipation
2.mastitis prior to becoming infected, by both ingestion and external applications simultaneously,
3.early stages of snake and insect bites prior to infection, and
4. promoting urination in treating acute urination disturbances, by a decoction of as much as 35-70g of fresh dandelion; smaller quantities produce little or no effect.

Action:  to clear up heat, counteract toxic effects, disperse swelling and heal carbuncles.

Winter Health Tips & Allergy Prevention

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant, if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Acupuncture Media Works (2012)

Winter is a time for the yin phase.  This season is for resting, relaxing, and nurturing our bodies.  The yin phase indicates going inward, night time, rest, and nourishment.  During this phase of the year, it is important to listen to your body.  When you are feeling run down from the stress of work and life, you may need that extra hour of sleep.  Going to bed earlier and waking up later is part of this phase.  It’s similar to a bear hibernating in the winter.  We should conserve our energies and not have too many “yang” activities, like excessive work or exercise.  If we care for our bodies well in the wintertime, the spring season will be much healthier. 

Here are some winter health tips that may help you in your resolutions to better care for yourself.  In order to eat right for the season, you can cook with “warming foods.”  The weather is colder and your body needs warm foods to function properly.  For breakfast, you can make oatmeal or rice porridge with cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins or diced apple.  A boiled egg is a great compliment to this healthy breakfast, which will provide some good protein.  Green tea with some honey will round out this breakfast to boost your energy but not make you jittery.  Other items to add to a healthy winter diet are whole grains, brown rice, squash, and root vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic.  For a simple dinner soup, you can chop up some sweet potato, carrot, onion, and squash and boil for 30-45 minutes.  Add your favorite bean or legume for protein.  Add a bit of olive oil and salt to taste.  This will keep you warm and provide plenty of nutrition to build immunity.

Another winter health tip is to dress warmly.  This seems like an easy one, but is easily overlooked.  We may forget to check the weather and leave the house without our warm jacket.  Making sure that we dress warmly will protect our organs and prevent the cold from entering our body.  This can inevitably prevent disorders like arthritis, hip, back, and joint pain.  Covering our tummies in the winter can also help with women who have menstrual pain of the cold type.  If heating pads help your cramps, keeping your mid section properly covered can prevent the onset of menstrual cramping during winter.  Also, making sure you keep your neck covered while exercising and sweating can help prevent wind and cold from invading the body causing common cold.  It is very important to keep the back of the neck properly covered to prevent colds and stiff neck.  Scarves are great for this!  Dressing warmly during the winter can protect the body from cold, exhaustion and prevent illness.

During the wintertime, it’s important to support the kidney organ.  The vital energy and essence of the body derives from the kidneys.  If they are weakened during the wintertime, it can affect your energy level.  This is the time to support the adrenals and kidney organs.  How can we do this?  Other than getting plenty of sleep and eating healthfully, we can massage our acupuncture points.  This is called acupressure.  Gentle massage or rubbing of these points can aid the body in supporting health.  A good acupressure point to massage is Kidney 3.  This is located in the depression between the inner ankle and the Achilles tendon.  It is level with the ankle bone.  This point is used to treat various symptoms such as low back pain, tinnitus, headache, dizziness, wheezing, cough, poor memory, and impotence. 

If we can make small, simple adjustments in our daily life, we can support a healthier lifestyle and better immunity.  By resting well, eating warming foods, dressing appropriately, and using acupressure, we can build a stronger ability to fight off infections. 

Allergies

Winter is the time for allergies in Austin.  Our good old friend Cedar (Juniper) pollen is released into the air after the weather becomes cooler.  This can cause various symptoms for those who suffer from the allergic reaction.  These symptoms include itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, headache, cough, excess nasal mucus, and fatigue.  Those who have excess nasal drainage can be at higher risk for cough and bronchitis if the fluid drains into the lungs while sleeping.  Preventing the onset of these symptoms can protect from more serious conditions such as long term cough, chest congestions, and bronchial infections. 

So what can we do to prevent these allergic reactions?  One easy tip is to protect the immunity by getting plenty of rest and eating a nutritious diet.  Limiting intake of dairy and wheat can be helpful for some who suffer from allergies.  Foods that can be avoided during an allergic reaction are milk, cheese, yogurt, fried foods, breads, sweets, and sugary drinks.  These foods can cause excess mucosal production which can exaccerbate a stuffy nose or cough.  Excessive sugar intake can delay healing time. 

One easy recipe for fighting off allergies and boosting immunity is lemon honey tea.  Our grandmothers knew it best.  Combine one quarter organic lemon, local honey, and boiled water to prevent getting sick after an allergy attack. The lemon is high in vitamin C, which is helpful in boosting immunity.  The local honey contains pollen from flora in the surrounding area of Austin, which can introduce small amounts of the pollen to the body.  This concept is similar to the idea of a vaccine.  You introduce trace amounts of the pathogen into the body, thereby creating immunity to the pollen. Stocking these ingredients and making this tea can help keep your immune system healthy during the winter season. 

