Articles

Last month we explored the link between the body’s movement and its dis-eases, through the practice of qigong. This link opens up maps used to treat any human problem with physical stimulation. This month we focus on acupuncture, and its map of the meridians, as one such method of stimulation. Continue reading

Children’s health is a special branch of Chinese Medicine, as the Chinese recognize that children’s bodies and minds are quite different from those of adults. Accordingly, there are special ways of diagnosing and treating that are unique to children. In this two-part series of articles, we will discuss the causes of pediatric asthma and its treatment with bodywork, herbs, and nutritional counseling.Continue reading

This article continues the discussion on asthma in children, with the focus on diet and Chinese herbs. Let us first recall how we defined asthma. It is a mixture of external influence (called “external wind”), internal phlegm (either hot or cold), and respiratory and digestive dysfunction. These, together with emotional tension, lead to spasm (called “internal wind”). Before we begin, a word is in order about this concept of “wind” in Oriental Medicine, and how it relates to immunity. Continue reading

This month’s article rounds out the treatment of pediatric asthma. From the previous article, we saw how the typical American diet contributes to internal phlegm, organ dysfunction, and emotional frustration and volatility (internal ‘wind’). The only missing ingredient is the trigger, or external ‘wind’; this could be a change of season (“common cold-induced”), or an over-reaction to the environment (“allergy-induced”), or even simply air being taken in quickly (“exercise-induced”). So, how do we go about changing this recipe? Continue reading

When we ingest food, it has a certain effect. It has a taste that moves us a certain way, it has a thermal quality that warms or cools us, and it has a substantial quality that either builds or reduces energy, fluid, or mass. These things influence who we may become. For instance, a child born thin and feeling cold and shy could help himself by eating mildly sweet and spicy food that also builds mass and warmth; on the other hand an adult who sits at a stressful job would do better with lighter, bitter and sour fare that cools the head and helps guide the qi down and in for a steady idle. Continue reading

We left off last month describing the way in which Eastern Nutrition sees food. Let us now bring this to bear on the way modern societies actually eat, as compared to more traditional cultures.
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‘Cleansing’, ‘Fasting’, ‘Detoxifying’…what do they mean?
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The next three articles will cover the principles involved in cleansing. These include regulating the Liver, opening the routes of elimination, dealing with complications, and rejuvenating. We shall sketch ways to fill out these principles with diet, exercise, and clinical work. In the last article, a case study will serve to illustrate the whole process. Continue reading

In this article, we pick up where we left off in the cleansing process. Once the body is prepared for change by regulating the liver, we encourage the elimination of wastes through the pores, bowels, and bladder. Also, we pay heed to complications along the way. As in the past article on the liver, we shall briefly discuss the dietary, exercise, and clinical principles involved in each step. Continue reading

This last article summarizes the cleansing process by offering an example. Picture this: it is early March; the gray of winter is giving way to the green of spring. You sense a movement of shedding and renewal happening gradually, and you would like to go along with it, though you are not sure how or even why. Continue reading