Also, breathing techniques combined with certain sounds can help to boost the immune system during the winter time.  The sound for lung is “ssss” or “thhhh”.  To try this technique, you exhale through the mouth and inhale through the nose.  Put your tongue in between your teeth and make the ‘ssss’ sound.  Your tongue should be just slightly sticking out of your mouth.  Repeat this technique approximately 30 times.  This technique strengthens the lung energy.  By using this combination of breathing and sound therapy, you can expel pathogens from the lung.  It’s also very relaxing.  

There are also Chinese herbs that can be helpful in preventing allergy attacks.  This formula is called “Jade Screen” or Yu Ping Feng San.  This formula is named “Jade Screen” because the prescription preventatively boosts the immune system, thereby creating a ‘screen’ to protect against an allergic attack.  Taking this formula several months before the allergy season can work wonders for those who have allergies.  I’m a living example of this!  I’ve taken Jade Screen and it helps my allergies, as well as preventing chronic bronchial infections during the winter season.  How it works is to strengthen the digestion and immune system to create a stronger immunity when the pollen season arrives.  It also helps to strengthen the lung organ to support good lung health.  Getting regular acupuncture treatments and taking “Jade Screen” are the best things I’ve done to help my allergies!

By taking care of yourself during the winter season, you can prevent an allergic reaction.  With nutritional therapy, resting well, breathing techniques, acupuncture, and taking herbal formulas, we can boost our immunity and stave off infection.  These are healthy, mild treatments that help to maintain longevity and promote well being!!

Written by: Kendall Ash McAnally

An Exercise that helps you Achieve Longevity

The kidneys, in addition to their normal blood purification functions, store the vital energy (essence) for the body. Vital energy is essential to life itself. To the degree that vital energy leaves the body, the body slowly dies. To the degree that vital energy increases in the body, the body thrives. Kidneys are vital to every other organ system. If the kidneys are damaged, it’s like the foundation of a house is being weakened.  

You may have kidney deficiencies if you have some of the following symptoms: ear ringing; deafness; foot or knee ache; lower back pain; night sweating; dizziness; loose teeth; hair loss; frequent urinating (especially at night); swollen eye lids (after you get up in the morning); dark circles around eyes; weakness in the legs. Mentally if you have more fear than before. For example, you were not afraid of driving when you were younger. Now you always fear other cars will hit you when you’re driving. This is an indication that your kidneys may be weaker than before.

Today let me introduce a simple exercise to help you strengthen your kidneys and accumulate more vital energies in the kidneys. See the linked video below:

http://youtu.be/BpikR_Hngq4

Do the exercise persistently and gradually you’ll see the results! You will!

How to Stay Healthy in Winter

Just like how millions of cells make up one organism, human beings are the tiny cells that make up the universe.  We must abide by the changes of nature, instead of going against it; we must interact with the millions of organisms in the world, instead of solely paying attention to our own needs.  As long as we do this, borrowing upon the strength of nature to cure our diseases, we will naturally be healthy. 

In ancient times, living conditions were relatively poor compared to today’s; it was impossible to control the temperature of the environment, so the only way to avoid the effects of the cold was to rely on the energy of the sun, meanwhile reducing the body’s use of energy—this was done by going to sleep as soon as the sun set, and waking up as soon as the sun rose at dawn.  This kind of lifestyle habit, if put in the context of today’s society, would not be well accepted, because people must wake up early to go to work, then come home from work very late at night; then, they may watch T.V., or go online—and, depending on where you live, there may be an abundance of nighttime activities.  This is the popular lifestyle of today’s society, and no one wants, or feels the need, to change it.   

However, the lifestyle of those who lived in the ancient times is indeed the most precious lesson we can learn from them, because it was not only a convenience, it also preserved their health and led them on a path to longevity. 

Because in the winter, the sun sets early and rises late, we should also sleep early and rise late—this will help us “escape” the winter’s cold.  We must seek more exposure to the sun during the winter—this will help “dispel” the winter’s cold.  Also, we should stay in warm areas and avoid cold areas—this will “expel” the winter’s cold.  Lastly, we must not expose our skin to the cold—this will “resist” the cold.  The above four methods may be common sense, but they are key to helping us prevent sickness during the wintertime, according to “Emperor Huang’s Internal Medicine”. 

To prevent sickness during the wintertime is not that difficult, given our modern living conditions.  However, there are some additional methods that will help dispel the cold that may accidentally enter your body. 

There are many women who, in the wintertime, will dress warmly with layers on top, but only wear a thin dress on the bottom.  Although this may look immaculate and professional, it will also bring endless amounts of harm to one’s body.  An old Chinese proverb says: “Wind comes into the body through one’s neck; the cold comes into the body through one’s legs”.  Although the blood circulating through our body is always warm, many people have poor circulation in their legs because the heat in their legs is not being protected by clothing.  So in the wintertime, remember to keep your legs and feet warm by wearing warm socks, shoes and pants. 

Once winter comes, some people feel that their feet and legs are never warm, even when layering on thick blankets or wearing socks.  This is because of poor circulation, and can be easily remedied by doing the “Walking on Your Knees” exercise, or the “Standing on One Leg” exercise.  These two exercises were both described in earlier blog articles.  Another solution is to soak your feet in warm saltwater every night—this will not only improve circulation, but is also beneficial towards healing and preventing frostbite.  Also, it’s very good for circulation to take walks during the wintertime; you don’t necessarily have to walk very fast, just make sure not to shuffle, instead picking your foot up off the ground each time you take a step.  This is not only good for circulation, but also for the muscles in your legs, which are likely to stiffen in the cold winter weather.  Moreover, walking can help strengthen the functions of the liver and spleen. 

During the winter, it is also important to eat the right foods.  For those who easily get cold, foods and spices such as shrimp, ginger, garlic, pepper and curry are good because of their warm nature.   However, don’t eat too much meat—if you love to eat meat, remember to eat some hawthorn tablets to help with digestion.   Taking Liu Wei Di Huang teapills is also a good idea to balance out the body’s Yin and Yang. 

If you are a completely healthy person, but still want to reinforce your health during the winter, you should use moxa on the Guan Yuan point beneath the belly button, and on the Zu San Li point of the Stomach Meridian, once every day for 15 minutes each.  It is said that this is one of the secrets to longevity of many centenarians. 

An Interesting Herb Story - How Dodder (Bunny's seed) was found

Dodder (bunny's seed) is effective treating back pain, impotence, seminal emission, diarrhea, lumbago and insecure fetus. The following is the story how it was discovered.

A young man was hired by a farmer to look after his bunnies. Being a harsh task-master, the master warned the young man that the death of a bunny would cost him a quarter of his wages. This made the young man very nervous.

One day this young man accidently dropped a bamboo stick to a bunny and broke her spine. The bunny lay on the ground unable to move. The young man was afraid that his boss would find out, so he picked up the bunny form the ground and hid her in the field of soybean plants, where the poor bunny lay very still as if dying.

The farmer found out one bunny missing and demand the young man to find her. So the young man went to the field to bring the bunny back. To his surprise, the bunny was running around in the field. He chased after her for quite a while before finally catch her and put her back to the pen.

Then the young man intentionally broke another bunny’s back and brought her to the soybean field. A few days later, he found out that the bunny’s back had completely healed.

“How could this have happened?” he asked his father, who suffered from backache and had laid in bed for years.

“Maybe it’s the soybean plants?” mused the father.

The next day, the young man deliberately broke the back of another bunny and brought her to the field. But this time, he watched closely what the bunny ate. He found that the bunny was not eating the soybean plant at all, but rather the seed of s parasitic plant living on them. A few days later, the bunny recovered from her back injury.

The young man started to pick the seeds of this parasitic plant and decocted them for his father to drink; soon afterwards, his father’s backache was cured. The herb has been known as “Bunny’s seed” ever since.

Autumn is the Perfect Time to Care for Your Lungs

Did you know? Autumn is the time of year when the lungs are the most active, when they are in the most optimal condition.  We can take advantage of this time to nurture our lungs, to give them any necessary attention and care.  According to Chinese medicine, the lungs have two primary functions: one is to “release”, the other is to “reduce”, or to pass through.  The releasing function is expressed in ways such as sweating, coughing, and sneezing. The reducing function is expressed in two ways: one is opening the water passage within the body through the Pang Guang Meridian; the other is opening up the digestive organs and allowing waste to pass through.  However, the reducing function can only be seen and analyzed during sickness; in other words, when the lungs’ reducing function is normal and healthy, its effects can’t easily be observed—only when it is abnormal can you see any symptoms. 

Sometimes, the cause of constipation isn’t the hard, dry nature of the stool; rather, it is often because the stool is unable to make its way out.  Many people also find that they do not urinate as often as they should.  These conditions are both caused by and directly related to an abnormal reducing function. 

So where exactly does the energy of the reducing and releasing functions come from?  This energy originates in the spleens and lungs, and is the central source of energy in our body.  This is why many Chinese medicines focus on replenishing this source of energy.  One example is the Shen Ling Bai Shu teapills—this herbal medicine not only reinforces the spleen but also replenishes the lungs and restores balance in the body, so it is the perfect remedy for a weak central energy source.  Another example is the Bu Zhong Yi Qi teapills. Its name means “Restore and Increase the Vital Central Energy”, and the medicine does exactly that.  However, the Bu Zhong Yi Qi teapills work by using the energy of the liver and kidney organs in order to restore the energy of the central source (the spleen and lungs), so this medicine is not suitable for those with a weak liver and kidney function. 

On the Lung Meridian, there is a point called Zhong Fu, meaning “central residence” because this is where the central energy of the body comes together and resides.  Therefore, it is one of the key points in treating and restoring the body’s central energy.  Another key point is the Tai Yuan point; it is the point where the Lung Meridian originates, so it has enormous effects in restoring the body’s central energy.  Either using moxa or massaging out these two points will prove extremely beneficial in restoring the body’s energy balance, and meanwhile, taking care of the lungs. 

Many people don’t want to eat medicine or drink porridge for medicinal purposes, either because they dislike the practice or have difficulties preparing it.  So they wonder if there are any other good methods to maintain and replenish the lungs.  In actuality, if the lungs do not receive harm from the exterior, no sickness will arise—so how would we go about maintaining them?  The main source of exterior harm that our lungs receive is the cold; if the body is exposed to the cold for an extended period of time, it will come into the body through the pores and do damage to our lungs.  Therefore, preventing the cold from entering our bodies is the key to keeping our lungs healthy. 

The lungs do have one threat that comes from the body’s interior—it is the excessive heat of the liver, or liver inflammation.  In Chinese Medicine, we call this “Liver Fire”.  Although this excessive heat given off by the liver is very intense, it shouldn’t do too much damage to the lungs, as long as it is controlled in time.  The Yu Ji point is a point on the Lung Meridian that, when massaged, can heal coughs and lung inflammation caused by “Liver Fire”.   

Some people do not have enough Chi in their lungs, therefore their bodies do not retain heat well, and easily feel cold.  People with this condition often find that they have difficulty breathing, or don’t always take in enough oxygen; this is because the spleen does not absorb energy well.  Because the spleen is one of the centers of our body's energy, we must treat this condition starting with the spleen.  To strengthen the spleen, you can use moxa on the Ming Men point, the Shen Yu point located near the waist, the Yuan Guan point located beneath the belly button, and the Tai Xi point located on the Spleen Meridian.  By using moxa on this acupuncture points, you will give warmth to the meridians they are positioned on and open up the stagnant pathways.  If you persist in this method, you will find that it is the best way to treat a weak spleen and lungs during the fall season. 

Another common condition occurs in people who have excess liver fire, but their lungs are not weak either; these people easily get upset, but they stifle it instead of expressing their emotion.  Because of this, they often feel like there is a huge weight inside their chest, preventing them from breathing with ease.  If you have this condition, you can massage the Lung Meridian’s Chi Ze point.  Massaging this point daily can also relieve symptoms of conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, and enuresis (bed-wetting syndrome). 

The methods above can be used according to individual body types, conditions, and needs.  However, one method that can be applied to all conditions relating to the lungs’ releasing and reducing functions is the “Making-Yourself-Sneeze” method.  This method was introduced in a previous blog entry, and can relieve such conditions as allergies, cold, stagnant or obstructed energy in the body, various skin diseases, and etc. 

Future blog: What Should You Do in Winter to Keep Yourself Fit

How to Treat Athlete's Foot

Athlete's foot, also called tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of the foot. The condition often develops between the toes and other areas of the foot. You know athlete’s foot can be really unpleasant, itching, redness, scaling, cracking... You may have tried Lamisil, Lotrimin, Terbinafine, Clotrimazole, etc. All these product works, but the fungus keeps coming back.

Now let me share a natural and easy way. Very simple, just soak your feet in vinegar - about one part vinegar and 2 or 3 parts water. The acidity of the vinegar makes it very hard for the fungus to survive. Also, a little Listerine foot soak will do much the same thing. Or you can even put a little Listerine in with your vinegar and water. Soak your feet once a week and you’ll find it very helpful.

My husband found this method in Reader’s Digest. He tried this and it’s very helpful for him. Hope it works for you too.

Now Bill Clinton is a vegan, is that healthful?

Bill Clinton’s hamburger days are behind him, he says. Former President Clinton now considers himself a vegan.

 In his interview with CNN’s Dr. Gupta, Bill Clinton says that now he consumes no meat, no dairy, no eggs, almost no oil. He's dropped more than 20 pounds, and he says he's healthier than ever. “All my blood tests are good, and my vital signs are good, and I feel good, and I also have, believe it or not, more energy," Clinton said.

Clinton adapted the plant-based eating pattern out of concern for his cardiovascular system — “to avoid any food that could damage his blood vessels,” CNN says

 To watch the interview, click the following link:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/18/bill.clinton.diet.vegan/index.html?iref=allsearch

In fact, many celebs are vegetarian. To name a few: Brad Pitt, Carrie Underwood, Lauren Bush (Niece of President Bush), Josh Hartnett, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Alicia Silverstone, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire (the Spiderman),...

I didn’t know so many celebs are vegetarians until I started writing this blog today. By the way, my family of four is vegetarian family except that my daughter and I eat fish occasionally (maybe once in a month). My son was born and raised as a vegetarian. My husband has been a vegetarian since 1996. We’re all very healthy and seldom get sick.

Now the question is:  what should you eat to stay healthy if we want to be a vegetarian or a vegan?

Vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet, any healthy meal should be rich in all the following nutrients:

1. Vitamins
2. Protein
3. Calcium
4. Carbohydrates
5. Zinc
6. Iron
7. Omega-3

Okay, now let me tell you about the foods in which you could find the above nutrients

Calcium: Broccoli, dairy products, tofu, soy, fruit juice (especially orange juice)

Protein: Tofu, apart from being rich in calcium, is also full of protein. Besides tofu, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds, etc. are also rich in protein content

Iron: Once again I have to suggest the highly nutritious tofu here. Apart from that, iron is also available in plenty from rice, cashew nuts, tomato juice, etc.

Zinc: Tofu is here as well. Aren’t you surprised how a single food could be rich in so many different types of nutrients? Okay, apart from tofu, whole grains, especially the bran and germ of grains, are rich in zinc content.

Also, any vegetable available in the form of roots such as radishes, carrots, beets, etc., contains zinc. Leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and cabbage leaves are rich in zinc as well. If you hate potatoes because of its carbohydrate content, note that it is rich in zinc too.

Vitamins: Vitamins are available in milk, soy, cereals, Tempeh, miso, etc.

Vitamin B12 is a tough one to find outside animal products, look for it in fortified products like plant milks. Some cereals, substitute meat products and a form of nutritional yeast are also fortified. Or, to make it simple, take Vitamin B12 supplements.

Carbohydrates: Do I even need to tell you where could you get carbohydrates from? They are already available in junk and sugary foods but…WAIT, since you may not want to have them, eat potatoes instead.

Finally, omega-3 fatty acids are typically found in fish, but they can also be gotten via walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds. There are also omega-3 supplements derived not from fish, but from algae.

Who says that a vegetarian diet cannot be as nutritious as a non-veg diet? As long as you eat a healthy and well-balanced meal, your body would definitely receive the right amount of nutrition. Moreover, being low on calorie, the vegetarian diet won’t make you fat; if anything, it would help you maintain a slim and flat stomach throughout your entire life. Ask those celebs and you’ll know for sure.

An Herbal Story – San Qi (Notoginseng Root)

     Today let me share a herbal story with you - San Qi (means 37 in Chinese) (Notoginseng root). It can help to stop bleeding; promote blood circulation, heal swelling and relieve pain.

     Long ago, there was a man named Zhang Xiao Er, who was dying due to some kind of hemorrhage disease (a copious blood discharge from the blood vessels). Anxious to save his son’s life, Zhang’s mother found a doctor named Tian, and the doctor prescribed an herb that eventually cured the disease. The doctor left the seed of the herb to Zhang before his departure, telling him to plant this seed just in case he should need it in the future.

      Zhang planted the seed as the doctor suggested, and the herb flourished just after one year. One day, when he heard that the governor’s daughter also suffered from hemorrhage, he dug out the herb and sent it to the governor, hoping to receive a reward in return. However, instead of recovering from the disease like Zhang expected, the condition of the governor’s daughter didn't improve and she died soon.

     The governor was furious and had his men arrested Zhang. After series of tortures, Zhang told the governor that Tian was the one giving him this "harmful" medicine. Therefore, believing that Tian was trying to make a fortune by providing useless and harmful medicine to patients, the governor also had Tian arrested. Tian explained that this herb did have miraculous curative effect for hemorrhage diseases, but it had to be grown for at least 3 to 7 years for the herb to be effective. Since the herb Zhang offered to the governor had only been grown for a year, it was unable to save the governor’s daughter because the herb had no medicinal value.

      In order to demonstrate the effect of the herb, Tian sliced his own thigh with a knife, and his thigh started to bleed immediately. He then grounded the herb into fine powder and took in a part of the powder, while the rest were applied onto the wound. Miraculously, the bleeding stopped instantly and the wound started to heal. After witnessing the sight, the governor believed Tian’s explanation and released him. In order to prevent any future misuses of the herb, Tian named the herb “three seven”, meaning that this herb had to be grown for 3 to 7 years before it can be used as a medicine.

The Top Three Panacea of Chinese Medicine

Many people have chronic illnesses with many symptoms; often, one feels pain from head to toe, almost as if there’s no painless spot on the body.  Although many of these chronic illnesses aren’t too serious, they drag on and never seem to go away.  At times, the symptoms may worsen, at other times they may disappear, causing the person much distress.  The solution is actually to cultivate and nurture blood within the body, as this will increase one’s chances of recovering from a chronic illness.

                So what is the easiest and fastest way to generate new blood in the body?  Chinese medicine says that the spleen and stomach are essential in the generation of red blood cells.  Therefore, if we want to have sufficient blood in the body, then we must regulate our spleen and stomach organs, making sure that they are running efficiently and are healthy.  Some people eat just a little bit of food, but become uncomfortably full or bloated, resulting in indigestion; others can’t easily absorb the food they eat, resulting in either diarrhea, constipation, an inability to produce sperm, excess production of phlegm, or a tendency to develop muscles easily.  These problems are all a result of the spleen and stomach organs not functioning properly.  Solving this problem starts with fixing the body’s physique, allowing for it to have the right conditions of a healthy spleen and stomach.  Medicine can’t be the first course of action because if there is difficulty digesting and absorbing even grains and vegetables, then there would be even more difficulty digesting and absorbing medicine. 

                Many people familiar with Chinese medicine have weak kidney systems, so they take medicine that helps replenish the kidneys.  But because these medicines are difficult to digest, often times they fail to replenish the kidneys, instead becoming a heavy burden on the spleen and stomach organs.  In this way, the medicine which is supposed to help the body actually becomes a poison to the body’s organs. 

                A lot of people also have excessive heat in their heart and liver organs, so they must take cool-natured medicines year-round to balance this.  But what they don’t know is that taking cool-natured medicines can damage the spleen and stomach the most, especially when the spleen and stomach is already weak.

                If there is one medicine on this planet that I recommend to you, in order to help solve your chronic health and blood deficiency problems, it would be a combination of Chinese yam, Job’s tears seeds, and Gorgon fruit.  This combination is highly effective, and is the most reliable Chinese medicine you can take. 

                For frail elderly people, very young children, and also people whose conditions are very severe, my frequent suggestion is to eat porridge made of those three ingredients: Chinese yam, Job’s tears and Gorgon fruit.  These ingredients may be a little bit hard to find at supermarkets, but if you look around at health food stores or herbal stores, or ask a local practitioner, you may be able to find it. 

                Many people ask, “Is it really effective to just eat porridge? Can it really promote the growth of red blood cells very quickly?” My answer to you is, if the porridge solution doesn’t work, then I’m afraid that nothing else will.  Although normal food produces energy and blood in the body, first we use the energy already present in the body to digest that food.  If the body can’t afford to use that bit of energy to digest the food, then our only solution is to use the three ingredients mentioned, because only they can directly provide us with energy and the source of blood.

                First let’s discuss the benefits of Chinese yam.  Chinese yam has a stable, sweet nature, and doesn’t cause inflammation or excess heat in the body when restoring the body’s energy.  A Chinese medicine book discusses the benefits of the Chinese yam: “….strengthens the kidneys, restores the stomach and spleen, dissolves phlegm and mucus, cures dysentery, and moisturizes the skin and hair.”  Other benefits of Chinese yam include relieving cough and clearing the lungs. For medicinal purposes, it is more common to use dried Chinese yam, although there is fresh Chinese yam available at oriental markets.  At herbal stores, there are usually two kinds of dried Chinese yam: cooked and raw.  It is better to use the raw herb form. 

                Now let’s talk about the Job’s tears seeds—if you’re body tends to have what Chinese medicine calls “dampness”, or a “wet” nature, (such as if you are easily prone to water retention, edema, eczema,), then the seeds of Job’s tears is the best solution for you.  Job’s tears helps the body get rid of excess water, delivering this dampness out of the body.  Job’s tears seed has a slightly cool nature; therefore, it’s not very suitable for people who have excessive coldness within their stomach and spleen, or for people whose four limbs become cold easily.  Some Chinese medicine doctors also says that pregnant women should also abstain from using Job’s tears, because it may affect not only the body’s general fluids, but also the amniotic fluids in the uterus.  Although side effects have not been observed to date, it’s better to stay on the safe side and avoid any risks during pregnancy.

                The main function of Job’s tears is to strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness.  Meanwhile strengthening the spleen, it can also replenish the lungs; meanwhile dispelling dampness, it can also dissolve mucus and phlegm. Job’s tears seed can also help alleviate excess heat in the lungs. When used alongside Chinese yam, it is all the more effective.  It is recommended to use 50 grams of each ingredient to make porridge, to be eaten daily.   The question is, why do we have to wait until we are sick to eat this? The porridge itself isn’t necessarily a medicine—it can also be considered as a supplement, a source of nutrition and prevention for getting sick in the first place.  The porridge doesn’t taste bad or like medicine at all.  So even if you are not chronically ill, or don’t have any of the above mentioned problems, I still invite you to try this porridge.  The medicine should not be bitter, sour or taste like medicine—if it does, then that means the quality of your ingredients are not great.  For porridge, it is better to use fresh Chinese yam.

 

                Finally, let me discuss the benefits of Gorgon fruit.  Some people have diarrhea for extended periods of time; others produce too much sperm and are unable to control its outward flow from body; still others urinate too frequently at night, and can’t sleep well because of this.  For these conditions, Gorgon fruit is the perfect remedy. Gorgon fruit also has other benefits, such as stopping pain in the knee and back, enhancing vision and hearing, and when eaten long term it has the ability to promote longevity.  Although it’s a quite common food, its benefits are unusual and highly sought after.   This fruit not only has the ability to stop excess production of sperm, but also helps in increasing sperm production if needed—in general, it can regulate sperm production.  Additionally, it cures inflammation from excess dampness in the stomach and spleen and replenishes the kidneys. 

                Chinese yam, seed of Job’s tears, and Gorgon fruit complement each other perfectly, all three having miraculous effects on the stomach and spleen. However, they all have different specialties.  Chinese yam, for instance, strengthens five organs: the stomach, spleen, kidney, lung, and the liver.  The seed of Job’s tears can clear the lungs, clear excess water from the lungs, help the stomach, and expel dampness. Gorgon fruit, on the other hand, besides strengthening the stomach and spleen, can also stop diarrhea and stop excess sperm production.  Many people grind the three medicines into powder (if you’re using dry ingredients) and then add water to make it into porridge, adding jujubes (red dates) to the mix.  This can help cure blood deficiency, which is benefiting to problems such as anemia. 

                Although these medicines have many benefits, like all other medicines it is not suitable for everyone.  If you have excess heat or inflammation in the liver, stagnant or slow moving blood flow, low amounts of saliva, these three ingredients aren’t recommended for you. Also, if you feel that you don’t urinate very often, if you get easily out of breath in the cold, or are easily prone to constipation when the weather is hot, then the medicine isn’t good for you either.  When you want to put clean water into a fountain, first you must get rid of the dirty, stagnant water.  Likewise, if you want to receive the benefits of this medicine, first you must rid your body of these problems and conditions.  Otherwise, the blood deficiency will not be cured easily.  More will come in later blogs for ways to treat these problems.

Summer—the Perfect Time to Cure Winter Illnesses

In Chinese Medicine, summer is the time to cleanse your body of all the illnesses you’ve accumulated during the long winter months. Chinese medicine expert Sun Si Miao once said: “Great doctors prevent illnesses that may happen in the future; Good doctors prevent the inevitable illnesses of the near future; Regular doctors treat illnesses that are happening or have already happened.”  It is true that good doctors prevent the illnesses of the future, but there are so many possibilities of future illnesses—Chinese medicine doctors, on the other hand, pinpoint exactly which illnesses you are most likely to develop in the future, and work on those instead.  By recognizing the signs and symptoms that the body gives off, one is able to identify the origins of sickness and chase it away before the illness becomes severe or untreatable.  This is done by modifying the body’s conditions so that it isn’t the ideal environment for breeding sickness.  As a result, the body’s problems can be healed without the use of medicine.

                “Winter illnesses” refers to illnesses that easily occur in the wintertime, which are not necessarily ones that have already occurred.  The reason we can say that these “winter illnesses” are most likely to occur is because most people have, in the winter, what Chinese medicine describes as “Lack of Fire Energy”, or lack of internal bodily heat.  The most common signs of this are cold feet and hands, an aversion to the cold, and always feeling fatigued or sleepy.  This means that your body doesn’t have enough heat energy in it; when the body can’t produce enough heat energy, then the coldness is naturally born from within.  People who have this problem are constantly cold, even in the summertime, and pile on blankets and wear socks to go to bed.

                Why do winter illnesses need to be cured in the summertime then? It’s because people who have winter illnesses, more often than not, have body constitution that tend to be weak to the cold. And depending on where you live, winter may be a bitter and long season, and the outside world is frozen for quite a while; therefore, treating winter illnesses in the wintertime is like hanging your clothes to dry outside on a rainy day—the sickness won’t really go away, because of the nature of the season.  On the contrary, in the summertime when the outside environment is warm, the body will be full of internal heat as well.  Because of this, the cold can easily be dispelled during this time. 

                It’s important to remember that the coldness from winter deposits itself in the body in layers, and wherever the coldness subsides, there is poor blood circulation. This is why, when the weather is especially cold or damp, people tend to feel pain in their joints, or their arthritis may act up. Likewise, if the coldness subsides in the organs, swelling is likely to develop; if it subsides in the meridians, then there will be poor blood circulation to many parts of the body, especially the feet and hands, causing not only cold feet and hands, but sometimes a numb feeling as well.

                The key to dispelling this coldness from the body is to kindle the body’s inner “fire”, or heat energy.  In order to develop one’s inner heat, one must eat foods which Chinese medicine deems as having a “warm nature”.  Some people might think, “Eating warm foods in the summer heat will make me uncomfortable and sick.”  This is true, but eating foods with “warm nature” doesn’t necessarily mean eating foods that are warm.  For example, a common remedy to coldness in the body is a tea made of brown sugar and ginger.  Both of these ingredients are warm-natured, but in the summer you would not drink it as a hot tea, but rather cool it.  However, the tea still retains its warm nature, though it may taste cool, and has the same effects on the body as it would if drank warm.  

                People who don’t sweat easily—or those that, after sweating are vulnerable to cold—can use “Yu Bing Feng San” granules, dissolved in hot water to make a bottle of liquid, then cooled.  It’s recommended to drink a bottle of this daily, because the beverage has the ability to stop excessive sweating, promote sweating if a person doesn’t sweat easily, and also prevents one from being vulnerable to coldness from the wind.  There are so many uses for this beverage, it’s really like killing three birds with one stone rather than two—there’s no harm in trying it.

                Because people are especially fond of eating cold foods and drinking cold beverages during the summertime, the digestive system organs accumulate a lot of coldness.  At this time, the body is easily susceptible to colds, especially ones that are accompanied by high fevers but no sweating.  Sweating is necessary when you have a cold, because the virus is flushed away through the skin pores.  If there is no sign of sweating, the person can take Huo Xiang Zheng Qi teapills.  However, if these are symptoms of a heat stroke, this medicine is not effective, so make sure it really is a cold before using this medicine.

                If you feel that your stomach is always cold, and even in the summertime you feel the need to eat hot foods in order to warm your body and stomach, you should take “Fu Zi Li Zhong” teapills.  This medicine also is effective for people who are afraid of wind and the cold in general.  It is also quite beneficial to use moxa on Zhong Guan, Guan Yuan, and Zu San Li .  A lot of people dislike the smell and smoke of moxa—it’s not bad for your health, but you don’t have to use it.  There are many other solutions, so it’s best to find one that you feel comfortable with and enjoy using.

                If you feel coldness on your back, use the Gwa Sha method on your back. It’s best if you soak your feet in hot water while doing this.  Afterwards, drink a bowl of hot ginger and red date tea, or pepper and Daikon radish soup.  These ingredients can be commonly found in oriental supermarkets.  

                Another effective method is making yourself sneeze, which has been described in a previous blog.  This is one of the best ways of alleviating cold symptoms and dispelling inner cold from the body.

                Many people say that they are easily cold, but when taking warm-natured medicines their bodies collect too much inner heat, the symptoms including swelling of gums and teeth and blisters on the face, and then they must take cold-natured medicine, and the cycle starts all over again.  Why does this happen? It’s because your body’s has excessive cold on the surface, and when you take warm-natured medicine, the body is like ice wrapped around fire—the outer cold is not dispelled, and you are left with excessive heat on the inside.  The solution to this is using the Gwa Sha or cupping method on the back in order to “break the ice”, then taking warm-natured medicines or foods to dispel the coldness.

                Of course, this blog is only to advise and inform you about all the solutions available—it’s up to you and your doctor to decide which, if any, to use, and which ones are most suitable to your lifestyle and body type.  There isn’t a perfect solution to anything, only ones that best suit your condition. 

Future Blog: How to keep Yourself Fit in the Season of Fall

One Spoon (Stone) to "Cure" Three Birds

First please forgive me for using the word "cure" instead of "kill".  I love birds so much and never want to harm or kill any.

I have been working on a lady patient in her 20's. She went to see me with TMJ pain with restricted motion. There are tender facial points along St6 and St7. Her pulse is thin and weak and the tongue is tender with thin coating and red spots on tip. Her face looks very pale. She experienced severe hair loss with patches. Also she experiences full mid cycle bleeding becasuse she has been taking birth control pills for years. From these symptoms, I can see that she has Qi and blood deficiency due to mid cycle bleeding and blood stagnation related to deficiency.

First I suggest that she should go see her doctor about sopping taking the birth control pills. Otherwise, in addition to the current problems, she may have a infertility issue later.  She listened and did stop the birth control pills and after a little while  her condition improved significantly. After five sessions she is no longer bleeding mid cycle and she can open the jaw wider without much pain.

When we treat a person, we have to check every aspects of their life carefully and find out the root reasons in order for the treatment to be effective.

I choose points LI4, ST6, ST7, ST43 or ST40 on Stomach and Large Intestine meridian which ran from head to extremities. Those two meridians are full of qi and blood, so stimulation of the points along the meridian can promote and generate more qi and blood.

Also I used LV2, LV3 on Liver meridian for tendon related problems and   SJ5, SJ17, SP6 for hormonal balance. She was also taking herbal formula like “Ba Zhen Wan or Gui Pi Tang” to tonify Qi and  blood.

I am really happy that she is enjoying better health without TMJ pain, hair loss and full mid cycle bleeding any more . I believe that she'll have all her hair grow back soon. More importantly, she will be able to have babies when she want to. As you can see, if you find the root cause of problem(s), you can cure them all at one time - just like curing (killing) three birds using one spoon (stone). Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is just this magical and yet simple.